Speakers

Her expertise in waterbirth and gentle, undisturbed birth is widely sought in all areas of the globe. She has lectured in 35 countries, including many medical schools, nursing schools, midwifery programs and university women’s studies departments. Barbara has been interviewed by hundreds of newspapers and magazines and has appeared on dozens of radio and TV shows to talk about her work with waterbirth and gentle birth. Her research and experiences resulted in the publication of Gentle Birth Choices book and DVD. She also produced Birth Into Being: The Russian Waterbirth Experience in cooperation with Alexi and Tatiana Sargunas in 2000, after traveling many times back to Russia. Midwives and parents alike have called her video programs "the most inspiring birth videos ever produced." Single with three children, Barbara has dedicated her life to helping heal the way we welcome babies into the world. Her two youngest sons were born at home in water. Her daughter, Beth, the oldest, was born in a typical 1970s style hospital birth. Barbara and her children have lived in Wilsonville, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, for the past 16 years where she has been active in the community, including Boy Scouts and church. Barbara is the founder of Waterbirth International.

Dr. Bergman graduated at the University of Cape Town, and has worked in South Africa, Ciskei and, Sweden, before working seven years as Medical Superintendent and District Medical Officer at Manama Mission, Zimbabwe. Here he, together with Midwife Agneta Jurisoo, developed and implemented Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for premature infants right from birth. This resulted in a five-fold improvement in survival of Very Low Birth Weight babies. He introduced KMC to South Africa in 1995, and after 5 years, KMC became official for care of premature babies in the hospitals of the Western Cape province. He has given keynote addresses on KMC at International Conferences in six continents, and published articles on a variety of subjects in medical journals. He continues to research and promote KMC. Apart from his original degree, he holds a Diploma in Child Health, a Masters degree in Public Health, and a Doctoral degree in Clinical Pharmacology, on the effects of scorpion stings.

Teresa has been a La Leche League Leader for 30 years, and was Executive Director of La Leche League Canada from 2004 to 2007. She is also a childbirth educator and a doula. Teresa has more than a thousand published articles, most on parenting, breastfeeding, and related topics. She is a regular contributor to Today's Parent magazine. Teresa is the author or co-author of twelve books, including Dr. Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding (now in 3rd edition), and The Latch and Other Keys to Breastfeeding Success. Teresa is a frequent speaker at conferences in Canada, the US and, recently, New Zealand. Most importantly, she is the mother of four breastfed children, and grandmother of three (also all breastfed).

Jacki developed a passionate interest in breastfeeding and attachment parenting with the birth of her two children. Her passion for supporting breastfeeding families lead her to become a La Leche League Leader, an ASPO/Lamaze childbirth educator and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She has spoken nationally and internationally, has been a member of the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, the Alberta Breastfeeding Network and a board member for the Canadian Lactation Consultants Association and the International Lactation Consultant Association. She established a unique breastfeeding support service southern Alberta in 1988 and worked for the Chinook Health Region in that capacity until 2003 when she became an instructor for the Nursing Education in Southwestern Alberta program. Jacki is indebted to all the mothers she has had the privilege to work with. Those experiences added to her knowledge and fuelled her passion to continue to play a role in creating baby friendly communities.

Arie is a Lactation Educator (LE), La Leche League Leader, Certified Babywearing Instructor & co-owner of a retail store. She specializes in using babywearing to improve breastfeeding outcomes. Arie consults extensively with health care professionals & community support workers to incorporate breastfeeding & babywearing into public health strategies. She speaks at conferences & leads workshops for parents & professionals across Alberta. Her work has appeared in Today's Parent & Birth Issues magazine. She has 3 young children, all of whom were breastfed & carried.

Mary Siever is a natural family planning teacher, along with her husband Kim, certified in the sympto-thermal method. Mary has been married to her husband Kim since 1995. They are the parents of 4 children, all born unassisted at home. She is certified in Nutritional Consulting and teaches classes in that, as well as in childbirth education in her spare time when she is not homeschooling. The Siever family lives in Lethbridge Alberta and try to practice a healthy, natural family lifestyle and to raise their children in this way.

Nicole is an experienced midwife and a loving mother of 2. She is a graduate of the Ryerson University Midwifery Education Program, and is an experienced prenatal educator and breastfeeding specialist. Prior to becoming a midwife Nicole worked as a Community Health Worker for over 10 years with the Regent Park Community Health Centre located in Toronto. Her work focused on working with families around issues of housing, food and income access. Midwifery became a natural extension of her desire to work with women, respect their voice and choices and work in the health care field. Nicole spent some time practicing Midwifery in Toronto and has been practicing in Vancouver since her move in 2005. She currently holds privileges at BC Women's Hospital and also has privileges at St. Paul's Health Centre in downtown Vancouver. Nicole is co-owner of Bloom Community Midwives in Vancouver.

Elaine Montgomery began her association with the Calgary General Hospital in the early 1960’s. She was a home care nurse with the Victorian Order of Nurses who visited discharged patients to arrange for their continuing care at home. After her daughter, Kathy, was born in 1968 she began teaching Childbirth Education classes at CGH. Eventually she coordinated a program of 16 classes per week and also was the Canadian Director of the International Childbirth Education Association. When the CGH maternity program moved to the Peter Lougheed Centre in 1988 Elaine was employed full time on the Labour and Delivery ward. She became a nurse clinician and then worked casual on the unit. Fourteen years ago Elaine also began assisting new mothers as a doula. She spearheaded the Volunteer doula program at PLC which used volunteers to assist new families. Elaine regularly teaches doula programs in Calgary and Edmonton and has taught classes from Victoria to Ottawa. She also teaches labour support classes in small hospitals through the Southern Alberta Perinatal Outreach program. Elaine says that assisting birthing families as a doula is her retirement project which she plans to pursue for many years.