We Are Family

Great news to doctors and clinicians out there! Do you know that they could now get a free medical pocket pc software? This is a great help as more and more doctors are owners of PDA or smartphone.

Epocrates medical reference software helps doctors to have access to pertinent information needed to make prescribing decisions such as drug dosing, side effects, and health plan coverage.

When I gave birth, I had a severe case of pre-eclampsia. But even though my baby was delivered, my blood pressure is still high so they have to give medications that will regulate the blood pressure and compatible with breastfeeding as well. The cardiologist was so kind enough to explain his prescription and he even let me read in his PDA the specifics of the drug and that it is safe for breastfeeding moms. No need for us to check with my son’s pedia. So unlike my experience with other doctors that they couldn’t make a decision to prescribe certain medicines because they are not sure if it has an effect on breastfeeding.

So this is a great to have for any doctors. Information that will help them makes informed decisions, all the time, anywhere.

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

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Now that little boy has turned two, I usually get a raised eyebrow whenever they see him nursing still. That’s why I try to limit our sessions when we are in public. I don’t have the guts to wean him. Maybe I will just let him tell me when the right time is.

I’ve read some articles about child led weaning and I’m leaning towards that. I don’t think they will be nursing for all time. Besides, this has forged a different level of closeness between us. I’m not sure how will our relationship be sans nursing. But I know that both of us will let go of it soon. In as much as it is beautiful, it will not go on forever.

And oh, I’m still waiting for my period to return. I don’t have my period still and it will turn three years on July. Maybe I won’t get it not until I wean. Anybody who got the same experience as mine?

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As we welcome the brand new year, let me have a look back on the year that 2007 was. I can describe it as an adjustment period for me as a working mom and for M0rn1ng as an entrepreneur. I hope we were equipped to handle these roles better this 2008.

January – We bought a booster chair for B.boy. It has been a good training for him to eat beside us every meal.

February – Planning our first out of town trip with my mom and dad.

March – B.boy turned one year old and I’ve hit my one year breastfeeding target. Morn1ng and I also applied as auxiliary pioneers and we found a lot of Bible studies.

April – B.boy is now walking on his own. We also had our first out of town trip at Tagaytay with my mom and dad. Later on the month, we went to Bora for more fun in the sun. This time we were with Morn1ng’s whole family. April is loads of fun.

May – We went to Ilocos for vacation. Our nanny did not come back with us because she is pregnant and decided to just stay in the province. Morn1ng started his panwich business and by the end of the month, we found a new nanny. This is a month of new beginnings.

June – A turning point in my career. They announced reorganization and I was tasked to lead a new team. I was quite apprehensive as I lost my old team members in place of new ones. B.boy also had his first movie and train ride. I also had my very own website (www.nicemorning.net) and started on blogging for money.

July – We had our Circuit Assembly and mama was with us. Our laptop also arrived from the US. We are so happy. B.boy also had his first slippers.

August – I had my dear cat back at home. We also went to Tagaytay Highlands and had loads of fun. My sister went back to Denmark to work on their office project. We also started our nappy cake business.

September – B.boy has learned all about shapes. He can insert all the shapes in the proper places. We attended youngest sister’s function at school. We are so proud of her for organizing such a successful event.

October – We celebrated our 5 years of togetherness at Antonio’s Tagaytay. We also got an insulated bag to transport our panwiches from home to the office. I also started a new blog that focuses more on motherhood.

November – B.boy started saying “opo”. He also had his first visit to the dentist. He also had his first crayons.

December - We went to Ilocos to visit my mom and dad.  They were thrilled to see the many tricks the little boy has for them. 

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I’m so happy because I have crossed one item in my to do list. We went to Blissfulbabes showroom last Friday and I was able to buy these.

*Images from Blissfulbabes website

I love their nursing wears because they are all very stylish and the materials are nice.  I even got to talk to the owner, Buding Aquino because she was at hoe that time wrapping gifts with her husband.  She’s a breastfeeding advocate too and a member of LATCH.

We have a difficult time finding their place at Valle Verde because we’re not familiar with that area.  Then we did not bring any car and getting a taxi was so difficult so we ended up commuting.  We also braved the long walk from the gate to their place.  Haaaay kapagod talaga.  but when I saw all their clothes na excite ako and nawala ang pagod ko. hahaha!  Good thing I did not bring extra money because for sure I will spend it all.

