Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC, FILCA
Expertise
-
Anatomy and Physiology of the Nipple
-
Breast and Nipple Assessment
-
Breastfeeding Classes
-
Counseling Methods for Breastfeeding Specialists
-
Endocrinology of Breastfeeding
-
Galactagogues
-
Latching Theory and Techniques
-
Low Milk Production
-
Maternal Assessment for Breastfeeding
-
Oversupply / Overactive Milk Ejection
-
WIC Counseling Methods
Upcoming Conferences
-
Edwardsville Regional Breastfeeding Task Force: Dealing With the Monkey WrenchesMarch 22, 2012Edwardsville,Illinois,United States
-
ILCAJuly 25, 2012 - July 29, 2012Orlando,Florida,United States
-
LLL of Washington Health Care Professional SeminarSeptember 21, 2012Washington,United States
Previous Conferences
-
ULSCA Webinar: Hormone Testing When Nothing Else Makes SenseNovember 16, 2011
-
November 4, 2011 - November 5, 2011Berkeley,California,United States
-
Santa Barbara County Breastfeeding Coalition: Why Can’t That Baby Latch? How Tongue Mobility Restriction Can Affect BreastfeedingSeptember 22, 2011Santa Barbara,California,United States
-
JABA: Got Milk? Talk to Me!August 19, 2011Joliet,Illinois,United States
-
Southern Oregon LactationMay 13, 2011Medford,Oregon,United States
-
NC WIC-Breastfeeding Leadership ConferenceApril 27, 2011 - April 29, 2011Greensboro,North Carolina,United States
-
Ottawa Valley Lactation ConsultantsApril 7, 2011 - April 8, 2011Ottawa,Ontario,Canada
-
LLL of AL/MS/LAMarch 23, 2011 - March 26, 2011New Orleans,Louisiana,United States
-
Australia Breastfeeding AssociationMarch 16, 2011 - March 19, 2011Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
-
March of DimesMarch 4, 2011Oak Lawn,Illinois,United States
About the Speaker
Solving breastfeeding mysteries has always been a passion for Lisa, who is known for her inquisitiveness and tenacity. Her specialization in milk production was born when, after a resurgence in scheduled feeding began to sabotage unwitting mother’s milk supplies, she discovered that there was no comprehensive, referenced source to explain milk production to parents. The process of researching and writing such a document laid the foundation upon which her later work was built. Lisa also personally experienced a mysterious loss of milk supply with her fourth child, the cause of which only became clear to her years later as her research into milk production issues deepened. As a result of her own experience, she has great empathy for her clients and a renewed desire to understand the mysterious and difficult. This led to her eventual master's thesis on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and its possible relationship to milk production problems, and other clinical situations have led to new areas of research. A born teacher, Lisa enjoys sharing what she has learned as much as the process itself. Her passion for her topics comes through clearly in her dynamic presentations, and she takes a personal interest in answering the needs and questions of any and all attendees. It is her desire that attendees not only go home with "what to do's," but more importantly, have a deeper understanding of the topics so that they can think through the unique situations that they face and develop better strategies targeted to the problems.
Official Bio for Brochure
Lisa Marasco has been working with breastfeeding mothers for over 20 years and has been Internationally Board Certified since 1993. She holds a Master's degree in Human Development with specialization in Lactation, has published several articles, and co-authored a comprehensive book entitled "The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk" with Diana West(Oct 2009). Currently, Lisa is employed by WIC of Santa Barbara County while she continues to maintain her private practice, Expressly Yours Lactation Services. In addition, Lisa is an Associate Area Professional Liaison for La Leche League of So. Calif/Nevada, and serves on the Breastfeeding Coalition of Santa Barbara County.
Presentations
This speaker is pleased to provide presentations on the following topics to professional and parenting conferences. Presentations on other topics may be available upon request and subject to sufficient development lead-time. (For CERP topics, required paperwork will be provided promptly to meet CERP deadlines.)
Hormone Testing When Nothing Else Makes Sense
What do you do when you've explored the possibilities for a mother's low milk supply and yet cannot give her an answer? Some problems are hormonal in nature and defy traditional management solutions. There are many conditions that can impact lactation. This talk is divided into three parts: how hormones work, hormonal conditions that can affect lactation, and how to go about assessment, testing and dealing with the results. The goal is to coach serious lactation professionals in how to take problem-solving to the next level. By the end of the sessions, participants should have a broader awareness of various problems that can affect lactation and what types of clues to look for, as well as their advocacy role for the mother.
This is an advanced session that will most benefit experienced lactation professionals.
Why Can't That Baby Latch? How Tongue and Lip Mobility Restriction Can Affect Breastfeeding
Successful lactation depends in part on a baby's ability to latch and draw milk from the breast in an effective and efficient manner. When baby isn't able to do his job, everyone suffers. Tongue and lip mobility restriction can both overtly and subtly impact baby's suck, yet this problem is rarely picked up by most health care providers. Anterior tongue-tie is easiest to identify, but restrictions involving the posterior tongue or the lip can be equally devastating and yet are almost unknown. This talks covers the role of the tongue and lips in sucking and red flags for tongue mobility restriction. Each variation of problem is illustrated by multiple photos and video clips, and optional cases describe presentation, treatment and outcome.
This presentation can be adjusted for experienced or novice audiences.
