Meet the Orlando Lactation Team
Admin Team
Tracy Housley
Office Manager
Tracy has a career background in office administration driven by an oddly natural need to plan and organize. In 2020 she realized her true calling for empowering women in pregnancy and childbirth and joined an in-depth mentorship to become a Certified Birth Doula. In addition to providing childbirth education and attending births, Tracy is also a Certified Postpartum Doula and Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. Her own struggles with postpartum mood disorders feed her passion for helping other women find help and care they need.
Tracy is a mom of two as well as a caregiver and advocate for her nephew. She loves music, yoga, spending time with her family, connecting with friends, and helping out in her community. In her spare time you can find her in the kitchen cooking, baking, and preparing natural medicine like her homemade elderberry syrup.
“Being part of the Orlando Lactation team allows me to merge my administrative skills with my birth work by supporting women in the community in multiple ways. Every family deserves a village!”
Kaitlynn Sorondo
Social Media
Kaitlynn is a recent graduate from the University of North Florida with a degree in Communication and concentration in multimedia journalism. Her passions include writing and interpersonal communication which she one day hopes to combine to work as a feature writer. While she currently resides in Jacksonville, she is from the Orlando area and is excited to help families in her hometown!
Lactation Consultants
Kristen Sorondo, RN, IBCLC
Kristen is the founder of Orlando Lactation and Newborn Services. She has been a nurse since 2005 and an IBCLC since 2009.
Jessica Romano BSN, RN, IBCLC
Since graduating nursing school in 2010, Jessica has worked in a variety of specialities - but her passion is in Mother-Baby and specifically Lactation. She joined the Orlando Lactation team in 2023 under Kristen’s mentorship after obtaining her IBCLC. Regarding her own breastfeeding journey with her twins, Jess says “There were many things that could have gone better, but in my memories it was still a beautiful blessing and I want to help others achieve the best experience possible”. She has a passion for educating families in the newborn period and helping them to feel knowledgeable and comfortable in caring for their new little one.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys time with her family, roller skating, theme parks and swimming. Gardening, learning to make bread and church are the other things that are important to Jessica. She has one big dog and just fostered another big dog for almost a year - he was just shy of becoming another family member but they found the perfect family for him after all.
Baby Sleep Consultant
Bernadette Ranieri - Baby Sleep Consultant
Bernie is a native Western Australian, now married to a Floridian and living in Florida since 2022. Her career with babies started in a baby shoe store, but then quickly developed through being an au pair (in Florida in 2019), a nanny and now a baby sleep consultant (2022). Her passion is to help mums through helping babies and provide the way for everyone to sleep through the night. By understanding the science behind sleep, she is able to see results within 2 weeks of working with babies and toddlers and give parents the tools for continued success with sleep! Bernie is qualified with Baby Sleep Consultant NZ, the only registered baby sleep consultant training provider taught by a group of experts.
Bernie supports gentle parents and routine-oriented parents with all parenting styles and philosophies. “Sleep is a biological need” says Bernie, and she will guarantee you amazing results with realistic expectations.
Nursing Team
Jamie Kesselring, RN, CBC
Jamie has been a Mother/Baby nurse for fifteen years, thirteen of those specializing in newborn care. She holds a Biology degree from UCF, as well as a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor certification.
Jaime is a true Floridian, born and raised! She has two daughters that keep her on the move, the oldest who is a Junior pre-med student at UCF and the youngest is in 8th grade. Her free time is spent playing with her three German Shepherds, two cats and her daughter’s corn snake. Jamie also enjoys fishing and canoeing, plants/gardening and reading. And she loves going to the local theme parks with her family.
Emily LaMontagne, BSN, RN
Emily graduated with her nursing degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and started her career as an RN in Labor and Delivery. She found passion in the nursing field when she was seven years old after helping her mother’s postpartum nurse give her baby brother his first bath. Ever since then, Emily has been in love with the newborn world. Her favorite part of being a labor and delivery nurse is getting to help families throughout their toughest but most rewarding journey. Emily has found passion in newborn delivery and aspires to start midwifery school in 2025. Before nursing, Emily worked as a survival swim instructor for babies from six months to two years old. Outside of nursing, Emily loves spending time with her family, reading, traveling with her boyfriend to watch him race in triathlons, and playing with her one-year-old goldendoodle, Sugar.
