About Vera Berard
Hello, I am Vera Berard. My pronouns are she/her. I acknowledge that I am a settler that lives and works within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations.
I love my work! Adding a new member into the family, involves more than just pregnancy, parent and infant care. It is an emotional transition for the entire family, in which I am delighted to continue play a supportive role at the beginning of a pregnancy and after the birth of a baby, and to have established over the past 2 years, transfer processes with doctors and midwives for the ongoing care needed in between the services I currently offer.
After 25 years of providing labor and birth services. I have reached a stage of life that dictates 24 hours/7 days call is no longer feasible. I am pleased to have found a way to continue to use my skills and experience to be of service in my community and health care region.
I was amongst the first registrants of the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), (formerly the College of Midwives of BC) since midwives became regulated and legally recognized, as autonomous health care practitioners in British Columbia in 1998. I was also the first midwife to be granted midwifery privileges at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Coastal, Lions Gate Hospital (LGH), and to establish a community midwifery practice on the North Shore.
When I stopped providing birth services the end of 2021. It seemed a natural progression to offer the bookends of my long established community practice:
Early Pregnancy and Postpartum Services.
Midwives can provide after birth postpartum care to pregnant folk that are receiving prenatal and birth care from a doctor.
If you have a doctor providing your care, you can self-refer for after birth midwifery postpartum services, ideally during your pregnancy, or in the first few days after birth, by clicking on this link.
Informed decision making is a value that I have held dear, since becoming a midwife. I enjoy gathering and giving information that my clients can then consider and make informed decisions about their care. It’s the foundation of the partnership that we develop together around each family’s needs.
A percentage of my early pregnancy clients come into my care after conceiving with the help of reproductive medicine. Folk that have had a caesaran section in a previous pregnancy can benefit from my prenatal care too. When a person needs obstetrical services due to their prior hisotory or finds out during their early prenatal care that they are having a multiple pregnancy, we refer to a specialist for ongoing prenatal, labor and birth care. Folk that go on to have care with a doctor are eligible for midwifery postpartum services. Expectant parents of twins can benefit from my afterbirth care! Supporting folk with more than one baby is a double privilege!
Many of my clients that start their initial prenatal care with me, return to my practice after the birth of their babies.
I am blessed with a diverse clientele, who are born here or who have come to Vancouver from all over the globe. My postpartum journey with clients begins after birth on the first or second day after they are discharged from hospital.
Most of my clients self-refer during their pregnancies or afterbirth.
I also receive referrals from doctors, midwives and nurses.
As a primary perinatal care provider, besides prenatal, labor and birth experience, I have experience in postpartum care, contraception options, lactation services, alternate infant feeding, newborn growth and development, as well as mindful early parenting.
In my current role, as a midwife prenatal and postpartum consultant, I am available to my initial prenatal and postpartum clientele for a requested telephone consultation, outside of their scheduled visits, fourteen hours out of twenty-four hours, 7 days a week from 9am – 11pm. In between midnight and 9am clients are instructed to call 811 and/or go to LGH ER in the rare event that they have an urgent concern for themselves or their babies.
When clients’ needs for themselves, or their babies, fall outside my scope of practice, I can enable a seamless referral to an appropriate specialist, or community service. This may include a prenatal, or a postpartum referral to a family practice doctor for a medical issue unrelated to pregnancy.
Although I am presently the only person in my practice providing the services currently offered, I can call upon my Vancouver and North Vancouver midwife colleagues for assistance with my work-flow when needed. I am pleased to assist my colleagues with their work-flow needs when I can, and am delighted that there are now MSP billing codes that encourage this work-life-balance collaboration and that enable service delivery to our respective clients to continue seamlessly.
My journey with childbearing folk and their families began approximately 44 years ago, when I completed my initial nursing and midwifery education in South Africa. I immigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 1982 where I worked as a nurse, childbirth educator, and a midwife at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) BC Women’s Hospital.
In the early 90’s, I was amongst the founding midwives responsible for negotiating BC’s first midwifery contract and for establishing the framework for BC Women’s Midwifery Department. For more information about the early days of BC midwifery, go to this link.
I am an advocate for supporting the physiological processes of labor, birth and breast/chest feeding, including person-centered and baby-friendly initiatives. I also believe in the power of community, respectful, compassionate care and that I am a lifelong learner.
As founder, owner and operator of Midwifery Care North Shore, from the time it opened its doors in 1998, I have mentored many BC midwives that are now practicing independently at various locations on the North Shore and throughout the province.
I have a Master’s of Midwifery Practice from Thames Valley University, London, UK and have an assistant clinical professorship from the University of British Columbia’s Midwifery Education Program.
Outside of my clinical work, I enjoy committee work and continuing professional education. My current interest is learning how to decolonise myself and be a witness to First Nations as they reconcile and heal from the intergenerational injuctices that they have experienced. I am inspired by First Nations spirituality and their reclaimation of their music, art and dance.
I share life with my family and friends and enjoy going on walks, cycling, playing pickle-ball or bridge.
As my part-time prenatal and postpartum practice in my community grows, I look forward to continued connection, learning and being of service to:
Families with new babies
