Midwives and Admin staff 2011

Birth story

Dear wonderful KM staff (especially Safire, Cindy & Kay),

I'm sorry it's taken me 3 months to do this (but you can understand how full life with a new baby can be!) I wanted to share the story of Zachary's birth, because of how transformative an experience it was.

The week between Christmas and New Years, I became very focused on all things birth-related. I dove back into the birth stories in 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth', reviewed the labour info in 'The Birth Partner', and glanced ahead at newborn stuff in "The Baby Book'. I watched my belly get noticeably lower, and became excitedly aware of occasional Braxton Hicks contractions. One night I found myself wide awake later then usual, and I thought, "what if this is the 'burst of energy' they talk about?" I laughed at my paranoia - I wasn't "due" until January 25th, and everyone tells you that first babies are usually late.

On New Year's Eve, we were gathered at my parent's house (3 hours outside of Toronto) for a family party. During dinner, I was experiencing some annoying back pain and I suddenly felt exhausted. I lay down on the couch for a few minutes. When I sat up I felt a squidge between my legs, and thought, "well I didn't just pee myself..." Instinctively I jumped up and got off the carpet, and suddenly I was leaking this incredible amount of fluid in front of my stunned family. I said, "so I guess I'm having my baby today" and the room erupted into cheers. They started to talk about nearby hospitals and asked me what I was going to do, and I said first I'd call my midwife and then I'd probably just head back to Toronto. Contractions hadn't started yet, so I wasn't worried about having my baby on the 401. I suddenly had to go to the bathroom with some urgency, so I had my husband page Safire and he brought me the phone. On the other side of the door I could here the commotion of my nervous and excited family, and I was grateful for the moment of peace. Safire explained that a 36 1/2 week baby isn't really any less developed then a 37 week baby, and that if I still wanted to, we could have the baby at home as planned. Shortly after, everyone touched the belly and gave us their blessings and Paz, my mum and I drove off into the night.

Sitting on a towel in the back seat, feeling like I was sitting in a kiddy-pool (because once your waters break, it just keeps coming!!) I tried awkwardly to sit with my pelvis tilted forward, so that the baby would be encouraged to descend in the best position. Shortly into the ride I started to feel gentle contractions, but I kept it to myself so as not to freak out my mother. I could still talk through them, so I wasn't worried. At some point we realized it had just gone past midnight, and laughing we wished each other a happy new year. I was achy and grateful to arrive home, around 1:30am. I tried to get some sleep, but was awoken regularly with contractions and back labour. I just couldn't get comfortable.

When morning finally came, I pottered around the house, occupying myself with silly "nesting" sort of things, stopping every 4 or 7 minutes for a contraction. They were getting gradually more intense, but hadn't yet fallen into a regular pattern. When Safire called to check on me, she was happy to hear that things were progressing well, and she expected me to be in full active labour by that evening. She explained that because I wasn't quite at 37 weeks, it was procedure for her to notify the on-call pediatrician at St. Joseph's, and that he might want me to come in to be checked (which could possibly start the spiral of interventions that I was hoping to avoid.) She respected my choice to decline this, which I really appreciated. She was concerned that I hadn't really slept and said I'd need my strength and I should try to have a nap. I was so not interested in napping, but figured I'd better try. In bed, things continued to get more intense. Around 1pm, I gave up on sleeping. While in the bathroom, I felt something shift. My contractions on the toilet were more intense, and closer together. My mum could hear me "om-ing" through them, on the other side of the bathroom door, and was timing them. It seemed I had skipped 4 minutes apart entirely, and gone straight from 5 minutes to 3 minutes apart. She called Safire, who agreed to come right over.

