You were just perfect you were made for the screen at just 3 months old little Noah is all smiles he’s been so good like I can’t I couldn’t even I couldn’t complain soon this space in Scarboro will be filled with little ones just like him as ancestral hands midwives
Opens doors for prenatal and postpartum care what I Envision for this space is that when you walk in the door you’re met with uh music you are met with you know some snacks cuz everybody likes food and it just feels like a place it feels like you’re going to your Auntie’s
House right and you’re getting what you need from your cousins and your family and and all of the folks involved in in what makes you feel fantastic a warm welcoming and safe space all part of a longtime vision of founder Alia Jones simply because of race alone when a
Black woman or person walks into their maternity care they’re at higher risk of death of complications of of not being treated well not getting the same course of care that others are offered so it’s a huge crisis birth is nothing short of a miracle the widely respected Midwife
Recently lent her voice and expertise for a new CBC series called for the culture with Amanda Paris in this episode black parents and health care providers share raw powerful conversations about giving birth in Canada and it it breaks my heart that people have to be scared to come into
These Healthcare settings and they’re not sure that they’re going to be treated well that they’re going to get the same care as other people that they’re that they’re going to survive the process like can you imagine that you’re this time of life where usually it’s exciting and happy time but then
You have to worry like am I going to be here to raise this baby is this baby going to be okay and those aren’t thoughts that should have to go through people’s heads they should just be able to get the care that they need and they deserve culturally congruent care
Culturally supportive and sensitive care is the key and that’s where this latest passion project comes in expanding access to clients who may have previously been excluded so we know that the black population has a higher incident of chronic illnesses and an earlier onset so because of that because midwives typically deal with lowrisk
Normal birth a lot of people are actually disqualified from mree care which it’s a big issue um when you see that there’s Health disparities going on I think Midwifery is part of the solution so we’re trying to change that access so being able to um have high-risk clients which midwives aren’t
Usually part of their care um is fantastic because we can give all the benefits of Midwifery care so the longer appointments informed Choice really make sure that we explain options and the client’s able to make that final decision and pair that with an OB who’s able to do the high-risk
Stuff in addition to the new space there’s also free prenatal classes online and we’ll start really kind of generally how can racism impact pregnancy yeah so I mean right off the bat it impacts it physiologically right covering everything from racism to self- advocacy and hair care so during
Pregnancy you find that your hair flourishes I know mine did mine was thick it was healthy it looked fantastic and then when I had my my um children I have three girls now and after every single child I had some type of hair well the plan is to start small with
About 40 clients the goal is to keep growing into a full community health Hub that is a dream so ideally we’d like to be able to offer births um so prenatal care continuity into your birth and then follow up in the postpartum as well um
But I’ve had to teach myself I got a walk before we run so the first step is to start as a prenatal and postpartum program
Ancestral Hands Midwives is a new facility in Scarborough that offers prenatal and postpartum midwifery care for Black families. CBC’s Shannon Martin spoke to the team behind the organization to learn more about how they’re striving for better accessibility, education and empowerment around Black maternal health.
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