About Inlet

Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers – strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.
~Barbara Katz Rothman

I am very excited to be a part of the wonderful community of caregivers and families at Inlet Birth. As a long-time resident of the Tri-Cities, I am thrilled to be supporting families in my home community. I am a mother who has been profoundly shaped by my own journeys through birth and parenthood. Though my three births unfolded under vastly different circumstances, the spirit that connects them is one of support, informed decision making and empowerment. These three principles are what I hope to bring to the birthing women of this community. We can’t know how birth will unfold, but it is my greatest wish that women emerge feeling respected and honoured for the work that they have done.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from UBC. Prior to becoming a midwife, I worked as a doula and childbirth educator, and I loved my role as a teacher. I always felt inspired and motivated by the energy in the classes I taught, but what pleased me most was the relationship I was able to build with clients. This is without a doubt my favourite part of midwifery – getting to know you and your families. The babies are a sweet added bonus!

Prior to midwifery, I also received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UBC. I am a passionate reader and a passionate – though often misguided – gardener. I look forward to walking this journey with you, as you welcome your little ones into your lives.

Birth – as experienced by the mother – is the Mount Everest of physical functions in any mammal. Unless we have seen it before, we can barely imagine that something so relatively huge can come out of a place that usually looks so small. And yet, it happens every day.
~Ina May Gaskin

My name is Tshengi Ndlovu, and I am a mother of three. Prior to moving to Canada, I lived in London, England where I trained and worked briefly as a Registered General Nurse. I decided during my nurse training that I wanted to be a midwife. I gained a Midwifery Degree in 1997 (BSc Honours) from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, England.

As a midwife in London, I had various roles and gained experience in all areas of midwifery care. I practised as a midwife for 12 years before moving to Canada in 2010. I completed the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Programme (MMBP) in March 2013. I began working with the team at Inlet Birth (when it was Beautiful Babies Midwifery) in November 2013, and I have been enjoying working with the families in our area.

I have been a Perinatal Registered Nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital since 2013 working in both Maternity and Labour and Delivery and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2016 working in both the hospital and community settings with mother baby dyads. I am very passionate about my work and it is such an honour to be able to help provide support to families during such a special time in their lives.

I am very excited to be able to work alongside an amazing group of individuals at Inlet Community Birth Program. Successful breastfeeding takes time, patience and support. As an interdisciplinary team we will work together to help make everyone’s breastfeeding goals successful.

Outside of working as a Nurse and Lactation Consultant I spend much of my time with my nephew, as well as enjoying the outdoors hiking and camping, and in the winter months curled up on the couch reading a good book or crocheting.

I have been in love with babies since I can remember, and I knew, the minute I hit the maternity floor in nursing school, that I’d found where I was meant to be. I graduated nursing in 2009 and completed the labour and delivery specialty by early 2010. I’ve taught and worked in various capacities within the field ever since. I feel so privileged to work with families on one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking days of their lives and helping women discover their capacity to manage labour, birth, and motherhood. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with this multidisciplinary program–I love that Inlet Birth uses the team approach to its full advantage to provide diverse, evidence-based care to its patients. I’m in awe of all that urban healthcare has to offer because up north, where I come from, there is a small clinic and a nurse with a radio–and sometimes a doctor! When I’m not busy helping families grow, I enjoy yoga, crafting, outdoor activities and spending time with all of my friends’ little ones.

Eighteen years ago, I was asked to join a team providing support and education to a wonderful group of teen mothers, I hesitantly accepted the opportunity because I wasn’t sure I wanted to work with babies. Little did I know that decision would spur my passion for maternal-child health and wellness. When I began my own family, I quickly learned that my birth stories were unique, and I developed an insatiable need to know everything I could about natural, family centered birth. I started my own business as a labour support doula providing support to about 150 families over an eight-year period with a goal to help more families have the types of births they desired.

When my youngest started kindergarten in 2010, I made the decision to go back to school for nursing, knowing that I had found my home in the birthing units with families. When I think about this, it was an inevitable path as I am now the third generation of perinatal nurses, following my grandmothers and mother to this work.

