Embracing Pregnancy with a Doula Toronto, and Queen’S Park
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ww The East York SPIKE IN VIOLENCE n Week of crime OBSERVER Page 2 Serving our community since 1972 Vol. 44, No. 3 www.torontoobserver.ca Friday, March 6, 2015 E.Y.’s former mayor heads ‘south’ By MATT GREEN The Observer He may have lost the June provincial election by a percentage point, but former MPP Mi- chael Prue was feeling the love from East Yorkers on Feb. 26. Prue, whose political career in East York lasted more than a Photo courtesy of Vince Berns/East Side Players quarter-century, was Curtain closing the man of the hour at the “Michael Prue There’s still time — but not much — to see the East Side Players’ latest production, Speaking in Tongues. The Observer’s Appreciation Night,” Chris DeMelo praises the acting in his review, on page 8. The cast includes (l-r) Kizzy Kaye, Ted Powers, Steve Switzman which took place at the and Lydia Kiselyk. Speaking in Tongues plays again tonight but concludes its run tomorrow, March 7, in the Papermill The- Palace restaurant on atre at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site on Pottery Road. Pape Avenue. About 120 people n CHILDBIRTH gathered to celebrate Prue’s years of public service within the former Borough of East York, the “megacity” of Embracing pregnancy with a doula Toronto, and Queen’s Park. It was a last hur- gested using a doula as well. rah in more ways than Doulas provide clinical support “They said their doulas had been very supportive one… because Prue and the ‘personal touch of family’ during their labour process,” McKane said, and after and his wife Shirley are doing some research, that’s the route she decided to preparing to move 400 By STEPHANIE BACKUS take. km away — from their The Observer According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gy- home on Parkview Hill necologists of Canada, obstetricians are concerned Crescent in the heart of All Erin McKane could hear were babies. with everything from contraception to maternal fetal East York to Amherst- Their first cries filled the air as she rested, dazed, medicine to delivering babies. Midwives take it a step burg, in southwestern on her corner bed in one of Toronto East General further, offering breastfeeding advice and support. Ontario. Hospital’s birthing rooms with her husband, Anton And doulas, McKane said, “provide the in-between Perhaps most sig- Swanson, on one side and her doula, April Kowale- — the clinical stuff that a midwife would do and the nificantly, Prue was ski, on the other. She was waiting for her baby to be personal touch of family.” the last mayor of East cleaned up, and one of her midwives was aggressive- Ironically, while McKane chose the midwife and York, leading borough ly massaging her uterus. She decided to joke away doula for their traditional, natural methods, she end- council until its 1998 her discomfort. ed up having a delivery that wasn’t quite what she’d dissolution under “This is unlike any massage I’ve ever had,” she expected. then-premier Mike said. “Massages are supposed to be relaxing. I would “I tore inside and hemorrhaged and lost more blood Harris’s forced merger never pay for this.” than the average vaginal birth,” she said, “but less of Toronto municipali- McKane, 34, had just given birth to her first child, than someone having a caesarean.” ties into the amalgam- David Dean Swanson. It was an intimate experience She had to be induced and have her water broken. ated City of Toronto. the East York woman shared with her husband, her Photo courtesy of Erin McKane There were also problems finding the right balance of “When Michael was midwives — and her doula. Doula co-ordinator April Kowaleski has medication for her. All of this really unsettled McK- mayor, he was very “A couple of my friends had doulas in their preg- been providing families with support ane’s husband, but Kowaleski helped to relax him. helpful and assisting nancies, so I asked them a bunch of questions about for five years. “I think it was her experience, really, just knowing not only in East York, their experiences,” she said. “I knew pretty soon that she had these tricks up her sleeve to help me deal but all other that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to have that.” on Queen Street East. with the pain,” McKane said. “That in itself helped activities in According to Doulas of North America (DONA) When a doula is selected, Kowaleski explained, him to calm down and he was less frantic, less wor- the communi- International, a doula is a “trained and experienced the mother-to-be purchases a package of hours. That