HAKAB NA 2015: Breastfeeding Awareness Month Kick-off

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HAKAB adj. 1. held on by suction 2. exactly fitting

(tagalog dictionary .com)

Hakab Na, on its 3rd year kicked off the Breastfeeding Awareness Month of August by celebrating Hakab Na 2015: Big Latch On. Hakab Na aims to promote the importance of breastfeeding to babies and providing support to breastfeeding moms. This year tackled empowering breastfeeding mothers to continue providing the best food and nourishment for their little ones. Part of empowering us, breastfeeding mom, is giving proper support at home and within the community. Part of the tradition of Hakab Na is the simultaneous latching of babies and toddlers to their mothers here in Manila and the other parts of the country, to promote Normalized Breastfeeding, anytime, anywhere.

My turning 19 months, exclusively breastfed son Z and I went to 500 Shaw Zentrum, the sponsored venue of the event, as a walk in participant. When I saw the program from the net I found the afternoon talks really interesting. Little did I know that I will be missing the main event the Hakab Na Activity, which is the simultaneous latching, which happened in the morning. Oh well, there will be next year and I am definitely sure Z will still be breastfeeding by then.

So what happened in the afternoon?

Breastfed Baby for 19 months to date

Z and I arrived at about 11 in the morning. Muntik pa kaming hindi mapapasok. They actually closed the registration. Seemed like the 700 pre-registered participants arrived...Record breaking! According to the BFP Admins the number of participants this year exceeded the previous 2. That means more and more mothers are going back to how we are supposed to be feeding our young, and that's great news! Going back, we were still able to enter the activity area, but no loots anymore. I really dont mind, coz in fact Im not after the loots because I did not pre-register.

Inside, just like in a normal summit or mommy-baby activities I used to attend, there were booths, photobooths which are free, you just need to sign up, food kiosks, and mother and baby product selling. At the far end corner, there was an inflatable playground for the toddlers. It was a bit humid, and we were welcomed by the sounds of irritated cries of the babies but it didn't bother us. We proceeded 1st to the Huggies photobooth because there were no parents lining up. It was a Bring-Your-Own-Camera Booth where you have to provide your own camera, while the attendants of the booth will hold on to this Instagram-like frame infront of you and someone else will take a picture of you and baby. We were also given a 4-pcs pack of Huggies Diaper, because we signed up. Thanks Huggies!

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with a breastfriend, Momi Khitin Alberto, with his 3 month baby

photobooth with Z

After we got our printed photo from the Bio-Oil booth, we went to the other side of the area for food. Beside the food kiosk, where I got my freshly cooked Ilocos Empanada and bottled Carrot-Mango-Melon juice was Gymboree's playground set up which attracted my Baby Z to play.

So I let him explore the slides, the plank, the cloth tunnel and bridge-like platform with slides by himself while I enjoy my lunch. When he was through playing, same time the next speaker for the afternoon Talk was being called by the emcee, Ms Kimberly Tan-Evangelista. We settled ourselves in the aisle part near the stage. He latched and fell asleep, that means I got uninterrupted moments, very well-spent time listening to all speakers.

Dr. Anthony Calibo discussed the Breastfeeding Management for Slow Weight Gaining Babies. He stressed on the importance of breastfeeding the babies in its first 1000 days. He also tackled how support from the family and the community affects the ability of a mother to be able to give her 100% to nourish one's child. He also pointed out that having little amount of breastmilk is ENOUGH, or in Filipino, SAPAT. Mother's SHOULD NEVER get pressure with OTHER moms who can bank so much milk, because what your child gets from you is all what he needs. Though banking milk may be beneficial, direct feeding is still the best especially when you want to establish good flow and supply. Remember the Law of Supply and Demand.

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Dr. Anthony Calibo

My fave speaker of the day!

Next speaker that afternoon was Ms. Eliza Santiago, a mother, make-up artist, personality development and motivational speaker and a breastfeeding mom. This part was my personal favorite. Everything she talked about rechecked and reassured I'm on a right track to my personal journey, (of becoming a gorgeous breastfeeding momma hahaha!)  

You can be Gorgeous while Breastfeeding, that was her subject of discussion. She made sure that the topic was light and fun but with great impact not just for the mothers but for the husbands and partners present in the audience. She stated, "Breastfeeding moms are Gorgeous!"

