Baby Café Breastfeeding Counselor Graduates

Farah Antoine-Mayberry

I'm Farah Antoine-Mayberry! I graduated from Howard University with a degree in occupational therapy. I have always loved children and any education related to birth. As an OT, I've had the pleasure of working with babies and families in the NICU among various settings.

My husband and I have 5 children and when our youngest was 9 months old, I was asked by a representative of the Coalition of Oklahoma Breastfeeding Advocates (COBA) to become a Baby Cafe Breastfeeding Counselor (BCBC) for a local Baby Cafe in Oklahoma City. I had the support of my colleague/co-facilitator who is now a dear friend as I continued to gain skills as a certified lactation counselor and eventually as a doula, midwife's assistant, and IBCLC.
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 My favorite part of becoming a BCBC besides meeting new families was creating a safe space for parents to connect with each other while navigating postpartum in a country that doesn't normalize birth, breastfeeding, as well as proper financial, physical, and emotional postpartum support.
 
Personally, I chose to breastfeed my children to take advantage of it being free! (We started off with twins so "free" was an excellent price). We were blessed to have fairly uneventful breastfeeding experiences, however as a BCBC, I realized that birthing families deserve and need so much more prenatal and postpartum lactation support than they currently get.
 
I wanted to become an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Counselor (IBCLC) to expand my scope of practice and reach more of my birthing community. Becoming an IBCLC has been a welcomed achievement and I am excited to contribute to the continued development of more lactation professionals through future community endeavors.

Krystle Wallace

Krystle is a Coast Guard Academy Graduate and Coast Guard Reservist. She is married to an active duty Coastie and has two kids she proudly breastfed.  After transitioning from Active to Reserve and the birth of her second child, Krystle started to really contemplate what she wanted for a career outside of the Military. It did not take long for her to choose the lactation field. She started by obtaining her Master's degree in Health and Wellness with a focus in Human Lactation from Union Institute and University. She obtained her CLC while in grad school and worked for three years as a CLC with NOLA Baby Café. During her time with Nola Baby Café she worked on her Baby Café Breastfeeding Counselor (BCBC). Her time at at NOLA Baby Café brought her closer to the New Orleans Community. Currently there is no Baby Café near her current home. So Krystle currently serves as a Le Leche League leader in her local area. Krystle is also the Education director for the Military Lactation Course and hopes to one day become an IBCLC. She will also be taking over as the Executive Director of Mom2Mom global, a global organization that provides lactation support to Military members and their families. Krystle is dedicated to providing lactation support in any community she lives. Baby Café instilled her love and passion for community support organizations that focus on lactation care and hopes to one day be able to open her own Café when her family is finished moving around the country. 

Baby Café Scholarship Recipients

Chanielle Talbird

Chanielle Talbird, MS, CLS, CLC, CD(DONA) is a Pathway 3 IBCLE candidate. She received her Master of Science degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Memphis, and Child Development Associate (CDA) credential at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Chanielle also earned a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management degree and is a certified birth doula.  

Chanielle started her journey to become an IBCLC by dedicating her time to volunteering at the LeBonheur Children’s Hospital Lactation Clinics in Memphis, TN. Within that time, she earned certifications as a lactation counselor and specialist. She is currently serving as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at the Shelby County Health Department, home of their first Baby Café. Chanielle was a Panelist Speaker at the 2022 Tennessee Breastfeeding Symposium and has been recognized as a Designated Breastfeeding Expert (DBE) in Shelby County. 
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In response to the national formula crisis, Chanielle published her first children's book called, “Working For Mommy’s Milk Factory”. It is a story that teaches preschoolers about helping mothers and babies breastfeed. This scientific children’s books illustrate how to successfully latch the baby, and discover a profession in human lactation. Chanielle has breastfed all three of her children and aspires to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).