Excited? Anxious?
Or Both?

Crystal is a Midwife who brings a wealth of experience to The Baby Academy with almost a decade of Midwifery in Canada. As a busy mother of three, she has supported labouring people in and out of hospital settings, with a huge passion for Childbirth Education. Crystal loves to travel and has also volunteered in Maternity Hospitals in rural India and Tanzania.

Alexia is a Registered Midwife practicing extended scope Midwifery in a busy and diverse Canadian community. She has supported hundreds of families through birth in both home and hospital settings. Alexia has had the pleasure of supporting Inuit midwives in an extremely remote community in Northern Canada by providing locum midwifery care for up to 6 weeks at a time. Alexia is passionate about improving health literacy and informed decision-making for under-resourced community members with a strong focus on individuals who identify within the Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities. She is also an ongoing preceptor and mentor for midwifery students with the Midwifery Educational Program.

Hayley is a Senior Midwife and was the first instructor to join The Baby Academy in Canada. Hayley brings a wealth of experience to The Baby Academy, having graduated ‘summa cum laude’ from McMaster University, and has gone on to working with marginalized and under-served communities. She helped to develop a First Nations Health Initiative and has a particular passion for supporting LGBTQ+ families as they navigate the unique challenges of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. She is honoured to support and guide birthing families as they seize the many opportunities for empowerment and growth throughout the childbearing year.

Sarahanna graduated with honors from the Midwifery Science program and has been a Registered Midwife in Canada since 2011. She has practiced as a Midwife in both Urban and Rural areas in Canada and has also volunteered internationally in Guatemala and Haiti. As Sarahanna is the mom of 2 lovely children, she understands the challenges of becoming a new parent. Sarahanna enjoys educating and caring for families throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Ildiko is a registered Midwife practicing full scope midwifery in a busy urban centre as well as being a devoted mom to her gorgeous children. She is extremely passionate about the development of inclusive public health policy that ensures equitable access to all facets of reproductive care. Ildiko works mostly with new immigrant, refugee and uninsured populations, and enjoys teaching as a childbirth educator and preceptor with the Midwifery Education Program. With recent experience as both the postpartum/newborn follow-up clinic co-ordinator and COVID-19 practice lead at an integrated, multi-disciplinary clinic, Ildiko brings a wealth of knowledge to her classes at The Baby Academy.

Susie grew up hearing about her mother’s wonderful birthing experiences with Midwives. She developed a passion for empowering people to take steps towards the birth experience they desire. She has been practising for many years, in small communities and bigger cities and even had the opportunity to consult in the Arctic supporting Inuit midwives in their important work. She enjoys caring for clients and teaching students, and is delighted to work with The Baby Academy to educate people on their pregnancy and parenting journeys.

Mandy has been a midwife for over a decade, working in both urban and rural settings along with amazing experiences in Ethiopia and Nunavik. Mandy has served on the Provincial Council of Maternal and Child Network, BORN Ontario Advisory Commitee, Newborn Screen Advisory Committee, Treasurer of the Association of Ontario Midwives and Head Midwife. Before becoming a midwife, Mandy completed a BSc in Biology and Theatre and became a DONA certified birth and postpartum doula. Mandy is passionate about informed choice for pregnant people and promoting the midwifery profession through interprofessional collaboration. Mandy is proud to be the mother two beautiful children, both caught by midwives at home and hospital.

Maha is a Registered Midwife practicing full-scope in a diverse community. Maha provides prenatal and postpartum care in the community, and intrapartum care wherever her clients choose to birth – whether that be at home, hospital, or birth centre. In addition to English, Maha is fluent in Urdu/Hindi and American Sign Language, and has an educational background in linguistics and languages, with a particular focus on language acquisition in utero. Maha is committed to making midwifery more accessible to ethnically and linguistically diverse communities and currently serves on various provincial and national associations whose aim is to make midwifery care more inclusive. Maha currently serves on the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) Conference Committee, and is a founding member of the Canadian Alliance of Racialized Midwives (CARM).

Niki is a Registered Nurse, Childbirth Educator, and Health & Wellness Coach for pregnant and postpartum women. She has over two decades of experience working in various maternal-child settings, such as labor & delivery, postpartum units, maternity clinics, and Public Health programs. Niki is passionate about bringing forth evidence-based education to expecting families and is fiercely committed to educating families about Perinatal Mental Health and how to navigate the transition to parenthood. She is currently working through her Perinatal Mental Health Certification. Along with being an RN, Childbirth Educator, and Coach, Niki is also a Mom of two daughters in high school and university.

