A Very Merry Christmas

We just spent Xavier's first Christmas and it was one of a celebration! I can't wait for next Christmas!

It's been almost two months since I last posted something here. Guess you can already imagine how busy parenthood really is huh?! So what's new?

Xav is becoming a very smart boy now. He imitates what you do or even what you say, he eats by himself, he drinks using the straw (and he likes it better than bottles), he crawls fast, he can stand up and walk with support and he plays a lot! He's much sociable and he can communicate what he wants better now though his need for my attention is constant - which I still love by the way. He observes people, places and very much interested in everything. He's turning 11 months soon! My gosh! It's really true when they say they grow up very fast. In less than 2 months he'll be celebrating his first birthday! Am I ready? Probably not yet, so for now let me enjoy my 10-month old baby and greet you - A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Galangs 2012

On Separation Anxiety

How time flies! It amazes me everyday to see him grow. He can now do more and more tricks, he dances to almost every tune, he babbles a lot, he crawls, he listens and understands you more! He now even starting to walk! Amaaaazing!

My biggest problem now is his separation anxiety. He doesn't seem to like any other person but me! Even when he's just playing, as long as he knows I'm sitting beside him or just nearby he's okay but the moment I stand up or try to reach something else from afar, he'll cry big time! If I'm carrying him and his dad will get him from me, he'll cry too! We practice a lot of tricks now so the yayas can get him away from me, especially when it's time to go to work. As long as he will not hear my voice, he will be fine. I sure love the feeling of being needed by my baby boy but sometimes I find it so hard to work at home. There were times I had to use my carrier and bring him while I was doing some chores!

Anyway, this 5-day weekend for me gave me the anxiety too, I miss him now! Time to go home! :P

Xavier's Crib: Almost on 2nd Stage!

I really think it was a good idea to buy this wooden crib from Cuddle Bug. Bought this when I was about 8 months pregnant at Baby Company- SM, Ayala branch. It was a bit pricey but we wanted to invest on this, after all we plan to have another baby someday, so we thought it would be best to buy a good brand with better quality. 

There were two options actually but we bought the smaller one. (Special thanks to our brothers in SG!!!) You may check out youji&me website for the details on the Riverside 4-In-1 Wooden Crib if you want your crib to be converted into a full-size one.

This is the complete set we bought:

Newport 3-In-1 Wooden Crib: Php9,999.75  
Newport Toddler Bed / Daybed Conversion Kit: Php1,499.75
Mattress: Php2,000
Comforter Set: Php2,500/set

Newport 3-In-1 Wooden Crib Stage 1

Newport 3-In-1 Wooden Crib Stage 1

After this incident, we decided to adjust his bed already!

He was so jumpy! 

Lower mattress this time!

Lower mattress this time!

I can't wait for Stage 2 and 3!

 

On First Snack Ever

Popcorn for the first time. - WRONG DECISION! 

He started looking for it the whole night! Thanks to makulit na daddy Nash!

The next day I went to Healthy Options to buy his own snack. He loved it so much! 

P298 @ Healthy Options

A good choice! Melts in baby's mouth so you can feed your baby with this one with minimum supervision. Now Xavier is practicing his skills in chewing! 

Xavier is ready for meat!

Last weekend we came from Xav's monthly check-up and his doctor said we can already feed him with meat! 

I'm so excited but we can only give him one variety of meat at a time! This week we'll give him pureed tenderloin beef, then next week will be chicken  then pork. Our baby is almost ready to join us with our weekly buffet adventure and soon he can already taste my cooking! 

I bought a cookbook for Xav but anyone who can share their favorite baby food recipe?

Breastfeeeding Update

Okay now I'm officially decreasing my pumping schedule. Makes me sad to remember my bonding moment with X.E.. I'm down with twice a day - one before going to work and another one before going to sleep. I'm still getting 5oz. each time though. Xavier is turning 8 months and I think I will stop breastfeeding him by them. It's hard when you're working and can't keep up with your baby's appetite! The time needed for pumping every 2-3 hours daily seems impossible to sustain for me - plus since he started on solids it's harder to have him latch on me. Sigh.

