Meet the Midwives

Heidi Vergo (Coughlin)

I first became interested in becoming a midwife when I was on a missions trip in Kenya with my dad (a doctor) who was put in charge of high risk obstetrics. One night a pregnant women was in a car accident and had to go to the operating room for an emergency cesarean section. It was not safe for me to stay home alone, so I went with my dad and sat outside the operating room. When the surgeon walked by he told me to scrub in as they needed extra hands. My dad shook his head no and said, "she faints at the sight of blood and throws up when others throw up." I went into the operating room and it was life changing. The baby was born premature and was little, but alive and thriving. The next day I spent her time helping feed/care for the baby while the mother of the baby healed. It didn't take long before I was spending every day after school and started working with the nurse-midwives who cared for all the low risk women.

After high school I took my Bachelor of Nursing  at the University of Alberta. I worked for a year in Labor & Delivery at the Grey Nuns and 9 years in Labor and Delivery at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. While working as a nurse, I taught prenatal classes, birthed my daughter Emma, attended many midwifery conferences, and joined the Aspiring Midwives of Edmonton. When my daughter started grade one, it was finally time for me to pursue my dream. I graduated from midwifery school Spring 2010.

The name HOPE stands for "Helping Others by Prayer and Encouragement". It is my belief that pregnancy is an amazing gift and a gentle birth is the best gift that you can give your baby. No matter what your story...there is HOPE! 

I am a Christian, a mom, a wife and I love home birth. I am all about choice and am dedicated to undisturbed birth. My hobbies include: running, hiking, biking, snowboarding, skiing,  photography, going out to eat, playing games, going to movies, going to the spa, scuba diving, traveling, sewing, planning/hosting parties, and hanging out with friends.

I look forward to getting to know you and your family!

Heather Beaudoin

I am a settler, born and raised on this land, amiskwaciy-wâskahikan, that we call Edmonton.

I was called to serve as a midwife, before I even knew what that was

My guiding light is the Medicine Woman’s Prayer:

I will not rescue you, for you are not powerless.

I will not fix you, for you are not broken.

I will not heal you, for I see you in your wholeness.

I will walk with you through the darkness as you remember your light.

I have a deep-seeded suspicion of institutions, patriarchal systems and unquestioning obedience to “authority”.  Above and beyond all else, I wish for my clients to remember and embrace their own autonomy.

● I believe children come to us as a gift

● I believe each pregnancy and parenting journey is a rite of passage

● Pregnancy and birthing will be an initiatory trial

● I believe you can chose to engage with this initiation consciously and with self-compassion

● I believe we choose how we respond to the moments that arise in our lives, but do not control the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

● I believe community is the basis of well-being

● I believe the primary task of pregnancy is to nourish you heart/soul, mind, and body

From this mind-set;

I have opened myself to the initiatory travail of carrying new life four times.

I was blessed to give birth to three beautiful babies in the sanctity of my own home.

I have humbled myself to trust my intuition in the creative work of learning and growing through the sole(soul) task of loving my children.

I have midwifed hundreds of people through the initiations if pregnancy and birth.

I dream of living in a cabin in the woods, learning to listen more closely to our first mother-Earth, reading books and drinking chai masala. This is where you will find me enjoying the company of my life partner and greatest support of 30+ years, when I am not with-women in my capacity as a wise-woman

Megan Wagner

My call to midwifery began with the birth of my second child. During my first pregnancy, I mistakenly believed that all tests and procedures were mandatory. With my second, I knew I wanted more choices in my healthcare, but felt that my wishes weren’t always honoured. My pregnancy and labour were uncomplicated, but I felt I had to “perform” to have care provided to me. This experience left me feeling robbed of what should have been a calm, peaceful, and normal life event.

I began to hear lovely stories from friends about their autonomy under the care of midwives, and how freedom of choice contributed to the quality of their care and birthing experiences. I felt an intense pull to explore the options available to childbearing people and found that the pillars of midwifery are built on relationship, trust, and informed choice.

With my young family at home and a successful business already flourishing, I tried to ignore the desire to become a midwife, but the pull got stronger. Finally, my husband encouraged me to follow my dreams, and he assured me that we could figure everything out as we went on, and we did!

I got into the Bachelor of Midwifery program at Mount Royal University in Calgary. During my time in school, we were blessed with our daughter, who we welcomed into the world in the comfort of our home, surrounded by family and our amazing midwifery care team. Her big brothers witnessed her arrival, held her tiny hand, and bonded within moments of her taking her first breaths. This birth experience was redeeming and empowering. 

Through all of this, I have found my voice as a passionate advocate for the right to information and knowledge so parents can make informed, heartfelt choices. It’s been a privilege to witness and assist babies coming earthside. Every birth is unique, and I learn something from each experience and person I attend. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to trust the instinct, intuition and wisdom of the birthing person and their baby. Because of this, I strive to operate from a place of love and kindness when providing care.

I am a homebody, so cherish the time I spend with my family snuggling on the couch, playing the piano, or playing one of our many favourite games. I am also all too often cheering at the arena, supporting my boys and their passion for hockey.