Peyakohewamak—Needs of Involved Nehiyaw (Cree) Fathers Supporting Their Partners During Pregnancy: Findings From the ENRICH Study

Abstract

We sought to understand the needs of involved Nehiyaw (Cree) fathers who supported their partners during pregnancy. We used qualitative description and a community-based participatory research approach. We carried out in-depth semi-structured interviews with six Nehiyaw fathers. Four also participated in photovoice and follow-up interviews. All data were content analyzed qualitatively. Fathers felt they had to support their partners and overcome challenges resulting from intergenerational colonial impacts (residential schools particularly) by reclaiming their roles and acknowledging the pregnancy as a positive change. Providing support was possible through their own strong support system stemming from family, faith, culture, and a stable upbringing with positive male role models and intact Nehiyaw kinships. Perinatal programming did little to include fathers. Attempts to improve perinatal care and outcomes should allow more inclusion of and support for Indigenous fathers through genuinely incorporating into care traditional culture and Elders, families, flexibility, cultural understanding, and reconciliation.

Pregnancy and development of diabetes in First Nations and non‐First Nations women in Alberta, Canada

“…Given the known excess in risk factors amongst the First Nations population, 3,5,8,12 these differences are probably underestimates of the true gap in services. Furthermore, these gaps are exacerbated by the fact that, according to our evidence, when services are provided, this is done in culturally unsafe ways 11–13 . Indigenous women in Canada who had GDM stated that lack of financial resources, transportation, choices for care, quality of care, low cultural safety and lasting influence of residential schools were barriers to using healthcare services 23,24 .…”

“…Indigenous peoples are the experts in their own issues, and therefore community‐driven approaches are needed to make meaningful changes. Incorporating community strengths and resilience embedded in Indigenous knowledge, wise practices and cultural teachings into strategies to prevent non‐communicable diseases is a message that has been voiced by Indigenous peoples and is now increasingly being heard in Indigenous health research, 26–28 including our recent community‐based participatory research project 11,13,29 . Our community‐based participatory research group agreed that a better appreciation of the risk of developing diabetes after pregnancy might come from completing the analyses in this study, using currently available administrative information.…”

“…Our partnership has examined the processes for diagnosing GDM, as well as the perception of prenatal healthcare providers in caring for pregnant women from the community 10,11 . We have also looked at the expressed needs of women (including those with diabetes in pregnancy) and their partners during pregnancy care 9,12,13 . Our community‐based participatory research group agreed that a better appreciation of the risk of developing diabetes after delivery could be useful in directing prenatal and postnatal diabetes care in the community and beyond.…”

Wîcohkamakew – A qualitative description of parents, perinatal clinic staff, and mentor Elders experiences of a Nêhiyawi (Cree) community-derived Elders Mentoring Program: Findings from the ENRICH study

“…Moreover, opportunities to engage with Elders in the perinatal setting were believed to lead to increased inclusion and acknowledgement of male partners during pregnancy in our study. Our previous qualitative work [9] and that of others [42][43][44] highlight the importance of including fathers more in perinatal care. The current study suggests that authentically and consistently incorporating traditional culture and Elder support into perinatal care approaches may help to support and include Indigenous men.…”

“…Key recent movements, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action [6] and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [7], among others, substantiate the need for such initiatives. Moreover, current research indicates pregnant Indigenous women and their partners may benefit from culturally appropriate services, flexible prenatal care approaches, traditional pregnancy knowledge and healing practices, and enhanced support networks [5,[8][9][10].…”