A Gorgeous Mom is Confident, a person who carries herself well with Self-Esteem, Pride, Dignity and Poise. But the BIG Question is how to become ONE???

"Being gorgeous starts with a state of mind"

"This too shall Pass. Labanan Mo Yan Teh!!!" is her advise to all the negativities and discouragements. In other words, don't let all the stress in life consume you and eat you whole. Motherhood is such a stressful job! All the more juggling breastfeeding along with all other chores and responsiblities. But despite of it all, we should face these challenges in our most presentable image.

1. Bawal Magtiis- most of the time Mothers are considered MATYRS. We tend to consider the welfare of our kids first, if not most of the time, or our husband's needs over our own. Try to practice prioritizing ourselves, our needs. Because if we are always last in the list, most of the time we are left with nothing, and that isn't OKAY.

2. Take baby steps. - assess your life and tailor your plan with your needs. Start with buying stuff that makes you happy. It may be as simple as lipstick, perfume or cologne, clothes, food, whatever it is. One item per week, per month that will uplift your mood whenever you see and use them. It may also be a hobby, to destress you. This changes everything. Feeling guilty? Go back to #1. *wink*

3.ME TIME IS IMPORTANT - it is not being selfish. Period.

4.Do it for no one else but YOURSELF - wear your stilletos while washing the dishes, KEBS! Wear make-up or your most red lipstick at home. Curl your hair even when there is no occassion. Do this because you want to. Because you are beautiful. Nuff said.

5. Ask for help - ask your friends and family. Ask those cosmetics consultant in the mall for beauty advises. Research and practice. Join forums and groups with fellow mommies. And if you are the one who is able, reach out to those who need help. Even just a lead to a sale product online or a tutorial link, that will be a great help. This also pushes me to pursue this blogging, to be able to help other moms and fellow breastfeeding moms by sharing what I have learned through my journey and from the events I have attended, such as this. (I hope I was able to help in my own little way.)

With a dear Breastfriend, Momi Bing,
CONGRATULATIONS!

This part of the talk made a great impact on me. It reminds me to ALWAYS take care of myself. Beautify and improve what I already have. Ms. Eliza made us promise "Labanan Mo Yan Teh!" when faced with diffulties that may cause us to be ugly.

Atty. Abie Co-Floreza

The 3rd part of the afternoon talk was about, the famous, Breastfeeding Myths. Atty. Abie Co-Floreza presented 10 Myths. Some of which I have experiences being told before and some were "new" and boy! they still make me smile and laugh like it was a joke, or mababaw lang talaga ako. I personally arranged them according to my Top 10.

10. Huwag itataas ang braso habang natutulog, matutuyo ang gatas. - this is a favorite sleeping habit of mine. With my 3 years BF experience with my first born, I never experienced "drought". I can breastfeed until now.

9. Huwag magpapasuso ang may hika/sakit, mahahawa si baby. - this is the same as "Huwag magpapasuso kapag pagod or galing sa init, mapapasa kay baby ang pagod/pasma."  There are no scientific truths about this. Infact, when breastfeeding the hormone oxytocin is released. More known as LOVE HORMONE, because it is released when someone is cuddled, snuggled and bond socially. This hormone for nursing mothers stimulates the brain in order to let down the milk when the baby sucks the breast. This hormone makes a person happy and relaxed.

8. Kailangan uminom ang nanay ng gatas para magkaroon ng maraming gatas.- There is no supplement or diet requirement for breastfeeding moms. Milk supply is relatively dependent on the psychological mindset of the mother. If we think we have low milk output, the more we psyche it to happen. So think happy and positive thoughts. "Sapat ang gatas ko!"

7. Nakakalawlaw ng dede ang pagpapasuso.- The physiological change is brought about by the pregnancy NOT by Breastfeeding

6. Hanggang 6-12 months lang ang pagpapasuso.- There is no way I will agree to this, because I was able to do this for 3 exclusive years, kahit wala pang Breastfeeding Pinays to empower or reassure that what I am doing is right. Because I know from the start that I made the right decision.

And my Top 5 picks for the Most Ridiculuous Breastfeeding Award goes to...

5. Bawal uminom ng malamig na tubig. Magkakasipon si baby. This is pathetic. There is no chance that breast milk from direct feeding comes out cold! Its always in the right temperature.

