Christine Tootoo had to spend weeks in a hotel, far from home, while she awaited the arrival of her second baby. Tootoo lives in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and since there isn’t a birthing centre close by, she had to fly to Winnipeg ahead of her due date earlier this year (a distance of approximately 1480 kms).
One early morning in her hotel room, her contractions came fast and irregular. By the time her partner, Rico Manitok, went to warm up the car, everything changed.
Manitok called 911 at 4:12 a.m. Two minutes later, their daughter was born on the floor of a Winnipeg hotel room.
Across many northern and remote Indigenous communities, families must leave weeks before giving birth to get the medical care they need. Some travel alone, others bring a support person, while children and extended family stay behind.
As of the writing of this article in 2021, Iqaluit had the only remaining clinic in Nunavut with birthing services, with expectant mothers either sent there or to Winnipeg. It also says that there used to be a clinic in Rankin Inlet, but it closed due to staffing shortages.
While the push to reintroduce midwife services at the local level could alleviate some demand for birthing clinic services, the risk of complications in some cases makes clinics a necessary alternative.