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My name is Alyssa Gagnon and I am an Omushkego iskwêw (Cree woman) and grew up on Taykwa Tagamou territory near Cochrane, Ontario. I am a parent to two young children and a recent graduate of the the Midwifery Education Program at Ryerson University.
I started my new job as a New Registrant midwife in London, Ontario on July 31st.
It’s a complete plot twist because when I applied to jobs in London, they were not my first choice but it was a huge consideration since 1) my oldest daughter lives there with her dad and 2) I am familiar with the city and still have friends there. However, I was hoping I could work in Timmins and settle down there as a new registrant, but the Universe had different plans. I’ve recently been reconnecting with friends in London and trying to figure out how it would all work considering I am a single mom.
For me, moving to London (again) is a huge sacrifice (both personally and financially) as I had moved back home to northern Ontario at the end of 2019 with hopes that I had finally made my way back home for good, which is why I really wanted to finish the Midwifery program in North Bay. I am now working in the hospital where I gave birth to my oldest girl and working in the city where I decided to become a midwife in the first place.
For those who do not know, I lived in London from 2010 to 2015 and completed my first University degree at Western. While I was in London, I had my first baby with midwives at the age of 22 and my love for midwifery and birth started with my own birth story. I quickly realized how midwifery is connected to Indigenous culture as a whole and began researching and writing essays on Indigenous birth in all of my First Nations Studies classes. I then applied to the MEP in 2014 and moved to Toronto in 2015.
Moving to London again feels both terrifying and exhilarating as I don’t have a lot figured out yet, but a new beginning is certainly a catalyst for healing and I am calling on my supportive community for help again.
After my new registrant year, my plan is to go home and start working on my own midwifery program for my community of Taykwa Tagamou Nation and/or work in along the coast of the James Bay because I will be more experienced as a midwife.
Who knows - I may even take a year off to build myself a little homestead and scrape moose hides for a year. However, the new registrant year is required to gain more experience and valuable mentorship in the first year as a solo midwife.
I would like to use any $$ I can get for moving costs to move my stuff from Smooth Rock Falls to London (I had to make over 4 roundtrips to be able to do so). I will also have to pay for an on-call childcare provider beginning September 15th, which can become very costly in a city in southern Ontario and because of the larger volume of births I will be attending when I am on-call. These funds will keep me stable until money starts to flow and becomes more stable as I begin discharging clients.
In light of reconciliation and supporting First Nations birth workers, I am not afraid to ask for help from non-Indigenous midwife allies and my community at large.
I will be incredibly grateful for any help that we can get as it will alleviate some stress and anxiety as we settle in again. :)
Meegwetch,
Alyssa and Siikwan <3
I started my new job as a New Registrant midwife in London, Ontario on July 31st.
It’s a complete plot twist because when I applied to jobs in London, they were not my first choice but it was a huge consideration since 1) my oldest daughter lives there with her dad and 2) I am familiar with the city and still have friends there. However, I was hoping I could work in Timmins and settle down there as a new registrant, but the Universe had different plans. I’ve recently been reconnecting with friends in London and trying to figure out how it would all work considering I am a single mom.
For me, moving to London (again) is a huge sacrifice (both personally and financially) as I had moved back home to northern Ontario at the end of 2019 with hopes that I had finally made my way back home for good, which is why I really wanted to finish the Midwifery program in North Bay. I am now working in the hospital where I gave birth to my oldest girl and working in the city where I decided to become a midwife in the first place.
For those who do not know, I lived in London from 2010 to 2015 and completed my first University degree at Western. While I was in London, I had my first baby with midwives at the age of 22 and my love for midwifery and birth started with my own birth story. I quickly realized how midwifery is connected to Indigenous culture as a whole and began researching and writing essays on Indigenous birth in all of my First Nations Studies classes. I then applied to the MEP in 2014 and moved to Toronto in 2015.
Moving to London again feels both terrifying and exhilarating as I don’t have a lot figured out yet, but a new beginning is certainly a catalyst for healing and I am calling on my supportive community for help again.
After my new registrant year, my plan is to go home and start working on my own midwifery program for my community of Taykwa Tagamou Nation and/or work in along the coast of the James Bay because I will be more experienced as a midwife.
Who knows - I may even take a year off to build myself a little homestead and scrape moose hides for a year. However, the new registrant year is required to gain more experience and valuable mentorship in the first year as a solo midwife.
I would like to use any $$ I can get for moving costs to move my stuff from Smooth Rock Falls to London (I had to make over 4 roundtrips to be able to do so). I will also have to pay for an on-call childcare provider beginning September 15th, which can become very costly in a city in southern Ontario and because of the larger volume of births I will be attending when I am on-call. These funds will keep me stable until money starts to flow and becomes more stable as I begin discharging clients.
In light of reconciliation and supporting First Nations birth workers, I am not afraid to ask for help from non-Indigenous midwife allies and my community at large.
I will be incredibly grateful for any help that we can get as it will alleviate some stress and anxiety as we settle in again. :)
Meegwetch,
Alyssa and Siikwan <3
Organizer
Alyssa Gagnon
Organizer
North Bay, ON