Sonya Boersma

Sonya practices independently and is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and a Registered Nurse with vast experience in all areas of perinatal care. Sonya is sharing our space with us and is available on Fridays at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre. She also sees clients in their homes and at her west end clinic. More information about Sonya as well as bookings are available here. www.lactationcare.ca

Disclosure of financial gain: If you see Sonya in our space then MA.P. Physiotherapy will financially gain through rental fees for the space.

I’m Sonya, the person behind Lactation Care. It was only a few years into my nursing career that I became passionate about supporting parents with birth and breastfeeding. It’s so important to get started with confidence and with evidence-based care. That’s why I learned a lot about normal birth and used this information when teaching prenatal classes, being a birth doula, and helping with births, prenatal, and postnatal care when working in Yukon.

Becoming a breastfeeding expert decades ago, required 2000 hours of experience. To make this happen I wore a few hats, including as a public health nurse. I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2003 and have met criteria for this credential ever since. The experience I gained as an RN combined with being an IBCLC gives me great insight into what families have and are experiencing. That, and I’m a mother of three previously breastfed sons.

To share the message about evidence-based practice around ALL of infant feeding, I have had the privilege to work on a provincial team, to sit for more years than I can count on a regional breastfeeding promotion committee, and to speak at conferences nationally and internationally. And fun detail, I wrote the provincial guide on infant formula, now adapted in 3 other provinces.

With babies, I’ve become particularly interested in tongue tie, body issues that may contribute to feeding or behaviour challenges (think tense, frequently upset babies), and preventing milk supply issues. From a preventative point of view, I’ve developed a prenatal breastfeeding course with all the information I wish parents knew before birth to help set themselves up for more success. That said, even then things can go sideways and people like myself are around to help right things.

When not working or spending time with my older children, I am probably cross-country skiing, cycling, canoe tripping, or hiking.