A collaborative approach is essential for Indigenous women in the city to feel supported in their decisions around infant and young child feeding practices.
The First Foods Story
The First Foods research team set out to better understand the social, cultural, programmatic and policy issues that are essential to support the unique needs of Indigenous families during the postnatal period within urban environments. Few studies had previously explored infant feeding practices and perspectives and very little is known about breastfeeding and complementary feeding experiences and needs, particularly in regions where often jurisdictional issues exist around service provision.
The overall goal of this study was to bridge these gaps by documenting the diverse experiences of Indigenous parents, along with the perspectives of care providers in urban environments according to the following objectives:
to visually capture the postnatal feeding experiences through the processes of digital storytelling;
to characterize the needs and challenges of families and communities represented within urban contexts;
to engage with multisectoral project partners and encourage knowledge mobilization and learning across regions and jurisdictions; and
to inform the development of resources and communication strategies on first foods as pathways towards Indigenous food sovereignty.
Arts-based Method
Community-based participatory research and digital storytelling methodologies were utilized to enhance Indigenous community capacity and agency, as well as engage with regional and national project partners. Two storytelling workshops visually captured the postnatal experiences of Indigenous mothers within cities in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. Film screenings and focus groups with care providers took place afterwards along with interviews and sharing circles with mothers. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed.
Twelve Indigenous mothers created short films and participated in interviews and Elder-led sharing circles. Their stories were screened in each location with a total of 20 care providers who later took part in focus groups.
Participants shared the importance of cultural safety and social supports through their digital stories and discussed the emotional wellness associated with community cohesion and compassion supporting their infant feeding journeys.
Care providers reflected on barriers unique to cities and existing harms within colonial systems, along with the importance of humility within healthcare moving beyond cultural awareness.
Generations of Indigenous women have delivered their babies with the assistance of midwives and family members, yet little has been published on Indigenous approaches to infant feeding and postnatal care.
Beyond Assimilation
Indigenous postnatal practices must be situated within decision-making processes around Indigenous infant and young child feeding to move beyond policies of assimilation.
“I'm so happy that I get to tell my story, in my way, and no one else’s style, through my video.”
—Workshop Participant