“The tears of joy and delight on the faces of new moms and dads as they see their newborn for the first time is without a doubt the higlight of being a family physician”

Dr. Grace Park received her medical training at the University of Calgary and the Calgary Women’s Hospital before moving to White Rock in the late 1980s with her husband, who is a family physician.

Today, Dr. Grace Park is a full-service family physician in White Rock and director of the Peace Arch Maternity Clinic, with which she has been involved since it opened in 2000. Her family practice provides maternity care and helps her patients’ journey through the life changing experience of pregnancy and delivery. She is a passionate advocate for excellence in maternity care close to home, where moms and babes can enjoy the support of their extended families and social network.  Her practice reflects a belief in the importance of women’s health, which leads to healthy families, community and a healthy society.

Kim, with her European roots, and her spouse, an “Aussie”, spend their spare time traveling the world. The couple, with their two young boys have recently settled in South Surrey, where they love the relaxed lifestyle and being close to the water. On her time off she can be found at the beach with her family, camping, kayaking or enjoying company of family and friends. She cherishes her work as part of the Peach Arch Maternity group and also works as a full service Family physician in the community.

“I consider it a privilege to help mothers along through their pregnancy and enjoy witnessing the rush of a family’s emotions with the birth of their child.”

Martin is homegrown, raised in the White Rock area.  He graduated with a Biochemistry degree from UBC and went abroad to study medicine in his family’s homeland of Prague, the Czech Republic. There he played professional hockey and enjoyed traveling through Europe.  After graduating he met his wife Hana and the two moved to the US where he completed his residency in Colorado, returning to his hometown in 2003. He has two boys who occupy most of his free time and still enjoys playing hockey and various outdoor pursuits. His practice is at the Morgan Creek Clinic, a busy practice seeing a full spectrum of patients and health concerns. He has been a member of the Peace Arch Maternity Group since 2004 and enjoys the privilege of helping mothers along through their pregnancy and witnessing the rush of a family’s emotions with the birth of their child.

I don’t remember the exact details of my delivery up until that point. What I mostly remember are my feelings and impressions of what was happening around me. I knew that our wonderful nurse was always present in the room and somehow always seemed to know exactly what I needed. I remember the entrance of our doctor into the delivery room and the profoundly calming effect he seemed to have on me. I remember the way the resident doctor looked after my husband and made sure that he was also being supported. The obvious talent and soothing confidence of our care providers allowed my husband and me to quietly focus on each other and our unborn baby.

The labour process seemed to reduce the world to its purest essence. I could see that people were all around me but I could not always tell what they were doing; only what their actions made me feel. I found great comfort in seeing the warm glowing lights and soothing humming of the hospital equipment in front of me and was surprised to see the room come to life as each machine was turned on ready to serve its intended purpose. The greatest moment of my life was imminent. I could relax, I was safe, and my baby was safe. If anything went wrong, it would somehow be made right. I knew that the hospital staff were ready and would know exactly what to do. My only job was to breathe and remain as relaxed as I possibly could. At some point of the delivery our nurse offered me apple juice with ice and the taste of the apple juice became synonymous for me with the joy and anticipation of our new baby. To this day, you will never find our home without apple juice. Each sip tastes and feels like happiness to me, liquid joy.

Time continued to melt away with each passing contraction. The peaceful room suddenly became filled with excitement. Our nurse continued to encourage and praise me with each and every contraction. Our doctor spoke softly to my husband and explained to him what was happening. The moment had arrived. The past nine months of worrying about our unborn baby would be replaced with unlimited years of worrying for our growing child. I welcomed it. I was ready. It seemed so clear to me that my entire life had been leading up to this moment. The actual birth of our son only took seconds to happen, but the ripple effect of his presence in this world would forever be celebrated. Our maternity team had delivered our baby safely to us in an atmosphere of care, gentleness and kindness. During my labour, I fell in love with each and every one of them.

The next twenty-four hours were filled with learning, positive stress and tremendous joy. As my husband and I bonded with our new baby, we cried, we laughed but most of all we discovered. The hospital room became our temporary home and sanctuary and we felt good there. The nurses were always available to us and welcomed all of our questions. We were fortunate to have a nurse who also specialized in breastfeeding. She patiently and lovingly taught me how to nourish my new baby and for this gift I will forever be grateful to her.

We became proficient with the hospital call button and actually paged the nurse when our son needed his first diaper change to ask her, “What do we do?” She simply laughed and walked us through each step. We were terrified of that diaper. My husband and I had changed hundreds of diapers in our lifetime, but our son’s diaper was different. Its meaning took on many forms as it made our son’s life real to us. We were responsible for him and his care from now on and forever. Would we be able to meet all of his needs? Would we know what to do? Would that be enough? We resolved ourselves to always do everything in our power to make Gabriel’s life wondrous in meaning, bountiful in love and limitless in possibilities.

