Chair Elect

My name is Zabbie Baldwin and I couldn’t be more excited to join the MBC as Chair elect. I am a mother of 2 boys, who will be 4 and 6 years old this year. I have been a dual county breastfeeding peer for WIC since 2019. I discovered my passion for breastfeeding after nursing my own children for 2 ½ years combined. Since then I’ve the opportunity to be a part of the Next Gen program, sponsored by MBC to become an IBCLC. I recently completed my internship and I am looking forward to sitting for the exam in April 2024. I have been an active At-Large member on the MBC Board since January 2023. I am so happy to be apart of the team and I can’t wait to see how we can make a difference in the future. 😊

Treasurer

I joined the Minnesota Breastfeeding coalition because I know firsthand breastfeeding can difficult, however with the right resources and a great deal of support, it can be done. This is especially important when you are a woman of color, we need culturally appropriate resources and champions throughout our breastfeeding journey. I cannot stress the importance of having meaningful conversations with all our families early in pregnancy and often about the plan for feeding baby then priorities those with the highest needs. We have all seen the statistics and if we want to work on reducing the gap in lactation, it is very important to understand the cultures and barriers in the communities we serve. I am very excited to use experience to better the outcome of women that look like me.

At-large Director

As a former doula, special care nursery RN, IBCLC, and public health nurse, I have seen many families have their breastfeeding goals cut short for preventable reasons. Advocating for systemic change and cultural changes, as well as simple changes, such as how we talk to expecting families, can make a difference individually, in local communities, and worldwide.

At-large Director

Boozhoo. Nenokaasikwe indizhinkas. Mukwa indodem, Gaawaababiganikaag indoonjiba. Hummingbird woman is one of my Ojibwe names. I am from the Bear Clan. I come from the White Earth Ojibwe Nation in Northwest Minnesota. The most important thing I can contribute to the Breastfeeding Coalition is bringing my passion in serving my Native Indigenous people.

At-large Director

At-large Director

I love helping families find a path forward that works for them in supporting their feeding goals. I had been helping lactating parents for 5 years before I breastfed my own children. I couldn’t believe how hard it was and how much support I needed. I enjoy helping parents feed their babies their own milk as a lactation consultant and am committed as a board member to work on some of the barriers that make it hard for families to reach their goals. I am a lifelong learner and care deeply about creating a network of lactation professionals that reflect our diverse community.

At-large Director

Support for breastfeeding and pumping parents and their children needs to be promoted and protected at the individual, family, community, government, and societal levels. I'm proud to be a part of an organization that brings together an incredible variety of people and groups working at all of these levels, and who come together to share resources, ideas, and a commitment to equity and inclusion within the lactation profession.

At-large Director

I am excited and honored to be a resource in my community as we advocate for and support all lactating families on their journeys.

At-large DIrector

I am a mama, Certified Postpartum Doula, Certified Lactation Specialist, and Perinatal Mental Health Advocate who holds value in allyship within the BIPOC community and each person’s journey to parenthood. My work as a doula includes customized emotional support, gentle companioning, and holding space while providing a whole-family approach to compassion-centered postpartum support. It is always my goal when working with a family postpartum to be a support in all of those areas while nurturing mothers in a way that compliments their own physical and emotional well-being, as well as helping facilitate bonding with their newborn and instilling confidence in newborn care and lactation. My experience includes over 13 years of working with infants and families. I enjoy my work as a Breastfeeding Counselor for Ramsey County WIC, and breastfed my daughter for over two years, a journye that would have been impossible without the village of support I received in the lactation community. I am passionate about helping women meet their infant feeding goals, regardless of which path they choose knowing that each journey is individual and sacred. Alongside serving on the Board of Directors for MN Breastfeeding Coalition, I serve on the Board of Directors for Pregnancy and Postpartum Support MN, Postpartum Support International’s MN Chapter.

NextGen Coordinator

I'm a single mom of four, ages 13, 15, 17, and 24. I work full time as a program manager of a school-based early childhood program which serves over 700 families in either a Pre-K or ECFE program. I was a stay at home mom for many years and in 2012, when my youngest was 2, I became a birth doula through DONA International, and later a postpartum doula as well. In 2014, I was hired by Ramsey County WIC to be a Peer Breastfeeding Counselor and truly loved both birth work and working with moms supporting their breastfeeding goals. I have worked in various aspects of early childhood or in fields supporting families, from being in a classroom to doing policy implementation work at the state level. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, yoga, traveling, being outside, and spending time with my kids and friends.