The newest resident of Britannia Beach will have a unique set of bragging rights as he grows up - he was actually born in the tiny community.
Quinn Westley Robert Roy Metcalfe was born at his family's home in Britannia Beach on Sept. 27. The birth marked the first time in more than 60 years, according to several locals, that a birth has taken place in the town.
But for Jason Metcalfe, witnessing the birth of his son inside his family's home was something he couldn't even imagine to be possible only two short years ago.
In August 2010, the Metcalfes' first son Connor was born and only seven weeks later, Jason was rushed to the hospital with severe breathing problems.
"I somehow got this mysterious disease that caused me a lot of coughing and breathing problems," he said. "I went to Lions Gate Hospital to have a camera put into my lungs to diagnose the problem, but my lungs failed during that test and I went into a coma for a day."
Jason came out of the coma on Sept. 27, 2010 - exactly two years to the day that Quinn was born. He admitted that he still suffers respiratory problems to this day but he's managed to persevere.
"I'm still fighting it here and there," he said. "I'm still seeing specialists for it and have oxygen diffusion problems but my CAT scan looks better so hopefully things are looking up."
The first birth in Britannia Beach in decades was made possible by the midwifery program at Squamish General Hospital. Jason said the local midwives worked wonders for he and his wife Kathryn.
"It was a flawless delivery thoughtfully attended by the midwives, who did an excellent job taking care of my family," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Any concerns we had were alleviated by the midwives."
He explained that he and his wife thought it over carefully and chose to go the midwife route for a variety of reasons.
"The personal care you get after the baby is born is great," he said. "They come and visit you every day to check on the baby and you're in your own home and not in a hospital surrounded by strangers. I think it was the overall philosophy of midwifery over the hospital where women might feel they're pressured to take medications and things like that."
According to Lydia Szymanski of Roots Community Midwives, who worked with the Metcalfes, the birth went smoothly and servicing Squamish and its surrounding communities is keeping her group busy.
"The response from the public has been excellent," she said, noting that the program was officially put into place Nov. 15, 2010. "I was practicing on my own for a year and then was joined by Beth [Ebers] and Leslie [Gunning]. The practice grew very quickly and we're pretty much at full capacity."
Szymanski said she and her colleagues have cared for 155 women in the nearly two years the program has been in place. A strong relationship with Squamish General Hospital has helped make the program run smoothly.
"We need hospital access to care for our women and the integration of midwifery into the Squamish hospital has been really smooth," she said. "I've been so delighted to have such collegial relationships with the nurses, doctors and staff at the hospital. Everyone's been really supportive and you couldn't ask for a more collaborative relationship."
She added that midwives do all the ultrasounds, blood work and other care that a physician would normally do, but the visits are longer, with an average time of about 45 minutes. She said midwifery is growing in popularity because of a number of factors but the ability to have the baby in the comfort of your own home is a big one.
Metcalfe said that option was a huge selling point for his family.
"My wife wanted to have the baby at home under her own terms," he said. "And it was a beautiful day with a view of the ocean that we could see from our deck. We opened up the doors to the fresh air outside and my wife had the freedom to go to the bathroom or showers. You have options like having a water birth or even picking music that you might not be able to have at the hospital."
Another unique layer to the story is that Metcalfes' cousin, Quinn, who is doing a midwifery practicum at UBC, worked as an assistant on the birth. The family was so pleased with the work she did with the birth that they named the child after her.
The Metcalfes admitted that having the first birth in Britannia in many years wasn't on their mind but that it's a unique honour. According to Jane Iverson of the Britannia Mine Museum, it's likely the first birth in the town since 1950.
"Squamish Hospital was established in 1952 and there was a rough road to Squamish then, but no one in Britannia had a car," she recalled in an email. "I know of one lady who rode in the coal truck from Minaty Bay to Britannia Hospital to deliver her baby. That would have been about 1950."
Iverson noted that when the mine was in operation and before the highway was built, in many cases, women would travel to Vancouver to have their babies.
Jason Metcalfe said Kathryn and Quinn are both healthy and happy and urged those interested in midwifery to do their homework to see if it's the right fit for them.
"Talk to people and do your research," he said. "It's a really big decision. Look at the facts and make the right call for your family."
For more information on the local midwifery program, visit www.rootsmidwives.ca.
