BPOs and lactation periods

Hello World! It's been a while. I have a lot of things I want to write about but reality got in the way.  I've taken on a more challenging role at my day job and the blog suffered.  However, the desire to write about breastfeeding and help fellow breastfeeding mothers is still there and is calling out.  So here I am trying to blog again.  Anyway, if you have specific questions you want to be answered, shoot me an email - latch[dot]jenny[at]gmail[dot]com and I will do my best to answer.  Please note also that I may choose to publish the query and reply in my blog - anonymously unless the writer prefers to be identified.

Quick Guide to Breastfeeding Challenges

Sorry, sorry... life has caught up with me! I really haven't been blogging much as I've been focusing on my day job, kids, Mama.Baby.Love and replying to email/text questions of breastfeeding/babywearing/cloth diapering moms.  I'm cleaning out my draft posts (yes, I have numerous!!)  and I found this post which I initially wrote as a comment to another page.  I can't remember if this comment was published -- yes it has been that long!  So I decided to edit it a publish it in my blog.

What if your company/employer does not want to follow RA10028?

My employer does not want to provide lactation periods/lactation stations.  What is our recourse as breastfeeding and working mothers?

I have several posts on the rights of breastfeeding mothers who work, how to ask for a lactation policy, what an ideal lactation room looks like, etc. etc.  To read my various posts about breastfeeding, rights and work, click HERE.

My office is currently working on getting the Mother-Baby Friendly Certification - more on that in a separate post.  I'm lucky to have a supportive employer who supported our efforts resulting in the establishment of a lactation policy and lactation room.

Pregnant: How to prepare for breastfeeding

Last month, I received this message on my Facebook page:

I am pregnant with my second baby and really want to successfully breastfeed him coz I failed the first time. Im still on my 17th week though but if I can do something as early as now to prepare myself for that, I'd gladly do so. What can you suggest?

I've been receiving similar concerns via email and private message so I decided to compile some tips which I hope will be useful not only to new moms, but also to moms new to breastfeeding.

Stopover in Seattle

My trips to the US are always synonymous to outlet shopping and this trip is not an exception.  Actually, a trip to Seattle was not in our itinerary.  We were only going to be in Canada for 2 weeks and transferring from one place to another with 2 kids in tow, sans yaya, was something I didn't want to do.  However, since all of Stan's siblings would be traveling to Seattle and we've never been there, we decided to brave the trip, especially since it included a trip to an outlet.

Solutions to the Challenging First Week of Breastfeeding

The first few weeks for any new parent is always the toughest.  For breastfeeding moms, these weeks are especially as this can make or break your breastfeeding relationship.  It is really important to surround yourself with breastfeeding supporters.  However, it is equally important to read and research and equip yourself with the information to help you succeed.

I realize that even if the internet is now easily accessible there is so much information out there, such that some new parents get overwhelmed and give up.  Plus, there are also information that come from dubious sources.  So, I decided to compile information which I believe in and find reliable in hopes that new parents can use this guide to gain confidence during the early weeks of breastfeeding their baby.

Breastfeeding and Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a pandemic in the Philippines.  Every other person I know has this and I wouldn't be surprised if ALL Filipinos living in the Philippines has some latent form of the virus in them.  Despite this, it is very disappointing to hear tuberculosis being used as a reason to stop breastfeeding.

Rubella and Breastfeeding

Sorry I haven't been posting as much.  We're leaving for the holidays and I am in a packing frenzy.

This is just a quick post to reply to a message sent to me via my Facebook page.

 Query: I've been breastfeeding my five month baby girl. Unfortunately yesterday i found out that i have german measles. I immediately called my pedia regarding breastfeeding her. She said that i have to stop until I'm fully well.

My answer: Baby is already past newborn stage. Rubella is not a contraindication to breastfeeding

Sources:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/mh2.htm#Measles, Rubella
http://www.llli.org/docs/550.pdf

I advised mom to get a 2nd opinion from another pediatrician and she said that the second pediatrician said the same thing as her first pediatrician.  I have to clarify.  She should get the opinion of a pediatrician who is well-versed in breastfeeding.  

Again, no pediatrician will tell you that s/he is not breastfeeding-friendly or pro-breastfeeding.  It is up to you to do your research.  This is just one of the instances where you can truly "test" whether your pediatrician is breastfeeding-friendly or not.

Adoption and Breastfeeding

I am currently part of a breastfeeding study group organized by Velvet Escario-Roxas.  I was fortunate enough to have attended the One Asia Breastfeeding Partners Forum 9 and learned so much from it.  Meanwhile, Velvet has been in so many international conferences - which means that she has so much more information about breastfeeding issues to share.

Our study group actually focuses on the book of Dr. Jack Newman.  However, we discuss a lot of issues which crop up along the way.  One of the topics we recently discussed is adoptive breastfeeding.  Did you know that it is possible for adoptive moms to undergo induced lactation and breastfeed their adopted babies?

Do you need to eat healthy to produce quality breastmilk?

One top question that breastfeeding mothers always ask is what do they eat to successfully breastfeed.  I have previously written about the non-necessity for breastfeeding mothers to drink milk.  There are also foods e.g. galactagogues that moms can take to increase milk production and I posted about that here.

For moms with unhealthy diet e.g. loves carbonated drinks, chips, etc., the top question in their minds is whether they should just give their babies formula instead of breastmilk considering that what they eat gets into their breastmilk.  Short Answer:  Breastmilk from an unhealthy mom is still FAR MORE superior than formula milk which comes from cows.

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.