Oh well, gonna keep all my BF gadgets for the next baby then. 

On Solids

Commercial or home-made?

I was doing my research on books and online about starting my baby on solids and was quite surprised about my learning. 

It's totally fine to give your babies commercially-packed solid food like Gerber, Earth's Best etc. I know it's hard to believe but yes, it's true. You have to relax and don't put too much pressure on preparing your own baby food. 
Don't get me wrong, I'm still convinced that giving your baby a home-made food is good. I definitely do this at home, after all, I love cooking and preparing food for my family. Plus for me, it's objectively cheaper than most of the commercial foods available in the market.

But today's baby foods come with other pluses as well. You just have to make sure you buy the brand you trust, the one that has no added sugar, salt and other fillers. Since the fruits and vegetables are cooked and packed soon after picking, you can count on retaining high proportion of their nutrients. The jarred baby foods are even prepared under strictly sanitary conditions (conditions that would be very difficult to duplicate even in your own home), you can trust their safety. I don't think they won't be in the baby food business if they didn't pass all their high quality standards.

All I'm saying is that if you are already stressing yourself out trying to be a supermom but you sometimes can't manage making or packing your own baby food especially when you're traveling, breathe and try to RELAX! If pureeing your own baby food is not for you, buying jarred baby food can be the best option available. They're easier to find, quicker to prepare, pack and can be cheaper in a long shot. There are a thousand ways to show love to your baby anyway. No ones gonna judge you just because you didn't puree your baby's food at home... not your child... not me. That doesn't make you a bad mother.

Goodbye Calma?

I never had any problems with breastfeeding and bottle-feeding Xavier at the same time except that if it's bottle-feeding time, Xavier would only latch on the Medela Calma. Yes, we only had one nipple for the entire 7 months! We tried switching him to a different one but he would rather not have his milk if it's not the Calma nipple. 

Calma - Medala House Philippines (+632-725-37-23) P700.00

My problem with this is that the Medela bottles I have at home are all small ones up to 5oz only. I need to get those 8.5oz Medela bottles soooon!

I needed bigger bottles because he needs to drink up to 7oz already so last night I started using the other bottles we got as gift.

Thanks Lem and Karla!

It was such a struggle! I never thought it would be harder this time! 

Was I successful? Yes! I stayed strong for only a minute of crying! I can already say goodbye to our Calma.... for now. 

Help! He won't stay latched on!

Xav is already 6 months in 3 days and this is the first time I've encountered this kind of problem. To give you a little background on our feeding routine now - Xav is bottle-fed with my expressed breastmilk and NAN HA One formula during the day, then I would consistently nurse him at night before he sleeps. I still religiously pump at work and in the middle of the night but my milk supply can't keep up with my baby's increasing appetite. Just a week ago we've also started introducing rice cereals (Cerelac) but we only feed him with that once everyday.

So everything was running smoothly until the last two nights I wasn't able to nurse him directly before he sleeps. One night he was already too sleepy and the other night he was too full with formula milk. I think. Normally he would just look for my breast as he couldn't fall asleep without directly nursing at me! Until yesterday he just won't latch at all. He would even pull away and squirm! It was really frustrating! I felt that my baby either doesn't know me anymore or he has outgrown the need of latching on me. I tried doing it again upon waking up hungry this morning but no luck, still the same. He still pulls away after a few seconds. I gave him my BM in bottle and he was able to finish it so I'm guessing it's not the taste of my milk. I did a little research and found out it's called the "Nursing Strike".

