Deb Little
Registered Midwife

Deb became a midwife in Scotland after working as an obstetrical nurse where she realized the many gaps in the conventional maternity care system in Canada. When she returned from Scotland, Deb began working toward seeing midwifery care become a reality for women in her home of Canada where she has been actively involved with the regulation of midwifery in BC.

Deb has been a practicing midwife since 1979 and loves her work. She was one of the originators of the Grace Hospital Midwifery Pilot Project in Vancouver in 1983 and later the director of the program. Until 1998 she was the Midwifery Department Head at BC Women's Health Centre, Vancouver. She is currently the Chief of the Midwifery Department in Victoria. Deb takes a keen interest in midwifery education and health promotion.

Luba Lyons Richardson
Registered Midwife

Luba has been a practicing midwife since 1976. She began her training in midwifery soon after the birth of her second child. Luba then completed education as an RN as well as post RN courses in obstetrics and became a licensed midwife in Washington State before becoming registered in BC.

Luba has been active in the work of regulating midwifery in BC and was the President of the College of Midwives of BC from1995 - 2001. She is currently the vice chief of the Midwifery Department in Victoria.

Luba has been a passionate supporter of the BC model of midwifery care, including continuity of care, informed choice and choice of birth place. These are the components of BC midwifery that make it a unique model in the world today. Luba believes strongly that maintaining a holistic approach to each woman's needs is essential to providing safe, family-centered care.

Luba is a founding member of The Victoria Midwifery Group (VMG).

Julia Stolk
Registered Midwife

After a rich and busy year learning and working alongside Deb and Luba, I will be continuing to work with the Victoria Midwifery Group.

I grew up on a farm in Southern Ontario, and at the age of 19, began studies in pre-medicine interspersed with working abroad in Central and South America. Although I was formally introduced to the concept of midwifery while working in Guatemala, it was the birth of my niece in 1999 that demonstrated the incredible support midwives could give to birthing women. In the following years, I visited and fell in love with the City of Victoria and have since made it my home (18 years now).

In addition to my four years at UBC in the midwifery program, I bring 18 years experience in alternative health care, lay counsellor training, and several years of pre- and postnatal doula work, as well as my own personal experience as a mother of a two year old son and seven year old daughter. Throughout my four years of midwifery education I spent time working with obstetricians, pediatricians, GPs and midwives in Vancouver, Victoria, and Stony Plain, Alberta.

I believe strongly in a woman’s right to be the primary decision maker in her care, and to have choices and information provided to her in a safe and respectful environment. My approach as a midwife is to develop a trust relationship with my clients in response to their individual needs and visions for their childbearing experience. I feel that providing clients with supportive, personalized care throughout childbearing can positively impact their experiences as women and as mothers.