Connecting families with midwives in Victoria, British Columbia
Click "Find a Midwife" to register for pregnancy care
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The above button takes you to the centralized pregnancy care referral form. It lists both midwives and family physicians in Victoria who have openings for your due date and allows you to register with a clinic directly. Please note that some people may not be eligible for midwifery care due to medical complexity. Some clinics do not release all of their openings on the central referral form; you can fill out an intake form for a specific clinic if you prefer.
Midwifery Care
Patient-centred | Evidence-based | Covered by MSP
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Midwives are trained health care professionals who take care of pregnant people and newborn babies
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Midwives are primary care providers who are responsible for clinical decisions and management of care
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Midwives can arrange all relevant laboratory tests and ultrasounds as well as many other tests and procedures
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Midwives work closely with doctors, nurses, and other health care providers
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Midwifery care is provided in clinics, in the hospital, in the home, and in the community
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Midwifery care includes regular prenatal visits, delivering babies, and postpartum care
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Midwifery care includes parent and baby, and early postpartum visits are offered at home, no matter where baby was delivered​​​​
Informed Consent
An important principle of midwifery care is informed consent. Recommendations are based on evidence, community standards, and professional expertise. Your visits with your midwife are often 30-45 minutes, allowing time for conversations and questions. Midwifery care is trauma-informed and non-judgmental.
Choice of Birth Place
Midwives deliver babies at the hospital as well as in people’s homes. Midwives support choice of birth place and encourage eligible, low-risk clients to consider planning a home birth. Evidence shows that planning a home birth lowers your chance of unnecessary interventions even if you deliver in the hospital. Midwives support people to choose the place of birth that feels right for them.
Collaborative Care
People who have more complex medical needs may need to be cared for by a doctor instead of a midwife. Midwives regularly consult with specialists (e.g., obstetricians, pediatricians) when needed. Midwives can transfer care to a doctor if necessary. Midwives can also continue managing some high-risk pregnancies with the help of an obstetrician.
Midwifery care is associated with:
Higher rates of vaginal birth in healthy pregnancies
Lower rates of preterm birth in healthy pregnancies
Higher rates of breastfeeding
Higher levels of satisfaction with the birth and positive postpartum experiences.
Sources: Cochrane Review (Midwife-led Continuity Models), The Lancet Series on Midwifery, World Health Organization
Midwifery Services
Midwives provide care in different ways and in different settings
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Most midwives provide prenatal care and postpartum care, as well as deliver babies. You will likely have the same team of midwives for all of your care, from early pregnancy until 6 weeks postpartum. Many of these midwives work on teams while some work 'solo', partnering with colleagues to take breaks.
Some midwives provide other types of care, whether in addition to delivering babies or provided separately. You will be able to access lactation and pelvic floor services no matter who your provider is for your pregnancy care.
Postpartum Only
Some midwives provide postpartum care only. People who delivered their baby with the help of a doctor may be able to get postpartum care with a midwife. This may be particularly helpful for people who do not live in Victoria but have come to Victoria to deliver their baby.
Lactation Consultants
Some midwives are also trained and certified as Lactation Consultants (LC). They have a certification called IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Your provider can refer you to a midwife LC. This service may be provided in your home or at a clinic. It is covered by MSP during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks postpartum.
Pelvic Floor Health
Some midwives have extra training in pelvic floor health and can provide assessments and care during pregnancy or postpartum. Your provider can refer you to Team Dragonfly at The Midwives Collective for this care. This service is provided in your own home and is covered by MSP during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks postpartum.
There are 10 midwifery clinics in Greater Victoria serving growing families all over southern Vancouver Island. Use the 'Find a Midwife' button at the top of the page to see all available midwives and register for care. Consider distance and travel time when choosing a clinic. See the section below for a description of the midwifery clinics as well as contact information and clinic-specific intake forms.
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​The midwifery clinics in Greater Victoria are located on the Ancestral and traditional territories of the XÊ·sepsÉ™m and Songhees Nations, the T'Sou-ke Nation, and the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations of Tsartlip and Tseycum.
