At Arbutus Midwives, we work collaboratively as one team of midwives. We will care for you throughout your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We also have a midwife who works with us and only provides postpartum care, you may meet her at some point after your baby is born. All of our midwives are comfortable with both hospital birth and home birth in normal, healthy situations.

Lyanne Quirt, RM (She/Her)

Lyanne grew up in Ottawa, Ontario and moved to BC in 2005. Lyanne became a midwife because she is passionate about women’s health, and she believes that pregnant people and families should have access to information and choices in pregnancy, birth, and their first weeks with a new baby. She completed her midwifery training at UBC in 2012, and worked with a group of midwives in Victoria for her first years of practice.

Lyanne loves being part of the team at Ashi Integrative Health, providing midwifery care in the Westshore and offering holistic care through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. When she’s not catching babies, Lyanne can often be found spending time with her kids, running around on an ultimate frisbee field, or cuddling her cats.

Beth Smit, RM (She/Her)

Beth is originally from Nanaimo, and has lived on Vancouver Island most of her life. She left in 2003 to attend McMaster University’s Midwifery Education Program, and graduated in 2007.

Beth practiced as a midwife in the friendly Northern Ontario town of Sault Ste Marie before getting homesick and coming back to the Victoria area in 2010. Beth has worked in a solo midwife model and in a group midwifery practice, and is excited about working as a team at Arbutus to get the best of both worlds: lots of time and visits with each woman and family so they can get to know each other well before labour, and back up if two women labour at once or one midwife has been up all night.

Beth loves the midwifery model of care in BC because of the opportunity for personal connection between midwives and women, and because of all the choices the midwifery model gives women with respect to their care and where they give birth. Outside of midwifery, Beth is the mother of two children, a son born in 2009 and a daughter born in 2012. Beth has a passion for the outdoors, whether that means working in her garden, or hiking and camping around Vancouver Island when she’s not on call.

Kate Lorimer, RM (She/Her)

Kate Lorimer is a descendant of settlers from Western European heritage, and she is grateful to live, work and study with her family on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) People, known also as Esquimalt and Songhees Nation. She grew up on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, known today as Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Kate is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, Bachelor of Midwifery program. Kate is thrilled to be working with the families at Arbutus Midwives.

Kate has always been interested in birth, and she is passionate about advocating for personal choices and individualized care. The way each person experiences pregnancy and birth is extremely important to her and as a care provider she feels privileged to help support you as you build your families. 

As a stepping stone to her education and career Kate has been a member Victoria birth community for many years, helping families as their doula, as well as being a childbirth educator. Having invited midwives to her own birth, she knows firsthand the impact midwifery care has on families, and she is proud to be among such an inspiring team at Arbutus! 

In her downtime Kate likes to get out to the woods as much as possible with her family. Her dog Luna insists on taking in all the flora and fauna on each walk! If she’s not outside, Kate likes to knit or sew lots of little projects!

Rowan Kennedy-Macdonald, RM, IBCLC (She/Her)

Rowan was born at home and her birth was attended by a midwife. This has always kindled in her a deep appreciation of midwifery and of birth.

Rowan graduated from the Midwifery program, in the faculty of Medicine at UBC. She has a previous degree in Child and Youth Care, through UVic. Rowan spent several years working and learning within communities who were experiencing limitations to accessing care. Primarily working in shelters, transition homes, detox facilities and safe-consumption sites. During this time, she started working more within the world of reproductive justice, supporting people who were pregnant and struggling to access supportive care, as well as facilitating sexual/reproductive health and education groups for young people. From there, Rowan decided she needed more skills and resources to offer to the folks she was working with and midwifery was such a clear choice of direction.

Rowan is grateful to work on the unceded territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) People, known also as Esquimalt and Songhees Nation, and thoughtful about what this means in her practice as a midwife and in her work within healthcare. Rowan is passionate about creating access to safe, respectful and dignified care for all communities, while working in a way which honours the individual’s resilience and strength…with a large focus on joy and delight in the process!

Rowan is also trained and certified as a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Rowan lives with her partner and their twin boys. Becoming a mum has been the most profound experience in Rowan’s life and she is delighted and honoured to support folks as they navigate their own pregnancy, birth and parenting journeys.

Elise Everard, RM (she/her)

Originally from the lower mainland, Elise’s family migrated up the province during her
childhood, first to the Okanagan, then the Cariboo, before finally settling in the Prince George/Bulkley-Nechako region. It was in Prince George where Elise pursued her first bachelor’s degree at UNBC, majoring in Biomedical Studies and minoring in Indigenous Studies. During her second year of university, Elise had the privilege of witnessing the midwife-attended birth of her beloved godson (an unplanned home birth!). This experience was formative to Elise, and as they say, the rest is history.
Elise graduated from UBC’s Midwifery Program in 2025, and is thrilled to be working alongside the team at Arbutus. She has had the pleasure of providing maternity care to families in Kelowna, Port Coquitlam, Chilliwack, Vancouver, and Victoria. Informed choice, justice, evidence-based care, humor, and safety, in the most holistic sense of the word, form the ethos of Elise’s identity as a midwife. It is with these principles that she approaches her care and practice.
When she’s not catching babies, Elise enjoys spending quiet time at home with her partner, Joe, and their adored cat, Maude. She also loves crafting, reading, and thrifting. Elise looks forward to meeting you, and learning how best to support you during this transformative new chapter of life.

Postpartum Only Care

Maghan Campbell, RM (She/Her) – Postpartum Midwifery

I am a Registered Midwife who is fully privileged at Victoria General Hospital. I have been practicing midwifery on the territory of the Lekwungen and W’SAANEC People since my graduation from the UBC Midwifery Program in 2020. I practice midwifery with compassion, non-judgement, and always through a harm-reduction lens. 

I am a mother. My experience raising two fierce and squirmy babies has profoundly changed the way I approach perinatal care. I am always mindful of the overwhelming vulnerability that comes with bringing new life into the world. At the same time, I know there is deep strength rooted in that vulnerability if we are supported to access it.  

I have a background as a front-line mental health worker, and harm reduction advocate and researcher. As a midwife, I have a special interest in serving pregnant people who use substances or are in remission from Substance Use Disorder. I am also a clinical instructor for the UBC Faculty of Midwifery. I love to teach and will have students working with me from time to time. 

In my spare time, I enjoy going on adventures with my family, swimming outside, banging on my drums, and reading a good book. I am really looking forward to meeting you soon!

Admin

Alexa Gordon, MOA (She/Her)

The Arbutus Midwives are so grateful to have Alexa as our Medical Office Assistant. She is often the kind voice you will hear when you call our office and is the person who greats you when you come to clinic. She makes all of our lives a little bit easier and more hilarious.

Midwifery Students

We are a teaching practice – midwifery and medical students may be involved in your care from time to time. They will always be supervised, and they will never do anything beyond their level of competence. Most clients find that working with students is a very positive experience, but please speak to one of the midwives privately if you would prefer not to involve students in some or all aspects of your care.

When the team is very busy, a midwife is sick, or additional support is needed for other reasons, Arbutus Midwives regularly makes use of our Community Support Midwife, MJ Harris. MJ is not an official team member, but if needed, we would like our clients to be familiar with her and the services she offers.