About
Birte Paschen
My path to midwifery started in 1998 when I entered a 3 year midwifery program in Berlin, Germany, at a high volume women’s hospital. After my training I worked as an employed midwife in two large, high-risk maternity wards in Berlin, with up to 3500 births a year. When not working in the hospitals, I did post partum support in women’s homes.
A few years later I followed my Canadian husband to BC where I completed the ‘PLEA’ registration process (bridging program for foreign trained midwives) and became registered in BC in 2007. I have worked and locumed in a variety of places and models in BC: in Duncan, Revelstoke, Abbotsford, Kamloops and Vernon.
I opened Revelstoke's first Midwifery Clinic in 2009, Mountain Midwifery Revelstoke, and was a solo practitioner there for 8 years.
Our two children, Nika and Oscar, were born during that time. In 2016 our family made the move to Vernon.
One of my special interests and strengths is my breastfeeding support. As a new mother I struggled for the first month with breastfeeding, which made me aware of how hard it can be, and how alone a new mother can feel, without good, professional support. I have just started my training to become an IBCLC, international Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I am also a volunteer with ‘The Safe Motherhood Project’. With a very small group of healthcare providers I travel to Guatemala annually to train traditional birth attendants (midwives with no formal training) in birthing skills, risk assessment and emergency skills, in rural areas.
Since 2020 I am an NRP instructor (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) and on the MoreOB Core Team at VJH.
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About
Julia Bailey
As a child and teen, I was fascinated and amazed by pregnancy and babies. That hasn’t changed. In high school I dreamed of becoming a family doctor; until I learned what a midwife was and never looked back!
I am a midwife because I believe in pregnant and birthing people’s right to safe, holistic and
compassionate care which respects choice in pregnancy, labour and postpartum. My favourite parts of my job are hearing people say, “I did it!” after giving birth, and supporting families in their own homes postpartum (with all their families, pets and “There’s a new baby here” messes).
My training at UBC’s Midwifery program took me all over the province, from Haida Gwaii to Vancouver, to Victoria, and to Uganda. I graduated in 2018 and have mostly worked in Vernon ever since. In 2025 will be taking a sabbatical to experience living and working in the UK for my 7th year of practice, and my position will be covered by Meredith Campbell.
Before becoming a midwife, I worked as a Level 3 First Aid attendant, a seniors Care Aide, the
cherry harvest staff manager on my family's farm, and as a server. I attended the first year of UBCO’s Registered Nursing program while I was getting my prerequisites for midwifery school.
When I am not catching babies, I love travelling, knitting, yoga, and backcountry camping with my adorable rescue dog, Pippin.
About
Vanessa Samur
Discovering midwifery came as a surprise to me back in 2010 while on a bike tour through rural communities in Oregon, Northern California, and later the Maritime provinces. My husband and I were traveling in search of farmland but also in the midst of exploring ideas of professions that would compliment our dream of a pastoral life. During the trip, I encountered many young families choosing to have unattended home births because they could not access midwifery care. With many hours on a bike to contemplate the possibilities, I came to the decision on a highway in California that midwifery was it and I've never looked back.
As a 2015 graduate of the UBC Midwifery Program, I've had the privilege of attending the births of many families in Vancouver, Vernon, Kelowna, and Uganda. I've spent the last seven years serving the families of Kelowna, BC. My husband, Jordan, and I are so excited to be moving to Vernon with our two boys, Levon and Auggie, both of whom were born with the help of Vernon midwives.
When not midwifing, there’s a pretty good chance I am indoors baking, outside exploring or listening to the elaborate tales of little boys.
About
Meredith Campbell
I decided I wanted to be a midwife while working as an au pair in Australia during my gap year.
The more I learned about midwifery, the more I fell in love with it! I especially admired the
value placed on building trust and relationships with clients, as well as the emphasis on
empowering pregnant and birthing individuals to make informed decisions for themselves
throughout their care.
I moved to BC the following year to complete the prerequisite courses needed to apply to the
UBC midwifery program, and recently graduated in the spring of 2024. I was lucky enough to
complete my fourth-year clinical placement and clerkship at Mountain Midwifery Collective,
and am beyond excited to now be starting my career with the same amazing team in Vernon.
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The UBC midwifery program also brought me, a Manitoba-born prairie girl, to Campbell
River, SaltSpring Island, Victoria, and Nepal as part of my training.
When I am not busy answering pages and catching babies, you will probably find me sitting at
my sewing machine, basking in a sun beam with a good book, napping, baking, or visiting my
adorable niece and nephew back in Manitoba.
Thank you for welcoming me into your community and for trusting me to take part in your care as you navigate the joys and challenges of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond! It is truly a privilege to walk alongside you all during this significant time in your lives.