Mommy Nats' Birthday Giveaway by Latch A Babe Nursing Wear!

I love nursing wear! I think they're one of the best inventions ever! Okay, I may be exaggerating but bear with me because it's this breastfeeding mama's BIRTHDAY! (well .. in a few days anyway, haha!)

My love affair with nursing started even before I gave birth.  I accidentally bought some as part of my maternity wardrobe.  I remember awkwardly practicing with them in front of the mirror and felt so weird.  I've come a long way since then.  I had transformed my whole wardrobe into nursing wear, from pajamas, to formal dresses to swimsuits.  All of the clothes I wear have nursing access even when I am going out without Ben because I want to be prepared to nurse or pump anytime anywhere.

One of my favorite brands of nursing wear is L.A.B. or Latch A Babe.   They're fashionable, reasonable priced and very well made.  What's  great about them is that their fabrics are very light which is perfect for our climate here in manila.  I also like that they are designed in such a way that their nursing access are functional but not too obvious, perfect for Ben who isn't a fan of the breastfeeding wrap.

So in celebration of my birthday and breastfeeding month this August, my friends for LAB nursing wear and I are giving away a nursing top  and two 20% off gift certificates to three lucky readers.

To join, simply:

1. Become a fan of L.A.B wears on facebook by clicking here
2. Comment with a "happy birthday mommy Nats" on this blog entry

 We'll ask out little master Ben to draw the winners :)

Take note, these clothes look good not just for pregnant or nursing mommies.  Daddies can also join in.  It's a great way for earn points for your wives!  Good Luck everyone!

Deadline of entries is on August 31, 2011

How I recruited my top breastfeeding buddies

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (August). For this month, we join the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in it's "Talk to Me!" theme where participants will share personal experiences, insights or recommendations in communicating breastfeeding intentions and goals to their support system. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants."

I really believe a mom can’t successfully breastfeed without the support of the people around her.  In my case there are three crucial people that I need to be on my side.  Here are some tidbits on how I got my husband, mom and yaya to be pro-breastfeeding.  For those who know me well, the journey wasn’t easy because I took a lot for me to assert myself.  It is paying off, though J Happy Reading!

My hubby, my sidekick

Bry was quite supportive of me from the start.  We talked about how he can get involved even if he couldn’t actually breastfeed Ben.  He would help clean my pump, label the stored milk and tried to be flexible with our schedule since nursing and pumping took a lot of our time.  He downloaded my favorite TV series so that I  can be more relaxed when pumping.  He also didn’t mind sharing the bed with Ben since it was easier for to nurse him lying down at night.

My mom turned cheerleader

I wasn't a breastfed baby so my mom knew nothing about breastfeeding.  Thankfully, that didn't stop her from encouraging me.  We stayed with my parents until two months postpartum and I asked her to be with me when the lactation consultant visited us.  She suggested post a quick guide for handling breastmilk on the fridge.  She made sure I was well hydrated and served me dishes with galactouges during our stay.  Frankly, part of me was stalling going back home … oh well, there’s always the next baby, haha!

My yaya, the convert

Our yaya has been with us a month before Ben was born.  We hired her because she has a lot of experience taking care of babies but sadly, not one of them was breastfed for more than 6 months, and they were only served pumped milk and not directly fed.  But I expressed my desire to breastfeed early on.  The first few months were a challenge, with Ben crying constantly, that she suggested we mix feed.  I stood my ground, saying that as long as the pedia is saying Ben is growing fine, we do not need formula.  Then there were the bottle wars.  Ben wouldn’t take the bottle of pumped milk from her, which frustrated her so much she suggested I exclusively pump.  I resisted because I know that wasn’t a good reason to stop direct feeding.  Then there was the time she had difficulty putting him to sleep at night that she tried to convince us to give Ben a pacifier at least during the night.  I again had to say no, and explain to her that having a pacifier is not helpful for breastfed babies. 

