Our Team
Our team
LEAD COUNSELLOR, HYPNOBIRTHING® EDUCATOR & OWNER
Mercedes Ruiz
Mercedes is our HypnoBirthing® and Perinatal Mental Health expert, and she’s here to support you through everything from TTC to the postpartum period. Throughout her own journeys in the perinatal period, Mercedes recognized a gap in perinatal services and decided to create The Perinatal Wellness Centre.
Mercedes has supported clients in the perinatal period as a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator and counsellor since 2014.
Originally from Mexico City, Mercedes has been in Nova Scotia since 2013 and has grown her family in Dartmouth.
HYPNOBIRTHING® EDUCATOR, MAMA RISING® FACILITATOR, YOGA TEACHER
Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill is a yoga teacher, birth educator and coach who inspires mothers to feel empowered, calm and capable on the journey through motherhood and life.
She is a mama to three - two young children are in her arms and one lives in her heart. Jessica has known fertility challenges, infant and twin loss on her journey through motherhood. She uses personal experience to approach her students’ unique paths always with a sense of empathy and compassion.
Founder of Activated Mama, Jessica offers both virtual and in person programs to support you in pregnancy and motherhood!
BIRTH DOULA, LACTATION COUNSELLOR, HYPNOBIRTHING® EDUCATOR
Rosiya Nizar
Rosiya’s philosophy is rooted in providing gentle guidance and support, helping you tap into your innate wisdom and strength throughout your birthing journey. Through education, encouragement, and practical tools, she aims to shift the narrative surrounding birth, emphasizing its natural beauty and the incredible capabilities of the body.
Her goal is to create a supportive and nurturing environment where you feel empowered to make informed decisions and embrace your birthing experience with confidence and positivity! As a birth doula, Rosiya is dedicated to supporting you through labour and birth, but also providing expert guidance and support with breastfeeding. Whether you are preparing for birth or navigating the stages f pregnancy, She’s here to offer compassionate support and practical solutions!
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM DOULA
Ashley Wright
Ashley believes the way you birth matters both physically and emotionally for you, your partner and your baby.
She knows that continuous emotional, physical, and evidence based informational support makes a positive difference throughout the whole perinatal period and she is passionate about nurturing birthing people and their families with this support throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum.
Ashley is a DONA International trained Birth and Postpartum Doula and is continuously furthering her knowledge and education through other perinatal programs and workshops.
REGISTERED ACUPUNCTURIST
Julie Saint-Pierre
Julie discovered acupuncture after she was successfully treated for her severe food allergies in Montreal, Quebec.
Julie became pregnant only a few months after graduating. This gave her the opportunity to explore and study the beautiful and transforming path of the creation of life from both a personal and Chinese medicine perspective.
In 2019, Julie & her family moved to Nova Scotia, where she now practices a highly effective style of medicine known as the Balance Method. Operating out of Access Acupuncture, she is one of the 15 certified practitioners recognized in Canada.
Julie specializes in pain, women’s health and pediatrics. We are very excited to have her join the team and focus on fertility, pregnancy and postpartum care at The Perinatal Wellness Centre!
CERTIFIED REFLEXOLOGIST
Kimberly Jolivet
Kimberly is a certified reflexologist, unconventional Astrologer, and inspired energy healer. She is dedicated to guiding you on a transformative journey towards optimal well-being, with a focus on back pain, libido, and fertility.
Her mission is to guide, enlighten, and lead toward the truth. She believes that you are the captain of your life and should take charge of your compass. By tapping into your own body and personal divinity, you can restore peace and balance within yourself.
She looks forward to supporting you through the perinatal journey from conception to birth, perimenopause, and beyond.
PELVIC FLOOR & CORE SPECIALIST
Hayley Chapman
Hayley is a pelvic floor and core fitness specialist. She specializes in targeted exercises, education and personalized support for pelvic floor health and core stability.
Her focus is on strengthening pelvic floor muscles and enhancing core stability to address concerns such as diastasis recti, urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
Hayley offers tailored exercise regimens and lifestyle guidance, incorporating techniques like hypopressives breathing exercises to optimize results and improve overall well-being.
MUSIC THERAPY & REGISTERED COUNSELLING THERAPIST
Mackenzie Costron
Mackenzie is a Certified Music Therapist and a Registered Counselling Therapist and she uses interplay of music and verbal language within the therapeutic process.
She is currently focusing her work on maternal health in the prenatal period and offers Prenatal Music Therapy and Mindfulness for Maternal Health sessions. Her sessions are individually curated and she incorporates aspects of mindfulness, reflection practices, music, sound and breath work according to the interest of the participant.
PEDIATRIC SLEEP CONSULTANT
Stephanie Nickerson-Lad
Stephanie is a Pediatric Sleep Consultant. She’s a wife, mom, and a HUGE fan of sleep! Her job as a pediatric sleep coach is to help tired families achieve great sleep, with clarity and confidence.
As a mom of two little girls, she recognized early on in her parenting journey, that baby sleep is confusing, overwhelming, and oh-so-important. With a background in early childhood and elementary education, the transition into sleep coaching felt natural to her. So, after extensive training in pediatric sleep with the Family Sleep Institute, she now educates parents about the many facets of sleep and helps families navigate the many challenges of sleep from newborn days to early school years.
She believes in meeting families where they are on their sleep journey. Every family is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach. She works closely with each family to understand their specific needs, preferences, and challenges.
As an educator at heart, she recognizes the importance of compassionate guidance, and personalized teaching when it comes to learning new skills. She helps parents and guardians develop practical and effective strategies to teach their children to sleep well. Whether it's bedtime battles, night wakings, or nap struggles, Stephanie is here to provide support and solutions that work for your family.