Diana West (lactation consultant)
Encyclopedia
Diana West is a leading lactation consultant
and noted author in the field of breastfeeding
.
. West is the granddaughter of Clyde T. Ellis
(1908–1980), congressman of Arkansas (1939–1943) and the first general manager (CEO) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (1943–1967).
West attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, from which she obtained a bachelor of arts degree
in industrial psychology. She lives in Long Valley, New Jersey
together with her husband, Brad West. The couple have three sons.
West is an accredited La Leche League Leader and a member of the review board of the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA) professional journal Clinical Lactation. She was a member of the board of directors of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) from July 2008 until the end of 2009, working as Director of Professional Development. She has been on the board of the Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) and has been a speaker at professional and parenting conferences.
Diana West is the co-owner of Mahala Lactation and Perinatal Services, LLC, a private lactation consultation practice, a website developer, and administrator of the Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries, Low Milk Supply, and LactSpeak Lactation Speaker Bureau websites.
In her book looking at low milk production, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk, West looks at the use of galactagogues
(herbs to increase lactation), putting forward the suggestion that goat's rue
and shatavari
can be effective tools to target the causes behind low milk production.
Lactation consultant
A lactation consultant is a healthcare provider recognized as an expert in the fields of human lactation and breastfeeding. The USLCA, United States Lactation Consultant Association, is the presiding organization in the United States of America and the International Lactation Consultant...
and noted author in the field of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
.
Biography
Diana West was born August 8, 1965 in Rogers, ArkansasRogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
. West is the granddaughter of Clyde T. Ellis
Clyde T. Ellis
Clyde Taylor Ellis was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born on a farm near Garfield, Arkansas, Ellis attended the public schools of Fayetteville, Arkansas....
(1908–1980), congressman of Arkansas (1939–1943) and the first general manager (CEO) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (1943–1967).
West attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, from which she obtained a bachelor of arts degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in industrial psychology. She lives in Long Valley, New Jersey
Long Valley, New Jersey
Long Valley is an unincorporated area located within Washington Township, in Morris County, New Jersey. Known as German Valley since its foundation during the colonial era, the community was renamed in response to anti-German sentiment during World War I...
together with her husband, Brad West. The couple have three sons.
Work in the lactation field
West became involved in breastfeeding advocacy after her experiences trying to breastfeed her three children following breast reduction surgery.West is an accredited La Leche League Leader and a member of the review board of the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA) professional journal Clinical Lactation. She was a member of the board of directors of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) from July 2008 until the end of 2009, working as Director of Professional Development. She has been on the board of the Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) and has been a speaker at professional and parenting conferences.
Diana West is the co-owner of Mahala Lactation and Perinatal Services, LLC, a private lactation consultation practice, a website developer, and administrator of the Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries, Low Milk Supply, and LactSpeak Lactation Speaker Bureau websites.
Published works
In her 2001 book, Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction Surgery, West discusses the effects of breast reduction surgery on breastfeeding and provides practical advice to women in that position. The Journal of Human Lactation described this book as "an excellent resource for healthcare professionals, in particular lactation consultants."In her book looking at low milk production, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk, West looks at the use of galactagogues
Galactagogue
A galactagogue is a substance that promotes lactation in humans and other animals. It may be synthetic, plant-derived, or endogenous.-Herbal:The most commonly cited galactagogues are herbal...
(herbs to increase lactation), putting forward the suggestion that goat's rue
Galega officinalis
Galega officinalis, commonly known as goat's rue, French lilac, Italian fitch or professor-weed, is an herbaceous plant in the Faboideae subfamily. It is native to the Middle East, but it has been naturalised in Europe, western Asia, and western Pakistan...
and shatavari
Asparagus racemosus
Asparagus racemosus is a species of asparagus common throughout India and the Himalayas. It grows one to two metres tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300 - 1,400 metres elevation)...
can be effective tools to target the causes behind low milk production.
External links
- "Diana West" biographical page, www.lactspeak.com/ Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries website, www.bfar.org/ Retrieved January 26, 2011.