Rachel Harangody., Founder
Former NICU RN + Newborn Care Specialist + Mom
Rachel is passionate about providing support and guidance for parents by fostering all facets necessary to create a successful transition into parenthood. With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Purdue University, Rachel has focused her RN skills in the care of infants and children and parental training and education, for more than ten years. After her initial experience as a Neonatal Intensive Care RN at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rachel became a Travel Nurse, working in the NICUS throughout hospitals in New York, California and Chicago.
Rachel's experience as an in-home private infant nurse gave her the opportunity to provide individualized parental education. Often working as a “24/7 around the clock” Newborn Care Specialist, she saw a big need for early parent social interaction and support outside of the home which was once of the avenues leading her to open Chicago’s first infant wellness studio.
Rachel has been fortunate enough to live throughout Europe with her husband and work for families in multiple countries. These experiences broadened her knowledge of infant wellness in many different cultures and were invaluable lessons in her career. Rachel is a busy mom to a 2 year old and 6 month old twins!
Lauren M.,
NICU Nurse + Mom of 3 + CPR Instructor
Lauren is a Registered Nurse who received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Iowa. She is a former NICU nurse of 10 years and specializes in newborn care. She has extensive knowledge in working with infants especially those who are premature or have special needs. Lauren is also a certified CPR instructor and a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and is now offering feeding counseling (breast/bottle/combo feeding) as well as infant + child CPR classes in the Metta Baby studio. As a mother of 3 herself, she is also able to provide parents with postpartum support and tips on basic infant care.
Claire Powers
NICU Nurse
Claire is a registered nurse who received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Iowa. She is currently in graduate school at Rush University to pursue her doctorate degree in Pediatric Primary Care! Claire is a NICU nurse working at Rush University Medical Center with 7 years of experience in caring for both premature and critically ill newborns. She is a Certified Lactation Specialist (CLS) and BLS and CPR certified. Claire is excited to share her knowledge and experience on newborn care and development with our metta baby friends and families!
Hayley J., Instructor
NICU Nurse
Hayley is a Registered Nurse who received her Bachelors in Science at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She is currently a NICU nurse at Rush University Medical Center and has almost 4 years of NICU experience. She had the opportunity to travel nurse for 5 months in Orange County, CA and further developed her insight and knowledge of infant wellness there. She is a certified NICU nurse and will soon be working towards her infant sleep training certification. Hayley has always been in love with caring for infants, even at a young age, and working as a NICU nurse has come so naturally to her. Her curious and outgoing personality has led her to create close relationships with both baby + parents and is excited to bring that to our metta baby clients! Born and raised in Chicago, she loves cheering on her Chicago sports teams!
Carla B., Instructor
NICU Nurse
Carla is a registered nurse who received her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Augustana College then went on to receive her Master of Science in Nursing from Rush University. Carla works in the neonatal intensive care unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She is passionate about health education, equitable healthcare, and newborn care. She is excited to connect with metta baby’s families! In her free time, Carla loves to travel, read, and cook new recipes.
Karianna S., Instructor
Certified Doula
Karianna is a certified Doula who received her certification from Best Doula Training. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations degree from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Prior to making a career change, she was working in nonprofit development, event planning, and the restaurant industry in Philadelphia and Chicago. She has had a long time interest in birth work and is thrilled that her journey began at Metta Baby. Kari is the backbone of our team and really looks forward to continue learning and growing alongside our other specialists. She has really enjoyed being a part of the perinatal community in Chicago so far and loves the tight knit community. In her free time, Karianna enjoys baking, exploring different city parks, and thrifting for herself and friends.
Check out our amazon favorites here !
By popular demand of our clients, our team created a wish list of our favorite baby brands and products that you can find on amazon! metta baby is an affiliate of amazon and receives a small commission from the manufacturer if you purchase a product. This is at no additional cost to you.