ried.” ty,” said professional who provides physical and emotional package, if it’s through Yoga Mamas, comes with pre- Kowaleski let Swanson know when it was OK to n See support to a mother before, during and after birth,” natal classes that take place between weeks 32-36 of step out for a moment for a nap or to grab some food. much like Kowaleski did with McKane. Kowaleski, pregnancy. “’You go ahead — I’ve got this,’” McKane remem- page 7 who trained with DONA International in Toronto, has McKane found her doula through her sister, who bers her saying. attended an estimated 65 births in the five years since happens to be Kowaleski’s neighbour. She had al- The role of the doula is more holistic than medical, becoming a birth and post-partum doula. She is cur- ready decided to go with a midwife instead of a doc- rently the doula co-ordinator at Toronto Yoga Mamas tor, but when she told her friends about it, they sug- n See DOULA’S, page 7 2 NEWS The East York Observer /// Friday, March 6, 2015 POLICE WHAT’S UP IN E.Y. BRIEFS The Agnes spirit lives By MARCUS MEDFORD during the evening. Bring your game face The Observer “We call it a competition, The S. Walter Stewart library will be hosting a Pair shot dead but really it’s a celebration,” lunchtime gaming session this Monday, March A Saturday morn- For Eden Bridge-Cook, Lister said. The Listers have 9, and on April 13 from 11:45 a.m. until 12:30 ing fight between winning at public speaking been co-ordinating the contest p.m. Players will have the chance to challenge male customers was only a part of the objec- for years, and agree that the their friends to Xbox, Wii or board games. The at the McDonald’s tive. purpose of the event is to cel- event is geared for people between the ages of restaurant on Dan- “I’m very passionate about ebrate the principles by which 11 to 18. Pre-registration is not required. forth Avenue near animals,” she said, “so I was Agnes Macphail lived. Coxwell left two of happy to share (my views) “She was a rebel. She was Awesome images the men dead and with everybody.” somebody who stood up for the third injured. Eden, a Grade 6 student at her passions and that’s what East Yorkers and Watercolour Society members Police say a Westwood Middle School in we want (the students) to do,” Alan Breeze, Gail Gregory, Nola McConnan and legally armed East York, won the 18th an- Lis Lister said. Jenny Reid will be exhibiting artwork this month security guard inspired by “the air around, the water and nual Agnes Macphail public She also pointed out that the who happened to earth beneath our feet” at the S. Walter Stewart speaking award with a speech contest offers a great learning be in the restau- library. The artists’ reception will take place in on factory farming. experience; it fosters their rant buying food the auditorium this Sunday, March 8, from 2 to Agnes Macphail was a “growth and development” became involved 4 p.m. — when guests will have the opportunity in an altercation suffragist, humanitarian and and it gives them confidence. to meet and mingle with the artists. with two men. The animal-welfare advocate. She For Meghan Mackye, of Marcus Medford/// The Observer guard fired several was also the first woman to be G.A. Brown Middle School, shots and the two elected to the House of Com- a speaking contest is not Eden Bridge-Cook, win- Literature for Life were killed. One of mons, and one of the first two something she would normal- ner of the 18th annual Students from Centennial College’s East the dead men has women elected to the Ontario ly join. Meghan is a soccer Agnes Macphail public York campus are hosting the first-ever been identified as Legislature. player in Grade 7 and gave speaking award. She ad- #CelebrateImagination fundraiser in support of a speech on the value of vanced through a prelim- 25-year-old Donny The annual awards program Literature for Life’s Women with Words Reading Ouimette. The oth- in her name separately rec- competitive sports. Meghan inary round of speeches Circles program. Members of the public are er, reportedly 40 ognizes both civic activism described herself as shy and at her neighbourhood welcome to join a night of trivia, book readings, years old, hadn’t among adult East Yorkers and said that public speaking was school, Westwood on mingling and raffle prizes. The event will be been identified at public speaking among East a “first-time thing.” Despite Carlaw Avenue, and pre- held this Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at the press time. Neither York students in grades 6, 7 the novelty, Meghan said she vailed in the finals of the Fox and Fiddle, 535 Danforth Ave.