Meet our 2023 - 2024
​BALA Board

Taryn Mickus,
​IBCLC
President 

Taryn Mickus, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, provides breastfeeding support to mothers living in the city of Alameda. 

Taryn has been a practicing lactation consultant since 2011. She worked at CPMC for a number of years, but now exclusively sees mother through her private practice.

Taryn is the mom of two breastfed kids.  She has personal experience with over-supply, working and pumping, plugged ducts, mastitis, thrush, breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.
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Jennifer Kitanji,
​RN, IBCLC​
Secretary

Jennifer Kitajima is an IBCLC and Pediatric RN living and working in the East Bay. 

She currently practices as an outpatient Lactation Consultant at PAMF Fremont. There she supports families after their discharge from the hospital/birthing center to help them meet their feeding goals, whatever that may look like. 

Prior to becoming an IBCLC, Jennifer worked as a Research Nurse at Stanford for many years until taking a hiatus to stay home with her 2 young children. Her first experience with lactation was after the loss of her first baby at birth, where she discovered the many ways to navigate the postpartum changes your body goes through even when the baby is no longer there.

She went on to have 2 living children, and through her own breastfeeding struggles (and the support of an incredible IBCLC), found a passion for lactation and felt a calling to fill the gap in care so many new parents experience after having a baby. 
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Outside of work, Jennifer loves spending time with her kids and family. She grew up in the Bay Area, so feels very fortunate to have her and her husband’s family close by. She loves reading and riding the peloton (often simultaneously), going to music festivals (sans kids), and sleeping in whenever her kids let her. 

Janet Dombro,
​IBCLC
Treasurer

​Janet Dombro is mother to five adults including twins, and for now, grandmother to 4 grandkids.

In 2004, she launched her private practice and serves families in the South Bay.

In addition to supporting new families, Janet loves to garden and read books. She walks daily and is always looking for new hiking (gentle) partners.

Kathy Natan,
​RN, IBCLC
Education

Kathy Vuong Natan, is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and Registered Nurse specialized in Maternal-Newborn Nursing.

​She provides breastfeeding support to families living in Alameda County.

She currently practices at Alta Bates Hospital where she serves as Co-Chair of the Hospital’s Breastfeeding Coalition; working towards Baby-Friendly Hospital Designation, offering provider training & resources, reviewing breastfeeding rates for equity planning, and empowering healthy families and communities.

She supports the Alameda Breastfeeding Coalition, the California Breastfeeding Coalition, and is an American Women’s Health Obstetrics & Neonatal Nurses Evidence-Based Scholar. In addition to nursing, Kathy studied psychology and heritage language studies.

In her own breastfeeding journey, Kathy has managed oversupply, plugged ducts, mastitis, pumping at work, and weaning.

When not working, you can catch Kathy playing with her son, roller-skating, exploring movement & the outdoors, taking photos, doing yoga, deepening her learning of healing modalities, and enjoying music.

Marlene Ceballo,
RD, IBCLC
Communications

Marlene Ceballo is a Senior Public Health Dietitian and Lactation Consultant with the Contra Costa WIC program.

She is a public health advocate who engages in community education working to remove institutional and environmental barriers to breastfeeding.  

As Regional Breastfeeding Liaison serving Contra Costa County, Marlene promotes WIC breastfeeding support services to healthcare providers, leads local efforts to promote the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, participates in legislative advocacy and improvement to lactation accommodation for people in the workforce, residential treatment programs and incarcerated within the County.

As Chair of the Contra Costa Breastfeeding Task Force, Marlene provides technical assistance to local hospitals, health clinics, childcare providers and employers in the development and implementation of lactation education and programs.

​Marlene enjoys hiking across the Bay Area with her husband and two children and is a reptile mama to a 4yr old pet bearded dragon named Bunji.  She also loves cooking Caribbean food, dancing to Soca music and gardening. 

Estelle Fraisse,
​RN, IBCLC
​Membership

Estelle Fraisse, is a mother of two, living with her partner in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Originally from France, Estelle graduated from nursing school in 2003. She worked in the ICU and NICU for several years there before moving to the US.

In 2014, she gave birth to her son and developed a passion for breastfeeding.  

Since 2017, Estelle has worked at the San Francisco General Hospital Birth Center (Labor & Delivery and Postpartum).

In 2021, Estelle became an IBCLC.  She now has a thriving private practice “ABC Lactation” serving San Francisco and the Bay Area, as well as South Lake Tahoe.  www.abclactation.com ​