"We have a secret in our culture and it's not that birth is painful,
It's that women are strong"
Author: Laura Stavoe Harm
We are a group of Registered Midwives who are arranged into teams, providing care to women in Calgary and surrounding areas throughout the childbearing years. We share a common holistic midwifery philosophy and work closely together to ensure personal continuous care to women, their newborns and their families.
Our experiences are diverse, from nursing backgrounds to midwifery experiences in o ther countries such as Britian, Australia, and the US.
Briar Hill Midwives is the longest established practice of midwives providing personalized continuous care to families in Calgary, and we are very proud of the care which we have been privileged to provide to hundreds of women.
We strongly believe that parents have the right and responsibility to make informed, intelligent, and sensitive decisions about the manner in which they choose to give birth. We provide the resources (see Our Services page) to assist families in making these decisions. We are happy to provide references from past or present clients.
Over the course of the last 36 years I have had the privilege of being a part of the intimate process of birth in many capacities. Prior to receiving my Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery from the Foothills Hospital Nurse-Midwifery Program, I was took part in birth as a registered nurse in Labor and Delivery at the Foothills and Grace Hospitals.
I have had the opportunity to work as a childbirth educator, charge nurse, instructor and lecturer. I currently sit on provincial and federal committees mandated to improve maternity health care for Alberta families. Without my supportive husband of 36 years, Eric, none of this would have been possible. We have been blessed with three beautiful and supportive daughters, which has only made me more passionate about improving women’s health, and options related to their healthcare. I now also have three awesome granddaughters who were all guided into this world by midwives loving hands.
As one of the founding members of Briar Hill Midwives, I continue to be amazed by the power of the human body and the human spirit, and I am honoured to get to share in the miracle of birth with hundreds of families. To say the very least, it is a pleasure to take part in this magnificent process.
I started working with expectant families in 1993. When the hospitals downsized, I was able to move from my position as an orthopedic nurse to the labor and delivery unit. I was taught the grass roots of working with laboring mothers from the many midwives that were employed on the Foothills labor ward at that time. During my eleven years I worked as a labor nurse, I gained a great respect for the laboring process but also came to realize that there had to be a different way to provide maternity care, a way that offered a personal touch with more support and choice in childbirth.
In 2003, I commenced my distance learning studies with Flinders University. In 2004, my husband and I, along with our younger children, had the experience of a lifetime as we relocated to Adelaide Australia so I could complete my bachelors degree in Midwifery. I would not have been able to accomplish this without my amazing husband Les, who has always pushed me to achieve my dreams, and my beautiful children Ian, Josh, Mark, Chyanne, Caitlin and Mikyla. Thanks guys, you are the light of my life.
On my return to Canada in 2004, I joined Briar Hill Midwives. Throughout my career as an obstetrical nurse and midwife, I have participated in over 1300 births. I consider it an honor and a blessing to share my knowledge and skill with so many families and look forward to being a part of many more childbirth experiences.
Being with women and families as they embark along the journey of pregnancy and childbirth has been a lifelong dream for me. My mother always told the story of how I would help my dolls birth their babies when I was a young child. She always encouraged me to go to school and live my dream, ‘I was meant to be a midwife’. In 1998, two years after my mom passed away suddenly, I retuned to University where I completed a degree in Nursing. My final practicum was spent with Briar Hill Midwives and it was during this rotation that I was truly convinced midwifery was my calling. In 2005, I packed my bags and traveled to Australia to realize my dream of becoming a midwife. My husband and three daughters stayed in Canada while I went to learn the art and the science of midwifery. I have been with Briar Hill Midwives since my return in December of 2005.
I have been employed with the Calgary Health Region as a Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse for the last twenty-one years. I have worked in many different areas including acute care, research, outpatient clinics and public health. My interests have always lied in women’s and infant health. I have taught childbirth classes and taken many courses on breastfeeding and pregnancy care as well as care of the newborn. I currently sit on the Midwifery Health Disciplines Committee, the regulatory board for Registered Midwives in Alberta.
I have my husband Tim and three wonderful daughters, Angelina, Chantelle and Kassandra. My families unwavering support and willingness to handle life for a year on there own while I travelled to Australia made it possible for me to answer my calling to be a midwife. Their continued support has made my passion for midwifery grow.
I believe that pregnancy and childbirth are normal and empowering events that should be shared by couples and families. The birth of a child is a life changing occasion that deserves honor and respect. As a midwife I feel that my role is to preserve this for all the families we care for. I look forward to helping you as you travel along this wonderful journey!
Originally from Nova Scotia, I have just recently moved to Calgary to join Briar Hill Midwives. While I miss the ocean, I am thrilled to be living so close to the beautiful Rockies!
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with pregnancy, childbirth and babies. I did not realize that a profession existed in which I could be involved with all three until, as a teenager, I was exposed to the profession of midwifery while on vacation in the UK. As a result I dreamed of one day becoming midwife. After obtaining a degree in Psychology from Acadia University and working briefly in the social services field, I enrolled in the Ontario Midwifery Education Program at McMaster University from which I graduated in May 2008.
