Alixandra Bacon RM MA (she/her)
Alixandra is a first generation Canadian, her mother was a settler of Irish decent. She graduated from UBC Midwifery in 2012 and has been serving families in her hometown of Richmond (& South Delta) ever since. She is Past President of the Canadian Association of Midwives and Midwives Association of BC and Adjunct Professor at UBC Midwifery. Alixandra has a special interest in ADHD and Pregnancy...want to learn more? Check out www.adhdpregnancy.ca. Outside of work Alixandra is mother to a lively 6 year old and sings soprano harmony and plays percussion in the Hillbettys.
Why Strawberry Midwifery?
In many cultures across the world, strawberries are associated with motherhood, fertility, and abundance. Strawberries are among the first plant to produce fruit after winter in the areas where they are native, signifying rebirth and a new start. The “seeds" you see on the outside of a strawberry are actually the plant's ovaries! Each “seed" is technically a separate fruit that has a seed inside of it. Strawberries are also recognized for their rich vitamin c and folic acid levels, which are great for promoting a healthy pregnancy.
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I was blessed to spend my early childhood in Steveston. Across the street from my house were strawberry fields which had been slated for development. On summer days I remember begging my mum to play the Beatles Strawberry Fields song and then toddling across the way to gorge myself on the strawberries in the abandoned field. At the time I fancied I would become a strawberry farmer myself!
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Berry picking has a long history here. For thousands of years, the Musqueam peoples canoed to what is now called Lulu Island to set up temporary summer housing for fishing and foraging for berries and plants. For the Musqueam people, June is known as the time of the salmonberries, təәm lil’əә.
A historical researcher, Dellis Cleland, spoke to more than a hundred people in 1972 to ask them about their memories of berry picking in Richmond. The report “Berrying in Richmond – Pleasure or Profit” can be found in the City of Richmond’s Archives. Strawberries were grown in Richmond’s “rich clay soil” starting from the early 1900s and were hauled to markets in Vancouver over the two connecting bridges in wagons, cars and even in milk vans run by Van Dusen and Hawke, Cleland writes. Cleland writes that strawberry festivals were the “highlight of early summer” and were “interwoven throughout the social life of the area.”Strawberry festivals were held by different organizations – at churches and at the Orange Hall in Steveston.While the annual Orange Hall Strawberry Festival “is hosted by men of the lodges,” Cleland notes “Many are the crates hulled by the women of Richmond in the name of neighborliness and hospitality.”
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Rantanen, M. (Aug 5/22). Berries have long history in Richmond, including inspiring wineries. Richmond News. https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/berries-have-long-history-in-richmond-including-inspiring-wineries-5665211