Yukon Midwifery Home Birth Support

Maria Rose Sikyea is organizing this fundraiser.

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Greetings. My name is Maria Rose Sikyea, I am a young Dené artisan, living in the Yukon. I have created this gofundme to help support me to give birth at home, with the support of a midwife and a Indigenous Doula.

Currently, home birthing is not supported in the Yukon through government funding, it is the last place in Canada to recieve this essential support for woman. It stresses me to pay for the birthing experience out of pocket, and through continious hard work. I have tried to find other avenues of funding, like Jordans Principle, but was not successful in my seeking. I asked what people thought about me making a gofundme in support of my new born and they encouraged me to do so.

Sadly due to the circumstances, I am a single mother of a toddler and am also a single mother of my new to be new born due on Dec 13th. I am thankful for my children and aim to raise them in the best way I can, connected to our culture, while also having a modern healthy lifestyle. I work hard, share knowledge I have of traditional skills with those interested, have a Dené Artisan business named "Caribou Woman Designs", have a day job, and aim to inspire youth to return to their ancestral ways.

I am a bit embarrassed to have to ask for support to bring my new born into this world. However, having given birth to my first born at home, I wouldn't want it any other way (I moved to British Columbia in 2017, so I wouldn't have the financial barrier as Midwifery and home birthing is supported in B.C. Plus it is a warmer climate then the territories and felt I needed a easier time, with the little support I had. I raised my first born out in the hills in the outskirts of deep mountainous British Columbia, in a cabin with woodheat and no running water. We would fetch water at a local spring. It was some of the toughest yet most beautiful times of my life. My sweet son is a beacon of light in my life. I look forward for him being able to be a older brother, to my new born due on December 13th)

The Midwife costs $2500.00

I bought a flight for the Doula for $500 (it is someone I have known for 6 years, someone I trust to welcome into my home for a month, to help me with my son and the first weeks of my new borns life). I'd like to be able to also support her for her kindness of support through traditional skills sharing of hide tanning, porcupine quilling, tufting, sewing, and various other traditional skills she seeks. I want to be able to offer her cash as well, but little stressed out about it. Would be nice to have some support for the flight cost so I can offer her things while she is here and hope to also pay her some for all her help during such a precious and wonderful time, bringing my new born into this life.

Thank you kindly for your consideration. I hope Yukon Government steps up, so other woman do not have to ask for support in this way, and there is financial support like there is in all the other territories and provinces.

If covid restrictions were a bit easier, I would go home to my traditional territory and aim to give birth in a wall tent or a winter lodge, with the support of community and on the lands of my ancestral lineage. Thus, due to the restrictions I am to be within my humble home, with at least one woman I have known for several years (My family is all afar and cannot travel to me at this time, to be able to be support)...