Repository logo
 

Restoring the blessings of the Morning Star: childbirth and maternal-infant health for First Nations near Edmonton, Alberta

dc.contributor.authorWiebe, Adrienne Dawn
dc.contributor.authorBarton, Sylvia
dc.contributor.authorAuger, Laura
dc.contributor.authorPijl-Zieber, Em
dc.contributor.authorFoster-Boucher, Caroline
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-21T18:29:33Z
dc.date.available2023-08-21T18:29:33Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractIt is not only remote Aboriginal communities in Canada that have poorer maternal-infant health status than Canadian averages; residents of First Nation communities located close to large urban centres also experience this health status gap. Alexander, Alexis, Enoch, and Paul First Nations are located within an hour of healthcare services in greater Edmonton. The narratives of 75 predominantly Cree and Stoney women from these communities were gathered through seven talking circles and five semi-structured interviews. The participants described their experiences of loss and separation as pregnancy care and childbirth moved out of the community and into the hospital over the last two generations. This shift was not only a geographic relocation; it also disconnected the childbirth experience from elders, family and community, traditional teachings, and spiritual meaning. Conversely, the participants’ hospital experiences were characterized by a limited sense of cultural safety. Participants highlighted the urgent need to reintegrate culturally based community support and health perspectives into the childbirth experience. The implementation of such a culturally integrated healthcare model in all Aboriginal communities—remote, rural, suburban, and urban—may be the key finally to closing the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal maternal and infant health status in Canada.
dc.identifier.citationWiebe, A., Barton, S., Auger, L., Pijl-Zieber, E., & Foster-Boucher, C. (2015). Restoring the blessings of the Morning Star: Childbirth and maternal-infant health for women from First Nations near Edmonton, Alberta. Aboriginal Policy Studies, 5(1), 47-68. https://doi.org/10.5663/aps.v5i1.23823
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5663/aps.v5i1.23823
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/3189
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectAboriginal health
dc.subjectmaternal-infant health
dc.titleRestoring the blessings of the Morning Star: childbirth and maternal-infant health for First Nations near Edmonton, Albertaen
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Foster-Boucher_Restoring_the_Blessings_ of_the_Morning_Star_2015.pdf
Size:
224.77 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format