In 2003, I attended my first birth and from that point on I knew that midwifery was for me. I am still to this day as amazed at women and the miracle that is birth as I was at that first birth nearly 6 years ago. I truly love my profession, and am honored that women and their families allow me in to share in such a significant part of their lives.
I joined Briar Hill Midwives in 2007 after completing a B.H.Sc. from the Midwifery Education Programme in Ontario. My previous work experience was in academia, teaching and studying linguistics. I also volunteered at various centres focused on women’s health, including a health clinic, a women’s shelter, and a centre for teen parents.
I am now honored to be part of Briar Hill Midwives, a dynamic practice that has a strong commitment to excellence in midwifery care. The most amazing part of being a midwife is seeing the valuable knowledge and power held by women and their families as they go through the birthing process. Thanks to our clients for sharing this time with us!
My introduction to midwifery began at birth, when I was born into the hands of a Dutch midwife at home in Winnipeg in the 1970’s. Between then and now I grew up on a tiny island on the west coast, before moving to Victoria in my teens. While I always had an interest in alternative health care, it took me numerous years of traveling the world and working at various jobs before I knew that midwifery was the path for me to follow. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else! I believe that midwives can offer the individualized and holistic support throughout the healthy and life changing process of giving birth that women and families deserve.
Prior to my formal midwifery education, I became a certified breastfeeding counselor and birth doula. I then spent four years completing a bachelor or midwifery at the University of British Columbia. The program provided a balance between the art and science of midwifery. I had the opportunity to work alongside midwives and other professionals in Vancouver, Victoria, Cranbrook, and Stony Plain, as well as Uganda, East Africa. I feel lucky to have had so many mentors and experiences with different communities of women and their various birthing practices.
After working with a practice in my hometown of Victoria, I felt ready for a change and am so glad that I made the move to Briar Hill Midwives. I value the support and strength of this group of midwives, as well as the spirit of the birthing women here in Calgary. I love this work and the privilege of being a part of the transformation of so many families.
I am grateful to have been blessed with knowing from a very early age that I wanted to help women have babies. Although I have had the heart of a midwife for years I took some time to become one. Born and raised in Calgary, I completed my Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Calgary in 2003, and subsequently began work at the Foothills hospital on the labour and delivery unit. I loved the privilege of being a part of the birth experience with many families, but had a greater desire to support them also throughout the pregnancy and post birth period.
As I have a love for travel, I sought out some international experience. Nursing in Scotland, I took advantage of many incredible learning and growing opportunities. However, being unable to provide maternity care during this time due to registration restrictions, I felt far removed from what I was ‘meant to be doing.’ Making the decision to follow my passion I returned to labour and delivery nursing in Calgary while preparing to study midwifery in Australia.
In Melbourne I completed a Master of Midwifery. There I had the opportunity to work in different settings and models of care, including hospitals, a family birth centre, and with independent midwives providing homebirth care. As part of the program, I journeyed with families through their experience of pregnancy, birth and their first six weeks with a newborn. This continuity was incredible, for it is these families who have most enriched my knowledge and experience as a growing midwife. I was also mentored by an incredible midwife, who has an infectious belief in women’s strength and normal birth. This has helped support my own belief that women are strong and capable of birthing their babies, and families have the right to be fully informed and supported in their choices.
Now returning to Calgary, I am looking forward to sharing some of life’s most precious moments with new parents, excited families and esteemed colleagues. It will truly be an honour to be in partnership with you.
Bio coming soon!
Toby is busy being a Mommy on maternity leave
It is my honor and privilege to be invited into the lives of our clients and share with them one of the most transformative experiences life can offer - pregnancy and the welcoming of a new baby into the world.
Since my teenage years, I have always had an interest in women's health and a more wholistic approach to overall health & wellness...midwifery was a natural progression of that. I was lucky and fortunate enough to undergo a direct entry style of training in Britain, a leader in midwifery education. This allowed me to obtain a wide-range of experiences from community based care and home birth to a more collaborative care in hospital based births, along with all the life experiences that living abroad offers.
In 2001, I moved back to calgary after completing my education, and began working with Briar Hill Midwives. I have been lucky enough to work in this diverse practice with other midwives of varying life and work experiences. I enjoy most the partnership between a woman, her family and our small team of midwives who work together to offer gentle birth choices and continuity of care.
I underwent additional midwifery training when I was on the receiving end of the wonderful midwifery care our practice offers. My beautiful daughter Cheyenne was born at home, in water, in May of 2006. Although I did return to work for a short time in 2007, our family welcomed a wonderful son, Xavian, who was born at home, in water, in April of 2008. Currently I am taking some time off to enjoy my beautiful children but look forward to bringing my new experiences as a mother to the midwifery care I provide.
It is truly an honor to be a midwife.
Maura is busy being a Mommy on maternity leave
Bio coming soon!