What I found the most challenging was shifting my mindset about the pain. We are used to associating unpleasant sensation with something being wrong. In labour it is just the opposite. The contractions are making it progress, they are doing the hard work of softening and opening and guiding your baby into the world. I tried to surrender to them, to focus on opening. I found it helped to make low, open sounds, to brace off my partner, to hang off his shoulders and bury my face in his chest, to have my mum press on my lower back. I needed to feel grounded, and I found that labouring in bed was really uncomfortable. I remembered my Thai massage mats and had Paz set them up in the living room, with sheets on top, and some pillows nearby. It felt right to be near the ground, and I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees. My focus was inwards, my body was doing the work. And it is hard work!! I thought, "I understand why women want the drugs!"

I was grateful when Safire arrived, and told me how good I was doing. It refueled my faith in the process, and I felt safer with her there. She checked me, and I was already 8 cm dilated!! So no wonder it was intense!!! It was a relief to know I was getting close. She wasted no time setting up her gear and called Kay, my back-up. Suddenly, after a strong contraction, I felt like I was going to be sick and ran to the bathroom. My mum yelled in concern, "she's throwing up!" and Safire responded, "great!!" I was in transition.

The urge to push came naturally. Suddenly my breathing during the contractions changed and I felt myself holding my breath and bearing down involuntarily. I was surprised at where I was feeling the pressure, and laughed in between contractions that it felt like I was going to poop out my baby! Safire suggested I try standing. That didn't feel quite right, and I was compelled to try the birth stool she had brought. We positioned it in front of Paz, who sat in a chair, and I lowered myself onto it, bracing my arms on his thighs. The midwives corrected my leg position and then all of the sudden the baby was crowning. This part was intense, but the end was within reach, there was no turning back, and I knew my baby needed me to be strong. They guided my hands to feel the head, which helped me focus my efforts. Kay drew my attention to my breathing, and I thought about just "breathing the baby out." I pushed out the head (my mum was yelling, "I can see the head, I can see the head!") and one more push brought the rest of the body sliding out. They guided him directly into my arms and I held him against my stomach. He cried, clearing his lungs. I tried to pull him up to my chest by the cord was too short. They helped us lie down, covering him with a blanket. Once the cord stopped pulsing, they invited Paz to cut it. Zachary Narayan Mistry was born at 3:20pm, on 1/1/11, 20 magnificent inches long and weighing 7 lbs 2 oz. I was expecting to be weepy in that moment, like "oh my god I have a baby..." but I just felt serenely happy. Lying there holding my child, it was like he had always been with me. We just looked at each other, reveling in what we'd been through, he was born, and I was reborn a mother.

After I pushed out the placenta, Safire asked if we wanted to see it, and it was so interesting to look at this glorious organ that had been nourishing my baby all those months. I was amazed by the size of it, and the complex network of veins - they looked like branches of a tree. Safire called it the tree of life.

I lost a lot of blood then, and needed a couple of shots and some uncomfortable uterus massaging to get it to slow down, but Safire and Kay worked so calmly and professionally, I never felt like I was in any danger. They helped me to the bedroom, and I watched Kay do Zachary's physical exam while Safire gave me some stitches. (In the ultrasound picture I have, his hand is by his face - well, he tried to be born that way as well!) Then they got us settled into bed, helped us get a start at breast-feeding, answered all of our questions, and when we were ready, left us to rest and get to know each other as a new family.

(Our postpartum care was fantastic as well. Safire or Cindy came to check on us the next morning, as well as on the 3rd and 6th day. They always made time to answer our questions and chat about how things were going. When he was 2 weeks old, I packed a diaper bag for the first time and took him into the clinic.)

To Safire, Cindy and Kay, I will be forever grateful to you for helping us get off to the best possible start. You supported my belief that birth is a natural process that we are built to do. You had my back in realizing my vision for a home birth, even though Zac was technically a few days pre-term and we hadn't even had the home visit yet. I felt your trust in me that I was capable of bringing my son safely into the world, and that gave me the courage to do it. You celebrated my birth experience and made me feel proud. You encouraged me to listen to my own intuition as a mother, and made me feel capable of caring for my beautiful, brand new person. Before he was born, I worried that I didn't have much experience with babies, and that I wouldn't know what to do. I was overjoyed to discover how naturally it comes. As you establish that bond with your child, you realize that you know what is best for them, and that it's okay not to "have it all figured out" because you learn together, and you keep learning every day.

