Playtex Symposium @ SM's The Block

TO ALL PREGNANT MOMS!

SM Baby Company in cooperation with PLAYTEX BABY invites you to a FREE symposium on May 2, 2009, 2pm at The Annex, Lower Ground Floor, SM City North Edsa.

THEME: Breastfeeding and Beyond: Getting into Shape after Pregnancy

Listen to a FREE LECTURE from L.A.T.C.H. about topics on breastfeeding, latch-on and positioning.Get back into shape and learn RELAXATION TECHNIQUES from a yoga instructor.Get NUTRITION TIPS from a Nutritionist and Dietician.Plus, receive a FREE GIFT PACK for all pregnant attendees!

So come and join us on this very entertaining and informative event at The Annex, SM City North Edsal on May 2!

For pre-registration, call 535-4197 or text 0923-5965966 / 09234351070 and look for LALA or RISA.
Nurseryworks, Inc.
#26 R. Vicencio St.
Mandaluyong City 1550
Telefax No. (632) 535-4197
Mobile No. (63) 927-2415489/ 0923-5965966

Breastfeeding Class and Open House at Yu Ming School

One of my seatmates during the recent L.A.T.C.H. training sent me this email about the upcoming activities in their school:

"Hello Moms and Dads! We have two exciting activities lined up for May. May 9, Sat. -- Breastfeeding Class for Infanticipating Mommies May 14-15, Thurs-Fri -- Open House for Moms and Dads to know more about Yu Ming School Click on the invites for further details! Feel free to send the invitations to your friends! See you! Teacher Meg"

The open house looks interesting, since I am on the look-out for a school for Naima. But Mandaluyong is just so far .. and I don't want Naima to deal with traffic this young! *sigh*

Baby Blues on Breastfeeding

I recently discovered Baby Blues Comics and their take on breastfeeding. It is refreshing to see that breastfeeding is considered as the "normal" source of nutrition for baby instead of milk from a bottle. I've linked the relevant strips in the Baby Blues Archive:
Slinging and feeding - April 6, 2009
Milk Warmers - February 11, 2009
No Time - November 15, 2008
Hands Full - August 8, 2008
The Power of BM - August 5, 2008
Bull's Eye! - December 8, 2007
Momivore - August 23, 2007
Pool Pumping (from 10 years and still in diapers, Baby Blues compilation)
Baby's Faves - August 24, 2006
Baby's Faves - January 30, 2006
Ouch - July 14, 2005
Busy Mom - April 24, 2004
Nosy - December 15, 2003
Trash those coupons! - July 27, 2003
Dinnertime - February 20, 1996
Solids Blues

Here are other comic strips on nursing
Nursing in Public (Rubes - April 24, 2008)
Sounds of the Night (American Elf - December 13, 2007)
Breast is best comics series (Ben)

Will be adding more links to comics as I find them.

Shopping Days!

For the first 2 weekends of May, there will be a couple of bazaars geared especially for moms, both at the Rockwell Tent. First is the Urban Mom's Bazaar on May 1-3, 2009 at the Rockwell Tent. I haven't seen any fliers but this could be something similar to their Urban Bazaar series. A good friend, Nikki B, will be selling her BeachBaby items here. Check it out!

A week after that will be ExpoMom 2009, on May 9-10, 2009, also at Rockwell tent. Shopping time will be 10am-8pm. I went to both ExpoMom Bazaars in May and December 2008. Last year, ExpoMom was only for 1 day. This year, they've expanded it to 2 shopping days.. yipppeeee! I like going to ExpoMom because the vendors/exhibitors are relevant. I got Naima's princess bench from Levels of Discovery there at a discounted price. I also got a couple of Medela bottles for storage and a nursing bib. I wonder who the exhibitors this year will be? Schedule for that weekend here. Shopping days are back again! :D

Well-Nourished Child Series

In last Wednesday's Kitchen Rescue column, Chef Reggie Aspiras shared that with developmental and behavioral pediatrician Francis Dimalanta, they will be conducting “The Well Nourished Child Series: A Behavioral & Nutritional Approach to Battling Childhood Food Issues ranging from Childhood Obesity, Lactose Intolerance and Food Allergies, Dealing with the Picky Eater, Hyperactive Children & Nourishing Children with Special Needs.”

Now that Naima is into solids, proper nutrition is a top concern for me. She used to eat anything. But as she learns to recognize and differentiate textures and tastes, she has begun to have preferences for food. Since I am no nutritionist or chef, I struggle to find a balance in giving her the right diet and making sure that she eats something -- thus, try to make her food taste yummy.