Fast forward a few months later, my yaya finally got the message and was even proud of Ben for breastfeeding.  She would gladly answer “mommy’s milk” to other yayas who ask what type of milk is Ben drinking.  There was one time when she told me that she came across an article about the risks of formula milk and told me how she wished she knew then what she knew now.  During one of our recent visits to the pedia, she overheard me talking to the doctor about weaning and asked if me if I plan to stop breastfeeding soon.  I said no and that I’m just curious.  She told me Ben’s lucky that I’m still nursing him.  She has indeed come a long way, and for someone who has a lot of experience with babies, I was able to teach her something new.

Please do visit the other entries of my fellow mommy bloggers … and as an added bonus, do visit my birthday entry HERE for our nursing top giveaway courtesy of L.A.B nursing wear!

DaintyMom's Creating a Pro-Breastfeeding Culture in the Family
Wifely Steps' On Breastfeeding: Say It, Claim It, Get Support!
Truly Rich Mom's How To Get Others to Support You in Breastfeeding
EthanMama's My Best Breastfeeding Support System - My Husband
Raising Baby Lia's A Shoutout to my Breastfeeding Buddies
Jen CC Tan's I'm Breastfeeding, and That's That!
Project Blog by Kate's Talk and Make it Happen
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom's Effective Communication Bucket List
Apples  & Dumplings Communicating and First Time Breastfeeders
I'm a Newbie Wife's How I Taught My Family to Breastfeed
TouringKitty's Communication Through Breastfeeding (Twitter: @Touringkitty)
Mec as Mom's Pre-Natal Pediatric Consultations Are Necessary
Escie's World's Ready, Get Set, Go! for Breastfeeding (Twitter: @Escielicious)
Nanaystrip's BreasTALK : Text, Retweet, Share your Knowledge and Experiences (Twitter: @bunsonimaestro)
Superwomom's A-S-Ks (on breastfeeding questions, help, support)
Go Help Yourself's “6 persuasion tips for breastfeeding moms and advocates”
Legally Mom's Breastfeeding Talk Between Me and My Formula Fed Daughter (Facebook and Twitter: @legallymomPH)
Handy Mommy's Couple's Communication and Decision: Key to Successful Breastfeeding 

Why go to a Pedia-Pulmo?

We recently took Ben to his pedia-pulmonologist.  He was due for a check-up and I heard him cough twice that day so it was good timing for a visit.  I like Ben's Pedia-Pulmo because he seems to be "hiyang" with him (knock on wood).  It was the pedia-pulmo who recommended we use the nebulizer when Ben was coughing so hard a few days before his birthday.  We eventually got one that's portable and rechargeable - totally worth it.  He is  asthma prone na pala because of our family history.Good thing he improved after a couple of days.  It was also him who suggested he give Ben something for his allergic rhinnitis when I got frustrated because his colds won't go away.  We also learned from him the proper use of nasal drops when Ben's nose was so congested he couldn't sleep well.And as an added bonus, Ben is comfortable with him, too. he's not fussy whenever the doctor checks him with the stetoscope.  This is important since it's hard to listen with the stetoscope when the baby's crying, and it was the best way to find out whether Ben's cough was a point of concern.

Ben and his buddy - Mr. Nebulizer

Anyway, so I'm grateful that Ben has a pedia-pulmonologist we can turn to.  At his age, he's still building up his immune system and trying to learn to express himself.  It's good that there's someone who knows what to look for and speak for him (Ben) before he feels worse.

Praying for everyone's good health.  Don't hesitate to see the doctor when needed.  Better to be safe than sorry

Why we bought our "super" coffee maker :)

For those who visited our home recently, you may have noticed our new coffee maker.  It's actually almost two months old now.  It's really cool.  It grinds the beans on its own and makes single serving drinks of black coffee or cappuccino.  We would usually say that we bought it because of Bry since he's the coffee drinker.  What most people don't know is one of the main reasons why we invested on it is because we love having visitors around.

