Bethany has a passion for integrative and functional medicine and works hard to keep abreast of new studies in these areas. Her career path as a nurse and lactation consultant have fostered in her a passion for the importance of both western and alternative medicines. She has a particular interest in holistic medicine including lactation, airway function, hormone regulation an digestive health.
After graduating as a nurse, Bethany worked in hospital and long term care facilities, eventually finding her career calling in primary care. Following the birth of her second child, she trained at the Newman Breastfeeding Institute in Toronto. Before writing her boards, Bethany spend more than 2,000 hours in direct contact with breastfeeding mothers, working closely with them and their families to achieve their personal breastfeeding objectives.
Bethany holds a seat on the Baby Friendly Initiative Committee at the Woolwich Community Health Centre in St. Jacobs, Ontario. She continues to work as a primary care clinical nurse and Telemedine Nurse Coordinator in St. Jacobs; as an IBCLC at Robins' Nest Family Care; and as a private practice IBCLC at Nourishing Foundations Lactation Consulting in Guelph, Ontario. She is currently furthering her education in herbal medicine for women under the tutelage of Dr. Aviva Romm.
hanna hanowski
secretary term 2018-2019
Hanna grew up in northern Saskatchewan. She attended Wascana Institute in Regina and received her certificate for the Medical Dicta-Typist program.
Hanna saw the importance of breastfeeding with the birth of her first child. It was not until her second child was born that she went to her first La Leche League (LLL) meeting. This began her passion for helping mothers and she became an accredited La Leche League leader.
Through volunteering with LLL, she saw the need in the community for more knowledgeable help. This drove her to study for and receive her certificate as an IBCLC in 2011.
She has been a member of the Breastfeeding Committee of Saskatchewan since 2006 and is currently holding the position of secretary.
She has presented at LLL workshops and the Breastfeeding Nature’s Way conference.
Hanna currently works as an IBCLC in private practice in Regina where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Laura Patterson
treasurer INTERIM
It was Laura's own struggles with breastfeeding that
highlighted the need for more support in this area. Her background is in the
pharmaceutical industry where she felt too far removed from the impact she was
making on others Iives to be truly content. The change to her career came
just as Laura was laid off from her job and pregnant with her third child. Like
many others before her, she took him to the breastfeeding clinic while she
obtained her clinical hours. Just like breastfeeding success, she credits the
support of her entire family to reach her goal of becoming an IBCLC.
She sees families at home pre and post natally in the York,
Durham and surrounding areas. She am is staff at the Newman Breastfeeding
Clinic in Toronto Ontario.
Laura has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from Athabasca
University, and a diploma in Science Laboratory Technology from Fanshawe
College.
pamela drynan
communications director Term 2018-2019
Caring for people is something Pamela was born to do. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a mother to nurture her children with love, have an unconditional relationship with them, and grow together. The reality of parenting and all its challenges it what led her to her passion to support other families with infant feeding.
Pamela is a Northern Ontario Canadian, born and raised. She has lived in Timmins, ON for over 20 years now. She studied nursing at Laurentian University, obtaining her degree in 2007, the same year she was blessed with her first son. Pamela balanced work, parenting, and school, which provided her with some “raw” experiences of breastfeeding. She started her career by working in a local hospital, and also various community nursing positions. As long as Pamela was helping people she was happy. However she struggled with balancing work and family due to the shift work schedule. By 2011 Pamela started working with the Growing Healthy Families department at the Porcupine Health Unit. Suddenly she discovered a world of knowledge and skill regarding parenting in the early years that really resonated with her. She was trained in lactation support as well as Early Infant and Child Development; worked with families in their home, facilitated prenatal and parenting classes, and connected with moms at the bedside during immediate the postpartum period. Pamela loved being able to help families during this time period. She had her second son in 2014. Pamela was able to use all that she had been teaching to families with her own baby. However, after struggling again with breastfeeding, despite being trained as a Public Health Nurse in Lactation Support, she decided to become highly skilled in helping families with lactation. When she returned to work, Pamela again balanced work, parenting and education as she ventured to obtain designation as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant by 2016. Pamela is grateful to have specialized skills and knowledge to really help families as they bring their babies into this world.
Pamela is also involved with the program planning, development, implementation, and evaluation in our community in regards to infant feeding services. Another favourite part of her profession is being a Lactation Educator to other Health Care Professionals in the community. Pamela is a Baby-Friendly Initiative 20 hrs Course facilitator, as well as a Breastfeeding Peer Support Educator. Being able to share the knowledge of lactation support is her other passion! Sharing and caring, that’s her life.
Raha Afshariani
education director
term 2019-2020
Raha is an internationally trained medical doctor who graduated from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Iran) with a pediatrics specialty degree. She worked at Shiraz University for a duration of 12 years as a lecturer and coordinator of breastfeeding workshops.
Raha follows integrative thinking as her methodology and pedagogy, she believes that making decisions in a difficult condition brings innovation and creativity. With the respect of connecting mother earth and meditation, Raha uses the spiritual aspects of breastfeeding when consulting.
As an IBCLC she follows her love and passion to be an advocate of community-based breastfeeding promotion for the sake of nursing mothers and their babies. Through an advanced lactation training program, Raha has been awarded the right to use the title of Advanced Lactation Consultant (ALC) by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice of the USA since 2011. She has also done some research activities related to breastfeeding.
Raha moved to Canada in 2012 and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. She founded a breastfeeding corporation named R and R consulting. R and R consulting guides and educates families, with emphasis on both maternal and paternal roles, on achieving successful breastfeeding practices.
Throughout her career Raha has been well known for enthusiastically dedicating herself to her job while paying special attention to codes of ethics. Her innovative teaching has always been a merit that has benefited both students and the educational system.
Jandy Beresford
Chapters Director
term 2019-2020
Like many lactation consultants, it was Jandy’s own struggles with her first child that inspired her to become an IBCLC. Jandy began attending a mother to mother support group when her oldest was one week old. She continued attending through her second pregnancy and while she continued nursing her second child. 5 years later, when she began the observation period to become an IBCLC, she stopped. It was the mothers in that group and the IBCLC that ran it that helped her develop her passion from breastfeeding and helping mother reach their individual breastfeeding goals. In 2014 Jandy began the program at the International Breastfeeding Centre and in 2017 she wrote the exam and certified as an IBCLC.
Jandy now has a growing private practice in Durham Region and surrounding areas, she works frequently at the International Breastfeeding Centre helping mothers from all over Ontario, Canada and around the world who come from help there. Jandy also works with the team at Barefoot Health in Ajax. She is also a Babywearing Educator and loves to help parents find the carrier that best fits their family’s needs.
Jandy is active in her local community helping plan National and World Breastfeeding week events and is an active member of the Durham Breastfeeding Coalition serving as the chair from 2012 to 2018.
She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Social Science in Leisure Studies.
Jandy grew up in Toronto and now lives in Ajax, Ontario with her husband, their 3 children and their dog.
bethany heintz
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Jandy Beresford