Here are the things I saw on the net about Nursing Strike: 

Source: http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/week-21/nursing-strike.aspx

• Reacting to something you ate. If you recently indulged in a lot of spicy or strong-flavored food, the taste of your milk will change — maybe not for the better, according to your baby. Try cutting such foods from your diet to determine his dislikes, then avoid them until your baby has weaned.
• …or to a hormonal change. If you've been cutting down on nursings as your baby begins to eat more solid food, there's a chance that your periods could be returning (or you could be pregnant, gulp!). Either way, changes in your hormones can change the taste of your milk.
• Suffering from a stuffy nose. If he has a cold, plugged nostrils may force your baby to choose between nursing and breathing! Try saline drops and gentle suction with an aspirator to clear his nose (at least long enough for a meal).
• In pain. The sucking movements of nursing can intensify the pain of both teething and earaches. (If a tiny tooth is to blame, your baby will likely begin nursing with gusto, but then stop quickly as his gums begin to ache.) Check with your doctor about pain medications and other signs of an ear infection.
• Having a brush with thrush. This fungal infection is most common in newborns, but can occur in an older baby if he's taking antibiotics. Check for white patches on his tongue and in his mouth that reveal raw, sometimes bloody areas when you try to wipe them away. (Ouch! No wonder he doesn't want to nurse.) See your doctor — you'll bothneed to be treated so that you don't pass the infection back and forth (from his mouth to your nipples and vice versa).
• Simply impatient. If your letdown is slow, your eager eater may turn away from the breast in frustration — he wants his milk now, not in a minute or two or five when it starts flowing in earnest. Try pumping for a few minutes in advance of your nursing session, so that your baby isn't let down by that sluggish letdown.

By the way, the second bullet is very striking for me!!! I'm still trying to identify the real reason for this but I'm guessing it can be the slow letdown of my milk. 

Has anyone encountered this problem before? I'm sure it's not because of a stuffy nose, any pain or fungal infection. He really seems normal to me. Is it time to move on?

H-E-L-P! I still want to nurse him at night! 

Bonding With Baby

I was pumping at SM Bicutan when I saw this page on the magazine. This picture is so real for all the working moms out there. This picture is so real for me.

While it's hard to accept the fact that my baby spends more time with the nanny, I do my very best to spend some "quality" time with him. The works - I make sure to call the house every now and then to talk to him over the phone (it's still a one-way process for now). I wash my hands as soon as I arrive from work and carry him right away. His excitement upon seeing us at the door makes me forget everything that happened within the day. I'm a very hands-on mom when I'm with him too. I do the bathing, feeding, talking, playing, etc. I don't even use the stroller that much when we're out. I prefer using the slings so he'd stay close to me. I'm happy that he sleeps at night after I nurse him too, it became his routine and longs for me every night. Before going to work in the morning, I pick him up from the crib and transfer him to our bed around 5AM so that we could still spend some more time sleeping together. Then when he wakes up, he sees us first and play with us!

There are so many ways to bond with your baby. Just be creative! 

It's hard to be a mom, but it's harder being a working mom! I feel like I do everything a housewife is doing plus I work hard for my family. I've never multi-tasked like this in my whole life! I may be juggling with everything for now but I believe I'm doing a good job at this parenting thing. At the end of the day, it's your family that makes all the little sacrifices and what you do for them worth-it.

Goodbye Cute Gummy Grins

They say that babies sprout their first teeth on the 7th month. Surprisingly Xav got his first white peek on his 5th. Two weeks ago was hard because he was moody for two days! He didn't even want to sleep on his own crib. 

He had all these teething symptoms:

• Drooling 

• Fussiness

• Biting behavior

• Refusing food

• Sleep problems

While the symptoms were just normal, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I  could only comfort him in little ways I can. Giving him a cold teether to chew on was a great help. Sometimes I use a wet towel placed in the chiller. He actually went through it pretty well as I was expecting it to go for a week or two. 

Does it really happen in two days?

Another thing I learned is that it's not true that they'll have diarrhea if they start teething - or at least for Xav. 

We'll see again. 

Mean Mom

I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate

candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. When others had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different than the other kids' also.

But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two

brothers had the same mean mother as I did.

My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were on a chain gang. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, that we be gone one hour or less--not one hour and one minute. I am nearly ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each time we had a mind of our own and did as we pleased. That poor belt was used more on our seats than it was to hold up Daddy's pants. Can you imagine someone actually hitting a child just because he disobeyed? Now you can begin to see how mean she really was.

We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath. The other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of insults because she made our clothes herself, just to save money. Why, oh why, did we have to have a mother who made us feel different from our friends?

