Comox Valley Midwifery has provided midwifery care to our home community for over 25 years, serving hundreds of families in the area. Our family-centered clinic, Birth Tides Midwifery Clinic, is located in the Old Orchard District of Downtown Courtenay. The clinic, which is surrounded by a lovely perennial garden and orchard, offers a lending library and a full range of services and workshops for the childbearing year.

Deborah Kozlick, RM & Lactation Consultant

Deborah Kozlick is a Registered Midwife and Lactation Consultant providing obstetric care to women and their families for over 25 years in both home and hospital settings. She has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and received her Diploma in midwifery in 1987. Deborah has worked internationally as a midwife at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, which is the third largest maternity hospital in the world. She has also worked in Northern British Columbia with rural and First Nations women. Deborah is on the Faculty of Medicine at the UBC School of Midwifery and is an Emergency Skills Instructor. She is on the Medical Staff of St. Joseph's Hospital and Campbell River and District Hospital. Deborah is the mother of two children and lives in Courtenay with her family.

"What a miracle you gave us-your love of your work is so evident and so appreciated. You were so strong for us - so caring , yet professional. It was a true pleasure and an experience we will cherish always. I am so glad to have found you to help us with this beginning of a new adventure.'
-Kaiyo Muir

Emma Gledhill, RM

I trained as nurse and midwife at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, in the late 1980's and then worked in several London teaching hospitals, a rural hospital, and a birthing centre, before uprooting my 3 boys and moving to Canada. I have done a diploma in Aromatherapy massage, taught baby massage, cycled through S.E. Asia, worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, taught English in Japan, and have a first degree in Zoology. I love cross country skiing, canoeing and the wild beauty of Canada. What inspires me is the women and babies I am lucky enough to work with and the wonder and transformation of birth.

Sadie Parkin, RM

Christy Raynolds, RM

It was through my own transformative birth experiences that I came to know that my calling was to share the wonder and joy of pregnancy and birth with other women by becoming a midwife. I am the mother of two children born with midwives, one at home and one at St. Joseph's Hospital in Comox.

During my professional development I have worked in a family doctor's office, and provided support to women in pregnancy, birth and postpartum as a labour support doula and breastfeeding counsellor. I obtained my degree in Midwifery from the University of British Columbia, where I founded the UBC Midwifery Student Government and served as president for two years. My clinical midwifery training took me to Vancouver, Campbell River, and Stony Plain, Alberta. I was fortunate to learn and work alongside a variety of experienced health professionals, including midwives, nurses, family doctors and perinatologists, attending births in women's homes, in rural and urban hospitals, and at a birthing program known for its many water births.

I am committed to contributing to my community and have been an active volunteer for many years, including working with disabled children at the Courtenay Recreation Association and the Therapeutic Riding Society; counselling young women and their partners through Planned Parenthood; and helping to grow the midwifery and birth community as a member of the UBC multidisciplinary Maternity Care Club, the UBC Midwifery Advisory Committee, and the Midwives Association of BC Board of Directors.

When I am not helping new babies into the world, my favourite places to be are at the beach with my family and our dog Hazel; surrounded by the bounty in my garden; or with a group of knitting friends, a brimming teapot and a yard full of kids.

Over the past several years, I have attended over one hundred births and have provided care for many hundreds of women and babies. I remain awed and inspired by the incredible power and fortitude of birthing women, and am deeply honoured to contribute to the joyous emergence of new families. I am delighted to be back home in the Comox Valley, working as a locum midwife for my community.

"It was such a blessing to have your support and expertise during our pregnancy and delivery. You're a fabulous midwife who will make every woman she cares for feel safe and empowered." A.P., 2008