About Sonya
PHOTO BY IMA ORTEGA | PICTURE PLUS
Sonya has an eclectic resume focused on mothers and infants. This has ranged including direct work with parents such as teaching prenatal, providing labour support as a doula, nursing in the Yukon including labour and delivery, nursing at Ottawa Public Health, starting and coordinating a breastfeeding peer support program, opening and running a breastfeeding drop-in clinic, and lactation consulting in independent practice.
It also includes many knowledge translation activities for health care professionals such as research and writing, developing and facilitating professional workshops, initiating new projects, coaching health care organizations, and leading collaborative teams. She has also enjoyed many opportunities as both a conference and webinar speaker. While earning her Master of Science in Nursing she led a hand expression quality improvement project at a large multi-site teaching hospital. Sonya is honoured to have worked with so many new parents as well as health care professionals and continues to be fascinated by this field and finding ways she can support evidence-based care.
Experience Highlights:
Vast experience with mothers and infants in the following roles and settings: prenatal educator, nurse in labour and delivery in Yukon and as a DONA Certified Doula in Ontario, postpartum nurse in Public Health in the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program, and independently provided postpartum care and lactation support.
Educator for physicians, nurses, dietitians, midwives, RPN students, PSW students.
Knowledge translator via webinars, conferences, workshops, website, and written resources. See the Healthcare Professional pages on this website for more information. Conference and webinar presenter from local and provincial to national and international.
Health Promotion Consultant with Provincial Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) Strategy for Ontario (2014-2019) working with healthcare professionals and organizations throughout the province:
Tailored coaching strategies for healthcare organizations that led to enhanced practice.
Co-developed and facilitated four different workshops province-wide.
Developed high-profile infant healthcare resources such as a Baby-Friendly infant formula feeding document found here.
Led healthcare stakeholders on multiple projects such as development of breastfeeding protocols using a rigorous methodology with a team from seven healthcare organizations.
Collaborator on multiple projects such as 1), developed a bilingual, searchable database used internationally www.breastfeedingresourcesontario.ca, and 2) as Champlain Maternal Newborn Regional Program (CMNRP) work group chair developed Healthcare Provider Breastfeeding Key Messages toolkit found here.
Independent practice since 2003 (doula, lactation consultant, prenatal educator).
Public Health Nurse with Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) for over 12 years. Within HBHC developed and coordinated a breastfeeding peer support project; led a team of 34 volunteers.
Registered Nurse in medicine, surgery, emergency, in city, and in the Yukon.
Bringing evidence into practice, and helping you meet your goals. These are our overarching considerations.
Additional Contributions:
CMNRP Breastfeeding Promotion Committee (ongoing). Active committee member. Currently also sit on a supplementation work group. Past work group chair.
Ottawa Valley Lactation Consultants (OVLC) (ongoing). Since 2001. Some roles: speaker, invited facilitator OVLC Education Day (2019 & 2020), conference master of ceremonies, chaired and organized monthly meetings.
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) (2018). Invited stakeholder reviewer for Breastfeeding Best Practice Guideline.
Independent (2013-2015). Led development of a citywide website, www.ottawabreastfeeds.ca
Education
Master of Science in Nursing, University of Ottawa (2013).
Bachelor of Nursing, University of New Brunswick.
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Certification & Recerts (2003, 2008, 2013, 2018).
Intermediate French.