Having my baby at home, surrounded by a few trusted people who had my best interests at heart, was the greatest thing I have ever done. I trusted that Zachary knew how to be born, and that I just had to get out of the way of the process. The moment he was in my arms, the pain and challenge was suddenly entirely worth it. I actually thought, "I could do that again!" The incredible sense of accomplishment gave me confidence in those early days with him, and helped me stay calm and persistent through our early challenges with establishing breast-feeding. It was wonderful having our first few checkups take place without me having to get out of bed! Through this whole process, we were in such good hands. I strongly recommend midwifery care, and am looking forward to reconnecting with Kensington Midwives when it is time to give Zachary a little brother or sister!

Thank you for everything.

love,

Thea, Paz & Zachary

Annabel Cope R.M.

Hello, my name is Annabel Cope. I graduated with honours from Ryerson University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in Midwifery. I've worked in many midwifery practices and hospitals in Toronto, and received my senior year of training at Riverdale Community Midwives. In January 2011, I joined Kensington Midwives and I really look forward to meeting you!

I originally studied Biological Sciences, and graduated from Queen’s University in 1995 with a BSc (Biology) honours degree. When I became pregnant a few years later, I was driven to learn as much as I could about this ultimate biological experience - growing, birthing and parenting new life. This was an empowering journey, which inspired me to switch careers and provide on call labour support (as a doula), breastfeeding counseling, and to teach childbirth education classes. In 2002 I began my formal midwifery studies at Ryerson University.

I love the true essence of midwifery - informed choice and choice of birth place - this means I will share my knowledge with you, and will support your informed choices that reflect your beliefs along the way. Another integral element of my midwifery practice is my commitment to social justice and equity work. I recognize the many barriers that can exist for women accessing health care, and as a midwife I can play a key role in providing care to a diverse range of clients.

I was born in Cornwall, England and immigrated to Canada in 1985. I have lived in Ottawa, Kingston and Vancouver and have traveled across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and India. I have two amazing children - a daughter, Rehana, and son, Kieran - who were both born with midwives. My personal experiences as a mother fuel me to bring respect and good listening skills to my work. It is a privilege to be a midwife and I cherish this honour of working with you through the struggles, triumph and everything that bearing new life brings.

Birth story: Blaze

i loved reading the birth stories on the blog, i found they were very helpful before the birth of cordelia, but so few of them! so i wanted to contribute mine as well.

My water sprung a slow, trickling hind-leak Friday afternoon but there was nothing we could do to get labour started. Older sister Cordelia went to spend the day with her grandparents while Corinne led us through all the midwifery tricks - some herbs, a couple of stretch-and-sweeps, labour tincture, walking, baths and showers, more walking, more stretch-and-sweeps, and as it got closer and closer to the 24-hour mark tried some castor oil – that baby girl was not budging. Each of these produced mild, fragile-seeming contractions that just didn’t take (which was particularly annoying with the castor oil considering what else it produced). Corinne found that she could stretch my cervix to 4 cms but it would slide back down to 2-3 on its on without the constant contractions to help it along. We had a series of start-and-stop bouts of half-hearted contractions, but nothing really serious and we were very quickly running out of time. Basically everything was read to go, if only my uterus would take the hint!

These mild contractions did bring Blazes head down slightly lower and eventually allowed Corinne to stretch me to 5 cms, but it would slide back to 3-ish again on its own. So while things were indeed moving, I was still progressing much slower than she would have liked. Looks like my body just wanted to wait a few more days, but unfortunately we were on the clock and debating having to go into the hospital. With that scary induction looming, she checked again and found that she could feel the bag of waters falling lower and lower. this meant we had one optrion left to avoid the hospital. she decided to pull out one last trick and go all-in and break my water – that certainly got it started. Jim called his parents to let them know that Cordelia would be having a sleepover with them, we were finally in labour!