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night

and up at eight the next morning. We couldn't sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept-my mother actually had the nerve to break the child-labor law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.

She always insisted upon us telling the truth, the whole truth and

nothing but the truth, even if it killed us- and it nearly did.

By the time we were teen-agers, she was much wiser, and our life became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the horn of a car for us to come running. She embarrassed us to no end by making our dates and friends come to the door to get us. If I spent the night with a girlfriend, can you imagine she checked on me to see if I were really there. I never had the chance to elope to Mexico. That is if I'd had a boyfriend to elope with. I forgot to mention, while my friends were dating at the mature age of 12 and 13, my old fashioned mother refused to let me date until the age of 15 and 16. Fifteen, that is, if you dated only to go to a school function. And that was maybe twice a year.

Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie

in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school. If our friends

had a toe ache, a hang nail or serious ailment, they could stay home from school. Our marks in school had to be up to par. Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.

As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put

to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out.

My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four

children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us have ever been arrested, divorced or beaten his mate. Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. Look at the things we missed. We never got to march in a protest parade, nor to take part in a riot, burn draft cards, and a million and one other things that our friends did.

She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults. Using this as a background, I am trying to raise my three

children. I stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my

children call me mean.

Because, you see, I thank God, 

He gave me the meanest mother in the whole world.

Written by Bobbie Pingaro (1967)

The New Me

I never thought I would be this person who thinks twice before eating something. Don't get me wrong, I still eat meat, sweets, junk food and everything I love. A LOT. I actually think it'll be hard for anyone not to. After all, we grew up in  a society that produces the unhealthiest but most delicious food. I also came from a family that cooks well! So yeah, the love for food is definitely there! It's a little by little process but don't worry we're getting there!

Even though you always see pictures of me eating, cooking and baking something, I do pay-back. Yeah, sometimes. I've long known the basics of good nutrition and staying fit but I'll be a hypocrite to say I've been very diligent about maintaining all that healthy habits. 

GOOD NUTRITION IS INDEED A HARD WORK. 

At first my only concern was to get my shape back but now that Xavier came into our lives, I know I have to take care of myself and my family even more. The thought of heart-attack and cancer horrifies me! 

There are 3 major challenges for me, first - my eating buddies. My husband and our families love the lifestyle of eating out plus our friends love alcohol and all that fatty pulutan! Secondly, the budget. Healthy foods are more expensive in the market. Third, the time you have to spend in preparing the food and exercising as well. Then I realized that nothing you do will ever matter when you're sick already - and since I can't completely eliminate all my food cravings (well I hope at least for now), and I can't sweat off my excess fats and calories regularly, I have a plan.

My plan is to continue substituting one of my meals to a healthy shake I recently discover until I reach my goal of XXXlbs. My shake is a low-calorie meal with the complete nutrition that my body needs. I love it because it tastes good, very healthy and so easy to prepare. I've been very enthusiastic about sharing this new found natural diet to my closest friends because I saw very good results in 2 months! I never recommend something I don't have first-hand experiences with. My husband and I will do this until we reach our weight goals. We have to lose first all the excess water and fats we've accumulated over the years of eating junk! Anyway, totally different story, you may just simply ask me about it if you're interested. I can't post all information here because good nutrition is just like teaching natural birth control or breastfeeding, you have to educate someone personally for them to really understand and get the clear message. 

Then another plan aside from having our regular walks inside our subdivision  is to have healthier options for everything- like choosing organic over commercialized products etc.. Yes, we'll definitely shop at Human Nature and Healthy Options more often! Good thing we have Mauwi as our personal Human Nature Dealer!

Another plan is to substitute our meat with biodynamic meat products. Thanks again to my friend Gada for recommending it and we don't have to cut out meat in our lives completely!

Take time to learn more about it here: http://www.downtoearth.ph/whats-available/

Here's their recent prince list! They deliver too for only P100.00.

Staying healthy doesn't have to be expensive at all. If you compute everything you're accustomed to buy every month, you'll realize that it's actually cheaper. Plus think about the all the benefits and good health you're getting out of it. 

