Elena Ikonomou

Hello, 

My name is Elena Ikonomou and I am a second generation settler to Turtle Island. My parents emigrated here from Greece and Japan and I grew up in Tkaronto/Toronto very much shaped by the cultural influences of Greece, Japan and this incredibly diverse city. As a result, I speak Greek, Japanese, and English fluently, and can also provide some care in Spanish.

My interest in midwifery grew from a simple newspaper article about the relatively newly legislated profession, I still remember the accompanying picture of a student midwife listening to a baby's heart and lungs and being really drawn to the personalized care that midwives offered. At the time, I was halfway through a Human Biology degree at the University of Toronto, so I completed that degree even though I no longer wanted to become a pediatrician nor a family doctor, but a midwife.

I graduated from the Midwifery Education Program at TMU in 2006 and practised in Scarborough and Downtown Toronto. I was particularly thrilled when the Toronto Birth Centre opened and we were able to offer a third birth place option to clients. It continues to be a wonderful place to birth safely and beautifully for so many families.  

I am so happy to call myself a midwife again after an extended leave to care for my young family. I am very grateful to be hired at Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto to provide culturally safe care for the diverse families who come here, and to be able to again offer TBC as an option for those who are interested in birthing out of hospital. I also have privileges at Sunnybrook Hospital should you prefer or need a hospital birth.

I am an experienced midwife but have been away from the profession long enough that I require varying levels of supervision for the work we do. Sometimes that will mean I am accompanied by another experienced midwife, and you get a bonus midwife and pair of hands at your visits or labour and birth. Sometimes it means I am in close communication with an experienced midwife who will ensure that I learn any new systems or procedures that have changed since I last was practising independently. I appreciate your patience as I re-orient myself to midwifery. You and your baby are in good, careful hands, with lots of support from the rest of the skilled midwives at SGMT.

Thank you so much, どうもありがとうございます, ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ, muchas gracias, merçi beaucoup.

Elena

(she/her)