Corinne encouraged me to get up and keep pacing around but I only got as far as the bathroom, where I stayed on the toilet clinging to Jim had a ridiculously fast but very intense labour. I wanted to start pushing but our second midwife, Megan and our student Claire hadn’t shown up yet and Corinne hadn't had enough time to get all of her equipment set up yet so she told me to try to wait, but not pushing hurt so much more that mostly I ended up pushing anyway. I moved to a birth stool ansd we were all ready to go, Corinne had Jim all ready to call 911 because my my backups wouldn’t make it in time, but when she checked she found that my cervix was about 6 cms and told me we still had time. even though I was only 6 cms, Blazes head was coming down and pushing my cervix out of the way as it went, but I needed to be gentle and work on stretching out those last few cms and just try to wait. Heavily cursing my clearly ‘not-with-the-program’ cervix, I got in the shower and tried to pace myself. Jim, having learned from our last labour that he was going to get soaked, took his shirt off this time before standing outside the shower allowing me to hang off him and bury my head in his shoulder and make loud scary noises directly in his ear. Corinne probably with a sigh of relief, used the extra few minutes she needed to actually finish setting up her stuff and Megan and Claire showed up just in time. I told them I could feel a head coming down and I was going to start pushing again regardless of whether they liked it or not so they moved me back to the birth stool. My cervix still wasn’t completely out of the way but they decided to let me push anyway as that head was coming down fast and I couldn’t not push anymore. This time, I had a mirror (the one thing I wish I had when Cordelia was born) which provided a very awesome, though somewhat startling view (I recommend a mirror to anyone). Watching a miniature, yet fully complete human slide out of you is a very sobering experience. When her head crowned I got a quick glimpse of a head full of dark hair and yelped at the completely unexpected burning pain (i dont remember cordelia hurting so badly when she crowned) and Corinne said "pant through it, just pant through it", which helped immensely and allowed me to get my focus back again. Blaze was born in less than 5 pushes, the placenta came in one more. Thankfully I didn’t tear this time.

The whole process after breaking my water took only half an hour, though to me it felt longer. I feel like the pain was much more intense than what I went through with Cordelia, but I think it’s because it happened so fast, with contractions practically on top of one another from the start that I didn’t have time to adjust or accommodate myself to the quickly-rising pain levels. I alternated between humming to myself (I was humming cordelias bed-time song between contractions and then just holding out one long, loud note in a contraction) focusing on taking long, deep breaths and counting each slow exhale out loud through a contraction and tossed in some high-pitched, puppy-whine squealing from time to time for good measure too. I told Jim at one point “I don’t like it! I don’t want to do it anymore!” and he said “good! That means we’re almost there”.

Blaze was pink and healthy, a little on the sleepy side and seemed confused about the whole outside world, and still thinking she should be on the inside she squawked once or twice about having to come out and then promptly went back to sleep.

Blaze Saffron Austin McGarva

7 pounds

51 cms long

Born at 9:34 pm on august 13, after 34 minutes of active labour and the previous 26 hours of waiting around getting frustrated.

Homebirth

It has taken me a while to get to this but I wanted to take the chance to share my home birth experience with future Kensington midwife clients. My husband and I did not plan on a home birth; it was a last minute change and one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to us. I had been in labor for about 5 hours and it was time for us to move to the hospital when we found out that the hospital was full. Lindsay our midwife had to give us our options and we had three: 1) we could go to St. Jo’s but who knows where the baby would be delivered and it definitely wouldn’t be comfortable 2) we could have the baby at home or 3) we could go to another hospital but Lindsay would have no privileges and she wouldn’t be able to be the primary care giver. The answer was obvious to us, we would stay home. And the reason that this answer was so clear to us was because we had the utmost trust in Lindsay and having her by our side was what most important, not being in a hospital. When Lindsay gave us the options you might think that we would have been concerned about not being safe if we had a home birth. This did not even pass through our mind. We had complete trust in Lindsay, we knew she would be able to safely bring our baby into the world and if anything came up she would be able to manage it. And we couldn’t have been more right.

