Aspen Community Midwives

Barb is an amazing midwife. With great attention to detail, patience, and professionalism she bridged the gap in our health care system to ensure our baby was safely born naturally and at home. From the very first office visit all the way through childbirth to the final followup visits she has astounded us with her friendly demeanor and expert caring. 10 out of 5 stars all the way!

Not only is Barbara Scriver an experienced midwife, she's also a kind-hearted person, nurturer and so much more. Her integrity and approachability created a safe space for us during such a precious time in our lives. Everything went great and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the personalized care we all received from Midwifery Care Partners.

Isabella started off to be a very warm and welcoming midwife. But it was soon clear that her intentions of being there for me during my pregnancy were severely lacking. She did the bare minimum to get in contact with me when I had concerns, completely disregard me when I felt like I was having complications, and when approached about it said it wasn't in her regular care duties and said I obviously needed an OB. Not only has she ruined my birthing experience, she's ruined my chance of having a midwife and birth I actually want. I would never recommend her unless your fine with non of your concerns being addressed.

I had Samantha Stupak as my midwife and I'm not sure exactly why but at some point something shifted and I got a sense like I was just a thorn in her side. I was expecting to have this hands on, welcoming, and involved relationship that you hear about from midwives and unfortunately I dont feel like I got that. I honestly felt like I shouldn't contact her if I could help it and when I did have a question, I had to send it in an email (you can only call a pager for emergencies) and in that email you can't ask anything medical but you can request a call back. They usually took at least 2 days to email back and a call back would take at least that long if at all. Sometimes I would get an email asking if I still wanted a call back..Why not just call and find out then to stop your clients from waiting? I preferred my care with a GP for my last pregnancy because I could call and come in and see them that day if I had a concern, no matter how big or small. As someone who suffers from GAD this suited me much better than the waiting I had to do with this Midwifery. I've seen the term "medwife" and this definitely fits Sam as a midwife. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but not necessarily what those seeking midwife care are looking for. I feel it might be her lack of experience but she seemed to lack confidence and if anything outside the potential for a "perfect birth" she will encourage a hospital and lots of assessments at the royal Alex. My wish was to do a birth at Lucina but as the ultrasounds started to show the baby was on the bigger side (in the 9-10lb range) she pushed for the hospital and even started talking about induction at 40 weeks and had me booked right at 41 weeks. I pushed it back as I wanted to give baby a chance and I'm glad I did. I dont see why a midwife would encourage an induction at 41 weeks and not wait until closer to 42 weeks. When I was in labour she wanted to do an assessment when we got to the hospital which I later found out was unusual under midwife care. My contractions were very intense at this point and even a nurse suggested "you're going the wrong way" when we were heading to assessment upon hearing the intensity of my contraction. By the time we were checked in with assessment my contractions were within 2 minutes of each other and as I was walking to the assessment bed she finally decided we could just go to the room without an assessment. When we got to the room she was very hands off and aloof and sat in the other corner quietly as my doula and fiance tended to me. She only came over and acknowledged me when she checked baby's HR and my BP. The birth itself went well baby did get a bit stuck at the shoulders and I will give it to Sam she was able to hook him at the shoulder and get him out quickly without incident. Unfortunately I did hemmorage after delivering the placenta and then my care was turned over to her backup midwife as she had another birth to attend (which I absolutely don't fault her for). I was sent home by the backup midwife within a couple hours (I couldn't even walk to the vehicle). What I do fault her for is when I encountered my 2nd hemmorage at home and we called her she had the nerve to say "Why did you not advocate for yourself and tell them you didn't feel ok"? First of all that is NOT what you say to someone bleeding out on their bathroom floor while waiting for an ambulance. Secondly I did say I felt woozy and it was quite obvious that something was off when I couldn't even walk to my vehicle. I trusted them that this was normal and that I would be ok because I've never hemmoraged before. I couldn't believe she chose to say that to me of all things. No encouragement or positive words to say that I'll be ok or help is coming you'll be in good hands. The reason I gave 2 stars is because she did advocate for me to have my son get admitted back to the hospital with me when they were quite reluctant when treating me for my blood loss. I do appreciate that but it doesn't change how I was treated unfortunately.

