My Published Books
I’ve had a fortunate publishing career to date with a total of seven published books, including co-authoring five books with wonderful co-authors, sole authoring one, and serving as the editor for my father’s autobiography. With the exception of my father’s book, my publications have centered on breastfeeding topics, which is my passion. One of these days, I also hope to write a fiction book about a ghost story that has been swimming in my mind for years.
Making More Milk, 2nd Edition
by Diana West and Lisa Marasco
McGraw-Hill, 2008 and 2019
Concerned about making enough milk for your baby? Wondering how to make more? Two lactation experts are here to help. Separate fact from fiction with help from this comprehensive book about improving low milk supply. Written by two leading experts who have been there themselves and officially recommended by La Leche League International, Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk, and how babies contribute to your milk production. Best of all, you’ll find valuable suggestions for both time-honored and innovative ways to make more milk. Learn the facts about:
- Determining if baby is really getting enough milk
- Supplementing without decreasing your supply
- Maximizing the amount of milk you can make
- Identifying the causes of your low supply
- Increasing your supply with the most effective methods, including pumping, herbs, medications, foods, and alternative therapies
- Making more milk when you return to work, exclusively pump, have a premie or multiples, relactate, or induce lactation
Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family
by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith, and Teresa Pitman
Ballantine Books, a Division of Random House, 2014
Sweet Sleep is the first and most complete book on nights and naps for breastfeeding families. It’s mother-wisdom, reassurance, and a how-to guide for making sane and safe decisions on how and where your family sleeps, backed by the latest research. It’s 4 A.M. You’ve nursed your baby five times throughout the night. You’re beyond exhausted. But where can you breastfeed safely when you might fall asleep? You’ve heard that your bed is dangerous for babies. Or is it? Is there a way to reduce the risk? Does life really have to be this hard? No, it doesn’t. Sweet Sleep is within reach. This invaluable resource will help you:
- Sleep better tonight in under ten minutes with the Quick Start guide—and sleep safer every night with the Safe Sleep Seven checklist
- Sort out the facts and fictions of bedsharing and SIDS
- Learn about normal sleep at every age and stage, from newborn to new parent
- Direct your baby toward longer sleep when he’s ready
- Tailor your approach to your baby’s temperament
- Uncover the hidden costs of sleep training and “cry it out” techniques
- Navigate naps at home and daycare
- Handle concerns from family, friends, and physicians
- Enjoy stories and tips from mothers like you
- Make the soundest sleep decisions for your family and your life
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 8th edition
by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman
Ballantine Books, a Division of Random House, 2010
The long-awaited, fully-revised edition for Millennial Mothers! It’s no secret that breastfeeding is the normal, healthy way to nourish and nurture your baby. Dedicated to supporting nursing and expectant mothers, the internationally respected La Leche League has set the standard for educating and empowering mothers in this natural art for generations. Now their classic bestselling guide has been retooled, refocused, and updated for today’s mothers and lifestyles. Working mothers, stay-at-home moms, single moms, and mothers of multiples will all benefit from the book’s range of nursing advice, stories, and information—from preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy to feeding cues, from nursing positions to expressing and storing breast milk. With all-new photos and illustrations, this ultimate support bible offers:
- Real-mom wisdom on breastfeeding comfortably—from avoiding sore nipples to simply enjoying the amazing bonding experience
- New insights into old approaches toward latching and attaching, ages and stages, and answers to the most-asked questions
- Strategies for moms who choose to breastfeed for a short time or who plan to nurse for a year or more
- Reassuring information on nursing after a C-section or delivery complications
- Recent scientific data that highlight the many lifelong health benefits of breastfeeding
- Helpful tips for building your support network—at home or when back at work
- Nursing special-needs infants, premies, multiples, and how to thrive no matter what curveball life throws
- Guidance on breast health issues, weight gain, day care, colic, postpartum depression, food allergies, and medications
Plus—Internet references for further information, including La Leche League support sites and groups. Mothers bringing babies into a new world want sustainable, healthy, positive ways to help their children blossom and thrive. There is no better beginning for your baby than the womanly art of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding after Breast and Nipple Procedures
by Diana West and Dr. Elliot Hirsch
Preclaurus Press (originally Hale Publishing), 2008
Do you work with pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who have undergone breast or nipple procedures? Breastfeeding after these procedures can be challenging. Lactation consultant Diana West and (plastic surgeon) Dr. Elliot Hirsch have teamed up to write Breastfeeding after Breast and Nipple Procedures: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals.
