HuckleBerry Midwives

Keisha Charnley

Indigenous Registered Midwife

ʔəy̓ kʷənəs ʔi k̓ʷəcnamə – My name is Keisha and I am a member of the Katzie First Nation, I also have white european ancestry mostly from Lancashire, England.

I grew up in the city of Vancouver on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-waututh Territories where I now practice as a registered midwife.

I am an Indigenous registered midwife, consultant and community health researcher and educator.

I attended my first birth in East Van in 2011 at the age of 19 years old and have been a birthworker ever since.

In 2016, I took the Indigenous birthworker training with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network at the Toronto Birth Centre. I then received a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from the School of Medicine at the University of British Columbia in 2021 and began my practice as a midwife.

I currently also serve as a Co-Chair with the Indigenous Midwives Council of BC at the Midwives Association of BC.

My hope is to uplift the health of my relatives through my role as a midwife and aunty, supporting your autonomy, joy and offering meaningful care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.  Outside of my work, I love to garden, surf, ride my bike and explore life with my family.

netəł (pronounced: net-ulth) is a word from our hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language which I understand to mean early morning when the sun is just coming over the mountains. It is the name I have chosen for my work as to me it represents that hope of new beginnings, warmth, a new day, transformation. It is also the time of day when many babies arrive. Welcome to netəł birthwork.

hay ce:p q̓ə!

Heba Al-Nashef

Registered Midwife

Heba Al-Nashef (she/her) is a highly experienced Registered Midwife. She is of Arab heritage (Palestinian and Syrian) and speaks English and Arabic fluently. Heba grew up in Amman, Jordan, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Midwifery in 2008, followed by a Master’s degree in Midwifery from Nottingham, UK, in 2011.

Soon after graduating, Heba immigrated to Canada to pursue a model of midwifery rooted in evidence-based practice and informed choice. She began her Canadian career at the birth centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she supported a 50% out-of-hospital birth rate and worked with many clients to achieve physiologic birth.

In 2016, Heba’s love for her family, the mountains, and the ocean brought her to Vancouver. She worked in downtown Vancouver, specializing in caring for Arab, Muslim, and refugee families. She later transitioned to a high-volume practice at the South Community Birth Program to support work–life balance, where she served families for four years.

Heba also holds a leadership role as Assistant Head of the Department of Midwifery at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH), where she works collaboratively with Family Practice. In 2024, she participated in a humanitarian mission to Gaza with a Canadian NGO, providing care to women and their babies in extremely challenging birthing conditions.

Heba joined the Huckleberry team due to her strong commitment to working alongside the Indigenous midwifery team and the families they serve. In her practice, she is dedicated to delivering premium-quality and client-centred care, with a strong focus on evidence-based practice and physiologic birth. She is thrilled to meet clients and support them and their families throughout their care.

When she is not catching babies, Heba enjoys cooking, reading, travelling, spending quality time with her family and her fluffy cat, and training in mixed martial arts, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu

BETH DUNCAN

Registered Midwife

I am a Settler midwife – 2nd generation Irish and Scottish, and a descendent of midwives.  I have been working on the Brown Team at Pomegranate since inception in 2006, after graduating from the UBC Midwifery Program. I also hold a leadership position at BC Women’s Hospital as the Assistant Head of the Department of Midwifery. I have 2 children – ages 8 and 5 – and a sweet Husky dog that keeps me busy on my off time. I love being active and get excited to compete in age group triathlons. I have a working knowledge of ASL (American Sign Language) and am passionate about providing accessible midwifery care to the Deaf community.