Now I know the best route to go there was ride a shutttle service from Makati going to Valley Golf.  Then get off at the overpass at C5.  Enter the Valle Verde 1 Gate 2.  Their place is a short walk from there.  Here is the exact address if you’re interested to visit their shop :  32 Caimito St, Greenvalley Townhomes, Valle Verde 1.  You may call Joy or Cecille at 671 5826 to set an appointment. 

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I’m on half day leave today. I need to go to Valle Verde to take a look at Blissfulbabes nursing wear. Mommy Matters told me that all of their stocks are out at the moment so they cannot send over some clothes for me to try on at home. It would be pretty late if I should wait for them next week so I’m going to Blissfulbabes.

I’m so excited because my online friend Joyce loves their blouses. I hope I would be able to buy a nice one to wear in our convention on January 4. Yipeeeee! I’m slowly crossing out some items in my to do list.

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There are a lot of things that I would like to do before this year ends but I can’t find time to do it. Here’s the list:

Buy clothes for the assembly. I still got nothing to wear on our convention. I got in touch with mommy matters and they are going to send me some items that I could try at home. They’ve got this great Fit at Home service where busy moms like me get to try their nursing wear at the convenience of our home. If I don’t like the styles then I might visit Blissfulbabes at Valle Verde. They’ve got better styles but it is a hassle to go there. They are not even open on weekends. Worse comes to worst then I may have to buy some fabric and have it made by a mananahi. I’m not sure though if we have enough time for this. I need to decide what to do by the end of the week.

Buy clothes for B.boy. The little one needs something to wear too. I bought him a pair of polo and pants at Gingersnaps but we cannot persuade him to wear the polo shirt. It’s a bummer because it’s not cheap you know. But he is as headstrong as I am so I’m getting him another one. We’ll try to visit the new kid’s zone at Glorietta. Big and Small sent me a message and they’re back at Glorietta 3.

I also need to go to the dentist. Something’s wrong with my teeth, I know. It needs cleaning and probably filling too.

I need a haircut badly. My last one was April last year and so it currently looks unkempt.

I hope I can find some time to do all of these.

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Wondering why I hadn’t been blogging nor blog hopping recently? This lady is sick. We went to the hospital yesterday and the EENT told me that I have sinusitis and Otitis media. Good thing it is nothing super serious that would require a colon cleanse. Hahaha!

My head hurts like crazy and I can’t stay infront of the PC for a long time. I even had a difficult time in the airplane ride as the pressure is too much for my ears to handle. The doctor wants to put me on antibiotics but the problem is the medicine isn’t compatible with breastfeeding. If I am to take that, I wouldn’t be able to nurse B.boy for at least 1 week. I don’t know if the little boy can cope at night if we withhold nursing him. I’m still unsure of what to do. The doctor offered another alternative but he said it might not make me well. I need to get well as it’s been a week that I’m away in the office and I’m very embarrassed to extend it a bit more.

They also ordered for a CBC test as I have a lot of bruises all over my body. It was released today so here I am waiting for the doctor. I hope the lab results show nothing serious. If it shows bacterial infection, then I really need to take antibiotics. I’m sure there are antibiotics that are compatible for breastfeeding as weaning him abruptly would be very hard. The biggest hurdle is how to make him go to sleep at night. He’s so used nursing himself to sleep.
Oh I hope I will get better soon. It’s so hard to be sick this long.

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One of my friends is an expectant mom. She’s already in her 6th month of the pregnancy and she’s starting to baby some baby stuff. I can still recall how happy we were when we started buying thing for our baby back then. She also wanted to breastfeed her child and she asks on what breastfeeding supplies she should get. Since she’s based in the UK, I showed her a good site called tommeetippee.com.uk. It has a wide range of breastfeeding supplies, from manual pumps to breast milk storage bottles. I told her to look at those because she also planned on going back to work a few months after giving birth. So she has to really find a good and reliable breast pump and a lot of breast milk storage bottles. I think I used around 20 4 ounces bottles when B.boy was still a few months old.

