About Us

About BellaVida

We are changing the way prenatal, postpartum & breastfeeding support and education is delivered in Kingston!

Bella Vida has is a team of nurses, lactation consultants (and most importantly moms) who saw a need for support & education on childbirth and breastfeeding in our community. Services include prenatal classes, new dad classes, sibling prep classes, dad classes and breastfeeding classes as well as lactation consults from our very own International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Our mission is to provide mothers, fathers, infants & families non-biased and evidence-based information they need to be empowered and educated before, during and following the birth of their babies. We want to help you make the informed choices that suit YOUR family’s unique and individual needs, from home birth, to hospital birth; from natural methods of pain relief to other pharmaceutical methods such as epidurals.

About Karin

KARIN FISHER, RN, BScN

Karin has been fascinated by the beauty of birth and perinatal families since she was very young. She is a perinatal nurse with years of experience working both in a hospital setting in postpartum, NICU, paediatrics and labor and delivery, and in a primary care setting working in the community with pregnant women and young families. Karin got her Bachelor of Nursing Science degree at Queens University, initially as an avenue to go on to medicine and study obstetrics. Once immersed in nursing, she discovered midwifery care, and felt that it was a level of care and support all women deserved to have. This lead to her taking the Midwifery education program at Mcmaster University, where she is currently on leave as she raises her three beautiful children. For the last four years, Karin has taught University nursing students and young nurses how to care for postpartum families, and found a niche in educating about well pregnancy care, breastfeeding and wellness and support to the postpartum and adoptive family.

She is the mother of three young children, two of which were born with midwifery care, but with very different birth experiences for each. Karin has worked extensively at several breastfeeding clinics across the province, and cumulatively breastfed her own children for over two years( and counting) including breastfeeding her adopted child.

She truly believes that it takes a village to raise a child, and all Kingston families deserve the highest level of support and care that begins when a child is expected, but continues into the so often forgotten postpartum period. Whether you are expecting a biological child, or expecting a blessing born in your heart through adoption, Karin wants to help guide you and support you in beginning this beautiful journey to the start of life.

About Keri

Keri-Ann Berga, RN, BScN, IBCLC

My passion in nursing has always been within the realm of perinatal care – particularly within breastfeeding, labour & delivery, postpartum and neonatalogy. I first attended St. Lawrence College and graduated with an RN diploma, with distinction. Soon after, I knew there was much more to learn in my field. With my own very young family, I began to pursue my nursing degree from the University of Ottawa on a part-time basis and graduated in 2009 with a BScN, Summa cum Laude distinction, with a perinatal concentration.

I have worked clinically in the NICU, postpartum, paediatrics and surgery. Within the past few years, I began a very rewarding career at Belleville General Hospital as a Clinical Nurse Educator for their maternal-child program. In July 2010, I wrote the International Board of Lactation Consultants Examination & received notification of the successful completion of the exam in October 2010. I’m also currently pursuing a MScN degree from the University of Ottawa on a part-time basis and plan to once again continue research within the realm of supporting new moms & breastfeeding. I am also currently enrolled in the CAPPA Childbirth Educator Program (CBE). SO, as you can probably guess, I truly love to work with new moms. As a mom of 3 young boys (who cumulatively were breastfed for over 3 years!) I personally and professionally realize how much support is vital for new families. My goal is to provide support, home visits, education, resources and referrals to appropriate services. I truly wish that I had the type of services that Bella Vida offers when I had my children, and this is what has inspired me to offer this support to others. Empowerment is the greatest gift we can give to new families – we need to know what choices are available, and how to navigate through the journey to parenthood. It’s not always easy, but with a helping hand and a little guidance we can all support each other.

In Kingston and area, I’m proud that we now have Bella Vida to complement the services in our community. Resources such as Bella Vida, KFL&A Public Health, local midwives, physicians, obstetricians, family health teams, child birth organizations are here to help YOU when you need it most.

My goal and vision for this site and the services Bella Vida provides is to assist you in finding the unique care & support that ALL moms, babies and families deserve. We will provide you with all the evidence-based information you need to make informed decisions about you and your baby’s care.

We truly believe it takes a village to raise a child and I feel honoured that we may be a part of the village.