Reclaiming Our Wisdom Through Birth
Reclaiming Our Wisdom Through Birth
by Nicolle Gonzales, CNM
A nurse in labor and delivery, Briana Groten. Photo by: Laurel Morales
With the continued deconditioning of our bodies and minds, it is no wonder we have strayed so far from our way of life. Today Native American women are in a unique situation, with the increasing rise in healthcare costs and the lack of funds to sustain Indian Health Service facilities to meet the increasing demands of tribes, this leaves many in a vulnerable state. Native American women receive the majority of their care from federally funded healthcare facilities like Indian Health Services, which means any federally mandated health policy changes made will directly effect them and more so than other ethnic groups.
The Santa Fe Indian Hospital, which provides health care services to the Eight Northern Pueblos, is currently struggling to keep its doors open and is in a constant state of emergency. Within the last 5 years, they were forced to close their birthing unit, due to lack of funds. While they used to staff three Certified Nurse Midwives, they now have one full-time Certified Nurse Midwife. Pueblo women from any of the Northern New Mexico tribes can still be seen in an ambulatory clinic for their initial prenatal care, however they are advised to transfer their care to one of the surrounding providers at 30 wks. At which point they have a choice to deliver at one of the three surrounding hospitals as well. This poses two problems, 1) there is a lack of continuity of care, which means they have little time to establish a trusting relationship with their new provider and 2) there is little to no cross-cultural understanding of their way of life at these surrounding hospitals.
While it is no secret that some believe that “some form of health care is better than no healthcare,” Native American women and families are aware that they are receiving inadequate healthcare. However, the means to address this issue is a complex one. In 1976, Congress passed the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which gave tribes the ability to change or take control of IHS facilities that were not meeting the needs of its tribe. This also allowed for tribes to represent themselves and their own health care systems through the establishment of the National Indian Health Board. Despite the tribe’s ability to be more involved in how IHS will meet the needs of its people, it is still over abundantly regulated by the use of government Funds.
“A lot of the conversations I have with women … issues come up around not having support and feeling like they’re invisible or they’re alone. Being in a safe space that focuses on maintaining and encouraging indigenous practice surrounding birth really reinforces that we are beautiful, spiritual beings. I wish the world would see Native women like that. That we’re not sick, we’re not dying, we’re not vulnerable … we’re not our disease, we’re not our social structure. That’s our true self.”
However, when addressing the health care needs of Native American women, there has been little to no focus on maintaining and encouraging cultural practices surrounding birth. With lack of better understanding of Native American women’s social structures and how they define their own health, much of the knowledge surrounding birth has been forgotten. Where the birth of a child may have been met with the sound of a beating drum and traditional songs welcoming the infant into the world, now has been replaced with nurses taking the baby away from the mother to be examined and warmed under bright lights. No longer are the first words the infant hears are it’s own traditional language. Our traditional healers and families now have to get permission to burn cedar in the room to purify it before and after the birth. The ceremonial aspects of pregnancy and birth have been replaced with fear of the unknown, rather than respected and supported. The importance of this time will have long term effects for both mother and child.
Midwifery has long been a ceremonial practice in the Native American communities in the United States and New Mexico. However, taking back our ceremonial places in the birth room and in our communities is necessary to the health and wellbeing of our tribes. Unfortunately, there are few Native American women walking the midwifery path, as that a sacred space for the wisdom surrounding our traditional birth practices needs to be maintained. It is only through the passing down of wisdom through midwifery and helping Native American women reclaim their ceremonial place through birth will we see our tribes thrive again.
Participants in an indigenous doula training, coordinated by Nicolle Gonzalas and the Changing Woman Initiative, pose for a photo outside a hogan in Window Rock on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. Such training used to draw a dozen women – this one drew 40. “The demand just kind of exploded,” midwife and facilitator Melissa Brown said. More than 100 people applied for the workshop. (Photo by Delia Johnson/Cronkite News)