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REFLECTION & PRACTICE

Supporting a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy can bring change, questions and advice from every direction. Three speakers reflect on food, cultural teachings and the care that can surround both parent and baby.

  • Lorraine and Ken White from Louis Bull Tribe in Maskwacîs reflect on self-care during pregnancy and the everyday choices that can support both parent and baby. 

  • Knowledge Keeper Lucy Barney of T’it’q’et First Nation shares teachings about food and caring for oneself while carrying new life. 

A Circle of Care 

Advice during pregnancy often arrives as a list: eat this, avoid that, do more, worry less. Clear guidance matters, but so do the conditions that make care possible, including food within reach, time to rest and care that feels safe. A healthy pregnancy is not a test of how perfectly someone follows advice. 

The speakers in these videos invite a wider view of pregnancy as a physical experience and a time of teaching, preparation and connection. Traditional foods can nourish the body while carrying knowledge from one generation to the next. These teachings will differ across Nations, communities and families, so they should be learned from the people and places they belong to. 

Questions about food, medicines or substance use deserve clear information without shame. Home visitors and educators do not need every answer. They can listen, share reliable resources and help families connect with trusted cultural and health supports. 

Try it in Your Practice:

Host a meal-making gathering for expectant parents in the later months of pregnancy and members of their support circles. If you are using the MFI Early Years Toolbox Cards, the A Healthy Pregnancy and After Baby Is Born Toolbox Cards can be used open conversation while the group prepares freezer-friendly meals for families to take home. These meals can offer practical care during the early days with a baby, when time and energy may be stretched. 

As the group cooks, facilitators can invite conversation with questions such as: 

  • What foods bring comfort and nourishment to your family? 
  • Are there teachings about food during pregnancy or after birth that you would like to share or learn more about? 
  • What support might make the first weeks with a baby a little easier? 
  • Which people or community programs can families turn to for guidance and support? 

Explore More Within TREES

  • More videos related to early learning and pregnancy are housed on the Video library
  • MFI offers curriculum and learning resources focused on early learning.
  • Are you using MFI’s Early Years Toolbox resource? This reflective activity is related to the Toolbox Cards A Healthy Pregnancy and After Baby Is Born

TAKE YOUR LEARNING FURTHER

  • The National Council of Indigenous Midwives has many publications on Indigenous teachings and cultural knowledge from many Nations about caring for parents, babies and families.
  • Our Sacred Journey: Indigenous Pregnancy Passport brings together traditional teachings, health information and space for families to record their questions, hopes and dreams for their baby. It was developed with the First Nations Health Authority and Indigenous Elders, community members and professionals. 
Back to Themed Series

Related Resources

2026 © The Martin Family Initiative. All rights reserved.

The Training & Resources for Early Education & Schools (TREES) Network is a space for delivering and accessing culturally appropriate training, professional development, resources, communities of practice and mentorship opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous early learning professionals working with Indigenous children and families.

By coming together across communities, organizations and cultures, we can impact the bigger picture of Indigenous early education, child assessment and policy in Canada, so that Indigenous children will grow up proud of their culture and knowing that they belong.

The vision of the TREES Network is for early learning professionals to feel supported through training, resources and connections with others. The TREES Network strives to support early learning professionals to ground Indigenous children in their culture, nurturing stronger communities.

ACCESS TRAINING

The TREES Network supports access to culturally appropriate training and professional development for early learning professionals through the Understanding the Early Years course and Early Years Toolbox workshops. View upcoming trainings and workshops for your community through the Events Calendar.

EXPLORE RESOURCES

The TREES Network supports access to the Early Years Toolbox website, as well as access to accompanying resources through the Early Learning Library. Your access to resources is determined by your organization or community affiliation. Explore the Featured Partners page to view resources created by and in collaboration with Early Years partners.

CONNECT WITH OTHERS

To promote relationship-building and relational learning, the TREES Network provides opportunities for early learning professionals to build connections across the country. You can check out the Events Calendar to find events related to the early years, view the Interactive Map of early years services in different regions, or learn more about Supportive Circles as spaces to come together with others locally or across communities to share thoughts, ideas and support.

CREATE IMPACT

The TREES Network strives to create spaces through which we can collectively impact the bigger picture of Indigenous early learning in Canada. Learn about how Early Years sites are doing this through Early Years approach innovations, and about the important work many other organizations are doing to influence policy, curriculum, access to funding supports and program evaluation.

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