Our Midwives

The experienced midwives at Open Door Midwifery offer you a well planned and highly supported journey through pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum.

Leanne Yeates RM, BA, BHSc (Midwifery)

I have been involved with women’s reproductive health for over twenty years. In the mid-90s, I received my Psychology degree from York University and gained an early understanding of the emotional, social and psychological aspects of caring for women through my work as a sexual and reproductive health counsellor. In 1993, following the regulation of midwifery in Ontario, I had my first experience with midwives while providing doula care for incarcerated youth at the Metro West Detention Centre in Toronto. I later earned my Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree in Midwifery at Ryerson University in Toronto and was honoured with the receipt of three awards recognizing my academic and clinical achievements. Over the years, I have worked as a midwife in both Ontario and British Columbia and am the founding midwife at Open Door Midwifery.

In addition to my busy clinical practice, I am the Vice-President of the College of Midwives of BC. I sit on the Perinatal Services BC Oversight Council and serve on the Executive for the Department of Midwifery in Vancouver. I am a Clinical Assistant Professor in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine and value my teaching role with midwifery, nursing and medical students.

Most importantly, I am a passionate advocate for normal birth. I strive to create and be part of an environment which fosters respect for women’s autonomy and results in a birth experience that each woman can look back upon with confidence and dignity.

Thea Parkin RM, BSc, BMW

I have had a lifelong interest in the pursuit of health. Early on I studied nutrition, which gave me a good grounding in the sciences and a formal introduction to the amazing abilities of the human body. I was living in the UK when I first learned of midwives, but it was after my niece was born that I realized I’d found what was going to be my life’s work! I completed my midwifery training through UBC and I feel so fortunate to be practicing alongside my wonderful practice partners in Vancouver, my home community.

My goal is to support my clients to feel confident and capable during this most incredible journey; I support this through both my experience and skills gained from working with so many different families and my commitment to staying current with the evidence surrounding pregnancy, birth and parenting. I bring with me enthusiasm for midwifery and health, a commitment to supporting women to make informed choices, and a firm belief that women should feel safe and respected as they nurture and bring new life into the world.

Cora Beitel RM

I am dedicated to providing inclusive, supportive and informative care to women and their families during the childbearing year. I grew up in Montreal and am fluent in French. After moving to Vancouver in 2000, I presented workshops on menstrual health and fertility awareness. Shortly after, I trained and began working as a doula, breastfeeding counselor and youth counselor in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Healthcare and caregiving have always been central themes in my life, work and community involvement. These experiences were also part of my journey towards midwifery education. After my son was born at home, with the assistance of midwives, I felt ready to pursue formal midwifery training.

While completing my Bachelor of Midwifery at UBC, I had the opportunity to work with a diverse clientele in both rural and urban areas across BC. Throughout my years of experience in women’s health, I have specialized in caring for women who are marginalized in society as a result of their youth, street involvement, substance use or mental health issues. My goal is to provide comprehensive, community focused midwifery care to women and their families from all backgrounds. I am excited to be working with this team of passionate and caring midwives at Open Door Midwifery and look forward to being a part of your journey into parenthood.

Martha Roberts RM

Since the birth of my daughter Sophia in 1997, I have been privileged to work with childbearing women and their families, attending approximately 500 births over 13 years. I have worked as a doula, a lay midwife assistant, and an educator/researcher in maternal and newborn health. As the culmination of my experience, I received my Bachelor of Midwifery from the University of British Columbia and since that time have been working as a Registered Midwife in Vancouver. For the past several years I have worked at the South Community Birth Program, a very busy shared-care practice in South Vancouver.

My passion for working with women and families through the transition into parenthood stems from my years of working in community-based women’s health initiatives and participatory action research with low-income mothers and children in the Lower Mainland of BC. I have a passion for community health from the local to the international community. In 2005 I had the privilege of participating in the International People’s Health University at the University of Cuenca’s Medical School in Cuenca, Ecuador, and I sit on the Canadian Circle of the People’s Health Movement. In 2008, my family and I spent 7 months in the mountains of the Philippines, where I worked as a rural midwife and an educator for Community Health Workers. My current community work includes facilitating popular education workshops on common health issues for low-income communities through the Alliance for People’s Health.