MEET OUR TEAM
Emily Ager, lm, IBCLC
Founder, Midwife, Lactation Consultant
Hi! I'm Emily. I am a licensed midwife and lactation consultant with 13 years of experience working with birthing and growing families, and founder of Fern Lactation. My background in physiological birth, clinical lactation services and years of personal breastfeeding experience have given me a unique, holistic approach when it comes to providing lactation support. I am not a purist. I know the rules and sometimes break them. My clinical knowledge and background allow me to provide great informed care, but it also includes a lot of humor, real talk, a TON of encouragement and solutions that make sense for YOU My care is not a one-size-fits all. Sometimes what you need is a rigid pumping plan and sometimes you need to process your birth experience because your mental health is just as important as your milk supply. Let's do both. I am on your team. I am not here to tell you what to do, fit you into a text-book shaped box or make you feel like you aren't trying hard enough. I have no agenda, your goals are my goals, you are the boss here. I am also a mother. Sleep deprivation, exhaustion, frustration, fear, elation, grief, physical pain, joy - are no strangers to me. I am also on this crazy journey of motherhood, I get how unpredictable and frustrating those cute little squishy babies can be. We are in this together my friend. In other news... When I'm not sitting there crying or laughing with you, I love playing in the forest with my 2 little wilding boys, moving my body, making my Italian grandma's marinara sauce, hunting for sunshine or a good fireplace, horseback riding, and drinking buckets of really good coffee. She/her pronouns
whitney boyle, ibclc
Lactation Consultant
Hi, I am Whitney. I am a Lactation Consultant with 7 years experience in breastfeeding support, as well as a Childbirth Educator. I love to encourage and uplift people. I value integrity, truth and cultivating authentic relationships. In my lactation practice it is important to me to empower parents to trust their guts and advocate for themselves and their children. When I am not helping families feed their littles, you can usually find me with my family in the woods or tending to our little Hilltop homestead. I have a wonderful 18 year old bonus son and an outgoing 6 year old daughter and a partner who spends a lot of his free time building and bringing all the projects in my head to life. I have 11 chickens and one long little Wiener dog. I also watch way too much TV. I am beyond blessed and live to love on people She/her pronouns
Tiana Bennett-Tzintzun, M.S., CCC-SLP, IMH-E
Lactation Consultant Student
Hi! I’m Tiana. My background is in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and I've been working in the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program for the last 5 years supporting early language and feeding. I’ve taken additional trainings for Promoting First Relationships (PFR) and Infant Mental Health to seek out an Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E). With my ESIT experience, I've worked closely with caregivers and love the opportunity to empower families in supporting their kiddos and strengthening the family unit. In the last year, I’ve had more opportunities to work closely with families seeking out breastfeeding support which has encouraged me to pursue board certification as a lactation consultant. When I'm not working with families, you can find my wife and me spending time with family, taking road trips around the Pacific Northwest, cheering on my favorite sports teams GO COUGS, and scrolling TikTok for the latest DIY projects. she/her pronouns
Kenzie Choates
Administrator
Kenzie Choates is a mother of two and has been happily married for seven years to Michael Choates. When she isn’t homeschooling her active kiddo or nursing her new baby Kenzie provides scheduling and client service support for Fern Lactation. Kenzie’s journey to lactation work began with her oldest child. After encountering latch difficulty, needing to exclusively pump at a demanding job, and not receiving the support she needed, Kenzie became that support and resource for others dedicating herself to every family she has worked with. Always leading with compassion, empathy, and integrity, Kenzie continues her work by supporting families feeding their infants and empowering others to have the experience they deserve.