Lactogenic Foods for Milk Production
Historically, nutrition has always been a part of the health strategy of traditional cultures. New mothers especially have been offered special foods to ensure good milk production. Western society often views these practices as myths, but is that all they are? This session looks at the role of nutrition in milk production and existing research on certain foods as they relate to lactation.
Herbal Galactogogues: An option for low milk supply
Herbal galactogogues are often looked upon suspiciously by those who are not familiar with them. But when a mother is already doing her best and prescription galactogogues don't fit well into her picture, what else can be done? Mothers increasingly ask about herbs, but many LCs and health care providers have little knowledge and feel uncomfortable when asked to provide guidance. This session will familiarize the learner with important herb issues then examine individual profiles, research and clinical experience for some of the most popular reputed galactogogue herbs and products.
This session starts with an overview primer on herbs in general, reviews potential galactogogue mechanisms, and then examines specific herbs. The talk is customizable and designed to be audience driven after the overview so that we can focus on the herbs and products of greatest interest to the group. *Specific herb monographs *Combination products such as tinctures, capsules and teas *Optional: a brief on homeopathic galactogogues **Note: Ethics concerns are touched upon briefly. For a more in-depth discussion, pair this talk with the stand-alone Ethics session.
Counseling the High Need Mother
We all have those mothers who just seem to get the best of us, and we aren't always sure why or what to do about it. This session discusses who the high need mother is, including situational issues and the impact of personality dysfunctions on the helping relationship. Appropriate boundary setting and proactive strategies are discussed to help cope more successfully with these challenges.
This session was originally co-developed in conjunction with my colleague Nancy Williams, IBCLC, MFT. It usually generates a lot of discussion in the audience; more time would allow for more discussion.
Thyroid dysfunction: how the "other" master gland can affect lactation
The connection between the thyroid gland and milk production has not been well understood. New animal research is providing insights into the possible effects of thyroid dysfunction. This research will be discussed in context with current knowledge and case studies, along with possible treatment strategies.
This is the most detailed version of this topic. When a more comprehensive lactation failure talk is selected, this topic is covered more briefly.
Is it her hormones? Hormonal Imbalances and Insufficient Milk Supply
When good management isn't good enough to improve low milk supply, what else could it be? Hormones play important roles in lactation and when they aren't working right, lactation may be affected. Conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, prolactin problems and polycystic ovary syndrome affect lactation for some mothers. This session discusses how hormones work, what kinds of things can go wrong, identifying problems and developing treatment strategies.
The amount of foundational information before the specific conditions depends upon other sessions selected and time allotment.
PCOS Update: What we've learned
PCOS is frequently characterized by hyperandrogenism. Over the past few years, research has begun to focus on androgen imbalances and their impact from fetal development through the life cycle. These studies, together with accumulating clinical experience, are shedding light on what may be inhibiting milk production for a subset of PCOS mother. This session looks at the the role of androgens in the breast and lactation with an eye to specific treatment strategies.
PCOS in specific is discussed, but the application can extend to androgen conditions beyond PCOS.
The Making of a Milk Factory
Lactation is the end-product of a long process that involves laying a foundation and then building upon that foundation during each pregnancy. This process can be affected by hormonal, environmental, and pregnancy factors. By the end of this session, participants will be able to identify some of these risk factors for milk supply problems and have a better understanding of what to expect and how to help the mother in her situation.
This session provides lays a foundation for understanding the implications of various conditions. . The Life Cycle of the Breast Hormones and Receptors Environmental Contaminant Issues Role of the Placenta Alternate titles: The Making of a Milk Factory An Inside Look at the Milk Factory A Milk Factory is Only As Good as its Foundation
Playing Detective: Assessing for Insufficient Milk Production
When low milk production presents, where do you start? Is it real or perceived? Delayed, secondary or primary? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This session walks through the assessment process to determine what the cause of a low milk supply might be.
The amount of detail depends upon the allotted time. It is not intended to discuss conditions in-depth, but rather to help the attendee through the differential diagnosis process in order to develop a treatment strategy. Pregnancy issues Environmental issues Postpartum issues/delayed lactation Maternal self-sabotage/management Maternal physical Maternal hormonal Infant contribution
Lesser-known and Novel ideas for increasing milk production
What else is out there when the tried and true remedies don't seem to be enough? This session takes a broad and open look at alternative and complementary therapies (ie, acupuncture, foods). Some have been studied formally while others are based on clinical experience and anecdotal reports. Interesting ideas and outcomes are discussed. For the professional who hates to leave any stone unturned.
This session would benefit greatly from a generous allotted discussion time for participants to both discuss the merits of various ideas and also to share other ideas or insights.
Ethics of Complementary Therapies in the LC practice
Discusses ethical and legal ramifications of the use/recommendation of alternative therapies (especially herbs).
Could it Be Baby? Infant contributions to Low Milk Supply
An overview of the role of the baby in calibrating milk production and infant conditions that can cause low milk supply in the mother. Case examples illustrate the subtle ways infant causes may present.
Pairs well with "Could it be Mother?"
Malunggay: old food, new galactogogue?
Malunggay is an unfamiliar and exotic-sounding plant to westerners, but a well-known food in India, Asia and the Philippines that is often fed to new mothers to ensure a good milk supply. This talk will examine the use of malunggay as a galactogogue and available supportive research.
