Lactation Collaborative Team

Linels Higuera Ancidey is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and bilingual Ready Set Baby Facilitator at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute. She is the co-faciliator and co-founder of Un Dia a la Vez, an initiative of Breastfeed Durham Lactancia Latina that supports pregnant and postpartum Spanish speaking families in Durham. With more than ten years of experience, Linels provides culturally responsive lactation and perinatal support as a birth doula and Certified Spanish Healthcare Interpreter. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health and serves as a preceptor for aspiring lactation consultants, with a strong commitment to advancing maternal and infant health for immigrant families.

Moe is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant with 13 years of experience in healthcare, with a special interest in parent-child health, infant feeding, and lactation. She completed lactation training with the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020 and has helped families reach their infant feeding goals throughout her career in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She is excited to support and work with families through the Breastfeed Durham Lactation Collaborative!

In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, which includes her partner and two children, drinking ALL the coffee, and reading a good book.

Alayjah Morrison is a Pasteurization Technician, Certified Lactation Counselor, and mother of two, she is deeply dedicated to supporting families throughout their infant feeding journeys. She prepares donor breastmilk to safely nourish medically fragile and NICU infants while also providing direct lactation care and guidance to families. Her work reflects a comprehensive commitment to breastmilk and its vital role in maternal and infant health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from UNC Greensboro and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Women, Youth, and Infant Health at George Washington University.

She is deeply passionate about perinatal care for marginalized communities and committed to advancing equitable access to lactation support and maternal health resources. Through her work with Breastfeed Durham’s Lactation Collaborative and other community-based initiatives, she strives to create safe spaces for families, empower informed feeding choices, and improve health outcomes for all.

Lauren is a board certified lactation consultant. To this role, she brings experience as a public health researcher, parent, spouse, and friend. 

Lauren is a compassionate empath who truly understands the challenges of new parenthood in today’s world no matter the chosen feeding method. With her calming presence and attentive ear, she offers unwavering support to each client. Her goal is to ensure that you feel confident and at peace with your feeding plan, whatever it may look like. By the end of your time, she hopes you will leave with a personalized plan that is tailored to meet your needs. 

Outside of work, Lauren likes to take care of her plant babies, play board games with her kids, and get sushi with her husband. 

Lauren looks forward to meeting future families and caring for them!

Laquasha, better known as Quay, is based in Durham, NC, and is an aspiring International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with a strong foundation as a mother, full-spectrum trained doula, and Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). Her work is deeply rooted in providing compassionate, culturally responsive care that uplifts and empowers families through every stage of the perinatal and feeding journey.

Her birth work uplifts and advocates for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, young, emerging, and ethically non-monogamous families, recognizing the unique strengths and challenges within these communities. Through a blend of lived experience and continuous professional training, she strives to create affirming, inclusive spaces where all families feel seen, supported, and equipped to make informed choices about their care.

Shalanda is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, with rich healthcare experience and a deep passion for maternal and infant health.  She completed her training at the Mary Rose Tully Training Institute. A lifelong learner, she has completed advanced Breastfeeding Medicine courses to provide practical solutions for even the most complex cases. She is a mom of three including twins.  Shalanda prides herself in being a clinician who offers transparent, real care rooted in both evidence and empathy. Although she is a Nurse Practitioner, she serves the collaborative families as an IBCLC and a fellow parent who truly “gets it.” Shalanda’s goal is to ensure every family feels heard, supported, and capable of meeting their unique feeding goals through expert, down-to-earth support.

With a deep commitment to ensuring equitable infant feeding support within the healthcare system, Jess is passionate about promoting breastfeeding-friendly healthcare environments in Durham. As the Co-founder and Coordinator of the Breastfeed Durham Lactation Collaborative, her work focuses on making quality lactation care accessible to all.

Jess’s background as a Labor and Delivery Nurse and Postpartum Nurse for over six years has provided her with invaluable hands-on experience in maternal and newborn care. Through her work on the frontlines, she’s seen firsthand the barriers that many families face in accessing breastfeeding support, particularly in marginalized communities. This drives her dedication to advancing equity in infant feeding, ensuring that all families, regardless of background, receive the guidance and resources they deserve.

She has specialized lactation training through the UNC Gillings School of Public Health’s MRT-TI program, where Jess honed her skills in providing evidence-based lactation care. For over a year, she served as an inpatient Lactation Consultant, working directly with families to provide support, education, and guidance during their breastfeeding journeys. She is now expanding her skills as an outpatient IBCLC through a fellowship with Teaching Babies to Nurse while simultaneously nursing her own newborn.

Nicola Young is a bilingual International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and full spectrum doula. She co-founded the Breastfeed Durham Lactation Collaborative and currently volunteers as both a coordinator and lactation care provider for the free clinic. She was born and raised in the Boston area but grew up spending a lot of time in Peru with her family. She now calls Durham home and has worked for Breastfeed Durham as their Lactancia Latina Coalition leader since 2022. She is passionate about helping Spanish-speaking families and other historically excluded communities access equitable healthcare.