Of course it's still best to get rid of all the junk food. It has been said that 50 grams of potato chips is equivalent to 30 mins of running or biking. Which is easier to do then? Bike for 30 minutes or avoid potato chips? :)  But if you can't completely get rid of them, then substitute! 

If you love yourself and if you truly care about your family, you will do your best to keep them healthy. Start introducing a healthy lifestyle to them. One day, they'll thank you for that.

On Online Shopping

Don't you just love shopping for your baby? 

Knowing me will give you an idea how OC I am. I planned my pregnancy very well. Everything was just right on schedule! Even my shopping spree was well-planned. On my 7th month of pregnancy I was literally ready for giving birth. I've completed buying all "important" things to have before giving birth. 

When I was 8 months pregnant, I couldn't afford going to the malls and walking around that much. Xavier is indeed a heavy baby (maybe because of all the food I ate which is a different story). So from my 8th-month of pregnancy until Xav was 3-months old, I was addicted to shopping online. It's not quite surprising for someone like me but let me tell you it made my life easier that time and I was very happy with all my purchases.

Here's what I do when shopping online:

1. Know the prices of the items in stores. Search the web and even call stores to get actual retail prices so you can compare them to the online prices. This way you can be sure you're getting a good deal!

2. Make sure the items are authentic. How? Buy only trusted brands and look for trusted online stores. Get feedback and recommendations from people you personally know.

3. You may ask for "actual" photos - especially if it's a second-hand item. 

4. Know the seller. Read comments, feedback or ratings from previous buyers! 

5. If it's a coupon online store and you're paying via credit card, make sure you have the complete details of your card (especially what's registered as your billing address and your name as it appears on the card).

6. Print or record all transaction numbers!

7. Plan. Make sure to order the right size, color, quantity and design! 

8. Always let the seller know you've made the money transfer or payment and send complete details!

9. Check for any item's instruction, manual or even go to Youtube.com to see actual videos of the items! 

10. Give comments or feedback about the product or the seller once received. This may help other buyers like you! 


Here's my favorite coupon sites, online stores and sellers:

Groupon Philippines
Deal Grocer
Ensogo

Amazon
eBay Philippines

Purple Mom
Bambino
Quirks Marketing

On Staying Fit and Healthy

Interested? Email me at xandra.galang@thomsonreuters.com

Our New Tambayan

I usually go to the Family Lounge of Glorietta 4 when I need to pump or nurse X.E. What I didn't know is that Rustan's Makati has their own Nursing Station too. It's a lot bigger, cozier and more comfortable than the Family Lounge. Plus it's for free!

It's located at 4F Rustan's Children Section.

Mind you, they also have a crib set-up in the middle of the room! 

Still on Cloth Diapering

I love Xav's Cloth Diapers!!! 

Aside from the Bambinos I bought, I also tried the Super Whisper Wrap and Whisper Pant.

The Super Whisper Wrap is a very good product if you want to waterproof any of your ordinary cloth diapers! 

Super Whisper Wrap - Outside

Super Whisper Wrap - Adjustable Strap

Super Whisper Wrap - Inside

By the way, I use Chino Pino inside my Super Whisper Wrap! Talk about cloth diapering made easier!

The Whisper Pant, is the much affordable version of Super Whisper Wrap. It's only P350.00/ piece. This does the work too but only pull-ups and garterized.

Whisper Pant

For instructions on how to use the wraps: Watch this!

Why Cloth Diaper?

As a new mom, I always thought that the best diaper to use are disposable once. You can buy them anywhere, it's convenient when going out plus they don't leak thus making baby feel comfortable. 

But every time I go to shop for my baby, I'd always notice these cute colored cloth diapers for sale and how expensive they are (around 1K) - so I never mind buying them. Until I went to Mommy Mundo Bazaar at Rockwell Tent last month and saw Bambino's cloth diapers. They're actually the cheapest cloth diaper I've seen (3 pieces for Php1,000). I was so intrigued that I bought 3 pairs just to try. It comes with 2 inserts per diaper.