As the time for us came to leave the hospital, my husband and I grew increasingly anxious. We briefly wondered if they would allow us to stay indefinitely. We really appreciated the security and safety of the hospital and its caring staff. Just as we were getting our son ready for his car seat, our fabulous doctor came by to wish us farewell. The picture we were able to capture of him and Gabriel barely over a day old was a treasure we would forever hold in our hearts. Our doctor was the very first person our son had ever seen. He was the very first person to ever touch him with gentle care. We were blessed. We had it all. It was time to be brave and take our son to his new home and show him the world.

Although I will probably never remember the exact details of what happened that early morning on November 28th, I would forever know in my heart that my husband, my son and I experienced a moment of perfection. The birth of our son had taught me that although some of the greatest moments in life occur spontaneously, that the majority of them are deliberate and take years to make possible. The Peace Arch Hospital staff made the greatest moment of my life seem effortless and flawless through their combined decades of experience and knowledge and passion for their work.

As we drove away from Peace Arch hospital we never looked back because we knew that it would always be there for us. At that very moment I saw with clear vision that the hospital was so much more than a building made up of bricks and mortar. It contained a secret and invisible foundation made up of thousands of magical moments, of lives saved, of people cared for, of deliberate acts of kindness in care, and of greatest moments realized. The birth of our son, my greatest moment, would forever be part of this unseen, but ever present, growing, living and indestructible foundation.

–Jasmine Paré-Prasad

Address: 15521 Russell Ave, White Rock, BC, Canada

Ask at the main information desk for directions to the clinic.

Address: 15157 HWY 10, Surrey, BC, Canada

“I love providing maternity care because I relate to my patients so well. I have a lot of first-hand experience being pregnant or nursing a new baby!”

Dr. Rachel Bright grew up in Northern BC and moved with her family to Kenya when she was 16 years old.  It was during her years in Africa that she fell in love with medicine.  She went to medical school and studied family medicine at UBC.  She has been working at the Peace Arch Maternity Clinic since 2005 and joined George Street Family Practice in 2007 where she provides full service patient care.

Dr. Bright has three young children, all of whom were born at Peace Arch hospital.  She loves providing maternity care and feels like she can very much relate to her patients as she always seems to be pregnant or nursing a new baby!

“I absolutely love maternity care and believe it is the best job in the world. Delivering a baby brings a smile to my face every time. I especially love seeing all my repeat moms who come back to see me for their next baby!”

Dr. Sheena Goldie was born and raised in Calgary but her family took frequent summer vacations to Vancouver and Victoria, which is how she fell in love with the Coast.  She went to the University of Victoria for her undergraduate studies and went on to the University of British Columbia for medical school.  Her residency was based out of BC Women’s Hospital and she practiced there for several years before joining the Peace Arch team!

She absolutely loves maternity care and believes it is the best job in the world! Delivering a baby brings a smile to her face every time.  She especially loves seeing all her repeat customers who come back to see her for their next baby.

Sheena is married to Tavis, a high school teacher, and she has a growing young family.

“Every birth is unique and it is truly a privilege to share the journey and the joy with families who attend our clinic. I cannot think of a more rewarding job than being witness to the miracle of childbirth!”

I  grew up in Saskatchewan and studied Biology and Medicine at the U of S in Saskatoon.  We moved to Toronto for a couple of years and then settled on the West Coast in 1989.  I’m happily married and love spending time with our three busy teen-agers traveling, hiking and skiing.  I enjoy music, water skiing, yoga, Bonsai gardening and trying to find the balance point in my work-life schedule.  My medical practice includes the diversity of Full Service Family Practice with acute care and chronic disease management.  I have been providing Maternity care since 1990 and have been associated with the Peace Arch Hospital Maternity Clinic since 2007.  I feel that this cohesive Team of Doctors and Nurses provide comprehensive patient centered maternity care which will be enhanced further with our upcoming renovation, adding 8 state of the art, ocean-view Family Birthing Rooms.  We are happy to have Medical Students and Family Practice Residents at our office and Clinic as training the next generation of care givers is an important part of what we do.

“For me, good maternity care is about listening: It’s about respecting and supporting each mother's unique journey in pregnancy.”

Carolynn is originally from Gibsons, on the Sunshine Coast.  She completed her MD at the University of British Columbia (2001), and her residency in family medicine at the University of Calgary (2003).  She joined the Peace Arch Maternity Clinic in 2005 and quickly fell in love with this community.  Throughout her career in medicine, Carolynn has developed a specialization in family-practice obstetrics, and today her practice is almost exclusively focused on caring for moms and babies.  She prides herself in offering thorough and compassionate care that respects the uniqueness of each mother and family.  Having recently been through two pregnancies, she has a realistic perspective on the challenges and rewards of pregnancy, and she brings this empathetic approach to her care.

Carolynn lives in South Surrey with her husband Chris and their two young boys, Evan and Benjamin.  When she gets a moment of free time, you can find her in her vegetable garden or out jogging, and if you live in the community, you`ll probably run into her somewhere with her kids in tow, swimming at the YMCA or walking on the beach.