I also loved the weaning supplies in that site too. I specifically loved the Magic Grripper mat that will avoid slips and mess for young eaters like my son. I also told her to get some of the food pots and lids as it will come handy once she start feeding solids. She can cook in batches and freeze them in these containers for everyday consumption. It is better to cook food at home than buy those artificially prepared in jars.

I hope she finds my suggestions useful.

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I’ve been breastfeeding for almost 20 months now. I never thought I would reach this far but I did with a lot encouragement and support from loved ones. Since B.boy will now be two years old in a couple of months, I’m seriously thinking about weaning. My dad even suggested this as he noticed that B.boy has been super attached to mommy. I never get anything done at home because B.boy just wants mommy and mommy alone all the time. Then sometimes I miss wearing my regular clothes. I miss those cute dresses that I wore pre-mommy days. But the biggest factor why I’m thinking of weaning are the unusual stares and unsolicited advices I get whenever I breastfeed the little boy in public. Then most of the time, B.boy would do acrobatics and would sometimes pull off all of the sudden causing an embarrassing exposure of the boobs.

However, the intimacy and bond that this breastfeeding relationship forged between us is the ultimate stopper of weaning plans. I know I will miss those sweet moments that we are sharing once he stopped nursing altogether. Sometimes I think it’s some sort of drug and we’re addicted to it. I think we both need to go to a drug rehabilitation. Hahaha! Just kidding! But I guess, I have to start the weaning process once he hits 24 months. I’m planning to do it slowly so that it won’t be difficult for both of us. After all at some point of his life he will really have to stop and I have to accept that too. He’s growing and I must grow up with him.

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Women are different when it comes to menstruation. Take my sister and I for example. While I have slow to medium flow, hers is always heavy. Others have dysmenorrhea while some don’t. I’ve watched one talk show episode where the actress Sunshine Dizon admitted that she experiences heavy flows.  And boy it was really heavy that she has to wear adult diapers at night time to prevent staining her bed.

The complaints I have during monthly period are just the occasional cramps and low energy levels. So just imagine my happiness because I haven’t had it since 07/01/05. Yes, it that long ago and I hope breastfeeding would delay it’s come back for a few more months.

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This one of the reasons why i decided and persevered to breastfeed my baby.  Even formula manufacturers are trying to imitate the nutrients found in mother’s milk.  Not only that, i’ve read one milk for adults called muscle milk which claims to stimulate growth and recovery in a similar manner to mother’s milk nourishing a baby.

So kudos to all the women out there who breastfeed and have breastfed!  You are doing a marvelous job to yourself and to your child.  

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My online friend Joyce sent me the following invitation yesterday:

” Hi! Want to be part of the Aug 1 & 8, both 10 am, Breastfeeding events (celebration of breastfeeding week & synchronized breastfeeding) at Malacanang?  Please text 09166363593 or email Pam Magallon with complete names of each attendee and your email add at pam@bosombuddy.org. thanks!”

According to this site, simultaneous breastfeeding started out as a protest that mothers resort to when they are admonished not to breastfeed in public. The act’s popularity rose to become a form of celebration during occasions like the World Breastfeeding Week.

Let’s be there and advocate that breastfeeding is best for babies. 

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I was about to leave home from work today when yaya told me that she has done something wrong.  I asked her what and she hesitantly told me that she lost the 2 valves of my breastpumps last night.  I blew my cool as i’m hurrying for work and those pumps won’t work without the valves.  What irritated us the most is that M0rn1ng and i told her before to be cautious when cleaning the parts as those valves are easy to lose.  We explained that i will not be able to report for work if my pumps are not working.  We also told her that those little parts are costly,  300 bucks each.  Now she lost 2 so that’s 600 bucks down the drain.  :(  We also told her that those parts are not readily available.  For one, the Avent Center is at far-away Sta Mesa and sometimes they don’t have the stocks available.  Imagine going through all the hassle just because of the missing parts?

I’m so irritated when i heard that she lost it.  What irked me more is that she told me when i’m about to go hurrying to the office.  She should have told me earlier.  Kainis talaga!

Good thing i have kept the old valves (these were a bit worn out already). I’m not sure if they still work but i have no choice.  :( 

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