Abigail Slagel, BSN, RN
Abigail graduated from the University of Florida in 2019 with a degree in Health Education and received her nursing degree from the University of Central Florida shortly after. Abigail started her career in the NICU and immediately fell in love with the patient population. Her favorite part about working in the NICU is seeing new mothers hold their babies for the first time, feed them their first full bottles, and, of course, seeing them finally get to go home! Abigail has a passion for educating new mothers about the newborn’s transition into the world. Her highest achievement thus far was receiving a Daisy Award for demonstrating compassion and empathy in the NICU. In her free time, Abigail loves to travel, hike, and spend time with friends and family.
Shelby Tirado, LPN
Shelby has been a licensed practical nurse since 2011, mostly in surgical specialties. Before becoming a nurse and throughout her career she has always made time to work privately with families, helping with their newborn to toddler age children. Since she was a young girl, Shelby has absolutely loved babies and children. She remembers spending many of her summer vacations at the home of her aunt helping to care for her little cousins.
Shelby found great purpose in night nursing for newborns when her own sister became a mother and she had the special opportunity to help her tackle an exciting and terrifying new world: newborn baby world. It was during this special and invaluable time spent with her sister and nephew where she knew night nursing was something she would happily do again for others.
“Thankfully, I found the perfect match in Orlando Lactation, this company has given me the opportunity to do work that I feel proud of and enjoy. I hope I have the honor of meeting you and your family and helping in any way I can during this most special time in your lives!”
Claudine Chery, RN
Claudine is a true Floridian that can’t get enough of the water and loves the Farmer’s Markets. She has been in the healthcare field for about 11 years. She began as a home care Nursing Assistant in 2013, After she gained her Associates degree in Sciences at Santa Fe College. Subsequently, she became a Registered Nurse in 2019 training at Rasmussen College. Most of her experience has been with cardiac adult patients. However, within the past year she has found new inspiration in being a Pediatric Nurse and has fallen in love with the little ones. Realizing the strength and resilience in the younger population makes nursing a more rewarding experience. She also enjoys going to the gym and attending Zumba classes. She has a dog by the name of Thor which is her pride and joy. She takes pleasure in watching The Avengers series hence her fur baby name! She has immense pride in helping others and seeing others recover and heal.
Maria Turner, MSN, RN
Maria has been a nurse since 2016. Since then, she has worked in various hospital units but her most extensive work has been within the mother/baby setting. During her 5 years in the postpartum setting, she served in both the nursing leader and nursery charge role. During this time, she was honored to be nominated for 7 Daisy awards and to be positively mentioned consistently in patient experience surveys. In her down time, Maria enjoys going to Disney World and having adventures with her husband and their rescue dog. She also loves reading, baking and painting. She is excited to bring her experience in newborn nursing to serve more families in the comfort of their homes.
Amanda Leyva, BSN, RN, CBC
Amanda had her first introduction to nursing at the age of seven as she helped care for her chronically ill grandmother. Learning about caregiving at such an early age combined with a nurse’s kindness helped her realize that nursing was her calling. In her practice, Amanda strives to emulate that nurse's qualities and skills.
Upon graduating with her BSN, Amanda became a NICU nurse. Her career in Neonatology led to her earning several additional certifications including Neonatal Touch & Massage, Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Core Certification (RNC-NIC) as well as becoming a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor (CBC). This collective knowledge continues to equip her with strategies aimed at reducing neonatal stress and promoting mother-baby dyad health. Amanda is proficient in providing attentive and detailed care to newborns with ranging levels of acuity.
“I strive to educate caregivers on a wide range of topics including infant massage, breastfeeding techniques and optimal neurobehavioral development.”
Debbie Oliver, RN
Debbie began her extensive background in newborn and pediatric care as a nurse in 1991. She spent
over 20 years running the hospital newborn nursery where she happily cared for thousands of newborns over the years. Later in her career she became the official "skin to skin" nurse where she had the honor of facilitating the beautiful introduction between mother and baby in the operating room. Debbie also works in the PACU where she assesses and monitors newborns and helps new parents with their babies’ care and breastfeeding. Often her role extends to transition care nursing and floating to the NICU when needed.
Debbie is a mother to her two grown children and has been blessed with three beautiful grandbabies. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family or being at the beach where she feels most refreshed.
