August is Breastfeeding Month! Dr. Jack Newman is Coming plus a Free Book!

It's August na in a day! And August is breastfeeding month and of course there's a series of activities lined up! 

First and foremost and the biggest event for this month is Dr. Jack Newman will be back in the Philjppines for a 3-city event! This is very exciting! I missed last year's event and I am still making schedule adjustments so I can attend this year!

Dr. Jack Newman

 This was last year's symposium

This year's symposium BU:MP-2014 (Breastfeeding Uncovered:Mission Possible) will be in Metro Manila (August 9), Davao City (August 11) and Cebu City (August 13).

This year's topics will focus on breastfeeding challenges commonly experienced by Filipino families, such as poor weight gain and latching issues. Aside from providing explanations on the causes and solutions to these challenges, Dr. Newman will also include a module on what healthcare practitioners need to know about breastfeeding that were not discussed during their training.

Dr. Jack Newman is a renowned pediatrician, educator and thought leader in the international breastfeeding advocacy scene. He has been a consultant for UNICEF for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, evaluating its first candidate hospitals. He is the international bestselling author of the definitive breastfeeding guide book for mothers and health care professionals entitled “Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding.” He is also a founding member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and is much
sought after as an international speaker.

Tickets for the event are priced at P1,500 for on-the-day purchase, but an early bird price of P1,000 may be availed until August 2, 2014. Groups of 10 or more will get a group discounted rate of P900 per attendee, while medical and nursing students will get a student rate of P800 each if they pre-register by August 2, 2014. Or you can join Mayumi and Me's group buy here.

For more information, you may email LATCH at breastfeedinguncovered@gmail.com. You can also visit the LATCH event page www.latchbump2014.eventbrite.com for Paypal payments. To pay via BPI, please fill up bit.ly/latchbump2014

And another great news is Breastfeeding: A Journey Worth Taking by Teresa Gumap-as is now available on Amazon Kindle! Yay!!! And not just that, you may download it for FREE from August 1 to August 3!!! After the promo, the book will be back to its regular price ($9.99)

I'm happy and proud to be a part of this book and share my breastfeeding story! Download this book now while it's free!

For more breastfeeding month activities, check out Chronicles of a Nursing Mom!

A&D Finds: Honeysuckle Breastmilk Storage Bags

Are you a new breastfeeding mom and/or is going back to work soon or planning a trip abroad? And the big question is CAN I DO IT? Yes you can! I was a full time working and pumping mom for about 3 years, I traveled abroad 3 times during those 3 years and I was able to pump and bring home my milk. You can read them here, here, and here.

Breastmilk storage bags were my best friend when traveling and the best storage system for me when I was building my freezer stash. And I'm happy to share to you this new brand Honeysuckle which has finally landed in the Philippines!

Honeysuckle Breastmilk Storage Bags are 100% tamper-evident and BPA-free. It has dual zippers, wide side seals and reinforced bottom to make the bags virtually leak proof.It's also Oxo-biodegradable and earth-friendly!

We call don't our breastmilk liquid gold for no reason. I understand how precious our milk to us and to our babies so here's a guide on how to store your breastmilk! 

Grab your Honeysuckle Breastmilk Bags now and Happy Breastfeeding!!!

And for more information about Honeysuckle, check www.honeysucklemoms.com

Facebook:  Honeysuckle Breastmilk Bags Philippines

Instagram: @honeysucklephils

How to Win Over Breastfeeding Challenges + A Giveaway!

Today, my little boy R turns 21 months. And I'm proud to say we are still breastfeeding! Yay! Though R already takes fresh milk during the day, he still nurses from me during nap time and at night since we co-sleep.

I love it when my R wants to nurse from me. And I intend to continue breastfeeding him until he wants to. Our breastfeeding wasn't as smooth sailing as it looks.

Breastfeeding was a big challenge especially during the first time. I had my fair share of challenges when Y was born, the first day I went back to work after my maternity leave, my family and even with some of friends. But I surpassed them all because of the support I got from my husband and "breastfriends".

Y when she's three months old!

Last year, author Teresa Gumap-as-Dumadag a[[roached me to share my breastfeeding story. I took this opportunity so that I can share my experience can reach more people. And I'm happy that I did.

I'm on page 186!

This is the first breastfeeding book by a Filipino author.  What I love about the book is it tells breastfeeding success stories of different moms from all walks of life.  When I shared my story, I was still working full time, when the book was launched, I was and still am an awesome mompreneur! :) Heehee!

Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag, the author

Teresa will have a talk and book signing  on March 29, 2014. Full Life Cube and Medela Moms in cooperation with Mom Baby Fabric (check their super chic and cute nursing covers!) presents How To Win Over Breastfeeding Challenges!

More info on the event here

If you are pregnant or a breastfeeding mom but still struggling, I highly recommend you to attend this talk. Be sure to sign up here!

And because breastfeeding is an advocacy that's very dear to me and I want my readers to be successful in breastfeeding as I did, I'm giving away two copies of Breastfeeding: A Journey Worth Taking to two pregnant or breastfeeding mommies! Just join by using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I've Done to Promote Breastfeeding and Some Thoughts...

I was supposed to join this month's blog carnival but I got so busy that I only got the chance to write this now. Warning: This is a lengthy post!

When I first learned I was pregnant, breastfeeding was not the first thing that crossed my mind. I was so into reading what I have to eat/do to have a healthy pregnancy. Honestly, choosing to breastfeed or formula-feed did not cross my mind at all until my husband said that our baby should be breastfed, as he was breastfed.

Having no idea on breastfeeding, internet became my friend. I didn't know anyone who breastfed or was breastfeeding. I was the first one to get pregnant both in my family and circle of friends so I was on my own. I read Girltalk everyday in the office until it got BLOCKED (yes, I was on it the whole time I'm the office, of course while I'm not swamped)! Reading experiences from moms who did it inspired me and made me determined to do it for as long as I can! I actually learned about Fabnaima and Kellymom while reading the forum. I bought books and armed myself with all the knowledge I can absorb.

When I gave birth, my baby was latched to me for a few seconds right after delivery and while I was in the recovery room. I'm lucky that I was producing milk right away. But when she was roomed-in, she didn't sleep well the first night and I stayed up the whole night! She would latch then cry! My confidence on being able to breastfeed my baby went down the drain! The next day, I messaged Abbie Yabot if she could do a hospital visit and the rest was history!

Ten months into breastfeeding, I know I somehow promoted breastfeeding to my family and friends. Many are surprised/amazed that I'm still breastfeeding, some are cheering on and some are telling me to stop or supplement. I'm not blessed with a abundant milk supply but I thrive and sometimes I have to supplement when I'm having low milk supply.

I always tell my friends (pregnant or not, single or married) to breastfeed their baby. It's the best, it's natural and healthy, and very economical. The benefits for both mom and baby plus you lose weight fast! You can't beat that. Since all of them don't have kids yet, I feel that my only way to promote is to educate them about it. Find a breastfeeding-friendly hospital, breastfeeding advocate OB and pedia. One friend even laughed at me when I told her that I consulted a lactation counselor, she thought I was bluffing that there was such a profession/person. It might be awhile before my friends will have babies but when that time comes, hopefully my being "makulit" on breastfeeding, they will decide to do it.

With my family it's different, we were all formula fed. That's why when I decided to breastfeed, it was alien to them. They would tell me to supplement, wean her all together and have her start drinking formula just because she's lean. But eventually they stopped with all the advices and encouraged my younger sister to breastfeed when she gave birth. I was really happy that she decided to breastfeed but she was traumatized by her sore nipple. I really tried my best to encourage and inspire her to breastfeed. I bought her Mommy Treats, gave her my Medela Lanolin Cream, offered Abbie's services (she was there when Abbie visited me in the hospital) but she gave up. Now my older sister is pregnant, I'm lending her my breastfeeding books. She has friends who breastfed. She saw me breastfeed. She probably knows few things about breastfeeding but I plan to take her to LLL meetings so she'd be more exposed to information and hear from other mom's experience.

In my office, I'm the only one breastfeeding and pumping. I've heard stories of other moms who did breastfeed and pump. Some gave up, The others I don't know the story. But if they would ask me to do a talk about breastfeeding, I'd be happy to do it. Although I'm not an expert, I'd gladly tell them about my experience, and some basic knowledge.

I, myself, can't promote breastfeeding all alone. I'm glad there are blogs and forums that I can just go and read but what about other women and families who doesn't know anything about breastfeeding? We all know that the Philippines is influenced so much by showbiz and celebrities. With all the big star celebrities endorsing formula, people would really be enticed to buy them. I hope these big stars would rather promote breastfeeding rather than be blinded by the big bucks these milk companies are offering! I remembered one of Daphne's tweet, something like she would rather earn money from her brands (Daphne Linens and Furniture) than from formula milk endorsements. I really hope that a private company would support the government in promoting breastfeeding and launch a big campaign! Billboards on EDSA, SLEX, NLEX, C5! I really do hope to see some actions in the near future...



I have mixed thoughts kaya sorry if this is all magulo..