Inuit Women's Voices from Nunavut, Canada: Informing Perinatal Support Needs and Priorities

Background/Objectives: Evacuation policies for childbirth in Nunavut, Canada, continue to profoundly shape the lives of Inuit women, their families, and communities. The evacuation policy is known to disrupt kinship networks and contribute to the erosion of Inuit birthing knowledge. Addressing a gap in Inuit-led understandings of sexual and reproductive health priorities, this paper presents findings from research conducted in 2024 with Kivallirmiut women ('People of' in Inuktitut is miut; Kivallirmiut means people of the Kivalliq Region. Nunavummiut means people of Nunavut, and Arviarmiut means people of Arviat, Nunavut, Canada). The study took place in two communities in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Methods: Employing a highly participatory, community-based Indigenous methodology, this study was underpinned by Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Indigenous feminist and postcolonial and decolonial theories, and principles of health equity. Data from a survey were generated to identify needs and priorities related to perinatal health and care. Results: Findings identify that Inuit women in these communities hold an interest in accessing perinatal information and support, with a strong desire for learning from Inuit Elders, as well as support via peer networks. Participants also emphasized a desire for more information concerning travelling for birth (medical evacuation), breastfeeding, and healing after birth. Different models for delivery of this information and perinatal support were also identified. Conclusions: Collectively, the priorities of Inuit women in this survey offer insights concerning a structural misalignment between existing perinatal care supports and services that rely on evacuation-based perinatal care and the needs and priorities within Kivalliq communities. This disconnection reveals enduring colonial assumptions embedded within current healthcare systems. The findings suggest a need for perinatal supports that centre culture, kinship, and relational forms of support.