I am excited to join the collaborative team at Inlet Birth to continue to provide support and education to families. I believe that birth begins long before labour starts and love that I have an opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with so many families helping them to have the birth experience they deserve.

Outside of my RN role, I manage the life of a blended family with four active kids, enjoy camping and being outdoors, creating DIY things for our home, and exploring the benefits of essential oils and natural health products.

My interest in midwifery began in 1984 at the home birth of my nephew. It was at this birth that I truly understood the incredible support midwives could give to birthing women. In the following years, I gave birth to my three children and educated myself in the Art of Midwifery. I practiced as a La Leche Leader running meeting for several years while nursing and raising my own children.

In 1990 I began my Midwifery career in the Kootenay Mountains of BC; there I started with a small home birth practice, which grew over the next nine years. I was instrumental in ensuring courses were offered in our rural setting related to midwifery, I traveled to Vancouver for workshops and brought in educators to my community to teach the local group of midwives.

In 1995-96 I undertook a clinical internship in a birth center in Texas. I am actively involved in the MABC, and have been on Midwifery Advisory Committee while living in the Kootenay. In the past I have served on many committees in the hospitals in which I have privileges, I served as  the Acting Head of the Division of Midwifery at Burnaby hospital, and  a member of the Midwifery Departments Executive Committee, and Credentialing committee at BC Women’s Hospital.

During the past few years I have enjoyed supervising many student, conditional and intern midwives and continue to be actively involved in growing midwivery in BC. The most rewarding supervision I am privileged to be involved in; is my yearly travel to Uganda with student midwives from UBC, working together with them in Kampala Masaka’s Mbala and Jinja reginal hospitals.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to witness and be part of the birth of the diverse families in my practice; they have all enriched my life beyond knowing. I have a strong commitment to women and their families as the women themselves define their family. I believe that education de-mystifies and helps integrate all the unique aspects of childbearing.

It is with this in mind that I look forward to sharing my midwifery knowledge and experience with the birthing families in my practice.

I am a Registered Nurse with 18 years of perinatal experience at Royal Columbian Hospital, working both in Maternity and Labour and Delivery. I obtained my IBCLC in 2015 and did some casual Lactation Consultant work on the Maternity ward until I started a permanant part-time position in 2017. I love working with families, and helping mothers and babies get off to a successful start.

With the move to increasingly early discharge from hospital, I am so excited to be part of the Inlet Community Birth Program which provides an opportunity for closer follow-up with families that may be struggling as they transition home. I feel privileged to work with such great professionals both in the hospital and now in the Community. My role is to support and provide education, guidance and encouragement through the early days and to help families reach their goals.

I am a mother of 2 adult daughters and, in my spare time, I love to travel, paint and spend time in nature.

One day in the early nineties, I heard a radio interview about the Midwifery Task Force, a group lobbying for the legalization and provincial funding of midwifery and midwifery training. The key principles of midwifery care that were discussed during the interview fit so well with my personal values that I knew I needed more information. The more I looked into midwifery, the more I knew I’d found my calling.

I was part of the first graduating class from UBC’s Bachelor of Midwifery Degree Program in April 2005, and trained at a variety of placements, including Prince George, Campbell River, and BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver.

I’ve always chosen jobs and training that support people to take ownership of their own experiences. My previous education includes certification in American Sign Language, Working with Youth in Community Settings, Doula Training, and Health and Fitness Studies. This diverse training has been invaluable. I especially enjoyed running a Community Kitchens program, and working in recreation with children and at-risk youth.

Within midwifery, I enjoy being a preceptor for UBC midwifery students. I also instruct: Fetal Health Surveillance, Neonatal Resuscitation, and ALARM (Advances in Labour and Risk Management – an Emergency Skills program). I value ongoing professional development and have attended training for Indigenous Cultural Competence, Breastfeeding Counselling, Contraception Management and C-Section Surgical Assist Program.

