About the Authors
Lisa Marasco
Lisa Marasco has been working with breastfeeding mothers for over 30 years . Originally an accountant, Lisa fell in love with breastfeeding her own children and decided to change her career path, first by becoming a La Leche League Leader and then later pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Lactation with specialization in Lactation, becoming an IBCLC in 1993. Her thesis on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and breastfeeding was the first to investigate infertility and hormonal-related causes of insufficient milk production, and has since spawned new inquiries into other hormonal connections. Driven by a passion to help her clients, Lisa has researched many challenging situations and shared her discoveries in articles, conferences, online support groups, and through co-authoring The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk as well as the chapter on Low Milk Production and Infant Weight in the Core Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care. Her most recent projects included a seminal article on Unsolved Mysteries of the Human Mammary Gland and a Cochrane Review of oral galactogogues. In recognition of her contributions, Lisa was designated a Fellow of ILCA in 2009, and in 2018 received the USLCA Award of Excellence for her research work. She resides in Santa Maria, California and currently works as an IBCLC for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Nutrition Services/ WIC. Lisa and her husband Tom have 4 grown children and 7 grandchildren, all proudly breastfed.
Diana West
Diana West is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) in private practice in New Jersey, a La Leche League Leader, and the Director of Media Relations for La Leche League International. She is the co-author of Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family, the 8th edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk, Breastfeeding after Breast and Nipple Procedures, and ILCA’s popular Clinician’s Breastfeeding Triage Tool. She has also recently published a research article with a team led by Trevor MacDonald and Joy Noel-Weiss about trans men’s experiences with lactation and gender identity. Diana is the author of the groundbreaking book, Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding after Breast Reduction Surgery. She is a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Clinical Lactation, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and is the administrator of the high-traffic BFAR.org and LowMilkSupply.org websites. She has three nearly-grown sons and lives in the picturesque mountains of northwestern New Jersey in the United States. Diana is continually amazed by the power of breastfeeding to positively transform families, as well as the professionals who help them do it.