Reconciling Milk Storage Guidelines - Philippine Setting

I haven't posted anything for more than 1 week!! I started working on this post about 2 weeks ago and really agonized how to make it all come together.  Finally, here it is and I hope this will be helpful and not confusing to breastfeeding moms.

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Back in my 2009 post about milk storage guidelines, I referred to guidelines culled from Western countries.  I'm happy to share that there are now guidelines specifically created for the Philippine climate. However, if you notice the charts, the suggested storage guidelines are not the same.  One guidelines were developed by MDs while the other was developed by internationally recognized expert breastfeeding counselors.   

Quick Reminder: Working Mom May 2013 - Setting up your Lactation Policy

May is about to end and just a quick reminder to grab a copy of Working Mom May 2013.  I have an article there about how we set up our lactation rooms in the workplace and how we are currently working on our lactation policy.

I have a compilation of posts in this blog related to breastfeeding and working and you can see them here.  Meanwhile, you can download and print this very useful guide (PDF) from the Department of Labor and Employment's Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns.

I can, let me reiterate, nothing will happen if you don't take the first step.  So read, research, know your rights and make the move!  You never know - the lactation room/policy may just be a request away. 

Long Distance Travel with Breastmilk

Traveling with breastmilk is a top concern of mothers - especially those who have to go out of the country and still want to bring home their milk.  I have previously posted tips on traveling and expressing milk without baby and how to transport breastmilk via air (Asian travel).

My own experiences in transporting breastmilk involved air travel, dry ice and regular ice packs. For this post, I will share some tips on traveling with refrigerated breastmilk with travel time of about 6 hours and traveling with frozen breastmilk using dry ice.

More on the Legal Rights of Breastfeeding and Working Women

I've previously written a post about the legal rights of breastfeeding mothers and prepared a slideshow.  I continue to receive emails about how working and breastfeeding mothers are not allowed to express milk at work or that their performance evaluation ratings are affected by lactation breaks.  Protecting the rights of breastfeeding and working women merits another post.  This time, I have included more resources, including those for night workers and a link to the guidelines for setting up a lactation room/policy from the DOLE.

In the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s Nutritional Status of Filipino Children and other Population Groups: 2011 Survey, one of the top reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding is because they work outside the home. Often, most moms are misinformed or don’t know that there is a law which will help them to continue to breastfeed their babies, even if they go back to work.

Under Republic Act No. 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, working and breastfeeding moms are entitled to paid lactation periods. Lactation periods are break intervals (on top of the regular time off for meals) to allow the employees to breastfeed or express milk.

Nursing Antics of my Older Baby

Erik is now 1 year old and is still a milk monster.  I can say that he is really a BOY compared to my first born N who was a gentle nurser.  Even when he was younger, he was a little piranha - finishing our sessions in about 6 minutes compared to N who took her sweet time and sometimes nursed up to an hour!
As a busy toddler, E has gotten into the habit of pulling when distracted - ouch! Lately, it has been happening quite often.  So when it's time to nurse, E and I shut ourselves inside the bedroom. Then in 5 minutes, N comes in and starts distracting him!  I've actually come to the point of anchoring his head just so he won't suddenly pull away.

Wisdom from Arugaan

In the course of my breastfeeding advocacy, I am most thankful to have met and worked with Ines Fernandez and Velvet Escario-Roxas of Arugaan.  Their work and advocacy is truly admirable - selfless, no hidden agenda and working only towards the upliftment of breastfeeding and protection of the rights of mothers, infants and young children.

What I most especially love about Arugaan is that they work within the needs and lifestyle of each family.  Each Filipino family is different.  In all the times that we have worked together, I have never felt obligated or guilty about the lifestyle that I chose to have for my family.  I never felt pressured to become a vegetarian or give up certain products we use.

What Milk to Give?

I can no longer count how many times I have received this question via blog comment, email or text:  What milk should I give my child?  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you would know my stand that toddlers do not need to be given formula milk.  I further expounded on this here.

So next question: does my toddler need regular milk?  Well, this depends per family.  Some families are dairy-free ergo totally no milk or they make their own milk from nuts, rice, etc.  Perhaps it is the Western influence on us and the brainwashing made on our doctors with Western education — we are made to believe that milk is an essential part of a balanced diet.  However, if you read Dr. Sears, milk is not really necessary but we give it because it is an easy source of calcium, protein, fats and Vitamin D (if fortified).  There are other sources of these nutrients and you can choose to give these instead of milk.

Want to be a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor?

At the outset, let me emphasize that you don't need to be a breastfeeding counselor in order to help mothers.  I previously shared about empowering moms and setting up a support group in your locality. Read more about that HERE.

During the early days, moms usually need support and hand holding to face the breastfeeding challenges.  Especially if the family is not supportive, having a group to talk to or ask questions will definitely help the mom succeed.  More often than not, the moms just need a sounding board rather than

In any case, several readers have emailed me asking how to become a breastfeeding peer counselor.  So I decided to compile all the information I have and share with interested moms.

Start your own support group: Mommy Meet-up in Cebu

Among my advocacies is to encourage moms to empower themselves and act on their ideas, plans and goals instead of waiting for others to do things for them.  Thus, whenever I do talks about breastfeeding and working, I always tell moms to take the first step, talk to their HR department and ask about lactation rooms or policies.

In the same vein, I am happy to hear about moms starting their own support groups, like Mommy Bright Side in Cagayan de Oro City.  The group was recently formed and already organized a breastmilk drive to support calls for breastmilk donations for the Pablo victims.