Meet the midwives…
what is a midwife?
Registered Midwives are health care professionals who provide primary care to women and their babies during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum period. The practice of midwifery is rooted in the belief and understanding that pregnancy, birth and parenthood are profound experiences not only for women and their babies, but for their family and community as a whole.
Midwives respect, honour and protect the normalcy of pregnancy, birth and early postpartum - and most importantly they centre the woman and her family in their own care. The principles of informed choice, bodily autonomy and holistic care are pillars of midwifery care, and help to uphold the importance of understanding the cultural, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of a woman’s reproductive experience.
Kathleen Miller-Jobson, MSN, CNM, RN, RM
It was while working in a war zone in El Salvador in 1985 that I knew I was meant to be a midwife. I returned home to the U.S. ans started the path to nurse midwifery.
I earned my Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 1992, and my Masters of Science in Nursing/Certified Nurse Midwifery in 1995. My midwifery and maternity nursing experience includes home births and establishing a birth center. I have also worked in a variety of hospitals including small rural, mid-size urban and tertiary care inner city in the U.S.
in 2002, my husband and I moved with our four children to Alberta so we could be closer to my Alberta-born husband's family. I spent the next several years working at the High River Hospital as a maternity nurse and was registered as a midwife in Alberta in 2009.
I am so pleased to be practicing in the beautiful foothills, which has truly become home to my family. Perhaps when I retire, I will return to Central America to provide safe maternity care for peasant women.
Krysta Sears, MSM, RN, RM
My journey to midwifery began in the halls of the Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, BC where I was introduced to the magic of birth and early postpartum. I was born and raised on a Christmas tree farm just outside of Nelson, BC, and completed my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree through the University of Victoria in 2008. After graduation, I was hired on to the maternity unit in Nelson, and quickly fell in love with maternity nursing. It was in Nelson that I had the privilege to work along side and observe some wonderful midwives as they gave gentle, respectful and family centred care. I was immediately attracted to their model of care and intrigued by the thought of becoming a midwife!
Over the next four years, I worked as a maternity nurse in low risk rural hospitals, larger high risk centres, and overseas with Doctors Without Borders.
I returned to school in 2012 and graduated with a Masters of Science in Midwifery degree through Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Since then I have been practicing in the Calgary are, helping families grow. In 2019, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy with the amazing help of midwives and joined the ranks of motherhood!
In my off call life, I love to hike, read and explore this beautiful world through travel with my family. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to connect with the community of Southern Alberta - a place that is dear to my family’s hearts as it is where my husband was raised on a ranch outside of Nanton and where we hope to raise our own family. I look forward to meeting you and your growing families!