RN Danielle Macdonald studying two kindred spirits

As a registered nurse Danielle Macdonald wants to forge bonds between her chosen profession and midwives. In her heart she views the two roles as kindred spirits.

The Kings County native has been interested in the birth process since she was in high school. Now in her mid-30s, Macdonald recalls shadowing nurse-midwife Charlene Maclellan as part of a co-op course she took in high school.

“At that time midwifery was legal in Nova Scotia and women (and their families) had access to midwifery in the Valley. We lost this access with regulation in 2009 and it is so important for us to continue to raise the issue of inequitable access to midwifery services for women in Nova Scotia.”

Macdonald’s academic trajectory into nursing research demonstrates her commitment to the issue. Currently she is a PHD candidate at the University of Ottawa School of Nursing where her research explores collaboration between midwives and nurses in Nova Scotia.

Her work is taking a close look at the role of midwives and nurses at the three sites in the province, where midwives are employed. She is also looking at the status of midwives in other provinces.

Nationally it’s a mosaic, Macdonald says, adding that she believes Nova Scotia-born midwives are likely to return to the province if the service is expanded.

Having returned to the Valley midway through her degree process, Macdonald was excited to see momentum growing toward an expansion across the province and now she has deep concerns. She believes we need to be socialized to a philosophy of care for lowrisk births that is more women and family-centred.

Nova Scotia’s aging population has absorbed much of the healthcare attention, she observes, but improving reproductive and family health care is important holistically. Macdonald used to do post partum nursing at Valley Regional Hospital.

“I loved it. At 2 a.m. you were there to support and listen to a new mom where the baby wasn’t latching on.”

Proud that federal funds have just been set aside for midwifery at First Nations communities, Macdonald wants to see an expansion, not a retraction, of midwifery services provincially.

She has also been to Tanzania three times as a nurse. Macdonald was involved there in a research project that explored the experiences of nurse-midwives and obstetricians providing postpartum care.

“Our first two articles with the findings from that study have been accepted for publication in academic journals. My experience in Tanzania has been more focused on maternal-newborn health research than on clinical support.”

She has been speaking about these experiences at conferences.