Today marks the International Day of the Midwife, a day to celebrate and raise awareness about the midwifery profession. The theme for 2025 is “Midwives: Critical in Every Crisis”. All over the world and from the very beginnings of human communities there have been people who were drawn to the work of supporting and caring for birthing people. As part of this day of recognition, the NTHSSA is proud to spotlight our dedicated midwives, and all midwives who make a difference in the communities they serve.

Janette Batacharya, Fort Smith

Originally from Ontario, Janette has worked as a Registered Midwife in Canada since 2002 and has supported NWT families since moving to the territory in 2017. Now based in Fort Smith, Janette has previously supported families and communities in both Nunavik and Alberta.

Janette was first introduced to midwifery when a midwife cared for her and her family during her first pregnancy in 1994-1995. She originally wanted to pursue a career in medicine before gravitating to midwifery after receiving care as a client. Janette was particularly motivated by the fact that her midwives were women of colour, who are often under-represented in the field and in other health care sectors.  

In her role, Janette feels a great sense of fulfillment helping families navigate the changes that come with pregnancy and parenting, and leaving a positive impact on the families and communities she serves. She also enjoys being a positive role model and mentor for other BIPOC populations interested in pursuing a career in the field, and actively supports the self-determination of peoples who have experienced colonialism.

Janette credits her hardworking team for supporting her in her day-to-day work and helping her overcome challenges. Recognizing the value midwives provide to families and communities, she would like to see services expanded to include even more Northern and Indigenous communities.

Janette says she loves living in the NWT where she appreciates the territory’s beautiful landscape and people, and where she can continually learn new skills and access opportunities for professional development. Outside of work, she enjoys taking her sons to traditional Indigenous events, sun dancing, being outdoors, staying active, travelling, and reading.  

Eunice Tagboto, Fort Smith

Eunice grew up in Ghana, where she worked in a maternity home owned by her aunt who was a Registered Midwife. She credits her aunt’s enthusiasm, passion, and collaboration for inspiring her to join the profession herself.

After qualifying as a Registered Nurse, Eunice moved to the United Kingdom and continued her work there. She later qualified and worked as a Registered Midwife before moving to Nova Scotia in 2010 and eventually the NWT in 2022. Now based in Fort Smith, Eunice provides midwifery services to clients alongside a team of enthusiastic and dedicated midwives.

In her role, Eunice feels privileged to provide care and help bring new life into the world. She feels particularly attached to the tight-knit community of Fort Smith, its rich cultural heritage, and its ties to the Indigenous peoples of the region. “It is a gateway to natural beauty like the Northern lights, bison, and endless forests,” she said.

Outside of work, Eunice enjoys beading, sugarcraft, sewing, and cardmaking. She says she is grateful for the opportunities available to her in the Northwest Territories, including ongoing training, professional development, and collaboration with health care professionals across the region.

Heather Heinrichs, Territorial Operations

Heather Heinrichs, a Red River Métis Registered Midwife whose family is from Manitoba, was nine years old when she read the historical fiction novel called The Midwife’s Apprentice. In this story a young homeless orphan girl finds her way to becoming someone with work and worth in the world through service to the mentor midwife and the birthing families. Heather has fond memories of childhood games of pretend with her friends which frequently featured pregnancy and childbirth. Although she was clearly inspired by the book, as a child she understood that midwifery was a thing of the past and it did not occur to her to pursue midwifery as a career.

After completion of secondary school in her home province of Manitoba, Heather took to wandering, working in various jobs and volunteering in community service. During her travels she learned that midwifery was beginning to enjoy a resurgence in Canada and that midwifery was something that she could pursue as a career. Heather’s awareness of the impact of policies of evacuation for childbirth on her own and other Indigenous communities fueled her desire to become a midwife and be part of the important work of supporting people to give birth where they live. Heather chose to apply to the midwifery education program at Laurentian University because of its tri-cultural (Indigenous/French/English) and rural/remote community focus. During her senior year of this 4-year Bachelor of Health Science Degree program Heather had the opportunity to work with Seventh Generations Midwives Toronto - a midwifery practice group with a focus on Indigenous Midwifery and providing culturally skilled care to urban Indigenous families. She never intended to stay so long in the city of Toronto but the opportunity to work with these midwives and later to contribute to the establishment of the Toronto Birth Centre kept her there from her senior student year until 2014. When she finally said goodbye to life in inner city Toronto she made her way to Hay River, NT.

Heather was one of two midwives who worked to establish the midwifery practice in Hay River. There had not been any planned community births in Hay River for at least 15 years as the family doctors found themselves unable to maintain the services required. The community was very ready to embrace the chance to give birth with midwives in Hay River and the midwives worked hard to increase the skills and knowledge of other health care providers so that they could once again be comfortable attending childbirth. The midwives led workshops and taught the skills of neonatal resuscitation and management of childbirth emergencies to nurses and physicians in Hay River.

After 7 years of practice in Hay River Heather decided to take a break from the all-consuming nature of the work of being one of two midwives in a community in order to engage fully in the creative work of film making, co-creating a short film called “nihtâkwikihew/She Gives Birth”. A story that follows a pregnant Metis woman preparing for the birth of her child while confronting racism within the healthcare system juxtaposed against the incredible power of Indigenous Midwifery and a dream of Indigenous-led care.

Heather moved to Yellowknife and in 2022 she joined the team of midwives in Yellowknife on a part time basis to provide pre- and postnatal outreach clinics in Behchoko. Since then Heather has served in the role of Territorial Specialist Midwifery and in July 2024 accepted a transfer assignment into the role of Territorial Manager Midwifery. In her current role, Heather supports the midwifery programs in Fort Smith and Hay River, leads the implementation of a Territorial Lactation Consultant position, facilitates educational Prenatal Rounds with Community Health Nurses, and offers training in the Midwives Association of the NWT Emergency Skills Workshop and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. Heather is also working alongside the Senior Midwifery Consultant at the Department of Health on the re-envisioning of midwifery in the Northwest Territories.

Another exciting creative project that Heather is currently engaged in is the development of eLearning modules for nurses and other health care providers on breast/chest feeding. This Department of Health initiative is designed to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) competency-based framework for education of direct health care providers to meet the requirements of the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI). Heather is excited to have the opportunity to ensure that the modules centre local and traditional knowledge of breast/chest feeding and principles of respectful trauma-informed care. The communities of the Northwest Territories are fortunate to have such a creative modern-day Indigenous midwife as part of the midwifery workforce.