Passages Midwifery

09/03/2026

It’s time to start welcoming fall and cooler weather, which means respiratory virus season is coming up fast! During pregnancy, you’re at a higher risk of developing complications if you get sick with viruses like COVID-19, RSV, or the flu. Staying up-to-date on your vaccinations is an important way to protect yourself and your newborn.

Today, we provided clinicians with updated guidance that reinforces the importance of the COVID-19, RSV, and flu vaccines for people who are pregnant or lactating during the 2026–27 respiratory virus season. These recommendations are based on the latest safety and efficacy data.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with your ob-gyn if you have questions about these vaccines. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we share more resources on COVID-19, RSV, and flu vaccines.

Read the press release: https://bit.ly/4ckE5i7

08/23/2026

07/10/2026

We are overjoyed to share, with permission of the mother, that the Innu midwifery team had its first Innu tent birth on Innu land in Sheshatshiu. Missing from the picture is Jason White, RN and second birth attendant, and Thea Penashue who joined us for some time. It was a very hot day.

We are bringing midwifery and birth back to our people, families, and the Innu Nation. We are walking in the footsteps of our ancestor midwives, and reclaiming the teachings that have always lived within us. We want our children enter this world surrounded by love, Innu aimun, culture and community.

We are grateful to our clients who have confidence in the care we provide and our abilities as midwives.

As always, a big thank you to Thea Penashue and Germaine Benuen. We couldn’t do this work without your amazing support.

07/09/2026

Nanâskomon anohc kâkîsikâk. ❤️🪶⛈️

Today, the Kehewin Midwifery Revitalization Team gives thanks in gratitude for another beautiful land birth on Kehewin Cree Nation. 💙

On July 8, 2026, as the Thunder beings rolled across the sky, we were reminded that Creator's presence was with us. Their powerful voices announced the arrival of new life, blessing this sacred moment and reminding us that every child comes with purpose, gifts, and spirit. ✨

The young, beautiful mother Breigh-An Youngchief, was never alone. She was lovingly held in a circle of strength that spanned 4 generations. Her kokom, her mother, her aunties, her sisters, her friends, and her daughter surrounded her with unwavering love, encouragement, and care. 💕

Every embrace, every prayer, every helping hand reflected the strength of our women and the beauty of our kinship. ❤️

This birth was held with ceremony. The sweet medicines were lifted in smudge. Sacred songs filled the space with love and strength. Prayers were offered for both mother and baby, and every heartbeat echoed the resilience of our ancestors. There was laughter, tears, gentle hands, and countless moments of love that wrapped this family in a blanket of belonging. ❤️

This is what Indigenous birth revitalization looks like. It is bringing birth back to our people, our families, and our Nation. It is remembering that birth is sacred. It is reclaiming the teachings that have always lived within us and ensuring that our children enter this world surrounded by language, culture, ceremony, and the embrace of community. We have created a beautiful birthing team in order to make this all happen. 🥹❤️

Each land birth is more than the birth of a child, it is the rebirth of our ways. It is another step toward healing generations, restoring what was taken, and walking the path our ancestors prayed we would one day return to. Today, this is all happening within in our very own Nation. 🥹❤️

Today we celebrate not only a healthy mother and baby, but the strength of our Nation, the power of our women, and the love that carried this family through every moment. ❤️

To our precious little guy, Landyn Rhys: may you always know that you arrived with the language of your people, the songs of your people, the prayers of your family, the blessings of Creator, and the Thunder beings watching over your first breath upon your ancestral homelands.

Nanâskomon. Ekosi. ❤️🪶⛈️

06/15/2026

This is sad news. He did so much for midwifery and birth in Canada. The impact of his work and research will benefit all of us for generations to come.

06/07/2026

35 years!

Today is International Home Birth Day and the 35th anniversary of Noreen Walker’s landmark victory over charges of practicing medicine without a license after attending wonderful, safe home birth. Her win was a win for women in Alberta and helped pave the way for legal midwifery in 1992, regulation in 1998, and public funding in 2009.

While much has changed, we continue to advocate for informed choice, respectful maternity care, and full acceptance of midwifery within our healthcare system.

Thank you, Noreen, and to all the midwives who paved the path we walk today. Midwifery is more than a profession—it’s advocacy with every family we serve. 💜

06/02/2026

🤎 Welcome baby boy 🤎

Born in Kehewin Cree Nation at 4:04 AM on June 2, 2026.

The Kehewin Midwifery Team says nanaskomon, we are honoured to announce the arrival of Atlas Dylan Gabriel Gadwa, who was welcomed earthside surrounded by love, family, and community on his home territory. 🫶🏼

From the very beginning of her pregnancy, Atlas’s mother carried a strong vision of bringing her son into the world at home, on the land. With strength, determination, and the support of those around her, she made that vision a reality.
Atlas was born in a calm and beautiful birth attended by his dad, loving family members Chasity, and birth supporters, including his aunties Char and Jodi, Allison, and his midwife Melissa. Together, they created a space where mother and baby were held with care, safety, and love. ❤️

We celebrate this beautiful birth and honour the family for reclaiming and carrying forward our sacred birthing traditions. We are grateful that both mother and baby are healthy and doing well. ❤️

Aiy hiy, nanâskomon to everyone who helped welcome Atlas into this world. May he grow strong, proud, and deeply connected to his family, community, and Cree ways of knowing 🌱

Welcome to the world little one, your journey has begun. 💛

05/09/2026

Congrats to the family and Midwife Melissa Cardinal-Grant!

On behalf of the Kehewin Midwifery Team, we raise our hands in gratitude for another beautiful birth on the land within our Nation. 💐

On May 6, 2026, surrounded by ceremony, song, prayer, and the loving guidance of our Midwife, Elders and Birth Workers, baby girl Toralei Inaya Emrys Lapatak-Crier made her entrance into this world in Kehewin Cree Nation. 🥹❤️

Born to the proud parents Dustin Lapatak and Kiara Crier, this sacred birth was held in the presence of our ancestors, our teachings, and the strength of our people. Through every song sung, every prayer lifted, and every hand that supported this journey, we witnessed the beauty of our Indigenous birth sovereignty and the continuation of our ways. 🥹💐

We are grateful to share that both baby and mother are healthy and doing well. We honour this moment as ceremony, a reminder that our traditional birthing practices are alive, sacred, and carried forward for future generations. 💕

Welcome earthside, Toralei Inaya Emrys Lapatak-Crier. May you always walk in love, strength, and the prayers that surrounded your first breath. 💛

04/25/2026

That’s our Amrit! To be a midwife is to revel in this joy ❤️

Join us on May 5 at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton to celebrate International Day of the Midwife

This year’s theme, “One Million More Midwives,” highlights the importance of strengthening midwifery care so more families can access safe, supportive, and evidence-based care when they need it.

We’ll be gathering with midwives, families, and community members to help raise awareness of the role midwives play in Alberta.

🕚 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
📍 Alberta Legislature Rotunda, Edmonton
⚠️ Spots are limited

04/11/2026

Almost the entire Passages team gathered to celebrate our Anna B completing her placement with Heather! Some people are just made to be midwives, and Anna is one of them. It was an absolute honour to be a part of her journey to becoming a midwife!

And if you need an AMAZING dinner idea, check out Bernadette’s downtown- amazing indigenous cuisine with a rotating menu. All night all you could hear was all of the gasps and happy sounds that the patrons made with every bite!