March is Nutrition Month!
Our Koo-koosinooniiks (Our Children) Nutrition program will be helping us provide essential nutrition tips for mothers. This isn’t possible without our amazing prenatal nurses. We’d love to introduce them to you!
Yassamin Erickson
“My name is Yassamin Erickson, I am registered nurse and I have been working in Siksika for the past 7 years. I am the mom of two wonderful and busy girls. I enjoy spending time in nature and hiking with my family. I’ve always loved caring for and educating others, and a career in nursing seemed to best fit this passion. I love connecting with moms and supporting them as they navigate their postpartum period.
I especially enjoy accompanying moms on their breastfeeding journeys . Being able to breastfeed your baby is such a rewarding experience and beautiful gift for your baby, but it can at times be a challenging new skill to learn. That is why I decided to become a certified lactation consultant in order to best assist moms as they take on this new endeavour.
Our team will do its best to support you however you need, through at home and in clinic visits, phone calls and texts. We’ll try our best to answer any questions or concerns you may have prenatally or postpartum, and we will connect you to any resources you need to ensure you and your family are healthy.“
Kit Livingston
“Oki! My name is Kit Livingston. I grew up on a ranch on the Matzhiwin Creek, north of Brooks. My family were immigrants from the US & Europe and include a Swedish midwife who lived down by Kainai. I raised my 5 kids in the Kootenays, where I became a doula, a childbirth educator, and a breastfeeding advocate. When my youngest baby started kindergarten, I enrolled in the UVic/Selkirk College nursing program. I also completed the BCIT post-graduate perinatal nursing program. Living in a rural community, I had the opportunity to work in a variety of nursing areas, including HomeCare, acute mental health, med/surg, and maternity care. In 2014, I returned to Blackfoot territory with my children, to support my elderly father. Being on the Land again sparked an intense desire to understand the true history of my community, a desire which eventually led to employment as a Community Health Nurse at Siksika. My focus at SHS is supporting families in providing the best possible care for their babies, before and after birth. My time here is the highlight of my career. Thank you to the Niitsitapi who have been so kind and welcoming to this Naapiikoan.“
Kelly Culp
“My name is Kelly Culp, I am registered nurse of 22 yrs, and I have been working in Community Health @ Siksika for over a year. Prior to this I worked for Siksika Home Care for many years, Bassano Hospital, Palliative Care Calgary, Home Care Strathmore and Labour and Delivery @ PLC. I have also became a doula and assisted Midwives at Home Births. I am the mom of four kids ages 17, 15, 13 and 4. I enjoy spending time on my acreage in my garden and with my animals. In the winter you can usually find me at an arena cheering on one of my kids. I became a nurse because it seemed like a good fit for my rural farming background and came as a natural transition to be able to help others and my community. I love my work at Siksika and am honoured to support the moms and young families through some of the most exciting and vulnerable chapters of their lives. I am very passionate about empowering/supporting women to help them grow healthy and happy families.
Our team will do its best to support you however you need, through at home and in clinic visits, phone calls and texts. We’ll try our best to answer any questions or concerns you may have prenatally or postpartum, as well as during the early childhood years and we will connect you to any resources you need to ensure you and your family are healthy.“
Koo-koosinooniiks – Prenatal Nutrition Program Info
Similar to the former CPNP program, the goal is to support the health of women throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period.
Women part of this program have access to prenatal & postnatal education, classes, food hampers, resources and nutrition support. The maternal child program is also available for young families needing additional support in the early childhood years.
1 on 1 Nursing Support
Once a month each client has direct access to the prenatal nurse for 1 on 1 support. During the visit the nurse provides teaching on the client’s current stage of pregnancy including:
- Changes for mom and baby during the prenatal period.
- Upcoming prenatal tests and community events
- Common discomforts and at home remedies
- Any questions the client has related to her pregnancy, her baby, or what to expect in the future
During these visits clients will receive a nutrition voucher to support healthy eating for the family.
How to get involved?
An Intake Appointment is the initial meeting between you and our nurses. This initial appointment lasts about 45 minutes and allows for the client and nurse to get to know each other.
Each client will receive a resource package that includes a pregnancy and early childhood book set, nutrition resources, breastfeeding information package, and their first Nutrition Voucher.
You can contact the community health nurse to set up an appointment or your prenatal primary care provider can refer you directly.
