Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m a non-essential worker.  I’m a videographer and editor. I have the luxury of deciding that I’ve had enough of thinking about the coronavirus for today and I can turn off the news and attempt to distract myself.  But not everyone has that luxury.  

This project allowed me to be a part of thanking a specific group of our essential workers. It feels impossible to thank everyone – the grocery store clerks, the delivery people, the pharmacists, the list goes on…  

But this project has a very special focus.  It features nurses on the birthing unit at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket. 

Dr. Heather Edwards, Obstetrician & Gynecologist, wanted to show that there are positive medical outcomes occurring daily. This video was made by women to celebrate, empower and thank women.  As a female editor and a mother myself, I went through the footage in awe of the mothers’ and nurses’ and doctors’ courage during this time. 

As I was not allowed to leave my home and capture the footage, I was looking at everything through the lens of Dr. Edwards’ phone. Through the photos and videos she sent me, I witnessed her deep gratitude for the way that physicians and nurses are functioning as a team, especially during this time.  We are truly stronger together. 

What also struck me is that Dr. Heather Edwards, as a woman in healthcare herself, had the heart to thank other healthcare heroes around her.  She brought women together to celebrate the bravery and emphatic care that other women bring to this world.  Emma O’Neill, the voiceover talent you hear in this video, said it was a “huge honour to lend my voice to this. I am very grateful.” 

In reaching out to Erika Fifield, one of the nurses in the video, she gave an interesting inside look at what it means to be working during this time on the birthing unit.  She expressed that it has been both rewarding and frustrating. “I love being able to bring comfort and positive birth experiences to the patients I work with, especially when times are so uncertain. At the same time, it is very frustrating not being able to show my facial expressions, when I have to tell the dad to go home because they weren’t able to get a private room, and when parents can’t go visit their newborn in the NICU due to visiting restrictions.”

While some might feel that the healthcare workers on the birthing unit aren’t seeing the effects of the pandemic there, Erika says they couldn’t be more wrong.  They deal with all sorts of medical conditions through a woman’s pregnancy.  “Seeing that video made me feel like our hard work is being seen. I think it shows the world that the birthing unit is not a bubble immune to the pandemic, but is right in the midst of it.” 

May this video bring you a unique perspective.  We all need a little hope right now. In the words of Dr. Heather Edwards, “In times of isolation, let’s be the action of kindness and love we hope to see in the world!