The Symbol of Breastfeeding: Golden Bow

When Stan and I were brainstorming about the poster for his photo exhibit, he asked me what the symbol of breastfeeding was.  I was stumped.  The "pink ribbon" was the widely known symbol for breast cancer however, I couldn't remember what was the symbol of breastfeeding.

A quick internet search brought me to this UNICEF page on the golden bow, which I immediately shared on Facebook.

see the golden bow?

Guest Post: From 40oz. of formula milk to none!

I never get tired of hearing relactation stories.  Because we live in a formula feeding culture, I have met moms who "chose" to formula feed their babies but end up regretting this choice after a month or so.   Is that the end of their breastfeeding journey?  Happily, I can confidently answer NO!  If adopted moms and grandmothers can breastfeed babies then moms can successfully undergo relactation.  However, it is not easy and it will take a lot of hard work and determination.

Metro Manila moms are lucky that there is a center - Arugan Creche - where moms can successfully learn how to relactate from experts in the breastfeeding field - Velvet Escario-Roxas with lactation masseuse Rechilda Talle.  The relactating mom also needs support from other moms in the form of donated breastmilk, to ensure that the baby will not go hungry while the mom builds up her supply.
For this guest post, I would like to share the story of Donna Marie Bondoc who painstakingly chronicled her relactation journey in hopes of inspiring other formula feeding moms that breastfeeding is not a lost cause.

Compilation of Emergency Posts - Again - No Formula Milk Donations Please!

I have written several posts about breastfeeding during emergencies and calamities.  They are spread out through 4-5 years.  In this post, I will attempt to compile them so you can easily click and refer to the ones relevant to you.

For breastfeeding moms, a top worry during storms would be brownouts especially on how these affect frozen breastmilk.  Visit my post "Brownouts and Breastmilk" to read how you can preserve your breastmilk during power outages and information on refreezing milk.

Baby Led Feeding

Starting solids is a milestone in each child's life. I strongly believe that babies should start solids at 6 months or later.  Read this post to know why.  With N, we started solids at 6.5 months and did the regular mashed food route.  We prepared N's food ourselves and she never tried the standard Cerelac or Gerber meals.  At that time, my mother-in-law purchased a blender specifically for N to use.

Effects of Advertising Preschool Milk

Think that the marketing of toddler formula is harmless?  Think again.

I received this message and photo from a fellow breastfeeding mother:

My son is in preschool and they're studying the letter "M" so one of the words they're learning is "milk". I'm really disappointed that the graphic they use for the kids to associate with milk is the one shown in the attached picture. My son wasn't breastfed, but his little brother was and he knows the concept of mommy milk. I feel bad because they could just have easily used a picture of a glass of milk instead of a formula can.

It's N@W or Never: Breastfeed your Child! A Photo Exhibit

This project is a labor of love from dear hubby Stanley Ong Photography and Newlyweds at Work (N@W). N@W was my lifeline during the early days of breastfeeding N. This group started out as an online forum to complement Weddings at Work (W@W) of Abet and Benz Rana. The online forum has grown into a community - with members becoming real life friends! I met a lot of my breastfriends from this group and continue to meet new friends from among the members.

Hakab Na! 2013

Last Saturday, the Philippines held its very first Hakab Na! 2013 breastfeeding awareness campaign.  I was one of the organizers of this event and you can read the background of how we planned and prepared for this event in Rappler.

Pofuff - Art Alive!

N takes after her dad and loves to draw. Pack rat that I am, we have folders and folders of her drawings stashed in S' office. N also regularly inserts her drawings in my bag for me to bring to office to be used as decoration for my office cubicle.

So when my college dorm mate Lei contacted me about their new project, I was more than excited to try it. Lei’s project all started last September 2012 when Lei shared with Ziggy (her husband) about how delighted Lilly (their 4 year old daughter) was when Lei used a stuffed toy to animate what she was reading from her story book.  Lei and Ziggy were also encouraging Lilly to draw to improve her fine motor skills and develop problem solving skills. Lilly eventually asked her parents to turn her toys into stuffed toys and so Pofuff was born.

Breastfeeding: The Bond of Love

Since 2009, my husband Stanley Ong has been personally photographing breastfeeding mothers in support of my advocacy.  He has seen me weather difficulties with N, literally cry over spilled milk and wrestle with my acrobatic breastfeeding babies.  He also also experienced the joy seeing me nourish his children as well as enjoyed sleeping soundly at night without having to prepare bottles for them.