For the early parts of labor Lindsay was a calming force in the room. As labor progressed and things got more intense she helped push me through by telling me how great a job I was doing, telling me how strong I was and how lucky my child would be to have such a strong mother. With each push the support, encouragement and advice that I got from Lindsay helped me to keep going. It felt so wonderful to have someone at your side to support you who you trusted completely. This complete trust in Lindsay ended up giving us one of the greatest gifts in our life – the birth of Charlotte safely and peacefully at home.

As a result of this experience we will now have all our children at home – we wouldn’t have it any other way. It is a grounding experience to bring such a bundle of joy into the world without any interventions and in the comfort of your own home where you can move around as much as you want, go in and out of the bath or shower, eat whatever you want, and have all of your loved ones around you. It was one of the best days of my life and this was all possible because of the great skill and support that Lindsay and Kensington midwives brought to our family. We will forever thank Lindsay and Kensington midwives for helping us to have this amazing experience and we will always hold the memories close to our hearts.

Baby Claire!

It's taken me a while, but finally I've found a few minutes to sit down and write all of you a proper thank-you. I have had an amazing experience with you, and of course the most amazing part was the birth of my little daughter on April 2. Thanks to Kay, Elodie (the student) and Safire, who were there during the birth, but thanks as well to everyone I dealt with at your practice.
 
When people ask me why I decided to have a midwife rather than a doctor for the birth of my daughter, Claire, so many motives pop into my mind. There are a few reasons, though, that stand out: 
-          Whenever I called with an emergency (real or imagined) it was dealt with immediately. Perhaps even more importantly, Kay, Lindsay, and Elodie always made me feel as though I had done precisely the right thing by calling.
-          My appointments were never rushed. There was always enough time to address any questions and concerns that I had. (I compare this to visits with my obstetrician before I switched to Kensington Midwives: I felt like I was part of a pregnant lady assembly line, with visits taking about 10 minutes before I was ushered out to make room for the next pregnant lady)
-          Kay, Lindsay, and Elodie helped me make informed decisions about my pregnancy. They presented me with choices, together with possible benefits and drawbacks of each option. They would give me their own opinion if I asked, but they always encouraged me to make the decision that was right for me.
-          Everyone I dealt with (including my own midwives, other midwives and Fatima, the administrator) was friendly, professional, and flexible. If I ever needed to come in for an unscheduled visit, accommodations were immediately made for me.
-          During my labour and childbirth their confidence and professionalism helped me stay calm. Even when things could have been a bit scary (I bled quite a bit after Claire was born) their composure prevented me from panicking.
-          On the first day after Claire was born, I was having trouble breastfeeding. I called, and Kay and Elodie came immediately to help. Feeding my new baby was so important, and they helped me get sorted out right away. Now Claire is an ultra-efficient little eater...more like a shark than a baby sometimes. My husband and I have both remarked several times that it was after Claire was born that our midwives really shone.
 
The most important reason why we were glad that we went with Kensington Midwives was that they helped us bring our beautiful, miraculous little baby into the world. Thank-you Kay, Lindsay, Safire, Elodie, and everyone else at Kensington Midwives!!!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

We meant to wish you all a happy Mother's Day! However, we were busy at 2 beautiful births!

A Kensington Midwives Testimonial

I feel that everyone who comes into my life can teach me something. Kensington Midwives have been an exception, they have taught me a LOT. 

What I learned from Babette:
From Babette I learned that a quiet, calming voice is sometimes all that is needed to alleviate worries and sometimes even pain. She taught me to relax through most issues, pertaining to my health and my children’s health and well being. When I had to take my 8 day old baby to the hospital, she was my voice when I couldn’t speak… literally. 

What I learned from Kay:
From Kay I learned to look at everyone through the eyes of a midwife. She said to me once when I questioned her on why she became a midwife that even the jerk who cut her off on the highway started out life the same way as the babies she delivers and that made them beautiful. There’s something very profound about that thought and I began to see the sanctity of her work. 

