Midwifery students present research that could bring services to more Manitobans

The bachelor of midwifery program at the College of Nursing recently held its second annual exhibition of student proposals focused on addressing midwifery care shortfalls across Manitoba.

The research poster presentation took place April 9 at the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing and is the central part of a third-year course in the program.

“The overall premise of this project is that we’re identifying equity-deserving groups or communities within Manitoba that do not currently have adequate – or any – access to midwifery services,” said instructor Heidi Elias.

She said the course also provides learners with opportunities to develop advocacy skills.

“Midwifery is a profession that very much is about advocating for the health care needs of our clients. But as a young profession ourselves, we’re also responsible for advocating for our own growth and development.” 

Midwifery care for Indigenous people displaced for birth 

Angela Nepinak and Emma Kolapo presented a proposal to improve midwifery care for Indigenous pregnant people who are forced to give birth outside of their communities, specifically in the Island Lakes communities of St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Wasagamack and Red Sucker Lake. 

These remote communities are accessible mainly by air or winter roads, so pregnant people there are regularly displaced to Winnipeg at about 36 weeks of gestation, Nepinak and Kolapo said. 

“There is stress having to travel to give birth here in Winnipeg, leaving their land, their culture, their support systems. We wanted to help ease that stress a bit while they’re here,” Nepinak said. 

The proposal is for a community-based model with four to five rotating midwives, based in a hub at St. Theresa Point, that would practice both in the communities and in Winnipeg. It is also important that they have midwives who are either Indigenous or strong allies who have obtained cultural safety training. 

“There would always be a midwife in community, building those relationships, building trust with community,” Nepinak said. 

The students said they would like to see the proposal come to fruition and are continuing to speak with community members, those in government positions, Shared Health and midwives.  

“This is something that they would really like to see,” Kolapo said. 

Addressing health inequities in The Pas 

Luise Derksen and Madison Trippier’s proposal looked at providing midwifery care in The Pas, a northern Manitoba community of about 6,000 that has not had midwifery as an option for several years. 

Currently, there are about 350 to 450 births annually in The Pas and only one obstetrician available at any given time. Many of these births are for people who live in nearby communities. The students’ proposal suggests bringing three to four full-time midwives to The Pas. 

“Depending on how many midwives there are, there can be nine to 12 births managed by the midwives per month, which would help with the workload quite significantly, and also provide our model of prenatal, interpartum and postpartum care,” Trippier said. 

The students said one of the main benefits of midwifery care is that midwives are advocates for culturally safe care. 

“We want to allow the women in The Pas, in these rural communities, the choice of having a midwife,” Trippier said.  

“You should be able to choose what kind of obstetric care you want. And being forced to accept the care that’s in the community or have to travel to have another source of care is not equitable.”