Mommy Mundo Bazaar May 2012 Rockwell Tent

Bambino's Minky Cloth Diaper
(3 pieces for Php 1,000 - with 2 inserts each)

I'm surprised that it's a lot better than using disposable diapers. I'll continue using cloth diapers especially at home and maybe just use disposable ones when we're traveling or going out.
Here's why:
1. It's soft cloth and hypo-allergenic, so less diaper rash for my baby. 
2. It helps us save money from buying too much disposable diapers. We actually spend  around Php 2,000 - 3,000 a month for disposable diapers alone. With it's adjustable buttons, you can actually use it for years! 
3. Definitely no leaking! It has a hi-tech waterproof fabrics! 
4. Easy to use - no more folds or pins. It's as if wearing it like a disposable one.
5.  Very comfortable for babies especially for our warm hot weather. 
6. Think of it as helping Mother Nature. We are actually helping save the planet by reducing, re-using and recycling!
7. They are so damn cute!!!! Comes with different colors and designs!


Go and try it yourself! I assure you, it's better to invest in cloth diapers! 

Breastfeed Anywhere... Anytime!

So happy with my recent purchase at Mommy Mundo Bazaar last weekend ---> a nursing cover from Mom Baby Fabric! Now I can breastfeed Xav anywhere with ease! It has a WIRE from your chest area to open and give your baby the air while nursing. You can't achieve that using a regular shawl. Plus I really love their fabric! A lot of designs to choose from and they're really soft! Baby Xav loves staring at the patterns too! 

At Glorietta 4 Food Choices

Where's Xav?

If you're pregnant, planning on breastfeeding your baby and always on the go, this will surely help you a lot. Especially when you know that not every place you visit will have a Breastfeeding/ Nursing Station. I actually use this when expressing my milk in the office too. 

Remember, get the one with a wire! 

Milk Supply Back to Normal!

I don't know why I didn't read my book (What To Expect: The First Year) about my breastfeeding problem right away. I was thinking so hard what I did differently to have a significant drop of milk supply plus it was also timing that it happened when I went back to work after my ML. I've read in the book that having your period will cause decrease of milk. Few days after the drop, my period came (yes, first one after giving birth) but at least I was reassured that the supply will come back to normal once your hormones become stable. Maybe the separation anxiety also contributed to that, so I also followed what some friends suggested. I printed Xavier's pictures, posted them in my station and had a copy to look at while pumping. 

Let me also share that I bought a Fenugreek supplement (as most friends and books suggested) at GNC for around P1,200.00/ 100 capsules. 

I started taking them just yesterday (twice daily) and ... viola! My milk supply is back to normal! I'm planning on taking them twice daily for this week and will switch to taking them once a day until I finish the bottle. 

I'm sooooo happy!

Help! A sudden drop of milk supply!

I just started working again yesterday and I suddenly had low milk supply! I would normally get 6-8oz. every 2-3 hours but yesterday I only got 3oz. every 3 hours! Crazy!!! Maybe it's because that my baby has been sleeping through the night now. He sleeps up to 6 hours and it makes me not pump every 3 hours. Also, I have been reading factors that contribute to having a low milk supply and it seems that being away from your baby also play a big part. You have to keep your baby close, day and night, and nursing often is the best way to increase your supply. Unfortunately, mummy has to go back to work. My 78 days Maternity Leave is over! 

Now I'm consistently pumping every 2 hours to increase my milk and I started drinking Natalac / Malunggay supplement 3 times a day. I even asked my mom to cook Tinola for me two days in a row now. Hoping for a better result ASAP. If you have any other ideas, please share. Did someone also experienced this problem?

On Mallings with Xav

I just wanna share that in my recent visits to malls with Xavier - Power Plant, Market Market, Greenbelt and Glorietta - I like Glorietta best. Glorietta 4 has a Family Lounge on the 3rd floor where you can breastfeed and change your baby's diaper comfortably for only P10/pax. I like that they even have individual rooms with pillows for breastfeeding and pumping your breast milk and a common area where you and your family can stay and rest for awhile with the baby.