4. Huwag uminom ng maasim kasi mamumuo ang gatas ni Mommy. What is this? Buttermilk?!?! Natawa akong bongga dito nun.

3. Pag maliit ang dede ni mommy, wala o kulang sa gatas. I am a living testimony that this myth will remain a myth FOREVER! I am 32A or lower when I was single. When I became a breastfeeding mom to Q, my size infact went up to 34A while my body didn't change a lot. My son would not have survived his 1st 6 months if my supply weren't enough if you're gonna base it with my size.

2. Pag dumede si baby sa kanang dibdib, makakakain sya ng kanin, Kung sa kaliwang dibdib, makakainom sya ng tubig.  HAHAHAH! I always hear this from my own Mama...But the only explanation to this, try to feed on both breasts so they are "balanced".

1. Huwag hayaan na tumulo ang gatas sa sahig/damit. Matutuyo ang gatas kapag nadilaan ng butiki/ipis ang tumulong gatas. Yes! the milk will dry up...ON YOUR CLOTHES and you will smell like pastilyas. That may be the reason why cockroach might infest your laundry basket if you don't wash right away.  But this will never dry your supply. And by the way, strong let down of the other breast while baby feeds on the other is unavoidable. Breasts have no faucets, you know.

Plain absurd... but these myths says so much of our culture... from different provinces or region or religion, we can hear different and more of these from the old folks. It is up to us which we will believe in and which ones to just ignore. But none of these have scientific proofs that can say they are valid, so doctors and breastfeeding experts consider them as myths. 

Important pointers to remember:

☆ Breastmilk is unlimited. It refills the same amount of milk being extracted on the same time intervals. For example, if baby was able to establish an every 2-hours feeding and can extract 4 oz from each breasts, the brain will signal the milk ducts to produce 8oz amount of milk after 2 hours. We should never worry if sometimes we get small amounts especially during stages when baby is already taking solids. Just continue breastfeeding. We should not get discouraged by moms who can bank a full freezer load of breastmilk, they are special cases. It takes vigorous practice to be able to come up with those output.

☆ Remember the Law of Supply and Demand. Mothers who claims that they have low supply, most probably had problems with proper latching, thus babies ability to get milk is affected therefore the milk that will be reproduced will also be low. Seek help if neccessary and dont just stop. Never EVER sort to the option of mixed feeding or giving formula. NEVER GIVE UP on the journey.

☆ The nutrients from the milk are the ONLY nutrients needed by baby from day 1 until he turns 6 months which will be complimented with proper solid food. It is highly recommended to  breastfeed the child beyond 1 year old, "kung pwede hanggang magCollege pa", joked by Atty. Abie.

☆ The mother's diet does not neccessarily affects the nutrient contents of the milk. However, she needs nutritious food for her own nourishment. It was also pointed out that the food we intake affects the taste of milk, so if we want to raise a non-picky-eater, we should learn to eat vegetables and fruits as well, because they can be tasted from the milk.

☆ Sagging of the breast is caused by the sudden change of size of breast during pregnancy, as part of the preparation of the body for the coming of baby, and NOT because of breastfeeding. In fact, experts says that when you breastfeed, there is a low chance of having saggy breasts because milk is actively being produced, thus making it always firm and plump.

☆ Breastfeeding moms who suddenly gets sick should NEVER stop breastfeeding because, the body infact produces antibodies which is transfered to the breast milk to protect your babies. When the illness is viral, like cough or colds, proper hygiene should be observed, like covering of the mouth and frequent washing of hands.

Raffle prizes and games became the intermission after the talks before they moved on to the next segment of the Program, the BFP LIVE, where the Admins of the Breast Feeding Pinays were up the stage to answer questions from the audience, just like in the Facebook Forum.

We Won at the Bring Me Game c",)

the Breast Feeding Pinays Admins for BFP LIVE!

It was a well spent day for me. Commuting and carrying my 12 kilo son was all worth it. I came out more empowered to share my experience, 3 years and 19 months exclusive breastfeeding my children, to my friends who just gave birth, and also to those who are still pregnant and thinking of breastfeeding their own soon-to-be sons and daughters but still have doubts if they can do it exclusively too.

I am more confident now that with what I know, based on my personal journey, I am well equipped with updated knowledge and be able to continue until Z doesn't want to feed from me anymore. For now I will cherish my breastfeeding journey with him and I thank God everyday for my supply.

HAKAB NA!!!!