Hello, everyone! I'm one of the recent new subscribers. I've been reading Lactnet and getting to know the style and subjects of discussion for the past few weeks. But, now that Maya has introduced me, I'll write a brief intro.

I'm an American mom living in Moscow, Russia since 1994, plus the past 3 years in Minsk, Belarus. Since 2001, I've been teaching breastfeeding classes and providing mother-to-mother support by phone & email (and occasionally even text-messages with moms in the hospital), and leading support groups in Moscow and now Minsk.

Maya Bolman's visit this past month was the realization of my long-time dream. In her seminars, she did a fabulous job of bridging the gap between Russian-speaking breastfeeding counselors and the international world of breastfeeding. It was truly amazing seeing some of the best and brightest Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Latvian breastfeeding professionals gathered in the same room for the very first time. There was a lot of energy and momentum, as you can imagine!

As Maya mentioned, one of the biggest issues is that there is no standard of education. Many first learned about IBCLC and ILCA from Maya's seminars. However, the good news is that there are many enthusiastic women already dedicated to promoting breastfeeding, and assisting nursing mothers and their babies in these former Soviet countries. With their new-found interest in working towards IBCLC certification, it won't be long!

Sincerely,
Theresa Yaroshevich
LLL Peer Counselor Administrator
Hoping to someday soon sit for IBCLC exam

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