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

Pumping while Traveling... HK Style!

Before I blog about my trip to HK, I have to blog about this first!!! This is a major accomplishment for me!

I DID IT! 60oz of expressed breast milk in four days. I know it's not as much, but I did it! Now I have an emergency stash of breast milk!

Pumping while traveling is a whole new challenge (next to saving milk stash for Y for this trip) for me! I'm used to pumping everyday at work but it's different when you have to pump on the go, in public, while traveling. I pumped in the airport, on the plane (with the Azkals a few seats away from me) and on the bus. It was a whole new experience! Pumping while making sure my nursing bib stays on its place, my boob not showing and checking if I need to switch sides is not easy I tell ya! But I gotta do, what I gotta do!

On the first day I brought my pump everywhere I go but I didn't get to pump in public so I didn't bring my pump with me anymore. We go back to the hotel every three to four hours so I just pump when I get back to the hotel. I tried to pump round the clock but I always have issues when pumping during the wee hours of the morning. I did that on the first night but couldn't produce any milk, I've always been that way even when I tried doing that at home. I guess my body is not used to that. So the next few days, I didn't set my alarm, I usually have five to six hours of sleep, so I just pump when I wake up.

About two weeks before I left, I started collecting things I had to pack and bring with me. I read up a month before my trip (blog post here). Then I came upon Didi's blog post on her pumping while traveling, it inspired me that I emailed her how she did it, we exchanged emails, chatted over YM, she gave me tips and was so nice to offer her mobile number so I can text her when I have more questions!

Ok, here are the things I brought:

1. Manual pump - for pumping on the go
2. Electric pump - for pumping in the hotel
3. Cooler - I used what I have at home, a Thermos cooler bag.

4. Insulating bag - where I put the pump and bottles while on the go
5. Ice Packs - I brought 2 Techni-Ice for the cooler and 2 small ice packs for my insulating bag for everyday use
6. 2 4oz Avent bottles
7. 1 Box of Nanny milk bags
8. Nursing cover
9. Alcohol, hand sanitizer and wet wipes
10. 4 freezer bags, 3 ziplocks - the biggest size
11. Liquid soap and small sponge - I brought Messy Bessy's Dishwashing Soap for cleaning the sink before washing pump parts
12. A sachet of Cradle bottle cleanser
13. Chicco Sterilizing Liquid

14. Lock & Lock plastic container - I used this for soaking and washing the pump, pump parts, and bottles
15. Bottle brush
16. List of places in HK where I can pump in case we'll be out for a long period (Thank you Didi for giving me the link!) Print this and keep it in your bag at all times!
17. A doctor's note saying that I'm expressing breast milk for my baby.

Here's what I did and some tips!

- I pumped every 3 to 4 hours. We stayed in Hong Kong side and pretty much went around Causeway Bay, North Point, Central, and Mong Kok only. All were near and just less than 30 minutes away from our hotel so every 3 to 4 hours was doable without me having to lug around my pump.
- After I pump, I immediately transfer my expressed breast milk to milk bags. I put 4oz per milk bag so it won't be bulky. I immediately put it in our hotel room's ref. It was cold enough to store my milk. You can opt to have it stored and chilled (DO NOT FREEZE) in the hotel ref.
- The hotel I stayed in gladly stored my milk on the last day as well as freeze my ice packs. The woman I talked to said that a lot of their guests do this too so they know how to handle expressed BM. I labeled the ziplocks with the room number and instructions.
- When I had my BM stored with the hotel's ref, I doubled the ziplocks just to be sure. You don't know what else is in their ref that may contaminate your milk.
- A night before our last day, I had my Techi Ice along with my 2 small ice packs frozen with the hotel's freezer too.
- I washed my breast pump and bottles at the end of the day before I go to sleep. I soak my pump, pumps parts and bottles in Cradle bottle cleanser (freebie from a bazaar/expo), washed and rinsed. Then soak them again in the Chicco Sterilizing Liquid that I brought, washed and rinsed again. All are washed in warm water and I left them to dry overnight. 

 - Here's how I packed my expressed milk the last day before I packed it in my luggage and checked it in.

Two Techni Ice on the sides, ziplock in between plus my grandma's medicine

- My On-the-Go cooler looks like this. I used the one that came with my Avent breast pump. Two small ones. 1 with my manual breast pump and another with two 4oz bottles with 1 ice pack each cooler.

So there! I did it! 60oz of breast milk in 4 days, I'm so proud of myself! Pumping while traveling is possible! I wouldn't have this without the help of Jenny's blog, Glam-o-Mamas and Didi's! I'm so happy to be back home and nurse Y directly again!



P.S. My stored breast milk for Y while I'm away was also enough for her! Yay! She only got to drink 5oz of formula milk!

Communication and First Time Breastfeeders

"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."

While I was still pregnant, my first dilemma was can I breastfeed and work at the same time. I didn't have a support system at first (of course my husband is my number one supporter!) because we were living independently so I had to do research on everything from the breast pump, storage system, how to properly store breast milk, and the whole shebang. Kellymom, Chronicles of Nursing Mom, and forums were my source of information.

When I got back to work after my maternity leave, there were two things I had to discuss, one with my yaya and the other is with my our HR Department. I already had three yayas, I oriented all of them on their first day how to handle my expressed milk. I printed a guideline from Kellymom and posted in on our ref. It was easy breezy with my yayas.

