Hometown: Calgary, AB
Program: Bachelor of Midwifery, Victoria
What attracted you to your field?
Prior to being accepted into the midwifery program, I was a doula supporting women during their pregnancies, birth and postpartum periods. The move from doula work to midwifery care was a natural next step to bring the birth process back to community. As an Indigenous person of mixed decent, I had always dreamt of a birth centre that would honour the spirit, the community and the ceremony of birth. It’s so important to nurture all of the souls in pregnancy – including that of the pregnant person and the souls that exist within them. Midwifery care emphasizes a holistic approach to childbirth and reproductive health. It involves developing strong, trusting relationships with clients and within the hospital systems in order to provide optimal care to birthing families. I see Indigenous midwifery as a key link to community healing and strength.
What is your favourite moment from your time at UBC?
My favourite moment at UBC occurred in second year when I travelled to Victoria, B.C. for in-person clinical skills training. Our cohort was impacted by the pandemic, so we weren’t able to meet one another in person until the second year. So naturally, getting to meet our peers and experience school hands-on was a highlight during that time. I ended up rooming with two other students (Kim and Meredith) from my cohort for four weeks during clinical skills training and we had an amazing time. We studied, prepared food together, shared stories of life during COVID, swam in the ocean and became good supports for one another over the next three years of school. The UBC Midwifery program in Victoria will always hold a special place in my heart because that year I made lifelong friends.
I also want to give a loud shout out to Evelyn George – UBC’s Midwifery Indigenous Advisor. She has been beyond supportive during my time at UBC. She went above and beyond to provide myself and other Indigenous students cultural midwifery knowledge through Indigenous curriculum additions, providing access to Elders, dedicated time with practicing Indigenous midwives, coordination of land-based activities and her overall nurturing support. I am profoundly grateful for her time, her presence and her caring knowledge. Indigenous midwifery is growing in part because of her dedication to supporting future Indigenous midwives who are bringing birth back to us, to our communities and to our nations. Siyisgaas Evelyn, I raise my hands to you.
What is one piece of advice you have for students entering your program?
Take some doula training and attend at least four to five births before applying to the program. The life of a doula — being on-call and getting paged in the middle of the night — is similar to life as a midwife. If you have not experienced some form of on-call life you will have a harder transition to the 24/7 life of a midwife. Doula work also prepares you for some of the signs of normal labour transitions.
What’s next for you?
I have accepted work with the Family Health Midwifery Clinic in Langley, B.C. and will be collaborating with a naturopathic midwife and her team. I am looking forward to being supported by this experienced group of midwives and enhancing my homebirth skills.