I gave birth to a heathy baby boy in sept 2021 and had Sam and Bella as my midwifes for the entire process. I truly enjoyed working with them and felt they were extremely warm and supportive of my choices. I really really enjoyed the midwife process and would encourage those considering it to think about Aspen I did not have the perfect birth by any means and ended up having to give birth in the hospital (vs home) and they were SO attentive and prompt on plans and appts etc. I also had to be readmitted with my son to deal with some jaundice issues and they came to my home and assisted extremely promptly with that The only small downside was email was the only means of contact in non emergencies but honestly when there was an emergency (which we had to deal with major changes of plans a couple times) they were very very prompt so don’t worry about that at all

I have had the pleasure of having Melanna as my midwife for all three of my births, and I am so glad I did! Our journey together has been 6 years long, so BUCKLE UUUPPPP, because I have a lot to say. Melanna is kind, considerate, thoughtful, and approachable for everything. My first pregnancy, I was a ball of nerves, and she always treated me with respect (even if the two ER trips and several NST's due to a perceived lack of fetal movement were a pain ?.) That birth, we had planned going to the hospital for my husband's comfort (he was very nervous!), and with her incredibly skillful care, we were confident to change our plan during labour to a home birth. Everything went smoothly and having her be a part of my first birth was absolutely magical. 9 months later when I got an unexpected positive pregnancy test, she was the first person I told, and she warmly welcomed me back into her practice despite planning to take vacation during that time. My pregnancy went smoothly, and her care was, once again, incredible. Our appointments felt like getting to hang out with an old friend, and she would always set my mind at ease and have a good laugh with me when warranted. Though I was planning a home birth with my second, an urgent complication meant an unexpected trip to the hospital to birth there. When I called her to tell her the situation, just hearing her voice made me feel so much better. Even though I didn't know that my baby was okay, I knew that I was supported by her, which completely changed my mindset. She helped me get through the scariest moments of my entire life. Upon getting to the hospital, the nurses were ready to wheel me into a cesarean birth, and Melanna helped me to advocate for a vaginal birth, since my baby was doing well despite the complications we faced. Once I knew my baby was okay, I had yet another incredible birth experience, and that is largely in part to her calm demeanor and incredible skill as a midwife. Fast forward to three years later, and I found out that I was pregnant with my third child. Again, she was the first person I contacted, and despite being pregnant herself and due three months before me, she took me into her care yet again. I was overjoyed with the hands-on care I received in my third pregnancy, and she was always available to answer my questions. When she went on her mat leave, she ensured that my care was handed to another incredibly skilled midwife, and I never felt lacking. My third birth, was... An experience. After four days of irregular contractions, the ball FINALLY got moving to the tune of a 50 minute labour. Once again, she walked in, and my mood went from panicked to, "this is going to be okay". When the birth fairy decided that I needed a transfer to hospital, I never even once felt scared because I knew she was advocating for what was in my best interests. She made sure my husband and baby were looked after until they could come to the hospital, and went above and beyond for me and my family. After completing my third course of care with her, I have to say.. I am almost a little bit sad I don't plan on having any more babies, because she is that wonderful. There will never be enough good things for me to say about her skill and support. Thank you, Melanna, for everything. Our family wouldn't be what it is without you! ❤️❤️ Now! I also feel compelled to mention Sam and Bella, who are the ✨OG✨ midwives in the practice. I am am Edmonton-area doula and have had the opportunity to work with them both on several occasions, and they are both incredibly skilled. I have not had the opportunity to work with them on a client/midwife basis, but my clients have all said amazing things about them. When attending births with them, they were welcoming and warm towards me. And finally - that clinic space is GORGEOUS. You can tell the Aspen Community Midwives care so much that their clients come into a welcoming, joyful space. Stepping into Barb Scriver's shoes is no easy feat... But they have done such a good job!