About Nokomis Kwe
Nokomis Kwe Birth Services is the brain child of a young Trent University graduate by the name of Janessa Leighton.
I began my journey into the world of birth at the age of nineteen, while I was still an Undergraduate student in the Indigenous Studies Department at Trent University. I happened to sit in on a talk by Anishnaabek Elder Edna Manitowabi, who was hosting a sacred women's talking circle on the importance of birth and breast-feeding. Over the next three years I would follow my heart by researching midwifery programs, post-partum services and finally doula training. I am currently in the process of certifying for both labor and post-partum doula services.
My focus for birth comes from the idea of Nokomis Kwe, which in the language of the Anishnaabe people, means 'Grandmother Woman'. Nokomis also refers to the moon, our grandmother in the sky who controls the tides as well as our monthly cycles that allow women to create the life that grows within them. In my graduating year from Trent University, I delved into research regardng traditional Anishnaabek births, and the sacred feminine support systems that were often in place during these events. My goal through Nokomis Kwe Birth Services is to re-integrate this female to female support into the world of birthing.