Hello! Thank you for taking a moment to get to know me better and trusting me to be a part of your family's journey! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Isabella - a wife, a mama to two, with one on the way, a Certified Nutrition Consultant (CNC), and a Certified Pediatric Sensitive Sleep Consultant (CPSSC). 

My path to becoming a CNC and CPSSC was a winding one. I come from the field of Obstetrics, where I worked as a Midwife for seven years, first as a student while I pursued a Bachelor of Midwifery Degree through Mount Royal University, and then as a Registered Midwife, during which time I worked in Edmonton, AB and owned a community practice. Catching babies is a true joy, but as I became a mama myself, I found that being a midwife didn't align with my new priorities (and schedule)! While on maternity leave, our sweet baby who had seemingly consolidated her sleep - without any effort on our part - in her early months, suddenly was waking up hourly overnight. At first I assumed it had to be a regression... right? And then, maybe a really long regression...? Until I came to accept this was the new norm, and at the time I had no idea it was due to habits we had created, that were working against her natural ability to sleep independently. Normally one to research ad nauseam, I hadn't spent much time looking into baby sleep leading up to becoming a mama for two reasons. Firstly, I was already very well versed in normal newborn sleep as a Midwife, and so I felt prepared in this way (and naively thought that the next sleep stages would roll out from there, without issue). Secondly, I wrongfully assumed (as many do) that anything I could read about sleep training would involve harsh, traditional methods that involved crying and forcing my baby to sleep in a way that she wasn't developmentally ready for. As attachment parents, my husband and I knew that that just wouldn't work for us. After several months of very little sleep, I started to dabble in researching why our daughter was waking so often, in hopes of finding some alternative way forward. What I discovered were glimpses into gentle, supportive methods with little info that would help me implement these methods in our own unique situation. Along the way, I stumbled upon the idea of pursuing formal education on the topic. As a past Registered Midwife, I've long been passionate about working with growing families, and building connections, as well as offering sensitive, holistic, and individualized care. Between my own personal experience, my educational background, and experience in the field of maternity care, Sleep Consulting became a natural fit for me. 

After much consideration, I opted to certify through a globally recognized and accredited institute that is unique in it's model of teaching sleep training with a strong focus on preserving attachment bonds within families, and exclusively using gentle, supportive methods. I was drawn to this program also because it's one of the most extensive and comprehensive programs of its kind, taking approximately 6 months to complete, and comprising not only of coursework, but a final exam and a supervised practicum as well. I knew that if I would be offering this service to you, I wanted to be equipped to make an impactful difference for your family!

After gently supporting our own sweet girl to greater sleep, our household began getting much more rest. Maybe more importantly, I feel good knowing that we've set up our daughter with a foundation of healthy sleep habits, which I now know has important impacts on lifelong sleep quality, emotional well-being and physical health. It would be my honour to get to make these changes for your family as well!

After a couple beautiful years supporting families in sleep, we welcomed our second precious baby into our family. Second babies are a real joy, as you’ve been through it all once already, and are armed with knowledge that you didn’t have the first time. With that being said, nothing can prepare you for the great differences your second baby may have from your first. In our case, our second child had a difficult time with the introduction of solids. Around the same time, our firstborn - who has always loved a wide variety of nutritious foods, and been a generally easy eater - began to struggle with constipation. These two challenges paired with my own personal interest for ancestral eating, and a rejection of the convenience foods that fill much of our diets these days - a budding passion for nutrition began to grow.

Around this time I started canning, growing a vegetable garden, milling our own grains and making numerous swaps in our pantry and refrigerator. From here, it seemed like a natural progression to become educated to offer nutrition consulting to my client base. Food is the fuel that enables our bodies to work in an optimized state. As parents, we all strongly desire to set our children up with the foundational nutrition to support their bodies to grow and function in an optimized state, as well.

From the time of conception, the foods mothers consume play an important role in this foundation. The first couple years of solid foods are also absolutely paramount in setting up your children for nutritional success for years to come. The problem? When were marketed processed formula powders, cutesy baby snacks, and cereal powders, all loaded with seed oils, preservatives and artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners, while lacking bio-available nutrients, as the ideal first foods, it can be very difficult to uncover the truth about what a baby should truly be eating. The good news - you don’t have to figure it out on your own! After almost a year of rigorous education through the renowned OH BABY school of nutrition, I am equipped to offer support in determining the optimal foods for your little one, while helping to navigate allergens, eczema, constipation, and the like.

When I'm not working on helping your little one's reach sleep goals, supporting your journey to conception through holistic nutrition, or educating you on the optimal choices to make when starting solids, and navigating the challenges that arise when transitioning from milk to solids, you can find me soaking up precious family moments, strolling small towns in the Rocky Mountains, baking with fresh milled flour, tending to our flock of laying hens, or with a coffee and embroidery project in hand!