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.

You are a midwife, assisting at someone else’s birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be 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!”
~Tao Te Ching

I am thrilled to be one of the founders of Inlet Community Birth Program. My midwifery career is my second one—I was originally educated at Ryerson University in the field of journalism, and spent two decades working in publishing as a writer and editor.

In 2003, I changed course and began my midwifery education with the Midwives College of Utah. My clinical training sites included a birth centre in El Paso, Texas; a midwifery practice in New Westminster, BC; a remote health centre in Fort Smith, NT; and a hospital-based midwifery practice in Thunder Bay, ON. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery in 2010, and completed the International Midwifery Pre-registration Program (a Canadian bridging program that orients internationally trained midwives to Canadian practise) in 2012. It’s been a long haul, but rather like a long labour, the results have been worth the effort. I love my work.

I was born and raised in British Columbia, and have lived in the Tri-Cities area for most of my life. I am also a mother to five children, and I am blessed with a partner who supports my career in innumerable ways. When I am not at work, I am parenting, practising yoga, cycling, reading, knitting, and travelling.

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 have been a Registered Nurse for 11 years in the specialty area of Perinatal nursing at Royal Columbian Hospital. I am very passionate about my work and feel honoured to be a part of the unique birth story of each family I care for. I learned, 24 years ago, when my own daughter was born, that few “stories” are more significant and more recounted in life, than the one depicting the way each child became part of the family.

I am excited to be working with the Inlet Community Birth Program as part of the collaborative, interdisciplinary team. I feel that families need our support before, during and after the experience of giving birth. Educating soon to be parents and listening to what their hopes are for their birth experience is vital, and the idea of being able to follow up with our families in the postpartum period is reassuring for them, given the fact that hospital stays are shorter these days.

I was born in Vancouver, raised in Burnaby, and currently live in New Westminster with my husband.

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.

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!