The Well-Nourished Child Series is a very interesting program that I'm planning to join. The program costs P7,000 per module, which includes cooking class fee, reading materials for the module, recipe folders and meals. The series will begin in May 30, 2009 and will run until August 1, 2009. Classes will be held in La Vista Village, Quezon City (near Ateneo, Loyola). You can choose to enroll in just one module.

There are 5 modules and each module will run for 2 weeks, with the first week devoted to lectures by Dr. Dimalanta and the second week focused on food preparation (shopping, cooking and recipes) by Chef Reggie. I was reviewing the modules and think that Module 3 (The Picky Eater) would be most helpful for me. Module 1 (light cooking to prevent obesity) also looks interesting.

I got the detailed module program from one of my groups. See below for description of the 5 modules:

“THE WELL NOURISHED CHILD SERIES”
A Behavioral & Nutritional Approach
To Battling Childhood Food Issues
Conducted by Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician
Dr. Francis Dimalanta & Chef Reggie Aspiras

Dear Parents,

The Well Nourished Child Series is designed to help parents who struggle with their children during meal time; whatever they eat too much, too little or refuse to eat at all. It is also designed for those with special dietary needs.

Apart from addressing specific food issues, Dr. Dimalanta will delve into behavioral patterns, discipline, as well as parenting and coping skills; as this, “are major pre-requisites” to raising a happy, well balanced child.

The recipes and diets are a compilation of Doctor Francis Dimalanta’s notes from his studies, conventions, and seminars he attended, both here and abroad.

Together, he and I collaborated to make meal times easy, interesting, stress-free, delicious… For you, and especially for your loved one!

As each child different, The Well Nourished Child Series celebrates those differences not just by flavors and tastes but holistically as well.

Doc D. and I join you, in toasting your children to a life of health, wealth and good food!

Respectfully,
Chef Reggie Aspiras & Dr. Francis Dimalanta

Module 1

Childhood Obesity – An Alarming Health Concern
By Doctor Francis Dimalanta
Saturday, May 30, 2009 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

• Breast feeding is best for babies
• When to shift from breast milk to semi-solids to solids
• Proper weaning techniques
• How to start your child’s life in good health
• Vitamins and supplements – when & what to give
• Battle of the bulge – If obesity is already a problem
• Obesity – heart disease – diabetes
• Diet Regiments
• Parenting Strategies and Techniques
• When to say yes and How to say no
• One on one nutritional assessment of your child by a nutrition specialist
• Pre-assessment of the child by Doctor Francis Dimalanta
• Cocktails by Chef Reggie Aspiras – A sampling of recipes to be taught the following
Saturday, June 6, 2009

Cooking Light and Right for Your Child
Easy to Prepare Recipes and Techniques by Chef Reggie Aspiras
Saturday, June 6, 2009 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Menu and Nutritional guide to best nourish your child from infancy to pre-school
• Grocery Shopping – What, How and Where to shop for food
• Proper weaning techniques
• They are what they eat – understanding food and nutrition
• Cooking Light and Right – Recipes to prevent obesity and for children with weight issues

Module 2

Lactose Intolerance & Food Allergies
By Doctor Francis Dimalanta
Saturday, June 13, 2009 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

• There is hope despite the allergies
• What to do with children who are lactose intolerant and with allergies to dairy product
• Survival Skills for desperate parent
• Proper nutrition – how to nourish a child who cannot take dairy products

• Vitamins and supplementation – other sources of calcium
• The Essential Healing Diets – Gluten Free / Casein Free Diet, Food Reaction Diet,
Anti-Yeast Diet, Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Low Oxalate Diet
• One on one nutritional assessment of your child by a nutrition specialist
• Pre-assessment of the child by Doctor Francis Dimalanta
• Cocktails by Chef Reggie Aspiras – A sampling of recipes to be taught the following
Saturday, June 20, 2009

Lactose Free and Anti Allergy Cuisine for Your Child
By Chef Reggie Aspiras
Saturday, June 20, 2009 (9:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Menu and Nutritional guide for children with food allergies and those who are lactose
intolerant
• Grocery Shopping – What, How and Where to shop for food
• My anti-allergy kitchen – Reactive Foods and Non-Reactive Foods
• My lactose free kitchen – How and Where to find calcium – What to eat
• Autism, AD/HD, Asthma and Allergies – Are they interconnected?
• Benefits of Healing Diets – Gluten Free / Casein Free Diet, Food Reaction Diet,
Anti-Yeast Diet, Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Low Oxalate Diet
• Preparing quick and easy recipes for the lactose intolerant child – GF/CF based
• Preparing quick and easy recipes using non-reactive ingredients

