Jeanne Cygnus, IBCLC, RLC - Owner, Lactation Consultant
Jeanne Cygnus,IBCLC, RLC (internationally board certified, registered lactation consultant) has been helping breastfeeding moms since 1995. She founded Cygnus Lactation Services in 2002, providing home-visits and intensive lactation support to mothers throughout Lake, Cook, and McHenry Counties.
In August of 2005, she opened Cygnus Lactation Services as the first independent lactation clinic in Lake County! In August 2009 the clinic expanded and now has a dedicated classroom facility and additional space for consultations and other services.
She provides full, customized office and home consultations, teaches classes, and assists mothers with a wide variety of breastfeeding needs.
She is the immediate past President for the Northern Illinois Lactation Consultants Association - (NILCA), and also provides consulting and telephone support for several OB and Pediatric offices.
Outside of clinic hours, Jeanne homeschools her son (while her daughter tackles high school!), SCUBA dives, studies Hebrew, and helps care for her family's virtual zoo of animals!
Renee D. Murphy (Hughes), M.A., LPC - Client Support Counselor
Renee is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 25 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families. After earning her B.A. in Psychology (Magna Cum Laude), a Master’s in Counseling, and credentials in Guidance Counseling & Education, she served as the Assistant to the Director of the San Diego County Medical Association, becoming very familiar with the full healthcare system. She gained certifications and licensures as a Social Worker Level II for DSS, Child Protective Services in California, and in Family Preservation Services in N.C.. After earning her Licensed Professional Counselor credential, Renee also earned a license in Multi-Systemic Therapy, a cutting-edge approach to working with At-Risk teens already involved in the Juvenile Justice System.
Renee spent years teaching, counseling, and working in various capacities with toddlers, children, and teens, in parent education, regular education and special education programs. Renee served as Clinical Program Manager / Lead Therapist for a Community Based Mental Health Agency providing individual & family therapy for students who were out-of-compliance with school regulations, truancy, or parental control. As a Human Services Clinician in the Adult Behavioral Health In-Patient Unit of a major hospital in western North Carolina, Renee routinely conducted assessments, made treatment recommendations, led educational & counseling groups, and held family meetings. Additionally, she owned and operated a private practice for children, teens, adults, couples, and families, providing both counseling and educational services.
Currently Renee focuses on providing distance counseling for clients interested in phone consultation, real-time live chat (with or without audio), or full webcam counseling. She provides guidance, education, and support for those with a variety of psychological concerns. Renee specializes in various forms of Clinical Depression (including Postpartum Depression), Anxiety, Bipolar and other Mood Disorders, Complicated Grief & Loss, Childhood & Adult Trauma / PTSD, Parenting, Family & Marital / Relationship concerns as well as other additional sub-specialties (Alcoholism and other Substance Abuse in Families, Family Survivors of Suicide, etc.). Her services focus on moms, dads, and couples during their prenatal & postnatal stages of adjustment to parenthood, as well as changing family dynamics, however, she welcomes anyone needing support or guidance.
Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC - Lactation Consultant, "Baby & Me" Group Leader
Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, is author of "The Breastfeeding Answer Book Pocket Guide Edition" (2005) and co-author of "Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers" (2005) and "The Breastfeeding Answer Book" (2003), a research-based counseling guide for lactation professionals. Nancy has been helping breastfeeding families since 1982. Board-certified in 1991, she founded and maintained a large private lactation practice in the Chicago area form 1992 to 2003. She has been a regular contributor to many publications and has been talking about breastfeeding at conferences around the world since 1989. She is currently the Lactation Consultant for Ameda Products at Hollister Incorporated and is Chair of the Chicago Area Breastfeeding Coalition: http://www.chicagoareabfc.org
Kelly Sviatko - Intern / Lactation Specialist
Kelly has been interning at Cygnus Lactation Services since October 2010. Her passion to help breastfeeding families began when she nursed her own daughter. She loves cooking for her family, enjoys water sports, and gardening. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and three rescue cats.
Kelly plans on taking (and passing!) the IBCLC board exam in July, 2012.
Becky Weitzel, MS,RD,LDN - Dietician
Becky Weitzel completed her undergraduate study in Dietetics at Miami University and earned her Master's Degree in Public Health Nutrition with a specialty in Maternal and Child Nutition from Case Western Reserve University. She has previously directed a Cardiovascular Health program which worked with businesses, schools and communities to implement wellness programs in Northeastern Ohio. She most recently worked as Senior Dietitian for the Lake County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program providing nutrition assessment and counseling services for pregnant, postaprtum and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children. She began providing phone consultations through Cygnus Lactation Services in June 2011 and will also be providing various classs as well as one-on-one nutrition consultations.
Becky enjoys spending time with her husband, Ted, and her son Charlie, born in March 2011. She has two cats and likes cooking and playing tennis.