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Address
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680B Leg-in-Boot Square
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4B4
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Phone
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(604) 874-7999
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Fax
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(604) 874-7333
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Website
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www.pacificmidwiferypractice.ca
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Midwives
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Elizabeth Ryan, Patti Thompson, Shannon Norberg,
Terry Lyn Evans, Carolyn Saunders, Alison Humphrey
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Serving
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Vancouver
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Elizabeth Ryan, RM
Hello, I am Elizabeth Ryan but I usually go by the name
Liz. I am the proud grandmother of two beautiful grandsons,
and am very happy they were born into this world with loving
and caring midwives.
I am also the eldest of six children and grew up on a
sheep station in Australia surrounded by my younger siblings
and many birthing animals. Those happy childhood years formed
the basis of my love for caring for people and the birthing
process.
During my travels abroad, I ended up in Canada where I
became a mother myself and also pursued a career in nursing.
My love of babies and women stayed with me and I eventually
returned to Australia to do my midwifery training in Sydney.
After finishing in 1985, I returned to Canada and worked
at the now Children’s and Women’s Health Centre
as an obstetrical nurse and midwife in the midwifery pilot
project prior to official professional recognition.
Since registration in 1998, I was appointed the first Acting
Director for the Department of Midwifery, a position I held
until 2000, and I presently represent midwifery on a number
of College committees.
I look forward to the future with student midwives so I
can share my expertise and knowledge in the hope that all
women who want a midwife will have access to that option.
I am devoted to providing a happy and joyous journey through
pregnancy, childbirth and the newborn period.
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Patti Thompson, RM
Patti has been a midwife for over 20 years. She trained
in Vancouver through the apprenticeship model with doctors
and midwives.
She is experienced in complementary therapies, and focuses
on preventative health care for women during pregnancy and
birth, and for the newborn. Because of her empirical training,
her midwifery philosophy has evolved from responding to
the needs of the many families she has cared for. She supports
a woman's choice to plan her birth in the hospital or at
home, and to create a beautiful and empowering experience.
Patti has one daughter and one son, both born with midwives
at home in the 1970's. She is a visual artist, enjoys yoga
and a variety of outdoor activities, and is especially fond
of West Coast surfing.
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Terry Lyn Evans, RM
Hi my name is Terry Lyn Evans. My dream of becoming a midwife
was fulfilled in 2002. Since that time I have had the privilege
of being a part of the team at Pacific Midwifery Practice.
My journey toward becoming a midwife began when I was
12 years old and loved to look after babies. This passion
led me first to a degree in Nursing from UBC then a degree
in Midwifery from England. I provided nursing care to women
and their families for 10 years at Women's Hospital in Vancouver
while working on becoming a registered midwife in British
Columbia. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with child bearing
families of Vancouver and cherish the relationships that
have developed.
My greatest dream of all came true January 2005 when I
gave birth to my own baby- Spencer. The journey through
pregnancy and birth was extremely fascinating and hopefully
will enhance my future practice as a midwife.
I believe everyone should be provided with the best of
care in this important part of their life. I truly love
what I do and look forward to supporting women, their partners,
and families through the journey of birth…and beyond-into
life with their new baby.
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Shannon Norberg, RM
I attended my first birth in 1994, a defining
moment for the rest of my life. I have always been passionate
about women's health issues and our bodies' amazing abilities
to create health from within. Following the path of becoming
a midwife has been a natural evolution of this passion.
I am reminded daily of the uniqueness and beauty that
accompanies the creation of each new life and family,
and the importance of honouring and respecting the process.
I have been involved with Pacific Midwifery
Practice since 2000. I feel blessed to be working with
such an amazing team of midwives. My birth-related studies
have taken me to Thailand and the Philippines, where I
learned to view maternal and child health from a global
perspective. My midwifery training was through the Seattle
Midwifery School as well as a number of related courses
in BC, Washington and overseas.
Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, I
find that the ocean and mountains are never far from my
heart. In my 'other' life I can be found playing in snow,
water or mud, depending on what kind of day it is. I appreciate
being able to live and work in such a vibrant and international
community. I look forward to the day when midwives are
plentiful across the province and care is accessible to
those most in need.
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Carolyn Saunders, RM
I am a recent graduate of the University
of British Columbia midwifery program and I am delighted
to be the newest member of Pacific Midwifery Practice.
My interest in midwifery began during my teenage years
when I was exposed to the homebirth movement in Ottawa,
Ontario. I share my passion for midwifery with my sister,
who graduated from the Ontario midwifery program in the
spring of 2005 and practices in the Ottawa Valley. In
addition to my midwifery training, I have completed a
Bachelors degree in Anthropology and Biology. Anthropology
has given me an understanding of the cultural diversity
of our province and an appreciation of the rewards of
working with women from different social, economic and
cultural backgrounds. I have a great respect and appreciation
for biological processes that was enhanced while studying
birds in northern Canada in the summers of 2002 and 2003.
In 2003-2004 I was involved in a project
whose aim was to facilitate better communication between
health care providers and their clients. Through this
work I developed a strong commitment to empowering women
to make their own health care decisions. It is my philosophy
that a woman should leave midwifery care feeling empowered
by her birth experience, feeling that she has done her
very best, and feeling greater confidence in her own body.
I hope that I can help women accomplish these goals.
In my free time I can often be found riding
my bike, strolling through the Vancouver Art Gallery,
or curled up on the couch with a good movie. I was married
in May 2004 to my long-time partner Adam; we live near
Commercial Drive in Vancouver. I look forward to helping
women achieve the birth experience of their choice.
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Alison Humphrey, RM
I am originally from Sudbury, Ontario but
am thrilled that my partners job has brought us to
Vancouver, and pleased and excited to be joining the team
at Pacific Midwifery.
I became a registered midwife in 2005, a graduate of the
Midwifery Education Program at Laurentian University. I
spent 2 1/2 years working as a full-time midwife at the
Midwives Collective of Toronto, a busy downtown practice
with a strong commitment to continuity of care, homebirth,
and teaching of new midwives. Previously, I earned a degree
in Womens Studies from the University of Toronto.
I speak English and French.
One of the things I enjoy most about being a midwife is
the opportunity to be a teacher. Teaching families about
pregnancy, labour and the newborn/postpartum periods, and
learning from their experience, makes being a midwife one
of the greatest jobs in the world. I have also been a formal
prenatal class educator since 2004, teaching a regular series
of prenatal classes as well as a homebirth class for children.
Ive done outreach teaching with under-serviced communities
including young mothers, and with participants of a local
food bank.
Im looking forward to meeting you, and working with
you and your family.
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