Angela Love-Zaranka, IBCLC, is the Breastfeeding
Lady. A board-certified lactation consultant, Angela has worked
with nursing mothers and their children for over 15 years.
A mother of four, Angela became an accredited La
Leche League volunteer in 1990. At the time, she was breastfeeding
her second child and had bouts of recurrent mastitis, a breast
infection experienced by nursing mothers. So, she went to her local
La Leche League group for support and the camaraderie of other
breastfeeding women. Angela quickly realized that helping women
successfully breastfeed was her true calling, and she became an
active group leader in La Leche League. She also began a
rigorous program of self-education about breastfeeding and maternal
and pediatric health – from breastfeeding techniques, to
the physiology of breastfeeding, to nutrition, food allergies and
homeopathy. She regularly attends conferences, seminars and workshops
to continue her education in breastfeeding and related subjects.
Her areas of expertise include proper latch and positioning, oversupply
and overactive milk ejection reflex, to name but a few.
Since 1990, Angela has served as a La Leche League
group leader. She also served as a district adviser, district coordinator,
an area coordinator of group leaders and area finance coordinator,
and worked as an administrative assistant for La Leche League USA.
She was president of La Leche League of Virginia/West Virginia
from 1994-1999. In addition to her continued volunteer work as
a group leader, Angela often addresses La Leche League conferences
on the local, national and international levels.
In 1997, Angela became an IBCLC, that is, a lactation
consultant certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultants
Examiners. She took this step out of her desire to move beyond
mother-to-mother support, into a role as a recognized health-care
professional. To present, she provides in-home consultations, educational
outreach and in-services for doctors, nurses and other lactation
consultants. Angela is currently employed at a local military hospital,
where she is the lead lactation consultant. She runs support groups
for her clients, visits mothers at bedside, and provides hands-on
assistance to breastfeeding mothers. She also trains other lactation
consultants, and addresses seminars, conferences and workshops
for health-care providers.
Angela is a member of ILCA (International Lactation
Consultants Association); member and treasurer, LCAGW (Lactation
Consultants Association of Greater Washington); member and group
leader, La Leche League-Virginia/West Virginia; and member, IBLCE
(International Board of Lactation Consultants Examiners), for which
she served as bookkeeper from 1994-2000.
As mentioned, Angela is a mother of four, Will, Zack,
Christina and Noah. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her
husband of almost two decades, and their children.