What I learned from Lindsay:
Not sure where to begin with Lindsay. I’m rarely at a loss of words, but when I think about what she has done for me, words can’t really describe. She has been with me during the most vulnerable hours of my life. So we carry a special bond. She taught me that I am strong. She taught me that it’s ok to be weak.  

During my first birth, she taught me how to remain calm during some scary moments. I was always confidant in her skills but when she knelt down so she could look me in the eye (during a painful contraction) to tell me she thought I needed an epidural I was reassured that I was in extremely good hands. That moment will forever be in my memories when I think about her. 

During my second birth, she taught me to let go of expectations. I wanted her to deliver my second baby but she said the right midwife, the one I needed, will be there when it happens. And sure enough, 10 hours before she was going off-call I went into labour. After the birth I think her words were “you work well with deadlines don’t you?”. 

She coached me (and my husband) through the most difficult and intense moments of my life. Childbirth has been life altering for me, and she has been a big part of that transformation. The first few critical weeks of caring for a newborn, I felt so confident in her advice and support that it made me a better Mother. 

I have loved being pregnant and giving birth. I feel a little sad that I likely won’t experience it again. I can’t imagine having done without Kensington Midwives.

Thanks for the kind words Natasha!

Meet Midwife Angela Jones R.M.

I am really happy to be joining the Kensington Midwives in May of 2010! My interest in Midwifery started the last time I lived in Toronto, about 7 years ago. It was while working with refugee youth that I witnessed their struggles to receive access to and quality health care that sparked a desire in me to become a primary health care provider. Midwifery married this
wish with my feminist values, a perfect fit to be part of providing women and their families the opportunity to be actively involved in their care. I enjoy midwifery because I am always learning, being challenged, and meeting interesting people.

In 2000 I graduated from the University of Victoria, BC with a degree in Women's Studies and Socio-Cultural Anthropology. I have been fortunate to have lived and worked in various communities in Canada and abroad, including the Yukon, Nova Scotia, the Arctic, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and Taiwan. I graduated from Laurentian University's Midwifery Education Program in 2007. My first year of practice was in done in the large rural catchment area of Owen Sound and Grey Bruce. After that I practiced in the Waterloo area and am now very happy to be returning to Toronto to put down roots and get involved in the community.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Meet Midwife Cindy Wye R.M.

Hello! My name is Cindy Wye and I am thrilled to be working as a Registered Midwife at Kensington Midwives.

I graduated from the Ryerson University Midwifery Education Program with Honours in 2008 at which time I received the Murray and Eleanor Enkin Midwifery Graduation Excellence Award.

I completed clinical placements in Toronto and London, and was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to catch babies in Tanzania, Africa as part of my training.

I completed a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University in 2000 and for the last 10 years have been working as an Occupational Therapist in both the hospital and private sectors. I find that Occupational Therapy and Midwifery have many shared philosophical values, particularly client-centred care and a holistic approach to practice.

I was drawn to Midwifery because I believe strongly in informed choice and because I see pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood as unique and transformative experiences, ones wherein women should feel respected and supported. I feel that Midwives are in a wonderful position to foster fulfillment and confidence for women throughout their birthing experiences, however or wherever they give birth. I am grateful for the privilege of practising Midwifery and I look forward to working with you.

I am registered with the College of Midwives and I am a member of the Association of Ontario Midwives. I hold current certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation, CPR and Emergency Skills.

H1N1 information

Naturopathic Doctor and author of Childhood Vaccinations, Katia Bailetti, has just published this current, comprehensive summary of H1N1, with a very useful list of tips to stay healthy, and great links attached.

Please be aware that this article does not replace the advice of your midwife or doctor, but may be useful in helping you make an informed choice

See H1N1 Vaccine- Weighing the risks

Meet Midwife Safire Naranjo R.M.

I was inspired to become a midwife during my travels in Hawaii when I came across the book “Spiritual Midwifery” by Ina May Gaskin. Midwifery seemed like the perfect combination of all of my passions: women’s health, social justice and wellness.