“Night nursing is a natural extension of what I love and do best, caring for newborns and families and helping them be as happy, healthy, and safe as possible.”
Leandra Greenhalgh, BSN, RN
Leandra entered the nursing field straight out of high school driven by her passion for wanting to help people. She has her specialty certification in low risk neonatal nursing and has spent over two decades in the hospital setting providing neonatal care. In 2019 Leandra obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing. From the delivery room to the NICU and all steps in-between, she has always loved caring for babies and helping new parents learn to care for their babies.
Leandra is a married mother of two and in her free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and getting lost in a good book.
Lisa Schilling,
DNP, CRNP, CPN, CLC
Central Florida has been home to Lisa for over 25 years. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Association and Society of Pediatric Nurses.
Lisa has a passion for teaching, both parents and students. She teaches pediatric and obstetrical nursing students along with women’s health for several local institutions including University of Florida, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida and Valencia College. Lisa also teaches NRP - Neonatal Resuscitation, STABLE classes which focus on post resuscitation and pre-transport of sick infants and serves as a preceptor and mentor for both nurses and nurse practitioners.
Lisa has the unique experience of a career in pediatrics along with being a proud cleft mom. Her child was born with bilateral cleft lip and palate. She pumped her breast milk for two years and utilized the supplemental bottle system to feed her infant.
When she is not teaching or helping babies and their parents Lisa can be found with her child living life to the fullest or reading a book. She has published a chapter on Women’s Health and is currently working on additional professional and personal publications. Lisa is most looking forward to helping parents and families have quality rest along with being a resource to help parents be as comfortable as possible with their newborns.
Mina Chung, BSN, RN
Born and raised in Orlando, Mina has been a pediatric registered nurse for over two years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing as well as in Psychology and was in healthcare for five years prior to nursing. From being a babysitter to being a pediatric nurse, Mina has always adored babies for the joy and wonder they enrich our lives with. They are by far her favorite population to care for and she hopes to have one (or two or three!) of her own one day. Mina enjoys spending time with her husband, Sam, and two cats, Hugo and Ivy. In her free time, you can find her beating Sam at Scrabble/Battleship/Mario Party, watching Youtube, or baking cookies.
Marissa Valladarez,
RN, CBC
Marissa has been a nurse since 2007 and currently works in the NICU. She grew up thinking she would become a veterinarian, but when life presented her with other plans she discovered that nursing was her true passion and she’s never looked back. Her heart is complete when she is able to help a family with their precious child in the hospital.
Marissa is also a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and a mother of two. She enjoys spending time with her two 2 doggies and dancing to Latin Cardio at the local YMCA on her days off.
“I have bonded with so many babies and families over the years and watching them grow makes my heart content.“
Mandy Crespo, BSN, RN
Mandy is a Florida native, having moved here at the age of 3. She always wanted to be a "baby nurse," and that dream came true when she graduated from UCF in 2004 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She soon started as a NICU nurse that same year and has continued with her life's passion ever since. She always treats her patients in the NICU as if they were her own, and the highest praise comes from a mother saying how comfortable and safe they feel leaving their baby in her care. Her goal is to educate new moms to give them the tools they need to be the best possible mom to their baby(ies). Motherhood truly takes a village, and she hopes to be able to contribute positively and help in any way possible as a small piece of that "village."
Mandy has two daughters who keep her and her husband busy in their love. of dance and horse riding, and she has recently joined them in horse riding lessons and enjoys it greatly. She also enjoys running, gardening, and spending time with her four cats.
Sheila Belcher, LPN
Sheila Belcher graduated in 1982 as an LPN from Bessemer Technical College, in Alabama. She was a teen mom, so being a nurse in womens’ and newborn health became very important to her. Her first job was at a local hospital in Birmingham, Alabama in Labor and Delivery - and that is where her career dream began. During the first year of her nursing career, Sheila married, had 2 more children and took a five-year break from nursing to be a stay-at-home mom. When she returned to work, she did rotation between Labor & Delivery and Postpartum units. Over her 42-year nursing career, Sheila remains committed to womens’ and newborn health. Her experience includes an OB/GYN office, freestanding Birthing Center and Maternal/Perinatal Hospital Units.
Sheila is divorced and a proud mother of 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. The best time in her life is going on little adventures with her family. She is a nurturer by nature. Recently, one of her co-workers asked her to be her Doula when she had her first child - and jokingly asked her to be her nanny too!
