Tamara Hawkins, FNP, RN, IBCLC, LCCE, CHHC

New, working moms come to Tamara Hawkins for a birthing and breastfeeding plan, but what they get is the permission to abandon beliefs about what the experience should be. What they get is the insight to define their own journeys to and through motherhood—one unpredictably beautiful step at a time.

What they get is the confidence to toss the textbook “What to Expect” aside and to trust their own yes.

As the Director of Stork and Cradle, Inc., a passion-fueled prenatal education group specializing in childbirth classes and lactation consultation based in New York City, Tamara brings over twenty years’ expertise as a Maternity Nurse and Family Nurse Practitioner to deliver classes and programs that blend holistic knowledge and clinical care for mothers and their babies. As instructors and consultants, Tamara and her team offer insight and advice that is data driven, educationally sound, but most importantly, empowerment focused. With Stork and Cradle, women soon realize that their success as moms is not determined by epidurals or pumped ounces, but rather by the power that comes with honing their intuition and simply flowing and flourishing with their babies.

An impassioned advocate for birth and breastfeeding equity, Tamara speaks to audiences nationwide. She currently serves as the President of the New York Lactation Consultant Association, and she is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a Certified Holistic Health Counselor.

FULL STORY

MEET THE TEAM

Margot Hodes, Ed.D, M.A, CCCE

As a childbirth educator, Margot Hodes considers it a privilege to play a small part in an expectant family's big journey to parenthood. Margot is a Certified Cooperative Childbirth Educator (CCCE), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), DONA trained Doula and Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).  She received her Ed.D. in Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and taught as an adjunct faculty member there for many years.  She also has her Masters in Counseling from New York University and has worked in community health centers and other non-profit agencies with parents, families and adolescents toward their goals of achieving healthier living since 1994.

Her goal is for clients to leave class feeling they have the tools and support systems for a safe, positive and fulfilling birth experience. She believes childbirth education should be evidenced based, family centered and provide expectant parents with a range of options and coping strategies for labor and birth. 
 

Leigh Kader, CCCE,  CD (DONA)

Originally from Ohio and raised in the splendor of northern New Mexico, Leigh has called New York City home since attending Barnard College (last century!). Propelled by the birth of her first child in 2008 to explore a career change, she is a trained childbirth educator with the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York and a certified birth doula with the Doulas of North America . Experienced at supporting laboring women in a variety of birthing facilities from hospital and birthing center to home births, Leigh appreciates that childbirth is an intensely personal experience that each family defines differently. Her goal is to help women and their partners attain as positive a birth experience as possible. Leigh currently teaches group childbirth preparation, and is an active doula living in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. Leigh also enjoys jogging in Prospect Park and catching up on ten-year-old television series.

Rooted firmly in the belief that childbirth is a normal, physiological experience, Leigh strives to present topics in an evidence based manner, along with a healthy dose of humor. Pragmatic and down to earth in nature, her goal is to help families feel confident in their abilities and prepared for the unpredictability of birth and beyond. 

Kate Sharp, LCCE, IBCLC, LLL

Kate is a prominent leader in the breastfeeding and birthing world since 1982.   She has represented La Leche League International, which has consultative status as a non-governmental organization, at the United Nations.  Kate is a member of the New York Lactation Consultant Association, and have assisted in many educational opportunities for local Lactation Consultants.  Kate currently works as a Lactation Consultant and teaches Lamaze Childbirth classes with the goal of empowering women to have a beautiful birth. 

Eden Bertrang, LCCE, IBCLC, CD (DONA)

Eden Bertrang is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Certified Cooperative Childbirth Educator (CEA/MNY), and DONA-certified labor support doula. She is passionate about teaching because she believes parents have the right to make informed decisions about pregnancy, birth and parenting. Eden fulfilled her clinical supervision through the Lactation Internship Program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center and under the guidance of New York City's most experienced IBCLCs in private practice. She also completed the Midwifery Assistant Training with Ina May Gaskin at The Farm and in 2010, volunteered in a birth center in Senegal through the African Birth Collective. Eden currently serves as the President on the Board of Directors for the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEA/MNY) and is a member of the New York Lactation Consultants Association (NYLCA), the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), and the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA).

Patricia McGuire, BS, IBCLC

Patricia McGuire teaches pre/postnatal breastfeeding and newborn care classes at a variety of institutions throughout New York City. She also works as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in private practice serving NYC area since 2008. Patricia has a BS degree in Public Health and Media from City College. 

Her goal as an instructor is to present clinically up to date information about infant care and breastfeeding in an easy to absorb, thoughtful and humorous way. 

Ismael Galvez, EMT

Ismael started his life saving career in the early 1990's as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) trained in terrorism response within the in Miami and Tallahassee communities. He worked as a Trauma ER Nurse Specialty Technician before becoming a Wilderness EMT and joining  a search and rescue team.  In 2008, he became a Life Support Instructor at Miami Children's Hospital and a Liaison for the American Heart Association (AHA). Since his move to NYC in 2011, Ismael continues to work as a certified AHA instructor focusing on healthy living community education focusing on heart disease, obesity and diabetes with an emphasis on early childhood health and safety educating parents on CPR and first aid skills.