The Birth of Slovenija
Ksenija Soster-Olmer
Orinda, California, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 37 No. 3, June-July 2001, p. 61
The "pregnancy"
was long and complicated with many challenges. Working in a foreign
language, it was a problem finding Applicants who were willing to tackle
THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING and THE LEADER'S HANDBOOK written in
English. Many times the process slowed down because letters between
the Applicant and the Associate Coordinator of Leader Accreditation
had to come to me first for translation. There were a few false alarms
when interested mothers became Applicants but their applications stalled
when they had new babies or began new jobs. My spirit was nearly crushed
when one Leader Applicant, after completing the Preview, decided not
to sign the Statement of Commitment because starting a new Group seemed
overwhelming to her.
But after years of dreaming,
planning, hoping, searching, and scheming, on February 22, 1999 I became
a proud "godmother" to a tiny "baby," LLL Koper,
in a small town on the Slovenian coast. I held my breath when the "baby"
took its first breath at the long planned and hoped for first meeting.
Eight mothers and babies attended that meeting led by the first Slovenian
Leader, Tanja Potocnik. When she emailed me her enthusiastic report,
I sighed a sigh of relief but dared not relax and stop worrying. The
"baby" was so tiny and growing in an isolated area of the
country. I wondered, "Will it thrive in this environment? Will
it be accepted by a society not used to nongovernmental volunteer organizations?
Will it be threatened or stifled by the medical establishment, so used
to being the only authority on matters medical and parental?" But
the "baby" charmed the new mothers, and even some medical
professionals who came to visit, with its simple and heartfelt messages:
"Breast Is Best" and "Support For Mothering Through Breastfeeding."
Soon the word spread and more mother and babies came to meetings, building
a solid base for the Group.
I knew one "baby"
[Group] was just a start. We needed a tribe of healthy sibling Groups
thriving in a close-knit, strong family. I relentlessly pursued any
leads. I approached mothers who attended my summer lectures in my old
homeland. I wrote to any breastfeeding mother who contacted the parenting
magazine to which I am a contributor. I called old high school and college
friends who nursed their babies and expressed an interest in sharing
the joy of breastfeeding with others. I kept visiting the maternity
wards and contacting doctors, nurses, and midwives who were reported
by mothers to be supportive of breastfeeding.
The birth of the second
"baby," as it usually is, was easier. LLL Ljubljana was started
in the capital and this coincided with the establishment of the Baby
Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) under the auspices of the Slovenian
UNICEF. One of the Leaders from this LLL Group also became a member
of a local Breastfeeding Task Force. Now I felt that I could relax a
little, the two sibling Groups supported each other and worked hand
in hand. Soon all the meetings were very well attended, some nearly
unmanageable with over twenty mothers and their babies and toddlers
eager to learn and share.
When the third sibling Group
followed in the north of the country as LLL Maribor, I started worrying
about sibling rivalry and good communication. Then I started wondering
about my "loving guidance." Was I hovering too much or neglecting
the eldest? Sometimes I felt like a mother hen, trying to keep all my
ducks under my feathers, translating reports, purchasing and sending
books, Lansinoh, and breast shells for the Groups, overseeing public
relations efforts, encouraging, helping resolve small misunderstandings,
and emailing back and forth.
Then in 2000, I knew the
time had come to let go; they could "walk" on their own. During
my annual summer visit to Slovenija, I finished the Preview with the
last original Applicant who began her application with me some years
ago. She was expecting her fourth baby and her house was brimming with
her family, my children, and the other Leaders' children - a perfect
setting for doing the Preview! After a few hours filled with laughter
and camaraderie, we welcomed our eighth Slovenian Leader and the beginnings
of our fourth LLL Group.
During our celebratory dinner
I announced, "From now on I am on the sidelines. Now it's your
turn to work with the second generation of Applicants. The future of
LLL in Slovenija is in your hands." I felt totally confident that
they would manage on their own and I had no trouble letting go. I have
to wonder if I will feel such ease and confidence when my own three
children are ready to go into the big world all by themselves.
The eight LLL Leaders in
Slovenija are doing a marvelous job. They are working with eight new
Applicants; organizing and registering an umbrella nonprofit LLL Slovenija;
publishing the first issue of their Area Leaders' Letter (ALL) Zibelka
(Cradle); starting work on a Web site; and inundating Slovenian newspapers
and magazines with articles about breastfeeding and the work of the
local Groups.
I am still available, willing,
and happy to lend a helping hand. Mostly, though, I am just offering
a gentle word of encouragement, a small piece of advice, or praise for
a new accomplishment. I am so proud of all that my LLL sisters and mothers
from my homeland have achieved and are striving to accomplish. Quietly
I am basking in the sweetness of a dream come true, forgetting the pain
as mothers do, and joyously.
Leaders in
Slovenija
Ksenija Soster-Olmer writes
"When I joined LLL 13 years ago [in the USA], I immediately began
dreaming and scheming about [a potential] LLL in Slovenija."
Over a decade passed before
her dream became reality, but the most intensive work (such as recruiting
Applicants and translating materials) came in the last five years. LLL
of Slovenija would not be possible without the Slovenijan Leaders and
Groups' devotion and perseverance.
Here are the Leaders in
Slovenija:
- Tanja Potocnik and Natasa
Jurca; Koper Group
- Spela Hleb Babic; Maribor
Group
- Jana Elouissi, Ursa Savodnik,
Irena Dvojmoc Kotnik and Mateja Kropec Sega; Ljubljana Group
- Irena Rupar; Skofja Loka
Group
Ksenija Soster-Olmer,
Leader Reserve, is a mother of three daughters (13, 11, 8), a freelance
writer, a parent educator, and an Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging)
enthusiast who lives in Orinda, California, USA. Originally from Slovenija
(part of former Yugoslavia), she credits LLL for showing her the path
of mothering from the heart; she is grateful for the skills developed
as a Leader that enable her to contribute to the well-being of mothers
and babies on this and the other side of the ocean.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:38 UTC 2007.
