Yukon Birthwork Manifesto Part 2: What We Heard
Here is a brief summary of what Youkali and I heard during our conversations and gatherings over Winter and Spring 2024 across the Yukon. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about the project.
WHAT WE HEARD
Themes:
We want to give birth in our communities.
We want to have choice in how we give birth.
We want health care workers to use informed and continual consent, always.
We want better education around reproductive care. We want knowledge and resources on fertility, birth, and postpartum to be readily available.
We want free fertility care.
We want free doula/birthworker care for every birther at every stage.
We want culturally-affirming care to help us navigate a White Supremacist healthcare system.
We want health care providers to know how to provide proper care for trans birthers, indigenous birthers, racialized birthers, disabled birthers, fat birthers, queer birthers, and birthers who carry other marginalised identities, as well as their communities.
We want to move away from institutionalized birthing into approaches that see birth as a normal and natural part of life’s cycle, and treats it as such.
We want: Indigenous Community Support
We want to birth on the land
An Indigenous Midwife in every community
Free access to Indigenous doulas/birthworkers
Health care that is affirming of cultural values and includes cultural ways
Bringing in ceremony to honour the transitions: Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum
Afterbirth ceremony
Education and resources around traditional foods, ways, and ceremonies for birth
“Birth is medicine for our communities”
No more birth alerts
No more travel to give birth in Whitehorse
Expecting parents taught and helped by the community
“I wish there were people to guide me”
More support for birthing in white-centric environments
We want: BIPOC Community Support
Culturally-affirming care for BIPOC Birthers
Bringing cultural knowledge and ceremony into pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
“For many of us we are the first or second generation to be born on this land. Now we’re giving birth ourselves. There’s so much trauma in us from the speed at which things have changed. How do we tend the vast distances our families have travelled in the past few generations? How do we honour and carry forward the ways of our people? How do we heal from displacement? How do we honour the people of the lands we are now on?”
Free access to BIPOC midwives and birthworkers
More support for birthing in white-centric environments
More support for newcomers who aren’t familiar with the way birth is treated in Canada
Language support for newcomers who face language barriers
We want: Queer and Trans Community Support
“I wish I didn’t have to educate health care providers on how to support me as a Queer and/or Trans person” (this was said by multiple people, almost every queer and/or trans person said a version of this)
“I wish I didn’t have to educate health care providers on what options are available in Queer and Trans fertility”
“I wish there was a how-to guide for accessing fertility services and treatments”
Free access to Queer and Trans birthworkers
Queer and Trans- specific lactation/breast/chestfeeding support
Resources for Queer and Trans folks looking to give birth
Financial support for Queer and Trans folks accessing fertility treatments
We want: Rural Community Support
More services to be provided in communities
Less medical travel to Whitehorse
Birthing in every community
More support for medical care that needs to happen in Whitehorse (financial and logistical support)
Medical escorts for all ultrasounds and appointments in Whitehorse
More perinatal support services in communities
Community-specific resources and guides for birthers and families
We want: Postpartum Support
Better education around postpartum mood disorders (PP depression, anxiety, OCD, psychosis)
More resources for transitioning home
More resources for breast/chestfeeding
Postpartum care that is provided at home by a person who is familiar (has already been around supporting before the client is in postpartum)