ABOUT – Origins Midwifery

About Origins Midwifery

Origins Midwifery provide compassionate client-centered care with a focus on prevention and health-promotion. Origins Midwifery respect our client’s uniqueness, providing individualized care for all we serve. We pride ourselves with informed choice, continuity of care, choice of birthplace and evidence-based practice. As primary health providers we collaborative with other health professionals if needed, to offer safe and effective care for the client and the family. Origins Midwifery believe parents are empowered through their experience of pregnancy and birth.

The Team

Midwifery has been an important part of my life ever since I could remember. I was born at home through the gentle hands of a midwife in Ghana, West Africa and have always had a fondness for the emotional, spiritual and physical components of childbirth. I’ve been a Registered Midwife in the Province of Alberta since 2004 and have travelled with hundreds of women on their birthing journey. I started my education at the U of C obtaining a Bio Science Degree; I then began my midwifery education at the University of Brighton in the UK and finally graduated from the Seattle Midwifery School in Washington State. I completed my international practicum on the beautiful island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.

The diverse cultural, ethnic and social background of my clients has allowed me to gain great appreciation for the women I have cared for and is the basis for my strong conviction in completely individualized care. It also re-affirms my belief that birth is one of the most wonderful and natural parts of life.

I am a mother of 2 wonderful boys with an amazing husband who has been with me through my wonderful journey of Midwifery and more. I look forward to meeting you and being part of your wonderful birth journey.

Twenty-eight years ago, I observed my first birth; an extraordinary midwife attended waterbirth in London, England. Now after 22 years of practising midwifery, I continue to be awed by the power and beauty of birth, as well as observing families grow deeply during this life transition.

I recognize the important role midwives play in health care, and actively accept the responsibilities and joys that come with this important work. I am passionate about providing informed choice, family centered care and I strongly promote bodily autonomy.

I have had the privilege of working in Oregon, Miami, and Jamaica as a student midwife. Upon returning to Canada, I relocated to Central Alberta where I completed my education as an apprentice midwife. I am grateful for my rural midwifery experience as a student and newly practicing midwife.

I have birthed 2 wonderful boys into this world, who bring me great joy.

“You are a midwife. You are assisting at someone else’s birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening, not what you think is happening. If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say, we did it ourselves.” Lao Tzu

I was born and raised in the Calgary area, living on my family’s acreage near De Winton for most of my life. I graduated from Mount Royal University in spring 2018 and I have recently completed my New Registrant year as a midwife working in Medicine Hat and Brooks. Now I am excited to be returning to my home town to join Origins Midwifery and serve clients in Okotoks, De Winton, High River, Nanton, Priddis, Black Diamond, Turner Valley and other rural areas of Foothills MD as well as the South quadrant of Calgary.

I first felt drawn to midwifery while I studied with a local midwife and herbalist in Belize. Shortly after, I began working toward my doula certification in 2010. Then my husband, Michael, and I welcomed our lovely daughter, Oestara, into the world in 2011. Having midwifery care for our pregnancy and birth reinforced midwifery as my true calling. At that point I began to work toward becoming a midwife by reading, researching, attending workshops and starting my studies at MRU in 2013. In summer 2016, we were blessed with another child, our son Zephyr, born at peacefully home in water. I took a year off of my studies to care for my family before returning to finish the program with MRU.

As a birth worker, I strongly believe in both community and autonomy and I feel that it is important to provide families with supportive, compassionate care so that they can make the choices that are right for them. Thank you for this opportunity to be involved in your journey!

Hello beautiful souls,

My name is Maddy and I am passionate about the way I show up for women during their pregnancy and births. I view it as a privilege to be invited to walk with you on this path, as giving birth is one of the most profound initiations to spirituality that a woman can have. I have made it my life goal to empower women by returning the ownership of birthing back to where it rightfully belongs – with the mother.

I believe in the fundamental pillars of midwifery care intertwined with respect, compassion and informed choice, including informed refusal and bodily autonomy, which I offer to all of my clients, without question, at every interaction. It is my experience and opinion that these values are of utmost importance between a mother and a midwife, and it is my honour to accommodate long discussions that will allow you to explore and understand all of your choices, thereby enabling you to make the best decisions for you. Afterall, no one knows you better than you!

I was first drawn to midwifery when practicing as a doula in 2013, and since then my philosophy of childbirth and my deep trust in natural, physiological birth has expanded and grown exponentially. Not only through my own pregnancies, home births and post baby changes, but through witnessing the power of women over and over again. I graduated from Mount Royal in April 2021 and, prior to Origins, I worked in a small practice in British Columbia serving rural and remote families. I loved rural practice, there was a certain sentiment and slowness captured by the surrounding nature, calmness and quaint, quiet lifestyle.

During this last year, my husband Clark (an incredible acupuncturist and healer), 2 daughters and I explored Latin America. We visited Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica, before putting some roots down in Nicaragua. I was fortunate enough to sit with some local midwives in these areas, and was blessed to be able to share stories and learn their historical birthing traditions. I am incredibly grateful for this last year; it has been, without a doubt, one of the best of my lifetime yet – made even more sacred by my invitation to support 3 natural births. What an honour to witness in this way.

In my spare time, I love teaching art classes, crafting macrame, and working on my loom. I enjoy getting outside, cold plunges, writing and spending time with my amazing family and incredible network of friends.

Thank you for reading.

I’m looking forward to meeting you soon. In the meantime, never forget that “giving birth should be your greatest achievement, not your greatest fear”.

“Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom.” – Harriette Hartigan

I am a 4th year Midwifery student at Mount Royal University. I have grown up alongside of, and have worked in the social work field mostly with at risk youth, or those with special needs, and their families for about 11 years in the Calgary area, as well as in the United States. I studied General Science at the University of Guelph in Ontario prior to embarking on my midwifery journey.

My love for midwifery came quite unexpectedly as I was originally applying for the Athletic Therapy program at Mount Royal. I was given an opportunity to shadow a Registered Midwife in Calgary, and was able to get some hands-on experience finding fetal heartbeats, practice identifying fetal positions, and a chance to talk with some clients about why they chose to have a midwife. On the drive home I was so overjoyed that I cried because I truly felt that becoming a midwife was my calling. The foundational beliefs around midwifery care for women and their families is something I strongly connect with and believe in. I am eager to help support each individual and their families through their own powerful journey.

In my spare time I try to get out to the mountains as much as possible with my partner (Robert) and my dog (Stanley) either fly fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, or snowshoeing. I really love to get in touch with nature as I find that it truly grounds me. I have a bit of a green thumb and enjoy tending to my plants or garden and when I get the chance – my collection of house plants has more than tripled since the pandemic began. When/ if the time permits, I love to curl up with a good mystery novel – arguably I will read an entire book or two in one sitting if left unattended. I am very excited to be working alongside the midwives at Origins and under the guidance of Theresa this semester!