Many Indigenous Mothers Must Travel Hundreds of Kilometres to Give Birth. Meet the Women Changing That | The Walrus

"She had this wealth of knowledge for me to draw on in my pregnancy,"

"It's really hard to be the only one in this area,"

"And also, my belief is that we need to move away from the pan-Indigenizing that has been happening in the health care system too. I'm not going to be the midwife for everyone-we need midwives from every community, so that families who are having babies can have someone who knows their culture."

Indigenous midwifery remains difficult to access in cities despite shorter travel distances. Expectant Indigenous parents in urban areas commonly encounter discrimination, negligence, and ignorance of Indigenous pregnancy practices. Some Indigenous midwives provide culturally informed care that integrates traditional practices and contemporary evidence, such as supporting Salish winter bathing with knowledge-keeper guidance and peer-reviewed research. Very few Indigenous midwives practise in major cities like Vancouver, creating gaps in community-specific care. Pan-Indigenizing the health system undermines diverse cultural needs. Historically, birth relied on communal generational knowledge and support, and much of that knowledge and care remains absent for many urban families.

Read at The Walrus