Lactation Consultants serving NYC, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital Region
New York City
Rachel Leibson, BA, RN, IBCLC
Rachel’s service area is limited to North Bronx, Westchester, Inwood, and Washington Heights.
Rachel has been working with breastfeeding families for more than a decade, first as a postpartum nurse and then as a Lactation Consultant since 2012. She has worked as an IBCLC in the hospital setting, in a pediatric office, and in private practice, giving her a solid understanding of breastfeeding from birth to weaning. Though her career in lactation may have started then, her obsession with all things birth and breastfeeding began before she could read. By the time Rachel was 14 she had already attended her first birth and was giving free breastfeeding advice to the families she babysat for. Rachel has a degree in Biology and another in Nursing and says her journey to lactation happened because “it's nerdy enough for my biology mind, caring enough for my nursing side, and involves lots of troubleshooting and patience, both things I love.”
Originally from upstate New York, Rachel now lives in the Bronx with her musician/engineer husband and two kids who love to show their faces on Zoom calls. She loves working with families to meet their breastfeeding goals almost as much as she loves her mom’s apple pie.
Rachel Leibson, BA, RN, IBCLC
Hudson Valley
Lauren Lieto, MS/MPH, RN, IBCLC
Lauren’s service area includes Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, and northern Westchester Counties
Lauren has been an IBCLC since 2010. She has a background in maternal child health and public health nursing. She has supported new families in hospitals, communities, and homes for over 15 years. She works as a lactation consultant in the hospital setting and in private practice.
Lauren understands that support is essential during pregnancy and after the birth of a new baby. Her intention is to help support and guide families as they gain confidence in their infant feeding and parenting skills. She offers nurturing lactation care and evidence-based information so that families can make informed decisions. She would love to be a part of your team and help support you and your family in meeting your infant feeding goals.
Lauren lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and two children.
Lauren Lieto, MS/MPH, RN, IBCLC
Capital Region
Ashley Lawson, RN, IBCLC
Ashley serves Schoharie, Otsego, Montgomery, and northern Greene Counties, plus Bethlehem.
Ashley has been working with breastfeeding families since 2018 and became an IBCLC in 2020. Working in pediatric and OB offices, Ashley has loved supporting families through this beautiful, wonderful, and also very challenging time in their lives.
When Ashley had a baby herself and personally experienced struggles and challenges, she became even more passionate about making lactation support accessible and busting myths about breastfeeding and lactation.
When she is not working, Ashley enjoys spending time with her family, photography, crafting, and gardening. She loves living in the country in the beautiful Schoharie Valley.
Ashley Lawson, RN, IBCLC
Elizabeth (Libby) Vanier, BA, RN, IBCLC
Libby serves Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, and Schenectady Counties. Sometimes also covers Albany and Rensselaer Counties; a travel fee applies.
Libby’s work with new and growing families began in 2015 in the Neonatal ICU at Albany Medical Center. First as a NICU RN and later as an IBCLC (2018), she supported families through both routine and complex feeding challenges. In 2020, working in an outpatient lactation clinic and community hospital, she broadened her lactation knowledge and support skills.
She discovered along the way that despite our best intentions, breastfeeding is rarely effortless or automatic— it’s a practice. And to deepen a practice, a person needs information, time and support.
Libby seeks to honor your lactation goals because your story is unique. She will treat you and your child(ren) as whole people learning to practice together. She joined MilkMatters to support you in finding your own dynamic rhythm.
When Libby is not working with clients, she is gardening or dreaming about gardening (no, seriously!), hanging out with her son or running a glamping (luxury camping) business with her husband from their 80-acre homestead.
Elizabeth (Libby) Vanier, BA, RN, IBCLC
Jillian Carter, BS, RN, IBCLC
Jillian works out of the MilkMatters office in Albany.
When Jill started as a postpartum nurse in 2010, she learned from the moms and babies she worked with that breastfeeding wasn’t as easy as she’d always thought. Like many people, she’d assumed that because breastfeeding was natural, it would just automatically happen, and when she saw new families struggling, she wanted to help. She began studying lactation and practicing what she learned, starting with certification as a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) in 2011.
Jill continued her studies and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2015. She accepted a position as a hospital Lactation Consultant, serving families in the postpartum, nursery, NICU, and pediatric units. Seeing a need for community services, Jill started MilkMatters in 2019. By the summer of 2020, MilkMatters had grown and Jill left the hospital to focus on serving families in the community.
Jill is a big believer in empowering a family with education and resources to achieve the goals they set. She strongly values a non-judgmental, guilt-free, open and flexible approach to feeding and lactation.
Jillian Carter, BS, RN, IBCLC