At work, we don't have a breastfeeding room/station, only an "executive" bathroom which only the bosses are allowed to use, all of other employees use the common bathroom outside of our office. On my first day back, I talked to our HR manager that I'll be expressing milk for my baby and asked which room I can use to have my pumping sessions and that I needed an outlet because I'm using an electric pump. She told me I can use the executive bathroom, so that's where I pump until to this day. I actually had a problem the second day, one HR personnel locked that bathroom! I think she did that on purpose because well, I'm not a boss and she saw me using it. Tinarayan pa ako! I had to explain to her that I was breastfeeding and I'm pumping milk for my baby. She said she wasn't advised about me using the bathroom and I should ask permission from the HR manager. I told her that the HR already know. Grrr! That shut her mouth! It was smooth sailing after that.

 

With my family, I'm the first one to breastfeed, so I really need to explain why I'm doing it, why I'm exclusively breastfeeding, why is it important to breastfeed for the first six months and no supplementing of formula milk and water. I've got into arguments and debates with my mom and grandma on why I don't want Y to wean and just drink formula. She has the occasional formula milk when my supply is really really low and can't keep up with her demands. My husband is a breastfed baby, he was breastfed until he was four and he rarely gets sick!

In my case or in any case, communication is one of the keys to breastfeed successfully, at home or in the office. With my family, they don't know anything about breastfeeding, so I have to be the one to have all the knowledge and information. I have to be armed with answers to all their questions. I also made sure to tell my family that I intend to breastfeed for as long as I can. Even if my mom and my grandma had told me to wean now or wean when she reaches 1.5 years old, I made my stand. One thing I learned from my sister's failed breastfeeding experience is that she didn't really communicate her breastfeeding intentions to her husband and her MIL. She's living in the province and me being her only support system, I really can't do much but give advice and suggestions. In the end, she was not successful.

Communication, having an open minded support system, and having a supportive support system are important in breastfeeding successfully. I'm no expert on this so advice and insights from other breastfeeding moms would be welcome. :)


Happy Breastfeeding Month!

Check out other participant's entries:
DaintyMom's Creating a Pro-Breastfeeding Culture in the Family (Facebook and Twitter: @Dainty_Mom)
Wifely Steps' On Breastfeeding: Say It, Claim It, Get Support! (Facebook and Twitter: @macaronigirl)
Truly Rich Mom's How To Get Others to Support You in Breastfeeding (Facebook and Twitter: @tinasrodriguez)
EthanMama's My Best Breastfeeding Support System - My Husband (Twitter: @ethanmama)
Raising Baby Lia's A Shoutout to my Breastfeeding Buddies
Jen CC Tan's I'm Breastfeeding, and That's That! (Facebook and Twitter: @next9baby)
Project Blog by Kate's Talk and Make it Happen (Facebook and Twitter: @kate_demetrio)
My Mommy Kwentos' How I Recruited my Top Breastfeeding Buddies (Facebook)
Apples  & Dumplings Communicating and First Time Breastfeeders (Twitter: @apple_dumplings)
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
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom's Effective Communication Bucket List (Facebook and Twitter: @mamababylove)

Robredo Urges LGUs to Set Up Breastfeeding Stations

By Marjorie Gorospe
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief Jesse Robredo urges all local government officials to set up a breastfeeding station in their respective cities to promote breastfeeding in the country.
Robredo also issues an order for all local government officials – from provincial governors to barangay chairpersons - urging them to adopt and implement a workplace lactation program in their respective offices within three months.
"With these efforts, we hope to help nursing mothers ensure that their infants get optimum health and proper nutrition through breastfeeding which they can do anytime once lactation stations are already set up," Robredo said.
This move supports the program and recommendations of the Department of Health and the World Health Organization to promote breastfeeding and its benefits in the country.
Robredo added the DILG is also thinking of mandating a workplace lactation program as a requirement for private companies applying for business permits.
Under Republic Act No. 10028 or the "Expanded Promotion of Breastfeeding Act of 2009", all private and public institutions are required to set up lactation facilities in the workplace as well as implement appropriate breastfeeding programs.
However, not all LGUs have complied with this order.
Robredo also calls for compliance to Executive Order No. 51 or the "National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplements and Other Related Products."
EO 51 states guidelines for milk companies in marketing infant formula and products that can substitute for breast milk without undermining the practice of breastfeeding and its benefits.


Source


P.S. I wish our own office has a breastfeeding station because my current pumping situation is not the most ideal one.

My 7-Month Old Little Tigress

Y is turning seven months tomorrow! How time REALLY flies so fast. Last year this time, I was four months pregnant. Now, she's this little tigress who rule our jungle.

She has now ate carrots, sayote, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Next week will be squash! She'll now eat twice a day and then we'll start fruits. She's very active now, she starting to crawl, she stands when she can hold onto something, she can sit without support, she babbles a lot, smiles and laughs to people she knows! She only cries when she's not familiar with a place or a person.
She's on a I-only-want-mommy phase, I love it but it's heartbreaking to leave her every morning before going to work.


I'm in the process of planning her birthday/baptismal. I've been talking to suppliers and looking for themes in the internet. I'm going crazy! It's still 5 months away, but I want to plan early so I won't rush. I haven't started anything yet but I'm stressed about it already. Hope to finalize something this week!


Y turning seven months is also a milestone for me! Exclusively breastfeeding and pumping for seven months now and still going and no planning of weaning yet! Never been so proud of myself! Yey!


Happy Seven Months, Y! Don't grow up so fast! :D Papa and Mommy loves you!