Breastfeeding after Breast Reduction Surgery
by Diana West
La Leche League International, 2014
This book was written to enable mothers who have had breast reduction surgery to breastfeed their babies. Although written directly to the mother who wishes to breastfeed after reduction, this book is also a valuable resource for health care professionals–surgeons, physicians, midwives, pediatrics and maternity nurses and lactation consultants. This first of its kind publication addresses questions and myths whether its possible to breastfeed after breast reduction surgery.
Clinician’s Breastfeeding Triage Tool, Version 3
by Diana West and a Team of International Lactation Professionals
International Lactation Consultant Association, 2014
ILCA’s very popular reference has been completely updated! This guide is based on evidence-based therapies drawn from ILCA’s Clinical Guidelines for the Establishment of Exclusive Breastfeeding, which was also revised in 2014.The Triage Tool is a great way to educate other medical professionals about the issues that IBCLCs are trained to handle and includes the latest information on:
- Insufficient milk transfer
- Jaundice
- Breast engorgement
- Overproduction
- Nipple pain
- Nipple bacterial infection
- Vasospasm
- BLEB
- Plugged duct
- Mastitis
- Fungal infection
New to this version is a link to additional information about medications, including country-specific drug information for the following countries:
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Israel
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Thailand
The Triage Tool is designed to assist all healthcare staff who interact with breastfeeding mothers and babies, including:
- Postpartum mother-baby units
- Health clinics
- Emergency rooms
- Public health nursing departments
- Pediatrician offices
- Midwifery offices
- OB/GYN offices
- WIC offices
- Hospital departments that do not usually see mothers and babies
The Triage Tool measures approximately 5.75 x 8.75 inches (15 x 22.5 cm), so will fit inside most labcoat pockets. It is also laminated for added durability. Bulk pricing makes it very affordable to purchase enough copies for every staff member! To preview a sample of this item, please click here.
In the Line of Duty
by Jeff Davis Duty, Jr, edited by Diana Duty West
In the Line of Duty is the autobiography of my father, Davis Duty, a man from a small town in Arkansas who has led a truly fascinating life. Completely blind from five years old, Davis was determined never to accept his sightlessness as a handicap.
He was the first blind child to be mainstreamed in Arkansas public schools and acquired his first Seeing Eye guide dog when he was 17. He earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London School of Economics, where his guide dog’s mandatory six-month rabies quarantine captured the heart of the English people and the international press. After graduating from law school, Davis worked under Robert Kennedy in the US Attorney General’s Office during the Kennedy Administration in Washington, DC.
Upon marrying, he returned to his hometown to join his father in the family law firm, was elected City Attorney and Municipal Judge, and persuaded the US Supreme Court to permit guide dogs. He was appointed to a Federal judge position in the Social Security Administration and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he raised his family. He eventually returned to private law practice in Arkansas.
Davis’ rich memoir includes cherished family anecdotes from his childhood during World War II, his adolescence in the 1950s, his four marriages, and family life with his two children. His own story is expanded with a genealogical overview of both sides of his family. Each aspect of Davis’ amazing life is described with both great humor and serious introspection.
Bonus material exploring his political and theological views and several short stories is included. Rich with over 200 photos spanning a hundred years, this book brings to life a fascinating man so that his family, descendants, and the wider world will know and remember him.