I would be willing to help with translations. I am a native Russian speaker,
and my English is not bad.
What is happening in Russia with birth and lactation is a medical
nightmare.  The C-Section rate is sky high and the surgeries are done in a
horribly efficient way, totally disregarding the needs of a mother and baby.
I have just helped a friend through a pregnancy after such a C-section. She
wanted to try a VBAC, so we called Russia to find out from her doctor which
incision was used. The doctor yelled at my friend for becoming pregnant at
all. Then told us that she had a lateral incision. Top to bottom. When the
midwife, who was participating in this conference call asked "Why?", The
good doctor answered - it was faster. So the result was no VBAC possible,
the pregnancy was extremely difficult, because the mom kept bleeding
heavily. The baby was born at 35 weeks, because of the risk of rupture.
Further pregnancies are not recommended. My friend is only 25 years old. Oh,
and the original C-Section followed accidental puncture of the membranes by
the OB during a routine exam. And I hear lots of this stories.
I know that I will not be able to satisfy the new requirements for many,
many years. As long as I have little kids and have to pay the tuition for
them there is just no way. Yet I also know that the need for women like me -
thous of a certain background. Sorry, but Russians will listen to my Russian
easier, will trust me more and more likely to follow my recommendations,
than someone, who has a diploma, but does not understand or speak Russia. Or
does not get the specific challenges that Russian immigrants face. Same with
being a Hasidik Jew. I bet that a nice, smart and articulate person can talk
about breastfeeding till they are blue in the face, yet I without any
certificates will be trusted a lot more, and could do a lot more for this
mothers.
At this point I have been helping moms make informed childbirth choices,
helping breastfeed, cheering them on, talking to pharmacists and doctors on
theyre behalf for at least 10 years. I get calls at 3 a.m. from mothers, who
do not feel they "could badger the doctor". I never took a penny from
anyone. I have done massages, and diaper puzzles and reefed moms to the
"higher authority" our IBCLC. I read almost everything that is obtainable.
Last year my friend has impressed upon me the importance of becoming an
official LLL. I am almost there. Before the requirements have changed I
could see myself sitting for the exam in another 4 years. Now I will not be
even able to start in who knows how long. And this is the sad part. I have
to ask myself how long can I take the time away from my family without any
prospect of getting payed. So far I do not know the answer. It seems that
the new "medical" model will not have a place for someone like me. Someone
above a one week class, yet someone who can not or do not want to become a
full IBCLC.
. --
Henya
Brooklyn, NY

Want to know me better - visit my blog
http://chickenstitches.blogspot.com/

For unique patterns and stitch markers - visit my shop chickenstitches.com

Visit my Etsy shop - chickenstitches.etsy.com

Find me on Ravelry as knitmammy http://www.ravelry.com/people/knitmammy

On Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 9:28 PM, Maya Bolman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Christina,
>
> I do feel and understand your pain and frustration.  I am answering
> questions on Internet Forums and personal emails.  They feel the same: sad
> and frustrated.  Many of those consultants in Russia and other countries can
> not even advocate for themselves. Simply, they do not speak English. There
> is no breastfeeding literature translated into Russian at all, except some
> of the Dr. Newman instructions and 40 h WHO/UNICEF course.  ILCA has been
> very supportive in this outreach project.  Translation of some materials
> into Russian was initiated by ILCA already!  This is a huge step in
> connecting Russian consultants with the rest of the world.
>
> We could  potentionally have thousands of IBCLCs in Russia. They are young,
> energetic, smart and willing to work hard. Many of those consultants have
> amazing hands-on skills.  Their national organization is NFCA (Natural
> Feeding Consultants Association) of Russia.  It is growing day by day.
>
> We are starting from a practically ground zero. There is a need in
> educational courses and mentorship programs, translation into Russian of
> educational materials and exam itself. You described the exact picture of
> what is going on in most of the hospitals over there. Many medical
> professionals believe that they know enough about breastfeeding. I read on
> one of the hospitals web site:" We are breastfeeding friendly, our babies
> are brought to mothers for feedings every 3 hours, with a 7 hour rest period
> at night!"  I am not kidding. The treatment for mastitis is surgery and
> prescription of Dostinex to stop lactation.
>
> If we have a word "International" behind our names, we need to be
> considerate of those nations that live in different parts of the world.
>
>             ***********************************************
>
> Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
> To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
> Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
> COMMANDS:
> 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set
> lactnet nomail
> 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
> 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
> 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
>

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome