Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 29, 2007

IQALUIT - Six women are in training to bring birthing back home through the maternity care worker program in Iqaluit this year.

The Nunavut Arctic College course, previously held on the Rankin campus, will provide its students with the tools they need to support childbearing women and their families within their own communities.

The year will conclude with the awarding of a one-year certificate for some, while others, like Rachel Jones of Rankin Inlet, may continue on for a full three years to become midwives.

"It's been my dream for so long, to actually be doing the work, catching babies, being there for the mothers and babies pre- and post-partum. It's so rewarding," said Jones, herself a mother of two.

Jones is currently the first and only student in the final year, and is getting hands-on experience at the Rankin birthing centre.

Having experienced childbirth in both a southern hospital and the birthing centre in Rankin, she said the comparison was what fuelled her desire to enter the profession.

"In Rankin, there were friends and family around that I had chosen to have support me in my birth, while in Winnipeg I was quite alone," she explained. "There were so many women there at the same time, and you don't get the same care, whereas here you get some time one on one, with two midwives, in a birthing centre."

The maternity care program focuses on three main areas: care and support of women, babies and families; promotion and support of breastfeeding; and health education in the communities, according to Kay Matthews, co-ordinator and instructor for the maternal care worker program.

"We have a super group right now," she said. "I feel we're getting quality applicants ... people with really good life experience that they can bring to the role."

First-year student Qovik Netser, originally from Chesterfield Inlet, is one of them. Like Jones, she too is a mother who has experienced childbirth in both the North and the south.

She recently won the Al Woodhouse bursary for her essay on breastfeeding, and said she aims to complete the full midwifery program.

"I would love to work here (in Iqaluit) afterward. Right now, there's no birthing centre in Iqaluit, so I would love to start one up here," she said.

Five of the first-year students come from across the territory, the other from Labrador. They often compare notes from the births they have attended and the advice passed on from their mothers, grandmothers and aunts, Netser said.

"There's a lot to learn, the Inuit way, and the qallunaat, or western way. We're all getting along, helping each other, giving each other support," she said.

One of the biggest challenges for Jones and Netser is the need to balance their work and studies with their own families.

"I'm getting the hang of getting back into studying, homework. At first it was hard to juggle with everyday chores, but I have lots of support," Netser said.

Although her mother-in-law is currently babysitting her seven-month-old baby, "the hard part will be when travelling for the practicum portion to Rankin, because I will be leaving my kids here with my husband," she added.

Childcare is one of Jones's biggest struggles as well.

"It's is a big issue with any job, but when you have a job where you could be called in at any time of the night ... you have to be really committed to doing this to succeed at it," she said.

These challenges are one of the reasons the program has moved between Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit, and will likely head to the Kitikmeot region next year, according to Matthews.

"Even within a region we've had problems with family responsibilities. I think it's true of women everywhere but particularly here," she said, adding that the school is also looking into the possibility of studies done in part through Telehealth.