Midwifery Clinics
Midwifery clinics may not post all of their available spots on the centralized intake system. If you are a returning client of a clinic/midwife or may benefit from specific services, please reach out to the individual clinics.
Some clinics offer specialized services such as postpartum only care, services in languages other than English, and Indigenous-led midwifery care. Information on Lactation Consultants and pelvic floor care can also be found on the clinic websites.​
Acorn Perinatal Care
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Small team midwives providing pregnancy and postpartum care, supported by the 'In-House' hospital team.
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Located in the Island Sexual Health Community Health Centre, Saanich
Arbutus Midwives
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Two teams of midwives supporting you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
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Located in Ashi Integrative Health, Langford
Cook Street Community Midwives
Small team and solo midwives providing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care, including specialized lactation consulting.
Located in downtown Victoria
Dandelion Midwifery
& Family Wellness
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Solo midwives serving families on the Peninsula, providing care in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
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Located in Brentwood Bay
Earthside Birth Midwifery & Infant Feeding Care
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Midwifery clinic providing routine care as well as hosting infant feeding supports, complementary therapies, and home birth information sessions.
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Located in Esquimalt
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Rosehips Midwifery
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Eclectic and experienced midwifery teams providing both full scope and postpartum only care. Rosehips also has physio and counselling on site.
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Located near Hillside Mall, Victoria
Roundhouse Midwives
& Family Care
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Small teams providing prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care, including lactation consulting. Interdisciplinary practice with Nurse Practitioners providing longitudinal primary care.​​
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Located in Saanich / View Royal
South Island Indigenous Midwifery Service (SIIMS)
Website | for intake:
Phone: 250-940-2669
Email: midwives@vnfc.ca
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Indigenous-led midwifery service providing perinatal care across South Vancouver Island.
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Located in the Camas LeLum Primary Care Clinic
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Sooke Midwifery
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Small team and solo midwifery model serving Sooke and surrounding communities. Specialized lactation support available.
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Located in Sooke
The Midwives Collective
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Two midwifery teams supported by pelvic floor care midwives, lactation consultant midwives, and a breastfeeding medicine physician.
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Located in downtown Victoria
Home Birth
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In BC, midwives are trained to safely deliver babies both in the hospital and in the community. There are no birth centres in BC, so babies born outside of the hospital are typically born at home. Planned home birth is considered a safe choice for healthy people with low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancies, and is associated with lower rates of birth interventions.
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To ensure safety:
(1) midwives are trained and re-certified regularly in safety skills for all birth settings.
(2) midwives carry all routine and emergency medical equipment they may need.
(3) midwives attend home births in teams of two or more.
(4) midwives work closely with hospital staff and emergency services to ensure smooth transitions.
(5) midwives monitor your pregnancy and labour for any signs that hospital care may be recommended.
Credit: Home Birth Handout, Sarah Stone RM, Dandelion Midwifery and Family Wellness
Learn more about home birth
BC College of Nurses & Midwives: Home & Community Birth: Standards, Limits, and Conditions
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Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Statement on Planned Home Birth
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Ontario Association of Midwives: Home Birth Safety
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What Does a Midwife Bring to a Home Birth? [video]
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Ontario Association of Midwives: Why Give Birth at Home? [video]
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A Midwife Explains Transfers from Home to Hospital [video]
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Water Birth with a Midwife [video]
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Home Birth Experiences Discussed [video]
Resources
1 / Other Maternity Providers
Family Physicians trained in obstetrics (FP-OBs) also provide primary maternity care and are listed in the centralized pregnancy referral system. You can choose to have either a family doctor or midwife as your main care provider in pregnancy. Some people with more complex health needs may benefit from FP-OB care.
3 / Doulas
Doulas provide emotional and physical support in labour and postpartum. They do not provide medical care, but can be a valuable part of your support team along with a midwife or physician. Click here to find a doula in Victoria.