Born on the Land with Helping Hands
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W3Jxa1m5 w˚y3•5gk9l sk6gk xy8aDbsix3Li. ∫4fx s9l3yst5 bmw8k xˆN8aoEs6gk x7m xbsys8q5gu eg3zc6gk wvJDt4nsK5 X3NQxc6t9lQ5 eg3z4nzb w˚ix3izk5 cspnD8Nd9lt9l ckw8q5tx6gw8NsZlx3m1Û{y4 dFxh5tx6gw8NsZlx3m1Û{y[l¡ make sure you are both healthy and happy! and healthy both are you sure make and to and baby your of arrival the for prepare mothers and more experienced more and mothers frst-time both help to way one is calendar This This life. your in changes many It’s a big step big a It’s nervous. and will cause will and experience. You are probably very excited and also a little a also and excited very probably are You experience. You are going to have a baby! a have to going are You It will be a wonderful wonderful a be will It Congratulations! NOTE FOR INTER: PRINTER: nt cover I have estimated the ted in the drill hole to be atthe the to to ncyCalendar_ bottom of the folded calendar and _INUK.qxd” file. of the drill hole my for page flow. .5” from the cut e THE INUIT PREGNANCY CALENDAR Inuit women have been giving birth to babies since, well, THE THREE STAGES OF PREGNANCY since there were Inuit. While our ancestors didn’t have If you are reading this calendar, chances are you have pregnancy calendars or doctors to help them, they often already entered the first stage of pregnancy. The had other experts on hand—midwives. These Inuit women 9-month pregnancy period is divided into three were experienced in helping deliver healthy babies. sections or trimesters, each three months long. Their special knowledge was passed down from mother to daughter, from grandmother to granddaughter. This Your first trimester is the most important in terms of knowledge has helped Inuit women have healthy preg- We hope this the healthy development of your baby. Your baby’s major nancies and to give birth to healthy babies the Inuit organs and systems are forming. You may not look pregnant, way, keeping an important part of our culture alive. but your body is going through changes as you begin to st calendar will nourish the baby. You may become more emotional and trimester Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, with the generous have mood swings. You might feel nauseous in the morning. be useful as a sup port of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of You may need to rest more. Don’t worry—these are all 1 Health Canada, felt it was time to produce a special preg- normal and healthy signs. journal of your nancy calendar for Inuit women. The calendar includes important medical information and describes the devel- During the second trimester, your body adjusts to the pregnancy. opment of the baby as it is grows in your womb. What pregnancy and you may feel better and have more energy. makes this calendar uniquely yours is that it contains You won’t suffer from the same mood swings and your nd trimester There is a important and helpful information that Inuit midwives swelling stomach will show that you are pregnant. You may have known for thousands of years. This knowledge is even feel the baby moving around. 2 section at the unique, it is Inuit, and it is yours. The calendar also contains important nutritional infor - In the third trimester, the baby is growing and devel- oping rapidly. You may feel some discomfort as the baby back to record mation that will help you make sure your body has what shifts around. If this is your rst baby, you may be a little it needs to nurture a healthy baby. Your calendar also anxious and have lots of questions. Talk to your midwife, rd information includes tips on how to get the nutrition you need from an experienced mother and your health care provider. 3trimester country foods. If you get a craving for some candy, try They’ll know what you’re going through and can answer that you can some dried caribou instead! your questions. share with We hope this calendar will be useful as a journal of your pregnancy. There is a section at the back to record infor- Traditional Knowledge mation that you can share with your children when they your children Traditionally,the news of a pregnancy was greeted get older. withgreat joy. Pregnant women and nursing when they You’re at the beginning of a remarkable journey, one mothersled a healthy lifestyle with lots of physical shared by all Inuit mothers before you. There are many activityand a nutritious diet. In fact, there was get older. things you will need to know about. Don’t be afraid to oftenlittle change in the level of activity a pregnant ask your relatives, friends or midwife for information. It is womanhad until quite late in the pregnancy. also important to get regular checkups with your health Keepingactive was seen as essential to promoting care provider. Together, the knowledge and quicklabour and ensuring that the placenta did experience these people have will help you not‘stick in the womb’. Family would support have a safe and happy pregnancy. thepregnant woman to help ease her burden. WHEN WILL YOUR BABY BE BORN? Pregnancies are normally 9 months long but most health care professionals understand the length to be 40 weeks. Because most women don’t know the exact date of conception (when the pregnancy started), health care providers generally date the pregnancy from the first day of a woman’s last period. This method generally adds two weeks to the length of the pregnancy as conception takes places during ovulation, which occurs about two weeks after the first day of the last menstrual cycle. HOW TO USE THIS CALENDAR TO ESTIMATE WHEN YOUR BABY WILL BE BORN, USE THE FOLLOWING This calendar is different than regular SIMPLE FORMULA: calendars as it is designed to fit your 1. What was the first day of your last pregnancy alone. menstrual period? If you don’t know To start, on the first page of for sure, give it your best guess. the actual calendar, 1 fill 2. Deduct three calendar months from in the first week with the that date, then add one week and month and the first day of one year. your last period. Then the EXAMPLE second week would follow 1 in the next row and so on. 2 First day of your last 2 Use the spaces provided menstrual period ¿ May 10, 2007 1 to help keep track of how 2 Subtract three ¿ May 10 – April, you are feeling, if you notice 1 months March, and February any changes, and any ques- 2 = February 10 tions you might have for 1 your health care provider. 2 Add one week ¿ February 17 It is a good idea to take Add one year ¿ An arrival the calendar with you date of about when you are visiting the health care February 17, 2008 provider to remind you of any questions you have and to let the health care provider see how you are progressing. This will give you an idea of when To help you keep track your baby will be born. It is not exact and it is normal for the baby to arrive a couple of important telephone 3 numbers, there is a section in of weeks early or later. If this is your first baby, the middle of the calendar you have a greater chance of having your 3 to put the numbers of baby a little later than sooner. the health centre, your mid- wife and other numbers you h might find handy. st 1tri mestertrimester AT THE E ND OF 4 WEEKS “ Today …it see ms that people drink much too much. Inuit should not be using alcohol at N U T RI TI O N all; it isn’t a part of Your first tri mester is t he m ost critical our tra ditional way of for your baby. S m o ki ng, dri n ki n g alc o h ol, a n d t a ki n g life and it has played a ill e g al dr u gs will h ar m y o ur ma jor part in lives lost b a by f or lif e. R e m e m b er, what you eat, drink and in Inuit co m munities, breat he directly affects your baby’s develop ment. especially a mong As k y o ur h e alt h c ar e pr o vi d er T h e f ertiliz e d about starting a good mul- young people.” egg that will beco me tivit a mi n wit h mi n er als. St ay your baby is no w dividing rapidly and h e alt hy f or y o ur b a by’s s a k e. A N NI E O K A LI K, A N E L D E R f or ms a gr o wi n g cl ust er of c ells as it enters your uterus. The mass of cells F R O M N U N A V U T.