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Diana West | |
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| Born | August 8, 1965 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
| Occupation(s) | lactation consultant, author |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Known for | breastfeeding activist |
| Notable work | The Clinician's Breastfeeding Triage Tool |
Diana West (born August 8, 1965) is a leading lactation consultant and author specializing on the topic of breastfeeding.
Diana West was born August 8, 1965, in Rogers, Arkansas. 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 became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2002 and opened her private lactation consultation practice later the same year. [1] She has published five books about breastfeeding. [2] She lives in the Long Valley section of Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey, with her three sons. [3]
West became involved in breastfeeding advocacy after her experiences trying to breastfeed her three children following breast reduction surgery. [4]
West is an accredited La Leche League Leader [5] and has worked for La Leche League International as their Director of Media Relations since 2011. [6] She was a member of the review board of the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA) [7] professional journal Clinical Lactationfrom May 2014 until October 2016. [8] She was a member of the board of directors of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) [9] from July 2008 until the end of 2009, working as Director of Professional Development. [10] 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. [11]
Diana West has a private lactation consultation practice, and is a clinical lactation forms developer, a website developer, and administrator of the Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries, [12] and Low Milk Supply, [13] websites.
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 situation. The Journal of Human Lactation described this book as "an excellent resource for healthcare professionals, in particular lactation consultants." [14] [15]
West led a team of international lactation professionals in developing The Clinician's Breastfeeding Triage Tool for the International Lactation Consultant Association in 2007, which was revised in 2008 and 2014. This health care tool provided evidence-based information for first-line treatment of lactation dysfunction and pathologies. [16]
In her 2008 monograph with Dr. Elliot Hirsch, Clinics in Human Lactation: Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Procedures, West and Hirsch examined the effects of breast and nipple procedures on lactation for medical professionals. [17]
In her 2008 book with Lisa Marasco about low milk production, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk, West and Marasco presented methods to identify the causes of low milk production and targeted strategies to increase them, including more effective milk removal, addressing hormonal dysfunction, and the use of galactagogues (herbs to increase lactation), such as goat's rue and shatavari. [18]
In her 2010 book with Diane Wiessinger and Teresa Pitman for La Leche League International, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 8th edition, Wiessinger, West, and Pitman re-wrote La Leche League International's landmark book about breastfeeding for the new millennial generation. [19]
In her 2014 book with Diane Wiessinger, Linda J. Smith, and Teresa Pitman for La Leche League International, Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family, Wiessinger, West, Smith, and Pitman examined the risks and safety of bedsharing for breastfeeding mothers as a strategy to improve breastfeeding outcomes, and provided strategies to make bedsharing safer and easier. [20]
In 2014, West was instrumental in revising La Leche League's leadership eligibility criteria to allow leaders to serve no matter their gender, [21] following their initial rejection of Trevor MacDonald, a transgender father. [22] West commented, “It was thought that only women could breastfeed. Once it became clear it wasn’t as straightforward as that, the policy had to change. We’re just trying to be on the right side of history. Yes, we took a year to do it, but we did it in a way that was fair and unequivocal.” [23]
West went on to be part of a research team with MacDonald through the University of Ottawa that conducted qualitative research about transmasculine individuals' experiences of pregnancy, birthing, and feeding their newborns. The group's research paper, "Transmasculine individuals’ experiences with lactation, chestfeeding, and gender identity: a qualitative study," [24] contains the first known use of the word "chestfeeding" in the title of an academic paper, which is a term preferred by some transmasculine individuals to describe their lactation and nursing relationship. [25] The paper is in the top 1% of the most-viewed academic research papers of all time. [26]
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A nipple piercing is a type of body piercing, centered usually at the base of the nipple. It can be pierced at any angle but is usually done horizontally or, less often, vertically. It is also possible to place multiple piercings on top of one another.
La Leche League International (LLLI) is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization that organizes advocacy, education, and training related to breastfeeding. It is present in about 89 countries.
The history and culture of breastfeeding traces changing social, medical and legal attitudes to breastfeeding, the act of feeding a child breast milk directly from breast to mouth. Breastfeeding may be performed by the infant's mother or by a surrogate, typically called a wet nurse.