My journey to becoming a midwife then began with an apprenticeship with a midwife in Ghana, West Africa in a remote village called Janga. I then went on to become a doula and started volunteering with teenagers in Toronto, and later supported many more expecting families as a doula through labour and birth. I also began teaching prenatal yoga, and yoga for childbirth classes to couples.

I completed my midwifery education at Ryerson University in 2009, after many wonderful placements in Toronto midwifery clinics and hospitals. I am thrilled to have joined Kensington Midwives for my New Registrant year! I was born and raised in Toronto (born at St. Joseph's Health Centre) and I speak English, Spanish and French. It feels really amazing to be working as a midwife in the community where I grew up.

I love to travel! I have travelled all over North, Central and some of South America, as well as West Africa and Europe. I love learning about birthing and midwifery practices from around the word, as I believe that midwifery is a timeless global profession. I have attended several international midwifery conferences and I spent a month learning and working with Mexican midwives in San Miguel de Allende.

I am registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario, and I am a member of the Association of Ontario Midwives. I am passionate about the philosophy of midwifery care and I am really excited to be a part of experiences and memories that last forever..

Meet Midwife Corinne Hare R.M.

Hello, my name is Corinne Hare. I graduated with honors from Ryerson University’s Midwifery Education Program in 2008 and joined Kensington Midwives as a registered midwife that same year.

I believe midwifery care plays an important role in the support of women and their families. By empowering women through informed choice, I hope we can enrich the experience of pregnancy and assist in supporting families in their early days of parenting.

My personal journey began in Sheffield, England. From there I emmigrated to Vancouver, B.C. and completed a BFA in Theatre at the University of BC. After an exciting ten years of working as a professional stage actor, I moved to Toronto, where I met my partner and became a mother myself. As a new resident of Toronto I found that having a small infant can be very isolating. I become involved with a neighbourhood mothers’ group and it was through my experiences there that my interest and passion for becoming a midwife developed.

As a registered midwife, I to continue to learn and grow through my interactions with the women who come through our practice. Each woman’s experience of pregnancy and childbirth is unique and it is my hope that I can play some small part in making that experience a positive one. In the past two years I have been active with the Association of Ontario Midwives in helping to develop midwifery clinical practice guidlines that reflect best evidence and respect women's informed choice.

Childbirth Education and Yoga classes in the east end of Toronto

Yoga Goddess offers a prenatal class to combine yoga and childbirth education – This class prepares women physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually for birth.

Each class of the Yoga Goddess Prenatal Childbirth Education + Yoga series includes:

• Prenatal yoga for physical preparation (40 minutes)
• Meditations and visualization for spiritual preparation (30 minutes)
• Practical childbirth education, labour preparation and class discussion (30 minutes)

Zahra Haji, Director and Principal teacher of Yoga Goddess is a certified Yoga Teacher with over 800 hours training, including pre and post natal yoga and women cycles. The Yoga Goddess Prenatal Yoga and Childbirth Education series is inspired by Zahra’s course work with Sylvia Segal, the former director of Humber College’s Childbirth Educators Program (and Zahra’s mentor), as well as Gurmukh, the world renown Prenatal Yoga Teacher in Los Angeles, CA and author of Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful (the recommended reading for the Yoga Goddess prenatal class).

Upcoming Sessions

November 17 - December 8, 2009

January 12 – February 2, 2010

February 23 – March 16, 2010

March 23 – April 13, 2010

Day & Time: Tuesdays from 6:15pm - 7:55pm

Fee: $115 for 4 weeks or $300 for 12 weeks

To Register

Sign up on line at: www.yogagoddess.ca

Or call Zahra at 416-901-4032

Classes take place at The Yoga House on the ravine (Coxwell & Danforth)

zahra haji
director, yoga goddess
home studio: 416.901.4032

mobile: 416.707.6294

iam@yogagoddess.ca
www.yogagoddess.ca