The first baby born in 2024 hails from Lutsel K’e.
Shonto Noeldeke-Catholique and his wife, Kristen Kodakin-Yakeleya, welcomed their son, Shëth la Mod Kodakin-Gahdële, on Jan. 3 at Stanton Territorial Hospital, weighing in at 9 lbs., 4 oz. The family traveled to the capital a month before the birth.
Noeldeke-Catholique said he’s excited and nervous about being a father. He said he grew up in a big family and had seen parethood before, but it’s a new experience for him.
He also said he and his wife took a lot of advice from other people on what to expect and what to buy for their baby, as well as reading baby books to be as ready as possible.
Limited services in Lutsel K’e also posed a challenge with no access classes or programs to prepare them for parenthood, he added.
“We received a lot of information from everybody, and it was just all good things,” added Kodakin-Yakelaya. “And I guess we weren’t 100 per cent prepared, because every parenthood is different, right? So we’re kind of open to everything.”
Before the birth happened, the couple stayed at Chateau Nova, where they tried to make themselves comfortable and celebrate Christmas.
“We kind of just tried to settle ourselves in,” said Noeldeke-Catholique. “Go to a hotel, actually take out your clothes out of the bags and put it into the cupboards and let’s spend Christmas here — set up a Christmas tree and put presents under it.”
Kodakin-Yakeleya said they were in their hotel room when labour began, but she thought it was just cramps at first. It turned out she was in active labour the whole day.
The couple said they had an amazing doula from the Northern Birthwork Collective, Treiva Plamondon, who helped them prepare and supported them throughout the process.
“We contacted her when we came in here about that at 6 p.m. the day I was in labour and she came right over and she spent the whole evening with us and the next day,” said Kodakin-Yakeleya. “And then we realized my contractions were really slow, so she went home. As soon as we were ready for birth, she came right back and she stayed the entire time, and she was amazing.”
Noeldeke-Catholique said they got married in June 2023 after first meeting at a volleyball tournament eight years ago.
“We were on opposite teams, and I was, like, ‘Wow, she’s really good’,” he said with a smile. “We just started talking after the game, then we exchanged numbers, and then we just kept in touch. Then we started dating and moved in together, and then we broke up for a few years. But we got back together and got married, and then we had a baby.”
Noeldeke-Catholique said their son’s name means ‘top of the mountain’ and ‘God’ in Chipewyan.
“We wanted to give him a traditional name that reflected his heritage and his connection to the land,” he said.
The couple is also in the process of changing their own names as part of reclaiming their identities, he added.
They’re now looking forward to heading back to their community so they can introduce their son to family and friends.