New Beginnings Midwifery

04/26/2022

UPDATE: I have found two volunteers. Thanks to everyone for sharing the post.

Third Trimester Pregnant Volunteers Needed (26 weeks and beyond):

I will be teaching abdominal palpation at UNBC the morning of May 4, 2022. I need two pregnant people who are willing to allow nurse practitioner students the opportunity to feel your belly. If you are free Wednesday morning and are willing to help me teach the next group of maternity care providers then please PM me.

Thanks
Judy DeFreitas

04/19/2021

ANNOUCEMENT:

I have made the decision to close New Beginnings Midwifery at the end 2021. It is time for me to take a sabbatical from midwifery so that I can focus all my energy on healing and caring for myself.

This decision has not been easy for me to make. I have spent more than 20 years working towards becoming a midwife, training to become a midwife, working as a midwife, and then establishing and growing my own midwifery practice. I have dedicated so much of my time to providing care to my clients that I have failed to do the same thing for myself. Working over the last year in such different and challenging circumstances has clearly shown me it is time to step away. My dedication to my work and others has come at the expense of my own wellbeing.

To all of our current clients, please be reassured that your care will not be affected. For all the women trying to obtain care, we will no longer be accepting any new clients or taking a wait list. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the women I have had the opportunity to care for over the last 14 years while working in PG. It has been my honour to be a part of your care and I will be forever grateful for all I have learned from you and your families.

Judy DeFreitas

01/11/2021

UPDATE: All intake forms have now been reviewed. If you were offered care you will have received an email from me today. All the other intakes will be wait listed and you will receive an email from my office manager in the next week to say so.

We are so lucky to have people reaching out to us for care. We fully booked up to August 2021.

01/11/2021

To everyone that has sent an intake form in the last 3 weeks. Due to holidays, births, and exhaustion I have fallen behind on reviewing them. I will be reviewing them all tomorrow and you will hopefully have a response within a week. My apologies, Judy.

12/01/2020

Happy December Everyone. To all our current clients, please read the mail sent to you yesterday with our new contact details. Unfortunately pager service is no longer available in PG. We have now changed to an on call number that is used for emergencies/births.

11/20/2020

This week, the The Vancouver Sun and several other newspapers across the Postmedia network featured the struggles of B.C. midwives in light of COVID-19 and an ongoing lack of support from the B.C. government. In collaboration with Dr. Kathrin Stoll and Dr, Luba Butska, RM, MABC's recent survey was highlighted in the article. Read the full article here: https://vancouversun.com/health/local-health/covid-19-midwives-say-lack-of-support-pushing-them-to-the-brink-as-demand-for-their-services-soar

[Image description: Midwives Josée Gervais and Joanna Norman from Mighty Oak Midwifery Care in PPE, next to mom Karen Enns, who opted to give birth at home because of the pandemic].

11/04/2020

I lent my double electric pump to one of my clients this summer and now can't remember who has it. If you had a baby in July/August/September and have my borrowed pump can you please text or private message me.

10/25/2020

Check out this free online baby play class

Join us for this lively online class that features a variety of interesting topics for your growing baby. The exercises support babies hitting those developmental milestones through singing, dancing, learning new songs and learning new ways to play with your baby while supporting tummy time solution

10/15/2020

To all my friends and clients, please share this post. Midwives have been continuously ignored even though we have continued to serve our clients and the communities we work in with next to no government support during the pandemic. We have not seen any additional “Pandemic Pay” like some of our colleagues and have had spend our own money to buy PPE to keep everyone safe.
Please get active. Call your local MLA and have a conversation with them about how midwifery care has impacted your life and family. Midwives can not do this alone anymore. We need clients, families, and our colleagues to speak up for us and help us fight for equal pay and recognition as health care providers!!!!!

The BC NDP have omitted midwifery care from their platform. Despite naming healthcare as a priority, the NDP are not providing any support to address the professional inequities and burnout midwives face. They want us and B.C. families to accept a broken status quo. See our full statement on the BC NDP platform: https://www.bcmidwives.com/cgi/page.cgi/_zine.html/News_Announcements/Midwives_BCNDP

10/02/2020

B.C. midwives are the second-lowest paid in Canada and burning out fast. This election, we're asking political parties to support equity in maternity care and ensure that midwifery is there for B.C. families. See our full statement here: https://www.bcmidwives.com/cgi/page.cgi/_zine.html/News_Announcements/support_bc_midwives

09/24/2020

Midwifery in B.C. is facing a crisis due to inaction and lack of support from previous governments. This election, we’re calling on political parties to make sure midwifery services will continue to be available to those who need them. See our full statement here:
https://www.bcmidwives.com/cgi/page.cgi/_zine.html/News_Announcements/support_bc_midwives