Village Lactation
It Takes A Village
It Takes A Village
Village Lactation was created to serve infants and families, and has a fundamental recognition that "it takes a village" to raise a child. Our families are the ultimate leaders in their care and we are here to assist them with skill, dedication, and humility. Our team respects the autonomy of choice, and thoughtfully cultivates a safe environment for varying cultures and identities. We are privileged to support human milk, the first sacred food, on Treaty 6 territory.
We felt particularly inspired by this beautiful art piece titled "It Takes a Village" created by an Alberta physician reflecting her own journey with providing human milk to her infant. She was unable to breastfeed for medical reasons and instead turned to her community to access donor milk for her son. She created this art piece as a thank you for her donors. The artist can be contacted on her email or you can learn more about her at the link below.
About our Office - St. Albert Medical Clinic
About our Office - St. Albert Medical Clinic
Village Lactation is a Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine clinic located within a Family Medicine office called St. Albert Medical Clinic. Our reception and support staff are fantastic, however they are not trained in lactation care so please be patient with them.
At Village Lactation, we strive to provide inclusive care. We respect our patients of all backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, genders, sexualities, and beliefs. It is our intention to create a safe space for all. Please provide any feedback directly to Dr. Adams or in your intake questionnaire if you feel there are ways we can better accomplish this.
We also expect that families receiving care are respectful to our entire clinic team. Any abusive language or behaviours towards our staff will not be tolerated and may result in a consult request being declined or the abusive patient being discharged from our care.
About our Team
About our Team
Dr. Bailey Adams (She/Her)
MD, CCFP, NABBLM-C, BSc, IBCLC
Dr. Adams is a Family Physician who is Board Certified in Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine and prior to this she also obtained her certification as an IBCLC.
She completed her bilingual undergraduate Baccalauréat en Science, her Medical Degree, and her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Alberta. She values a collaborative, interdisciplinary team approach to providing care. During medical school, she created a documentary about midwifery care & doulas entitled "A Mother is Born" with the Birthing Babies Together team.
She moved to St. Albert in 2018 to join the St. Albert Pregnancy Care and Newborn Clinic that provides pregnancy care & delivery services at the Sturgeon Community Hospital. Her passion to support pregnant individuals and their babies during this crucial stage of their lives inspired her to pursue training in Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Alberta, teaching medical learners in Family Medicine, Maternity Care, and Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine.
She is also founding board member of the North American Board of Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine (NABBLM). NABBLM was founded by a passionate group of seasoned Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Specialists who identify the need to help other physicians practice this specialty by outlining an evidence-based canon of knowledge, scope of practice, and pathway to board certification. Dr. Adams is proud to be one of the inaugural 103 physicians NABBLM-C Board Certified Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine physicians in United States and Canada.
Dr. Adams also practices full spectrum Family Medicine for her patients at St. Albert Medical Clinic. Unfortunately, she is not accepting any new Family Medicine patients. She loves spending time with her husband and her hilarious little girls. She enjoys painting, puzzles, fitness, camping, and spending time with her family outdoors.
Dr. Lauren Eastman (She/Her)
MD, CCFP, BMSc
Dr. Lauren Eastman (She/Her)
MD, CCFP, BMSc
Notice - March 2024 - Dr. Eastman will be taking a parental leave from March 22, 2024 to March 2025. During her time away, existing patients who have been followed by Dr. Eastman will be scheduled for follow ups with Dr. Robertson, her locum physician who is trained in Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine.
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Dr Eastman is a Family Physician who was mentored by Dr. Adams in the field of Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine. She transitioned into independent practice of Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine in July 2022.
She attended the University of Alberta for medical school and family medicine residency and has been providing family medicine care in the Edmonton area since 2017.
Dr. Eastman is also the Assistant Program Director (Urban Stream) for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta. She is passionate about providing high quality education for medical students and residents. She also has an interest in quality improvement in clinical practice and serves our team
Dr. Kaitlin Robertson (She/Her)
MD, CCFP
Born and raised in St. Albert, Dr. Robertson obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta before pursuing her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She went on to complete her residency in Family Medicine in 2016, with additional specialized training in Maternal and Newborn care in 2017. She is passionate about supporting families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, the fourth trimester and beyond. She believes deeply in empowering families with knowledge and confidence in their own skills to feed their little one. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, their two sons and their dog. She is so excited to join the Village team while Dr Eastman is on maternity leave.
Brittney Pederson
BA, IBCLC
Brittney Pederson
BA, IBCLC
Brittney is an experienced International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is a passionate advocate for inclusive, evidence based infant feeding & lactation care. Brittney has been working for 6 years in breastfeeding support with 3 years in an interdisciplinary care model. Brittney joined the Village Lactation team in September 2022 to support our families with focused visits & to increase access to timely care. She also serves families during intake calls to offer suggestions and strategies that may serve them while waiting for their initial consults.
These types of "focused visits" will include:
- Pump fittings, troubleshooting, and support;
- Bottle feeding assistance;
- Latching support;
- Suck training and oral exercises;
- Babywearing support (via her role as a Certified Babywearing Educator)
- Learning a little more about what your baby is telling you.