Bay Area Lactation Associates (BALA)

  • About BALA
  • Find a Lactation Consultant
  • Join/Renew
  • Resources
  • Meet the Board
  • Past Meetings
  • About BALA
  • Find a Lactation Consultant
  • Join/Renew
  • Resources
  • Meet the Board
  • Past Meetings

Meet our 2019-2020 Board

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Taryn Mickus, IBCLC
President 
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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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Margaret Kler,  IBCLC
Communications

​Margaret ( Maggie ) Is an IBCLC. Maggie earned her Bachelor in Science from the University of Cincinnati and later attended University of California San Diego for Lactation. Maggie earned her Clinical hours with Healthy Horizons Breastfeeding Centers Inc. She visits with new families in the Burlingame and Menlo Park offices of Healthy Horizons and does in-home visits in the Bay area. 
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Tine Heilig, IBCLC
​
Membership

Tine is an IBCLC and has 20 years of experience supporting breastfeeding families at home and in the hospital. She worked as a pediatric nurse at a children's hospital in Germany for 10 years and as a Lactation Consultant at Mill-Peninsula Hospital and Healthy Horizons for 2 years. Tine works for Nursing Mothers Counsel for the last 15 years and is passionate about helping parents and babies reach their breastfeeding goals. ​
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Ruth Konoff
Treasurer

Ruth A. Konoff, MS, OTR/L, IBCLC
​Ruth became a Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 2015, after more than 30 years helping babies and young children with a variety of oral-motor, feeding and developmental challenges in her role as a pediatric occupational therapist. Ruth works with families to help them meet their goals for breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and/or feeding expressed milk. She also continues to work as an occupational therapist, serving families with young children who have difficulty with feeding skills or other areas of early childhood development.  Ruth values every family’s unique life experience, and considers it privilege to be part of their parenting journey.



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Shirley Birch, IBCLC
​Education 

Shirley has worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care for the last seven years in a wide variety of clinics and as a certified breastfeeding specialist for the last two years, soon to be an IBCLC in March of 2023. Shirley has an interest in breastfeeding medicine and body work for infants struggling with breastfeeding. Shirley received her undergraduate degree at the University of California Berkeley in integrative biology and public health and a masters in nursing at Yale School of Nursing. Shirley feels passionately about supporting families to reach their breastfeeding goals. 

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Fritzi Drosten , IBCLC
​Secretary

Will Be Updated Shortly... 
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Fritzi Dorsten, IBCLC
​Past 
President
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