Breast shells are hollow, lightweight plastic disks worn inside the brassiere to help correct flat or inverted nipples either in preparation for or during breastfeeding. Also known as milk cups, breast cups, breast shields, or Woolwich shields, they can also be used to ease sensitive nipples or collect milk when the baby has not finished the teat. Breast shells function by applying gentle but firm pressure to the region surrounding the nipple to stretch underlying adhesions and draw out the nipple. Nipple shields may be confused with breast shells, but shields are intended for use during the act of breastfeeding, whereas breast shells are worn in preparation for or after breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding difficulties refers to problems that arise from breastfeeding, the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a woman's breasts. Although babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk, and human breast milk is usually the best source of nourishment for human infants, there are circumstances under which breastfeeding can be problematic, or even in rare instances, contraindicated.
Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. Health organizations, including the WHO, recommend breastfeeding exclusively for six months. This means that no other foods or drinks, other than vitamin D, are typically given. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Of the 135 million babies born every year, only 42% are breastfed within the first hour of life, only 38% of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, and 58% of mothers continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process of feeding milk in all female creatures is called nursing, and in humans it is also called breastfeeding. Newborn infants often produce some milk from their own breast tissue, known colloquially as witch's milk.
Breastfeeding promotion refers to coordinated activities and policies to promote health among women, newborns and infants through breastfeeding.
Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is a condition in which women who breastfeed develop negative emotions that begin just before the milk ejection reflex and last less than a few minutes. It is different from postpartum depression, breastfeeding aversion response (BAR), or a dislike of breastfeeding. It has been described anecdotally many times, yet one of the earliest case studies on the condition was only published in 2011, and not much research was done prior to that. Even in 2021 when the first review of published literature was done the authors noted that health care providers were still "barely [able to] recognize D-MER."
Chris Mulford was a prominent advocate of breastfeeding in the United States and globally.
Diane Wiessinger is an American breastfeeding advocate, author and researcher who is known for her essay "Watch your language!", which asserts that breastfeeding is normal, not superior. The term "Wiessingerize" in the circles of breastfeeding advocates means to talk about breastfeeding as the norm to which other forms of nurturing and nourishing children is compared.
A lactation consultant is a health professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding. The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) certifies lactation consultants who meet its criteria and have passed its exam.
Trevor Kirczenow is a transgender health researcher and diabetes healthcare advocate. He is an author and community organizer in the field of LGBTQ lactation and infant feeding. He has run twice as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada.
A nipple bleb is a blister on the nipple that can be filled with serous or other fluid. It may be pink or light yellow. It is thin-walled and may appear as a small blister, more than 5 mm in diameter. It can also be referred to as a bulla. Some clinicians may also include milk blisters as a type of bleb. In addition, a blocked Montgomery gland may also be called a nipple bleb though its cause is different than a milk or serous-filled bleb on the nipple. In some cases the bleb may be associated with an adjacent blocked sebaceous cyst.
Nipple confusion is the tendency of an infant to unsuccessfully adapt between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding. It can happen when the infant is put back onto breast-feeding. Nipple confusion can turn into nipple refusal in which the infant refuses both the bottle and breastfeeding.
In breastfeeding women, low milk supply, also known as lactation insufficiency, insufficient milk syndrome, agalactia, agalactorrhea, hypogalactia or hypogalactorrhea, is the production of breast milk in daily volumes that do not fully meet the nutritional needs of her infant.
Mary Ann Kerwin is an American lawyer and breastfeeding activist. One of the seven founders of La Leche League in 1956, she established the Colorado branch of the advocacy group and drafted state laws on behalf of women who breastfeed their infants in public and in the workplace. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Establishment of breastfeeding refers to the initiation of providing breast milk of mother to baby. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), breastfeeding is the best way to provide nourishment, including essential nutrients, energy and antibodies, to infants and toddlers. The start of breastfeeding is supported by the milk production which depends on the development of internal and external breast structure and hormonal control on milk secretion. Besides milk supply, adopting the correct approach of breastfeeding helps build up the maternal bond, which in turn promotes breastfeeding. Not only does nursing strengthen the mother-child relationship, but it also improves the intelligence and immunity of breastfed children and diminishes breastfeeding mothers' risks to have ovarian and breast cancer.
Hand expression of breast milk is a technique used by lactating mothers to express milk using their hands. It is an ancient practice that has been used by women across the world for centuries. Hand expression has gained renewed interest in recent years due to its affordability, portability, and effectiveness. It is an important tool for breastfeeding mothers, especially those who are unable to afford or access breast pumps.
