COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES

Australia

Barb Glare, IBCLC, is a lactation consultant with decades of experience at a hospital in Victoria, Australia. She is Director of Breastfeeding Conferences, a company that produces conferences (both “live” and virtual) for midwives, lactation consultants, and nurses in Australia and New Zealand. She has brought HUG Your Baby to numerous cities in Asia-Pacific and is a distributor for HUG resources. Contact Barb at zacdan@datafast.net.au

Italy

Benedetta Costa, PT, CHT, founded the Italian Association of Infant Massage (A.I.M.I.) to help parents learn the power of infant massage to connect with their newborns, and has worked tirelessly to grow this program to its current 4,000-person membership. Benedetta is the first Italian Certified HUG Teacher, has provided numerous HUG trainings in Italy and Switzerland, and distributes the Italian HUG resources throughout her country. Contact Benedetta at benecost@gmail.com.

Holland

Elly Krijnen, RN, IBCLC, has decades of experience caring for young families and provides lactation training for nurses, midwives, lactation consultants and kraamverzorgenden (similar to postpartum doulas) in the Netherlands. Elly is co-owner of “Baby en Borst” (Baby and Breast), a center that provides day-long lactation consultation sessions and educational programs for professionals. Contact Elly at postvoorelly@gmail.com

Japan

Yoko Shimpuku, RN, CNM, PHN, PhD, CHT, has worked as a nurse midwife in both hospitals and birth centers in Japan. She earned her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago and conducts research and provides education in Tanzania for pregnant women, adolescent girls, and local midwives. A former intern with the WHO, Yoko’s international efforts have been recognized with multiple research grants and awards. She is an Associate Professor at Hiroshima College of Nursing and created the Japanese HUG website and Facebook page. Contact Yoko at yokoshim@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.

Malaysia

Ning Desiyanti Soehartojo, MD, IBCLC, is a physician in Shah Alam, Malaysia, and has provided primary care to families there for many years. Since becoming an IBCLC in 2009 Ning has focused her practice on supporting breastfeeding women. She volunteers as a Peer Counselor Program Administrator, responsible for training breastfeeding peer counselors throughout Malaysia. Ning, a mother of four, is a Certified HUG Teacher and incorporates HUG information into the care and teaching she provides. Contact Ning at ningds@gmail.com.

Iran

Maryam Mozafarinia, RN, MSN, translated the HUG Your Baby materials into Farsi and completed and published research using HUG Your Baby to teach fathers of infants in a NICU. Maryam has immigrated to Canada, where she currently works as a NICU nurse in Montreal while completing her PhD. Her dedication to young families, her persistence to follow her dreams, and her willingness to work hard on behalf of babies and families inspires the international HUG community. Contact Maryam at smaryammozafari@yahoo.com.

Korea

Min Sung Kwon, RN, MSN, received her Master’s degree in mental health nursing from the University of Sydney in 2013 with a thesis focusing on postpartum depression. (Click here to see an interview about this work). Min Sung works in Australia at breastfeeding clinics as she prepares to become an IBCLC. Contact Min Sung at ms9989@hotmail.com.

Thailand

Meena Sobsamai, CNM, IBCLC, is a nurse-midwife and lactation consultant in Bangkok. She has decades of experience providing prenatal, delivery, and antenatal care in Thailand and has contributed to the leadership team for the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Foundation of Thailand and Thailand’s WHO Baby-Friendly Initiative. She developed “BirthaBaby,” a company that educates parents and professionals and markets beautiful, hand-made childbirth teaching materials. Meena will soon be distributing the Thai HUG Your Baby DVD. Contact Meena at sobsamai@yahoo.com.