Male midwife in unchartered territory
While the word “midwife” seems to suggest a feminine-only practice, the first Quebec man to enter the profession is adamant that he doesn’t need a different title.
Louis Maltais points out that the word, which comes from Old English, actually means “with woman” — and that it goes straight to the core of what a midwife does.
“It’s about women, and it will stay like this, because it’s about women’s time and their experiences, and the name says that,” Maltais said. “We’re there for women.”
Maltais turned heads earlier this year when he became the first Quebec man to enter and complete the province’s only university-level midwife training program.
The months since then have been a whirlwind that included delivering his 100th baby over the summer, moving back to his hometown of Chicoutimi, and attending screenings of a documentary about his experiences, titled “Un homme sage-femme.”
Maltais, who is a young-looking 31, said he feels his peers and his patients have been open to having a man in their midst.
Part of the reason he allowed the documentary crew to follow him, he explained, was to share his experience with others — including men — who may want to enter the profession.
“I think it’s not for every man because it’s very feminist, and that’s a very important part of it, but when you feel really comfortable with this, women are very open,” he said in an interview ahead of the film’s first Montreal screening at the Cinematheque quebecoise on Saturday.
The documentary, which is showing until Wednesday, will also be broadcast on French-language TV at a later date.
While about one woman in 20 doesn’t want him at their birth, Maltais said most are receptive — and they generally become more comfortable over time.
Maltais said he debated becoming an osteopath or an acupuncturist before deciding to become a birth specialist, for reasons he’s not entirely sure how to explain.
He was looking for a job where he could connect with people, and he started researching the Bachelor of Midwifery program at the Universite du Quebec a TroisRivieres, where he was attracted to the profession’s patient-centric approach.
“I like the challenge, and to bring something different and something very important for women, to help women find their power to give birth,” he said.