Your Midwives
Elizabeth Bodner, RM, RN
Cedar Team
I am grateful to live and work in this special place, on the traditional and treaty lands of the Tla'amin people. It is truly a joy and honor to work in this place, with this community of people!
I have worked as a midwife since 2013. In addition to this, I have worked as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Women's Health and as a Registered Nurse. I value partnering with clients to help them feel informed, engaged, and empowered during their pregnancy and birth. I have a special interest in helping people learn about their reproductive bodies and choices. I am trained as a Prenatal Yoga Teacher and speak Spanish.
When not working, you’ll find me gardening and spending time with my family. We love to hike, bike and beach-hang together.
Eline Vonk, RM
On leave Jan- June 2023
I am thrilled to have found and joined qathet Midwifery Care after moving to the qathet region and I am grateful to live and work on the traditional lands of the Tla'amin people.
I am originally a Dutch midwife and graduated in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Midwifery in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Looking back, I am in awe that I could work and learn from such an established and ancient birthing culture. Coming to Canada in 2018, I studied Public Health and behavioural change with the University of Maastricht until I enrolled in the UBC Internationally Educated Midwifery Bridging Program. My last two years before moving up to The Sunshine Coast have been with a busy and vibrant practice in Vancouver. I have a natural interest in diversity and culture and I am privileged that this brought me to work as well in Uganda, the Caribbean and India.
I feel incredibly committed to be working with families and I value providing care that feels informed, connected and empowering.
When I am not working, you can find me on my sailboat, doing pottery and going for long walks in nature.
Mandy Verghese, RM
Huckleberry Team
It is one of my greatest pleasures to journey with women and their families as they grow, birth, and raise their babies.
I'm originally from Richmond, BC, and have lived and breathed birthwork since my teenage years when I attended my first birth as a doula fresh out of high school. I completed my midwifery training in Scotland, followed by the UBC bridging program for internationally-educated midwives. In addition to midwifery, I am also a prenatal bodyworker, specializing in balancing the soft tissues of the abdomen and pelvis in relation to fetal position. I especially love working with those who have a breech baby and other challenges of pregnancy.
Along with my 10 years of experience in birth work and midwifery, I have journeyed the intensity of birth and transformation of motherhood twice. Both of my births nurtured faith, intuition and self-responsibility; values that I encourage in my clients as well.
When I'm not working, I enjoy making herbal medicine and being outdoors with my family.
Carlie Sanford, RM, IBCLC
Cedar Team
It is my pleasure to be joining the team at qathet Midwifery as of January 2024. I look forward to serving the families of this beautiful community, and to be living and working on the traditional lands of the Tla'amin people.
I grew up on the Sunshine Coast myself, and am overjoyed to return home and to a more quiet/rural area to raise my own family.
I am both a Midwife and Lactation Consultant, and have been working in the lower mainland for the past five years gaining experience and serving a large variety of families from diverse backgrounds. Prior to that, I spent time in various small communities such as Salt Spring Island, Seabird Island, and Sechelt.
Working with families during the transformation of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum is my great privilege and passion, and I look forward to joining you on your journey!
Angela Martens, RM
Locum, Huckleberry Team
My roots are in the beautiful Okanagan, Kelowna B.C. I spent 10-years in New Zealand, where I trained and practiced as a Registered Midwife. After many years away, I returned home to Canada where I completed the Internationally Educated Midwifery Bridging Program through UBC. This eventually led me back to my hometown in Kelowna where I worked with a wonderful midwifery clinic. Eager to explore and serve communities around B.C, I found my way to Powell River, where I am excited to join qathet Midwifery Care as a locum.
I was inspired to become a midwife after training as a doula and also spending some time at a birth clinic in the Philippines. Since then, I’ve remained captivated by the marvel of childbirth and deeply moved by the remarkable women and families I’ve had the privilege of assisting along the way.
Outside the realm of midwifery, you can find me outdoors camping, hiking and traveling. I look forward to joining the wonderful team at qathet Midwifery Care in January 2024.