|
Joanna WebberJoanna is a registered midwife who has been working on the Saanich Peninsula for several years.
She graduated with a Midwifery degree from the University of British Columbia and after working alongside the midwives in Victoria, Langford, Nanaimo and Haida Gwaii. Joanna is delighted to be working in Saanich at Dandelion Midwifery, the community where she grew up. Joanna truly loves practicing midwifery and believes that providing holistic, culturally safe, patient-directed and evidence-based maternity care is an important step in increasing health and equality to our community. When Joanna has the time, she likes to participate in research and engage with movements specifically related to health and Aboriginal nationhood as well as being a preceptor for new student midwives. Before midwifery Joanna spent several years traveling, studying biology, feminism and indigenous studies while also volunteering and working with a variety of organizations that support improving health care access and reducing violence. Outside of her interest in midwifery, Joanna enjoys swimming in oceans, rivers and lakes as well as making jokes, relaxing and watching movies with her friends, family and two kiddos. |
|
Carrie EllertCarrie grew up on a farm in southern Alberta near the Montana border, on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Nations, Kainai (Kigh-a-nigh) and the Piikani (Pee-can-ee).
Carrie enjoyed 14 years of Paediatric Intensive Care Nursing, prior to Midwifery, working in both education and leadership. After completing her bachelor of science in Nursing at the University of Calgary, she began nursing at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She then moved to Australia, where she worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. In 2010 Carrie moved to Vancouver Island and calls the Saanich Peninsula, home. During her time on Vancouver Island, she volunteered with the First Aid Ski Patrol on Mount Washington. She has also volunteered with Operation Smile in both Africa and Honduras. In 2018 Carrie completed the Midwifery program at the University of British Columbia and is now a clinical preceptor at UBC, mentoring the next generation of midwives. As a guest lecturer at the University of Victoria and Camosun College, she is actively involved in teaching Nurses and Nurse Practitioners. She was the former chair of the Midwives Association of BC, Gender and Sexuality Inclusivity committee, supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ families and midwives. Carrie is perpetually inspired by growing community. To maintain inner balance she can be found outdoors enjoying the land, paddling on the sea and relaxing under the sky with her family. |
|
Sarah StoneOver the past 15 years, initially as a doula and now as a midwife, Sarah has had opportunities to immerse herself in a powerful community of families, educators and healthcare practitioners. She has learned so much about the long-lasting positive impact of the respectful, supportive, and collaborative care that midwifery offers.
Sarah came into midwifery with an academic background in feminist theory and social justice. She has built her philosophy of care on the belief that every family, every pregnancy and every birth is unique, and that people become more capable of making their own decisions for their healthcare when we facilitate space for informed decision making – a process that includes considering both an individual’s lived experiences and personal values. Sarah believes that when we foster environments and relationships that make space for person-centered care, pregnant people come out of their pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience feeling empowered and more confident. For Sarah, becoming a parent with the support of midwives is something she will cherish forever. Sarah can confidently say, being encouraged to trust her instincts and learning to make informed choices in pregnancy helped to set the stage for years of parenting! When Sarah is not in midwife-mode, she is spending time with family and friends soaking up as much of the outdoors as she can. |
|
Michele BuchmannAfter practicing midwifery in Victoria, BC for 20 years, Michele moved her practice to Brentwood Bay in 2015 to serve the communities of the Saanich Peninsula. She has also practiced in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Saluit, Quebec. Michele has a background in Political Theory and was drawn to midwifery as her work provides an intersection for the practice and theory of feminist thought. Michele's holistic approach to care incorporates modalities such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, herbs and homeopathy.
Michele loves working with women and couples and enjoys being a part of the transformation and growth families experience with birth. Michele's clients are drawn to her warm nature and her high level of clinical skill. Michele strives to maintain a balance between a healthy personal life and a vibrant midwifery practice. A full life and the practice of self-care enhances the energy and care that can be offered to families in Michele's practice. Michele is a mother to her son Kai, and step-mother to her daughter Aubrey. She lives on a small hobby farm in North Saanich with her husband, Gerry, three dogs, four goats and a gaggle of feathered friends. |
|
Kayla is a passionate doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, registered acupuncturist, and medical herbalist, and focuses her practice on women’s health. A lifelong interest in holistic healing led her to complete a variety of trainings in aromatherapy, massage, reiki, yoga, and birth and postpartum doula work before graduating from Pacific Rim College where she now teaches gynecology and obstetrics, various other acupuncture and herbal medicine classes, and supervises student clinics.
A dedicated yoga practice over the past decade led her to India twice to immerse herself in this ancient spiritual tradition. On her first trip she completed a yoga teacher training and returned a year later and began teaching yoga and offering free acupuncture services at a charitable hospital through the ashram she was living at. This was rooted in her dream of making medicine accessible to all and she continues to offer sliding scale options if financial restrictions are a barrier to treatment. It’s a dream come true for her to be working alongside midwives and she is thrilled to be practicing out of Dandelion Midwifery. Forever inspired by the power of women’s bodies and the healing that traditional Chinese medicine offers in this field, she continues to focus her continuing education studies on gynecology and obstetrics. To book an appointment with Kayla please visit her website at www.thehealinghearth.ca |
Shea LongShea is our featured Artist. Dandelion Midwifery is proud to display beautiful birth photography by Coastal Lifestyle Photography
|