The Latest Addition to the Tan Household :)

Simple enough reason, right? Almost everyone likes to have a cup of coffee and what better way to entertain visitors than to serve them a cup of a freshly brewed cappuccino?  But why do I love having visitors in the first place, well ... for one ... it means we get to spend time with our love ones without the stress of leaving the house.  Don't get me wrong, I love going out but you see, with a child around, leaving the house is not quite simple.  (Yes, even if you have a Yaya)  Our weekly Sunday breakfast which is about an hour usually takes as much time to prepare for.  There are a lot of things to consider every time we leave the house.  Where will Ben eat? How will he take his nap? Is the place we are going child-friendly? Do we need to bring toys or books? Does he have enough change of clothes? Will we bring yaya? If yes, how will yaya eat? What time will be we going home? ( For me, there are times when it is less stressful to bring yaya since I have to attend to her as well)  The list goes on and on and on .... whereas if we are at home, it's much simpler.  I know Ben can keep himself occupied in his playroom.  I know he naps better in our bed.  And as much as I know I can nurse him anywhere at anytime, I also know he is less distracted if we are in a quiet and familiar area.   Ok, so if going out with the little master is stressful, then why not leave him? Well, (1) we really don't want to leave him .. (2) We know family and friends want to see him and (3) Not bringing Ben = most probably bringing my pump - which is added luggage

Now with all those things in mind, being able to serve quality coffee  to love ones who decided to come to us to spare us the hassle of preparing to leave the house is the least we can do.  It's our way of showing our appreciation to those who made things a little easier for us.  Fellow mommies, you can somehow relate right? :)

Have a stress-free week ahead, everyone!

Breastfeeding when mommy is sick :(

It's finally August!!! HAPPY WORLD BREASTFEEDING MONTH!!!

I've been thinking about what to share as my first entry for the month and have decided to talk about my experiences breastfeeding while I wasn't feeling well.  Actually, I'm not yet 100% but am doing better thanks to the TLC of my boys.  Bry bought my medicines in the middle of the night and Ben was quite cooperative.   Anyway, here's hoping these tips might help.  Whenever I'm sick, I tell myself that better I'm the one and not Ben but lets face it, it's hard on the household regardless of whoever is "out of commission".

TIP # 1 Stay Calm
 We all get sick one time or another.  Even adult have the colds every now and then.  When we are calm and collected, we get to diagnose ourselves better and take a plan of action.  In my case, my weakness is my allergic rhinitis.  It's a bit funny because Ben has this too.  Knowing that my sniffles are due to my allergies help me figure out which treatment I can take while breastfeeding

TIP # 2 Yes, Nursing Moms, there are medicines that are safe for us
There are a lot of medicines that are safe for breastfeeding moms, especially in short-term dosages.  Paracetamol is one of them.  I learned this from fellow moms and eagerly shared this fact when I gave my breastfeeding testimonial at Medical City the other day.  The internet is a fairly good resource to find out if a certain medication is safe but of course, it is best to consult your doctor to be on the safe side.       

TIP # 3 Take precautions for your little one
If you have the sniffles, consider wearing a face mask.  Wash your hands before nursing.  This is also the reason why the earlier you treat your symptoms, the better. 

TIP # 4 Delegate your non-breastfeeding duties so you can rest
While I was sick, Bry was a superdad.  He played with Ben, bathe him  and took him to school.  I did my best to rest and save my energy for his feeding time.  Please take note that YOUR MILK SUPPLY IS AFFECTED WHEN YOU ARE SICK BUT IT WILL RETURN ONCE YOU FEEL BETTER so if you decide to pump and let someone else feed while you rest, do not be surprised if your yield is a little lower.

TIP # 5 Prevention is the best cure
Take vitamins, drink lots of fluids and watch what you eat.  Don't let yourself go outside on a rainy day without a jacket or umbrella.  Take Care of yourself the way you would take care of the rest of your family.  A healthy mom is a happy mom and a happy mom - a happy home.:)