Meet Our Team

Mary Stanley, RN, IBCLC

What Baby Café means to me: “What we do DOES make a difference in the lives of mothers and babies.”

Mary Stanley, RN, IBCLC, RLC is a Registered Nurse and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. She has lived and worked in Bakersfield for many years. She was educated at San Jose State University. She introduced childbirth education to this community in the 1970’s and has spent her entire professional career in maternal-child health, specializing in“birth, babies, and breastfeeding.” She taught childbirth education and breastfeeding classes for over 30 years. She obtained her IBCLC credential in 1996. She has worked as an OB staff nurse, manager, clinical coordinator, clinical instructor for student nurses, neonatal resuscitation instructor, and mentor for mother/baby support groups. She is currently active as an independent lactation consultant and professional volunteer support for Baby Café. She is a member of CVLA, LaCresta Foundation, USLCA, and ILCA. Her special interest in lactation support is helping mothers and babies navigate the sometimes-challenging early days & weeks of establishing their breastfeeding relationship. She also has extensive experience supporting breastfeeding multiples, babies with Down Syndrome, cleft lip & palate, and other special needs. She has been married to the “boy next door” for over 50 years, has 4 adult children, and 10 grandchildren.

Diana McKenna, IBCLC

What Baby Café means to me: “A good beginning.”

Sara Fazzi Garcia, IBCLC

Sara is an IBCLC who is currently studying to be a nurse. She has both hospital- and community-based experience in counseling and providing lactation care to families. Sara’s perspective is firmly grounded in a holistic view of health, nutrition, and the importance of breastfeeding as a critical way to begin a baby’s healthy life and to protect the health of mothers throughout and beyond their reproductive journeys. Sara is a wife and mother of 2 smart little girls and has been part of the Baby Café team since 2017.

Christine Staricka, IBCLC

What Baby Café means to me: “Hope, ideas, and community around breastfeeding.”

Christine Staricka is a Registered, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and trained childbirth educator. Christine worked as a hospital-based IBCLC for 10 years and has over 21 years experience providing breastfeeding support and clinical lactation care. She is the Facilitator/Director of Baby Cafe© Bakersfield and provides clinical care in that setting. She teaches professional lactation education courses to aspiring and current lactation care providers, including through an educational membership group called The Lactation Training Lab. Christine developed The First 100 Hours© concept, a lactation assessment strategy designed to help lactation care providers organize their assessments and consultations in the simplest way. Christine recently served for 6 years on the Board of the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA.) She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. She has been married for 28 years, lives in California, USA, and is the proud mother of 3 amazing daughters.