With over 29 years in Healthcare, 23 of them as a Registered Midwife, I can honestly say my passion for supporting women and families through pregnancy, childbirth and beyond grows daily. As a mother of two young adults myself I can understand and appreciate the importance of finding the right support to help guide you through the most intimate and life changing time in your life. I empower women to make the right choices for them with a non judgemental, natural approach to childbirth. I believe pregnancy and childbirth should be kept as natural and undisturbed as possible. I encourage my clients to be informed and gain confidence and trust in their bodies abilities to birth safely without interventions unless medically necessary.

Coming to midwifery was not a straight path for me. In 2007, I realized I wanted to be involved with women’s and children’s health during a medical mission trip to Nepal. After that experience, I pursued my desire to help families through volunteering, and graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Microbiology with honours, from the University of British Columbia with the goal of becoming a doctor.

After my older sister had her first baby with the support and care of midwives, my goal shifted, and I determined that midwifery would be the perfect combination for me. It was the first time I had seen the level of care and commitment midwives provide, and I was immediately attracted to the profession. Several years later, I graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelors in Health Sciences in Midwifery having begun to learn the art and skill of our profession.

As a midwife, I love the personalized care I can offer women, providing information and allowing them space to make the best decisions for their family. I also love the relationships that form. I greatly look forward to supporting, caring for, and working with the mothers in and around Cochrane. I grew up in Calgary and could not be happier to return to the Calgary area to work as a Midwife after a few years working elsewhere. It feels like coming home for me.

When not working, I love being around friends and family. Many times, that means I am exploring the mountains both locally and internationally, getting into a new project, or sitting in the backyard with a good glass of wine.

Hello Olds Community Midwives’ Clients!
My name is Kate Kennedy, and I am thrilled to join you on your pregnancy journey. I began my own journey towards becoming a midwife in 2007, when my first daughter was born into the hands of midwives. The entire pregnancy and birth helped me realize that people can be better served in a maternity care system when caregivers listen to clients and present them with the information they need to make decisions that are right for them and their families. This felt revolutionary to me at that time, and it was the first time I had ever considered a career in a medical field.

By the time my second daughter was born in our bedroom while her sister slept, I was sure I wanted to be a midwife and help other families experience the warm, competent, relationship focused care that I had received. I knew it would be difficult to go back to school with young babies, so I enjoyed my time as a mother and the owner of my own landscaping
business, while I volunteered and sat on the board of local parenting and birth related non-profits. I have collected thousands of birth stories, and I can see the patterns that develop in parenthood that stem back to feeling empowered and supported in birth~or not! Now that my children (and their long time friends) are in the teen phase, I understand how finding a supportive village makes a huge difference in our long-term relationship with our children.

My passions lie in holistic care. Outside of my midwifery schooling, I have studied parenting and infant communication, natural systems of healing such as herbalism and homeopathy, positioning and rebozo work in pregnancy and birth, as well as the human gut biome. I graduated in the spring of 2020 from Mount Royal University’s Bachelor of Midwifery program. Additionally, I have completed workshops in Spinning Babies, rebozo, homeopathy and attachment parenting, and took specialized training in physiologic vaginal breech birth through the University of British Columbia. My philosophy of birth is that it is a beautiful, transformative rite of passage, that only occasionally requires emergency skills. I am there to walk beside you on your journey, and while my job is to explain to you the options and the evidence behind them, your job is to choose what is right for you, your baby and your family.

When I’m not busy catching babies and supporting clients, I enjoy spending time with my children, our many pets, and growing as many vegetables, fruit and flowers that I possibly can in our short season. I love spending time in nature, having long chatty dinners out with friends, as well as cooking, canning and eating delicious food at home. Having grown up in Sundre, I love practicing in Central Alberta. I look forward to meeting you and being your midwife!

Sincerely, Kate Kennedy