I hope our malls will have areas for all breastfeeding moms like Glorietta. After all, we love hanging out in malls! So there ... bye for now! Gotta go there now and buy Xav's nebulizer.

On Feeding Baby Xav

I'm happy to say that right now I'm able to exclusively breastfeed my son. Thank you Lord for the gift of milk! I know all mothers would have wanted to give their babies BM but not everyone is gifted with the abundance of it. I myself went through formula feeding when I was hospitalized a week after giving birth and for me it was a painful experience not to breastfeed my son. Doctors recommended not to breastfeed while on antibiotics and it lasted for 2 weeks. Then after my medication, I started mixing formula (NAN HA) and my BM until I successfully eliminate the formula milk in 2 weeks time.


So now here's my daily routine on feeding my baby. 


During the day, I breastfeed my son, no bottles. I can still do this because I'm still on Maternity Leave. When he cries, I offer my breasts for feeding. Crying, as experts say, is a late sign of hunger. In my case, I always try to wake baby Xav up for feeding every 2 hours but when he sleeps- he REALLY sleeps. Mana talaga kay Daddy nya! So I just wait for him to feel hungry again... and cry. Then when he sleeps longer (like 4 hours), I have an opportunity to express my extra milk (because I express my BM every 2 hours) and keep it for future feedings. I need to store as many BM as I can so when I go back to work my baby will have an ample supply of milk. This is during the day, like 6AM-10PM.


During the night, I feed him with my breasts until he sleeps at around 10-11PM (depends on his schedule and if I'm sleepy already). When he is already asleep I will get a frozen BM out from the freezer and place it inside the bedroom, so in time for his next feeding the expressed BM will be completely thawed and ready for bottle feeding. Sometimes I just place my expressed BM inside the refrigerator and not in the freezer. This is okay too as long as you consume it within 7-8 days. I also make it a habit to smell the BM before feeding Xav to be sure that I'm not giving him spoiled milk.


So during the day he feeds from my breasts then during the wee hours he uses bottles for feeding. For me it's more efficient especially at night because he drinks faster in bottles and comes back to sleeping right away. Then I express my milk while hubby is feeding him in bottle to replace the one we thawed. This gives us only 30mins. (every 2-3 hours) of being awake - that's feeding + expressing BM + burping + changing diaper + putting him back to sleep. Of course this is only possible if your baby doesn't have "nipple confusion".  


I found a site that gives complete info on proper storage and handling of BM. I found it very helpful especially for first time mothers like me!


STORAGE AND HANDLING OF BREASTMILK

In Need of Breast Milk?

I have recently discovered this great page in Facebook where you can ask for breast milk or donate your extra to those infants in need. It's good to know that there are still a lot of people willing to help each other. 

Human Milk 4 Human Babies - The Philippines

Etiquette for Milk Recipients

If you are asking for breastmilk, you must know how difficult it is to express milk and fill up that milk bag you will be receiving.  Breastmilk is made with love and care.  Donor moms also pack their milk with love and care.  For people asking for breastmilk, please read the following guidelines:

1. When you say you will pick-up the milk, please do pick-up the milk.  If you promised to pick-up at a certain date and time, please text or email the donor if you will be late or can't make it.  Do not pick up late at night.  Donors are also mothers with families.  BE SENSITIVE!

2. If you fail to pick up the milk at a certain date, CONTACT the donor first if the milk is still available.  IT IS THE DONOR'S OPTION to give the milk to another recipient if you cannot pick up on the date you stated.

3. AT THE VERY LEAST, please replace the milk bags that the donor gives you.  Milk bags are also purchased by the donor so please replace them so the donor can continue giving milk to other needy babies.

4. Be prepared when you pick up. Bring clean coolers.  Donors prepared their milk with care and do not want the milk to be thrown out because of improper transport.

5. Do not ask the donor to text you if she has more milk.  It is YOUR OBLIGATION to monitor the HM4HB Page if there are more milk offers posted.

Remember, it is not the donor's obligation to give you milk.

At the end of the day, it feels good to know you are able to help other people. Thank God, He made me an instrument to make other people happy and to help those in need. That's one secret why I remained happy in my entire life. :)