Midwifery Program

The Innu Midwifery Program grew out of a long held desire to bring birth back to the Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish. Until the 1960s, the Innu of Labrador gave birth on the land. Birth was a family event, and the birth space was held by traditional midwives. Even after their forced placement in Sheshatshiu and Davis Inlet, Innu Elders remember childbearing with the assistance of Innu midwives. This was temporary, however, as colonization forced childbirth out of the community, disrupting sustainable community-based birthing systems. Currently, pregnant people in the two Innu communities must travel to give birth in Happy Valley-Goose Bay (HVBG).

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Due to a lack of road access to the remote community of Natuashish, pregnant people are made to travel, often alone, four to six weeks before their due date to give birth at the Labrador Health Centre in HVGB. Although childbearing people in Sheshatshiu can remain in their home community for the duration of their pregnancy, they still must travel 41 km by road to the Labrador Health Centre once signs of labour are present. Innu families from both communities often face significant cultural and language barriers when accessing maternity care outside of their communities, disrupting rather than strengthening the kinship systems that form the foundation of Innu health.

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Despite systemic challenges, the push to reclaim community birth has continued. Current efforts to return Innu midwifery to Sheshatshiu and Natuashish began in 2018, driven by the advocacy of Thea Penashue. Born herself into a long line of Innu matriarchs and leaders, Thea successfully advocated for a traditional Innu tent birth outside the Labrador Health Centre in 2020, igniting a sense of community desire to reclaim Innu midwifery. Community engagement session with Elders, youth, and healthcare providers followed and several Innu community members visited Inukjuak, Nunavik to learn about the successful Inuulitsivik Midwifery Program upon which the IMP is modelled.

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In 2020, the IRT secured funding for a midwifery education program and began further implementation activities. In April 2023, the initial cohort of Innu Student Midwives began the Innu Midwifery Program.

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