Lactation Consultants
Prenatal Lactation Consult
Why have a prenatal lactation consult?
Many people struggle with common issues such as nipple pain, low milk supply or oversupply. Meeting prenatally can help you avoid some of the common mistakes people make, and set you up for success. Some prenatal classes include a short section on feeding your baby (which is fantastic!), but this often doesn’t cater to your specific plans or needs.
Who would benefit from a prenatal lactation consult?
Anyone planning to either exclusively or partially provide their baby with human milk!
What to expect at the visit?
Visits for BC residents are covered under MSP.
We can meet virtually or in your home.
The visit will last approximately one hour: we will discuss the physiology of milk production. We discuss “green flags” that could help reassure you about your infant feeding journey, or things that might alert us to potential challenges AND how to address those. I will provide you with recommendations about how to set yourself up for success, and answer any questions you have!
Postpartum Lactation Consult
0-6 Weeks
Why see a lactation consultant?
If you are struggling with nipple pain, breast pain, low milk supply, oversupply, low weight gain in baby, or difficulty reading your baby’s cues a lactation consult would be supportive. This is also appropriate for families that have had a good start to their feeding journey, but want to make some adjustments to support other members of the family feeding the baby in order to facilitate more rest for the birthing parent or simply due to personal choice.
What to expect at the visit?
Visits for BC residents are covered under MSP.
We can meet virtually, at Victoria General Hospital or in your home.
The visit will last approximately one to two hours and will consist of a physical assessment of both birther and baby; a discussion about your feeding goals; discussion about any feeding difficulties that you would like to address; and a written feeding plan for you moving forward if applicable.
Your Infant Feeding Support Team
Ella Anvari
she/her
Registered Midwife
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Emily Baxter
she/her
Registered Midwife
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Ams Sweiger
they/them
Registered Midwife
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Ella Anvari
Registered Midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
she/her
I have always been passionate about supporting families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. I started out as a doula in 2014 and worked for a year before starting midwifery school at McMaster University. Though I enjoyed doula work, I felt that I would have more impact as a primary care provider. After graduating in 2019, I worked in the Abbotsford Mission area. I enjoyed working with families in urban and rural settings.
I also went on to have two children of my own who are now three and one years old. After my own postpartum experiences, I felt drawn to becoming a lactation consultant and focusing my work more on that period. The first week postpartum is such a hugely transformative time and the support that midwives offer is very valuable and unique. I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and enjoy helping families with infant feeding support as well as general postpartum care.
When I am not working, you will find me with my family, likely at a coffee shop or doing something outdoors. We love Victoria and feel very lucky to call it home. I look forward to supporting you on your parenthood journey.
Emily Baxter
Registered Midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
she/her
My name is Emily and I am a mother to three amazing children.
I am a Registered Midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant providing care to families in Victoria and surrounding areas. With gratitude, I am living in Colwood British Columbia; a second-generation settler residing on the traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lekwungen (Songhees) ancestors and families.
I discovered the incredible power of birthing people and my passion for this line of work while volunteering in Uganda in 2005. Following this experience, I worked as a birth and postpartum doula for 15 years. I gained so much experience as a non-clinical support person providing emotional and physical support to birthing families and with infant feeding challenges. I decided that providing clinical care for families was important to me, and pursued my Bachelor in Midwifery through UBC. After becoming a Registered Midwife, I spent the first years of my career in Vancouver at BC Women’s and St Paul’s Hospital, before coming back home to the island.
I am honoured to serve families with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Our practice is inclusive and provides catered care for Indigenous families; queer families; newcomers to Canada; solo parent families; surrogate birthers and more.
I love working in the midwifery model because it allows us to spend time bringing clinical care and a holistic approach to the support we provide, catering to a family’s specific needs.
Outside of midwifery I enjoy spending time outdoors enjoying the beach; cold dipping year-round; hiking through the beautiful trails; camping with my kids and tending to my garden.
Ams Sweiger
Registered Midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, MA
they/them
Hello, my name is Ams (they/them), & I am a first generation settler with German roots.
I am humbled to be able to live and care for parents and babies on the territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ people, in Esquimalt and Victoria.
I am a Registered Midwife originally from Ontario and have worked throughout my training and career in busy downtown Toronto, territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Mississauga of the Credit River.
Before Midwifery I was a counsellor and a front line harm reduction worker. Harm reduction is a core part of my practice still as a midwife and true harm reduction means prioritizing informed choice free from judgement about you healthcare.
As a queer and non-binary midwife I hope to provide safer, respectful, and welcoming spaces for other queer and trans people choosing to have children. This call deepened as my chosen families began growing. Midwifery is an especially community based and client centered approach to reproductive health care and it called out to me as a way to provide evidence based care in a supportive and liberatory framework. Midwifery has been all this and more.
I’m am also a International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and am deeply passionate about lactation and feeding support. I look forward to hearing and supporting any of your feeding goals for your babies.
When I’m not at work you’ll find me beach combing for sea creatures, hiking, or trying to garden.
Jessica Ross-Howkins
Registered Midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
she/her
My name is Jessica (she/her) and I am delighted to join the team at Earthside Birth as a Registered Midwife and Lactation Consultant.
I am a settler of scottish and western-european ancestry, and I am privileged and grateful to work on the traditional and unceded territories of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt), and Lekwungen (Songhees) peoples. After completing my degree through UBC Midwifery,
I had the pleasure of working in the West End of Vancouver on a francophone midwifery team and I will have spent the last year in northern BC, caring for families in Prince George and its surrounding communities.What I love most about being a midwife is supporting each person’s unique experience of their pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum period. I strive to provide care that is individualized, family-centred, and trauma-informed.
My hope is that by meeting people where they’re at, I can empower clients to be active participants in their care. I believe in the transformative power of birth. There is nothing quite like witnessing a client summon all their love and strength to bring their baby into this world. I am honoured to help safeguard this process.Thank you for choosing Earthside Birth, I look forward to meeting you and being part of your parenting journey!