Pam has been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for over 10 years. She works in private practice and appreciates the highly personalized support it allows. She has also been a Certified Birth Doula for 15 years. Pam adores the beautiful work of assisting families as they begin their journey with their precious new baby! Although she is quite busy she can always find time to help her clients as she understands the need for support when facing challenges. Pam truly loves empowering families by providing them with the latest evidence-based information about birth and breastfeeding. She has a wonderfully full home life with a fabulous husband and six awesome children.

Caitlin has been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for many years helping thousands of families achieve their breastfeeding goals. Through the pregnancy and post-partum journey with her first baby, she became interested in maternal health and helping parents with their infant feeding goals. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. Caitlin has applied her knowledge of breastfeeding and education through the development and instruction of breastfeeding courses at the post-secondary level. She is passionate about supporting families in their individual infant feeding goals and increasing the educational foundation of breastfeeding among health care professionals. Caitlin is a busy mother of five and often likes to explore the great outdoors.

Samantha is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) as well as a Nurse. Since 2013, she has worked in the postpartum unit of a busy hospital, taking care of new moms and babies. Samantha overcame her own breastfeeding challenges with her first baby, with the help of a supportive Lactation Consultant. After seeing how impactful good help can be with breastfeeding issues, she furthered her education and wrote the IBCLC board exam. Since becoming a Lactation Consultant she has started a private practice and provides breastfeeding support for new parents from the comfort of their own home. When she isn’t providing breastfeeding support, Samantha loves spending time with her husband and two children.

Hayley is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Baby Sleep Specialist and Instructor at Mohawk College where she teaches Advanced Breastfeeding to professionals.

Her mission is to support individual feeding goals in a supportive and understanding environment, where we support natural development while building lasting connections. Hayley believes every parent deserves the knowledge and expertise to make the very best decisions for their children. Every. Single. One.

Roshena is a Registered Nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant with 15 years of experience in the realm of maternal child health. Her experience in the clinical setting, combined with teaching in the university setting, has given her a wealth of experience in many aspects of maternal and newborn care. As a mom of two, Roshena also brings valuable real-life experience and understands the various successes and challenges that come with parenthood.

She is passionate about empowering families by utilizing the most up-to-date evidence-based information in a supportive environment. She truly believes that parent education is imperative in one of life’s most vulnerable moments, and bringing evidence into practice helps parents to establish and fulfil their goals. Roshena is excited to work with you in our classes in hopes of leaving you feeling confident and well prepared for your exciting journey ahead.

Kaila is a mom to an energetic toddler and has been a registered nurse for 10 years, spending her career specializing in pediatrics. She has gone from working in a busy Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to rural hospitals in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Emergency Room. Kaila is passionate about teaching both families and medical staff about the pediatric population and their health. She strongly believes that all care should be “Family Centered”. Her goal is for families to have a sense of ease and comfort in the home; empowering them while reducing anxiety – allowing for more time spent enjoying those precious moments and all the “firsts” that come along in those early years.

Amie graduated from the University of Calgary in 2010 with her Bachelor of Nursing. Since graduating, she has worked as a Registered Nurse with a specialized population in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Amie enjoys the challenges that the NICU brings forth but she really finds joy in parent education and the Family Centered Care aspect. She has a strong passion for encouraging families to gain the confidence to safely care for their new baby. Amie is Neonatal Resuscitation certified as well as certified in Basic Life Support at the Health Care Professional Level. As a Mom of two little girls, Amie knows the fears that parenthood can generate but also all the happiness and love that it can bring to your life. Amie is excited to be your Baby Safety instructor and hopes to enhance your confidence in baby safety, enabling you to focus on making memories and enjoying your new baby with fewer worries.

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Sue is co-founder of The Baby Academy, Midwife, Childbirth Instructor and a busy Mom of two. With over 15 years’ experience Sue has worked in all areas of Midwifery such as Birthing Suite, Antenatal wards, Postnatal wards and currently manages The Antenatal Education Department in a large Maternity Hospital.

Melanie is a Naturopathic Doctor and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She focuses on supporting families from pregnancy and throughout their breastfeeding journey with prenatal education and hands-on lactation support (from newborn to weaning).

She began working with breastfeeding families after her challenging start to motherhood. She is passionate about supporting families with their individual breastfeeding goals and believes that prenatal education and early hands-on support can allow for a smooth transition into breastfeeding.
Melanie is also a busy mom to 2 amazing kids and enjoys gardening and exploring the outdoors with her family and puppy.