Celina brings over 37 years of breastfeeding and infant feeding support and education to Sweet Spot Lactation.

My interest in breastfeeding began after the birth of our first child in British Columbia and segued into helping other families, beginning in 1985, through peer support. After two home births and two hospital births, when our fourth daughter was born, I became more interested in all the nuances involved in helping babies and mothers develop the skills needed to breastfeed well. I also met numerous families who, in spite of their many efforts, needed support to feed their babies by supplementing at the breast and/or by bottle.

In 2007, 8 years into our stay in the US, I was able to, once again, provide much needed peer to peer support in our community after observing our first grandson struggling at the breast and needing supplemental feedings until he was able to breastfeeding effectively.

In 2011, having acquired the University Level Lactation Education required, I fulfilled a years long dream to write and pass the exam to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I was privileged to establish a private practice in New Hampshire providing home visits. and enjoyed helping hundreds of clients navigate their feeding challenges over the following years until moving back to Canada.

My areas of focused interest and extensive continuing education include the role of oxytocin and other hormones in establishing and supporting milk production, functional breastfeeding, low milk supply and IGT, pumping, flange fitting, oral restrictions (tongue, lip and buccal ties), understanding possible underlying reasons for colic, low supply, poor sleep, difficulty latching and learning more about dysregulation and the effect on infant feeding.

Because of my own background and health care philosophy, I am committed to practicing in a holistic way and collaborating with other healthcare professionals where needed and desired, to help families achieve their ‘sweet spot’ in their feeding experience. I firmly believe in helping families find the tools they need to be able to help themselves and their babies feed happily and comfortably, be that solely at the breast, while supplementing at the breast or chest, supplementing their milk or other milk via bottle, exclusively pumping and bottle feeding, or formula feeding, in a relaxed and comfortable way.

My other interests and experiences include working in plant nurseries and PYO orchards for many years, growing our own organic foods, working as an EMT Basic on our volunteer Fire Department in NH for 7 years, knitting, and reading voraciously on any topic that is currently interesting. Lately, it is the microbiome that piques my curiosity, and the ways that we can influence our wellbeing using mindfulness and visualization.

My husband and I are blessed to be living close to three of our daughters and their families. We have 8 grandchildren in Kelowna and New Hampshire which include breastfed, combination fed and bottle fed babies. We enjoy getting regular hugs, in depth conversations with toddlers through to teens, and an abundance of love at family dinners.

It is an honour to be able to work alongside and with our eldest daughter, Erin, in bringing support and guidance to families in the Kelowna, West Kelowna and Okanagan area. We are committed to meeting families where they are at and supporting their choices for their families as best we can.”

Celina brings over 37 years of breastfeeding and infant feeding support and education to Sweet Sp... Read More

Erin has been working in perinatal care since 2008, when she was introduced to birth work “by accident” and realized she never wanted to do anything else. She worked in Toronto for two years before circumstance took her to rural Nova Scotia, and then to Calgary in 2011. From there, she challenged herself with travel obstetrical nursing as well as urban hospital care, until the birth of her son Elias in 2013. After facing significant breastfeeding challenges and being supported by her IBCLC mom (Celina) and a wonderful IBCLC named Mimi Pendlebury (after whom our “Mimi Fund” is named), she decided to start the educational path to becoming an IBCLC herself. After a few path diversions, Erin completed her IBCLC exam and became certified in 2021. Since then, she has combined IBCLC work with perinatal nursing on the birthing unit in Calgary (staff IBCLC) and the NICU attached to that unit, as well as working with low risk delivering GPs doing post partum followups and consults up to 6 weeks of age. In 2022, Erin and her family relocated back to her province of birth and she is now very excited to be able to provide feeding support to her new community. Erin is a Registered Nurse (BScN.), holds Perinatal Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses’ Association (PNC-C) and maintains current IBCLC certification. She enjoys learning from families’ lived experiences and helping people negotiate their new postpartum challenges with curiosity and compassion. Erin was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 40, and is committed to providing excellence in care and evidence-based information to parents with neurodiversity. When she isn’t at work or consulting, she spends as much time as possible with her immediate and extended family and loves reading, camping, hiking, and being in/on the water. A few years ago, she and her family began fostering cats and kittens, and are hoping to offer that love and care to furry babies here in Kelowna soon!

Erin has been working in perinatal care since 2008, when she was introduced to birth work “by acc... Read More