I believe that pregnancy and birth can be normal and extraordinary at the same time; a belief reaffirmed when I had twin daughters in 2009. I also think that, when given adequate information, a woman will have the tools to make the decisions that are right for her and her family. I endeavour to support a woman to feel involved and respected in her care and I appreciate the opportunity to work with you.

As a full-service family physician in Coquitlam, BC, I am dedicated to providing patient-centered care to all-comers, from children to seniors. I particularly delight in the opportunity to help welcome babies into the world.

After finishing my family practice residency in 2010, I began catching babies at Royal Columbian Hospital where I have benefited from learning from many excellent colleagues; from obstetricians, fellow family doctors, nurses and midwives alike. Giving birth to my daughters in 2013 and 2015 solidified my passion for accompanying women and their partners on their journey into parenthood. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Inlet Community Birth Program where I can further my experience in providing interdisciplinary care.

I was born and raised in South Africa and immigrated to Canada in 1995. Soon afterwards, I began working as a therapist for young children on the autism spectrum.

In 2004, I trained as a birth and postpartum doula.  Since then, while completing degrees at UBC in Women’s Studies and in Midwifery, I have been attending births and spending time supporting families after the arrival of a new baby. 

Over the years, I have also had the opportunity to pair my love for travel with my passion for birth, working in clinics and hospitals in the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda. In Canada, I have had the opportunity to work and learn in South Delta, Vancouver, Victoria and Sooke.

It is an honour and privilege to work with families during their childbearing year. I look forward to being a part of this dynamic and skilled team, to meeting the wonderful families in our care!

Experience of the phenomenal capacity of our birthing body can give us an enduring sense of our own power as women. Birth is the beginning of life; the beginning of mothering, and of fathering. We all deserve a good beginning.
~Sarah J. Buckley

I was drawn to midwifery from a very different professional path, through my own experience of the transformative power of giving birth.  Having experienced its magical power first-hand as a birthing mother, I knew that birth was a place I wanted to return to as a midwife, with a wish to provide the same quiet, confident care my own midwives provided to me.  I treasure the relationships I develop with growing families prenatally, and consider it a great privilege to witness the “birth” of a new family — whether they are welcoming baby #1 or #12!  Gaining the trust and confidence of families is a deeply rewarding part of my work.  My reverence for supporting the autonomy of birthing women is great, and I take my role as a facilitator of women’s informed decision-making very seriously.

I am a graduate of the UBC Midwifery education program.  My training took place chiefly in the tri-cities and at RCH, with a rural year spent in Vernon BC.  Being a part of Inlet Community Birth Program is a sort of coming full circle for me, since some of the the midwives here served as my very first mentors when I began midwifery school!  I was born and raised in Port Moody and my family and I call the area home today.

I look forward to meeting the families at Inlet Birth and being a part of your journey into this amazing chapter of your lives!

Ask me for strength and I will  lend not only my hand, but also my heart.
~ Unknown

Pregnancy, birth and new motherhood are life-changing events in the life of any woman. My philosophy is to guard the normalcy and sanctity of this amazing time in women’s lives. I strive to empower women and their families by providing the information and support they need to make the best decisions for their care and maintain a state of health for them and their babies.  

Before becoming a midwife, I trained as a Doula through Douglas College and supported women as a volunteer through the Vancouver Health Department for a number of years. I was also an active member in the Midwifery Task Force, a grassroots organization of consumers of midwifery care. Our mission was to raise public awareness and lobby the government to regulate and fund midwifery care as part of the healthcare system. I served as editor for both the Midwifery Task Force Journal and The Aspiring Midwife.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Midwifery from the University of British Columbia in 2007. Through my education and experience, I have gained an appreciation for both the art and science of midwifery. I founded Beautiful Babies Midwifery in order to serve the families of the Tri-cities area. The days when new babies arrive are the most wonderful days in the world. I feel extremely honoured to be part of such a special time in the lives of women and their families.

I am the mother of three children, all born with the help of midwives!