Stephanie Torres, BSN, RN
Stephanie, a daughter of an Army Veteran, was born in Germany but moved to Florida with her family when she was eight years old. Raised by parents with Puerto Rican roots, she is bilingual in Spanish and English and has conversational skills in French, German, and Portuguese. Stephanie holds a nursing degree from Daytona State College and will be receiving her BSN from Western Governor’s University in December. Her long-term goal is to become a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatric psychology, a passion she's had since receiving a nurse playset at the age of four.
Stephanie's nursing journey began in 2011 at Halifax Hospital, and she played a key role in opening the pediatric unit at AdventHealth Daytona Beach in 2016, with cross-training in NICU, Postpartum, and PICU. During the 2020 pandemic, she worked at both AdventHealth Daytona Beach and Orlando campuses, floating between NICU and PICU units. In 2022, she transitioned to travel nursing, gaining experience at Yale New Haven Hospital on the burns unit and NICU and Connecticut’s Children Hospital in Hartford on the specialty Neurology unit, PICU, and NICU. Currently, she's a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse.
Beyond her nursing career, Stephanie enjoys traveling, iced coffee, Disney, movies, and music (she plays six instruments). She's also skilled in gaming, sketching, painting, and needlework. Her greatest love is her family, which includes six furry friends: three dogs (Marble, Jake, & Charlie) and three cats (Rorek, Um-Nom, Kasai). Stephanie is an adoring aunt who spoils her niece to bits.
Sarah Gartland, RN, CBC
Sarah’s love for tiny babies started at the young age of 14 when she began nannying for a mom with a two year old on bed rest pregnant with triplets! After four years watching the once preemie triplets grow into beautiful healthy girls, she knew she wanted to help other tiny babies and sought out to become a NICU nurse! A Duquesne university graduate and Pennsylvania native, Sarah has now been in Orlando for 9 years as a mother/baby and NICU nurse – and now raising two young girls of her own! She exclusively breastfed and pumped for her own girls, which grew her passion for helping other moms with goals of breastfeeding – and thus prompted her to earn her Certified Breastfeeding Counselor certification. She also knows the importance of getting help when it’s needed – Sarah found Orlando Lactation when she herself was a mom with a colicky baby and breastfeeding struggles. With Kristen’s help she was able to successfully continue breastfeeding and get more than an hour or two of sleep at night. Now Sarah is happy to be part of the nursing team here helping other moms get the rest and support they need!
Carmen Soner-Rice,
BSHA, RN, LMT
Carmen was born and raised until her teen years on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She is fluent in Spanish, English and has a conversational understanding of Portuguese. In 2002 she started her career in infant care when she decided to get her Child Development Associate and open her at-home daycare. At the time, Carmen had a precious newborn which she wanted to stay at home with. She aimed to help other parents needing trustworthy and loving newborn care. After relocating to Florida, Carmen’s caring nature and desire to assist in the healing process motivated her to become a Licensed Massage Therapist. Carmen has advanced certifications in many medical and holistic massage modalities. She became very passionate about helping her patients reach their highest wellness potential.
Carmen started a lymphatic, prenatal/postpartum massage practice in 2005 and has been helping moms for almost two decades. In 2020 Carmen became a Registered Nurse in Labor and Delivery with cross-training in Advanced Neonatal Care. She enjoys caring for every little one that comes her way while providing parents with the educational and emotional support they need at such an important time. Carmen has two precious children; she enjoys baking and decorating professional cakes, gospel music, listening to motivational messages, cooking Hispanic food, and having a good meal with great company.
Beth Nash, BSN, RN, CPN
Beth is an Orlando Native! She received her nursing degree from Valencia College and went to UCF for her BSN. She has been a pediatric nurse since 2011, which is something she has wanted for most of her life – the idea of helping the innocent made this career even more rewarding. She was a pediatric ER nurse for the first seven years, after which she moved to pediatric cardiac ICU where she still works today. Beth has been nominated for the Nurse Excellence Award two times, once in Atlanta and just recently in Orlando.
She is a runner who lives for race days. Beth also loves traveling, hiking, music concerts and Broadway shows. She has a dog named Phoebe and 2 cats name Monica and Chandler. Yes, she is a big Friends fan!