About Us

 

About Maria

 

Maria Cecilia Lameiro is the mother of three amazing breastfed children.

The most important lessons that Maria has learned have been taught by her family, and she continuously learns something new with the daily interaction with her children (pictured below, back in 2008). Maria is passionate about her job as a childbirth professional and holistic health educator, immensely enjoys empowering families to reach their parenting, birthing, breastfeeding and healthy lifestyle goals through education and support, and truly believes that parenting is defined by each unique family.

 

 

Maria´s role as an International Board Certified and Registered Lactation Consultant, Childbirth Educator,  and Holistic Health Practitioner is different with each family and is defined by you!

Maria's extensive formal experience, training and education

 

Maria has many years of practice as a Childbirth Professional and Lactation Consultant in Europe and Canada since 2004, with over 25 births/year in a variety of settings (home, birth-centre, hospital) and types of birth (natural, water, HypnoBirthing®, home births, VBAC, C-sections, etc.).

 

Under the direct supervision of Dr. Jack Newman at The International Breastfeeding Centre (IBC) and The Newman Breastfeeding Clinic (NBC), Maria has logged more than 1000 hrs. of clinical support working with families experiencing lactation challenges as an intern. She graduated and received her Diploma in Lactation Medicine, and earned the prestigious Jack Newman Award for Clinical Excellence through the rigorous programme at IBC, NBC and CBE (Centre for Breastfeeding Education).  Maria passed the IBLCE board exam and earned the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) designation. After her graduation at IBC, Maria was invited to submit an application to become a resident at NBC, during her residency, Maria continued to work with many breastfeeding families while supervising students and participating in the many academics activities offered at IBC. Maria completed her residency program at NBC @ IBC increasing her knowledge and acquiring advanced clinical skills in lactation and breastfeeding medicine. After successfully completing her residency programme at NBC @ IBC, Maria was offered a staff position at IBC and she has joined the highly skilled team of the prestigious, worldwide renowned Newman Breastfeeding Clinic. Maria Cecilia Lameiro is currently Clinical Practice co-Coordinator at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic, faculty member, pathway 1 and 3 mentor for IBCLC candidates and supervisor at IBC.  

Maria has also obtained a diploma on Applied Nutrition granting her the Certified Holistic Nutritionist Designation (CHN) through the Alive Academy of Natural Health, Diploma in Childbirth Education through Childbirth International, Certified HypnoBirthing® Practitioner through the HypnoBirthing Institute, Certified Labour Doula through Childbirth International, Certified Post-partum Doula through Childbirth International, Certified Breastfeeding Counsellor as a step towards becoming an IBCLC through Childbirth International.   

 

Maria´s personal breastfeeding experience

Maria is pictured left after a breastfeeding session in a shopping mall food court with her first son back in Feb. 2002.  After the birth of her first baby in May, 2001, Maria knew from the start that breastfeeding was going to be her way of giving the proper nutrition and additional benefits to her newborn baby, but had difficulties in getting help.  During several months she wasn't able to get effective help from the regular  sources at the hospital and general medical practitioners.  At this point Maria was very confused as to why such a basic and natural process of feeding her baby, appeared to be so little understood by many doctors and staff in the birthing profession.  It was then that she decided to seek out lactation specialists and met Dr. Newman.  Dr. Jack Newman helped to resolve the main issues with her initial breastfeeding that all previous non-IBCLC practitioners failed to identify and resolve!  Little did Maria know that she would later pursue a professional career in breastfeeding and actually work with Dr. Newman in his Breastfeeding Clinic!

Maria went on to breastfeed her first baby for over 19 months, well into the 3rd month of her second pregnancy.  Her second baby was breastfed for over 28 months (pictured here with dad), again, 4 months into the pregnancy of their third and final baby (pictured left below), who was breastfed for over 24 months.

 

Throughout this time and onwards, Maria continued to learn as much as possible by talking to other breastfeeding mothers, reading studies and specialist books, and eventually embarking on the road to becoming a Doula and HypnoBirthing practitioner with families that were looking for support, experience and knowledge.  Maria also helped mothers and babies in reaching their breastfeeding goals by providing education and support to overcome many of the problems that sometimes make breastfeeding an important challenge for the mother-baby Dyad.  After more than ten years of personal experience, as a Certified Doula and as a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor with many families, in 2012, Maria obtained the rigorous IBCLC certification from IBLCE while also obtaining the Diploma in Lactation Medicine from the Dr. Newman Breastfeeding Clinic at the International Breastfeeding Centre in Toronto. 

 

Education and Training

  •   Natural Nutrition- Clinical Practitioner (NNCP) through the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners (CANNP), April, 2016.
  •  Certified Sports Nutrition Consultant, through the Alive Academy of Natural Health.
  •  Registered Nutritional Counselor (RNC) through The Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners (CEBHCP). March, 2016.
  •  Earned her Diploma in Applied Nutrition Specializing n Sports Fitness, Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN) through the Alive Academy of Natural Health, 2015. 
  • Completion of her Residency programme at The Newman Breastfeeding Clinic at IBC (International Breastfeeding Centre), acquiring advanced clinical skills in Lactation and Breastfeeding Medicine. April, 2014.
  • Herbalism for The Birth Professional, Vintage Remedies, 2013.
  • International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Certified and Registered Lactation Consultant, (IBCLC, RLC) through the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), 2012.
  • Received the Jack Newman Award for demonstrating Clinical Excellence, Dec, 2011.
  • Breastfeeding Support Consultants (BSC) Center For Lactation Education, Lactation Consultant program Graduate. 2011.
  • DONA Trained Labour Doula, 2010.
  • Certified Labour/Post-partum Doula with Childbirth International (CBI), 2009. 
  • Certified Breastfeeding Counselor (CBI) 2009.
  • CAPPA Canada Trained Post-partum Doula, 2008. 

 

Workshops and Conference

  • Canadian Lactation Consultants Association (CLCA) National Breastfeeding Conference Oct. 2-3, 2015 Lactation: Culture, Collaboration, and Communities

  • The Preterm Infant: Nesting, Nurturing and Nutrition At Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, June 2013

  • Postpartum Depression Symposium, London-Ontario, April 2013

  • GOLD conferences: 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, 2015, 2016

  • iLactation conferences: 2012, 2013

  • Biological Nurturing, Suzanne Colson, LLL conference 2011

  • Birth Matters, Ina May Gaskin March 24, 25 2011 
  • Supporting Waterbirth Practice and Evidence Certification Workshop given by Barbara Harper, Founder and Director of Waterbirth International, 2009 
  • Canadian and Spanish/European Red Cross Standard First AID CPR/AED Level HCP Certifications
  • "Breastfeeding Mini Conference" at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic & Institute Centre of Excellence, 2009
  • Attended the CAPPA Canada 5th Annual International Childbirth and Postpartum Conference 14 & 15 Nov, 2008

 

Memberships and Registrations

 

 

               International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners                 Canadian Lactation Consultant Association   

                       Canadian Examining Board