Sarah Bjorjan, Midwife
Sarah’s bio
My name is Sarah Bjorgan and I started Port Alberni Midwifery clinic in Sept 2017 after graduating from UBC’s Midwifery program. My journey to midwifery is a common story: I was very impressed with my experience as a Midwifery patient. I enjoyed the less clinical culture and the empowerment I felt, while still having evidence based care and access to all the interventions should I need them. I was also impressed with how the profession had grown and developed into an integrated service from an un-legislated role not that long ago. I was a Registered Massage Therapist before I became a Midwife. Port Alberni has been a welcoming community for Midwifery and we have been incorporated well into the wider medical community. I have taken many scope expanding certificates since moving here, and I have started my Masters in Midwifery part-time. It still feels inspiring when I see a baby born, no matter how or where it happens. The sacrifice, the work, the love demonstrated; it is always an honour to be present. A bit about me: for fun, I did a lot of sports growing up, but these days, I like to spend my free time growing vegetables, foraging for mushrooms, cooking, and playing guitar.
Sora Colvin, RM
Sora’s bio:
I was born and spent most of my early life in Canada but moved to the States after marrying an American almost twenty years ago. My life-long interest in birth and babies probably began when I attended the (physician attended) home birth of my younger brother at the age of two, but it was not until after the births of my own six children (now teens and adults) that I became a midwife. The patient, personal, capable, and compassionate care that I received from each of my midwives continues to inspire me in my own career.
I worked as a midwife for several years in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, specializing in home birth and water birth. I also spent three years as a medical missionary at a very busy charitable birth center in Davao City, Philippines. During my time in the Philippines I travelled to teach workshops to midwives and health workers in remote mountain villages, and was part of an international team providing safe birth care at a disaster-area field clinic in a community devastated by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
My family returned to Canada in 2017, and in 2019 I completed UBC’s Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program. In 2020, I joined Sarah Bjorgan at Port Alberni Midwifery Clinic. Caring for families as they welcome new babies is a sacred trust and deeply meaningful work. I am honoured to be able to do this important work on the unceded ancestral lands of the Hupačasath, Tseshaht, and other Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.