Module 3

The Picky Eater
By Doctor Francis Dimalanta
Saturday, June 27, 2009 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

• Believe me… Your child will eat! – Parenting strategies to deal with toddlers and children who are picky eaters
• My Child Won’t Eat – How to Discipline / Coping Techniques
• Negotiating, Bargaining and Winning
• Canned Food, Preservatives, Seasonings, Chocolate, Soda, Sugar and Your Child
• Proper nutrition – How and What to feed your child
• Sneaking in nutrients into your child’s diet
• Can the right food raise intelligence levels
• What the body really needs in the course of a day
• Vitamins and supplementation – other sources of calcium
• One on one nutritional assessment of your child by a nutrition specialist
• Pre-assessment of the child by Doctor Francis Dimalanta
• Cocktails by Chef Reggie Aspiras – A sampling of recipes to be taught the following Saturday, July 4, 2009

Creative cooking for the Picky Eater

By Chef Reggie Aspiras
Saturday, July 4, 2009 (9:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Menu and Nutritional guide for children who refuse to eat
• Grocery Shopping – What, How and Where to shop for food
• Understanding the food groups and how to prepare meals that may be smaller in portion
but packed with nutrition
• Cooking Tactics – Menus that to cater your child’s whim – working on their favorites – adding what is good for them to their diet while slowly withdrawing what is not.
• Prepare healthy, easy, fun and creative meals for your children


Module 4

Hyperactivity and Food Additives: Is There A Connection/Link?
By Doctor Francis Dimalanta
Saturday, July 11, 2009 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

• Do you have a hyperactive child
• Warning Signs
• Is your child’s diet the cause of hyperactivity? If not, what is?
• Dealing with children who may be at risk for an Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
• Sugar? Does it really make life sweet?
• The Essential Healing Diets – Gluten Free / Casein Free Diet, Food Reaction Diet, Anti-Yeast Diet, Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Low Oxalate Diet
• Survival Skills for the desperate parent
• One on one nutritional assessment of your child by a nutrition specialist
• Pre-assessment of the child by Doctor Francis Dimalanta
• Cocktails by Chef Reggie Aspiras – A sampling of recipes to be taught the following Saturday, July 18, 2009

Cooking for the Hyperactive Child
By Chef Reggie Aspiras
Saturday, July 18, 2009 (9:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Menu and Nutritional guide for children who are hyperactive
• Grocery Shopping – What, How and Where to shop for food
• Understanding the food groups and how to use this to your child’s advantage
• Benefits of Healing Diets – Gluten Free / Casein Free Diet, Food Reaction Diet,
Anti-Yeast Diet, Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Low Oxalate Diet
• Preparing meals that are healthy and easy to prepare for hyperactive children
• Sugar, Additive and Preservative Free Recipes

Module 5

A Holistic Approach to Nourishing Children with Special Needs
(Children with developmental disabilities ranging from autism, cerebral palsy,
down syndrome etc..)
By Doctor Francis Dimalanta
Saturday, July 25, 2009 (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

• Benefits of a clean environment
• Making your home clean and safe – a toxin free household
• Nutrition Intervention
• Cleaning up the diet
• Detoxifixation
• Special Diets for Children with Special Needs (Children with developmental disabilities ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome etc..)
• Dietary Regimens – Which diet is right for your child
• Vitamins and supplementation – other sources of calcium
• One on one nutritional assessment of your child by a nutrition specialist
• Pre-assessment of the child by Doctor Francis Dimalanta
• Cocktails by Chef Reggie Aspiras – A sampling of recipes to be taught the following
Saturday, August 1, 2009

Special Diets for Children with Special Needs
By Chef Reggie Aspiras
Saturday, August 1, 2009 (9:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Grocery Shopping – What, How and Where to shop for food
• Benefits of Healing Diets – Gluten Free / Casein Free Diet, Food Reaction Diet,
Anti-Yeast Diet, Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Low Oxalate Diet
• Special Diet Food Preparation and Cooking – GF / CF

CORRESPONDING FEES:
• P7,000 (Seven Thousand Pesos) per module – Cost inclusive of Cooking Class Fee, Reading Materials pertinent to the Module & Recipe Folders, Meals
• Number of Participants: Limited to 25
• A 50% deposit of P3,500 is required upon registration.
• Full payments must be made a day before the seminar.
• Deposit is fully forfeited if cancellations are made less than a week before May 30, 2009.

For Inquiries & Reservations – 6474744 (loc.165) / 0908-2372346 (Look for Jhem) Or 9289296 / 9273008 (Look for Jane)

A Nursing Mom's Shopping Guide - All About Malunggay

*This is the first of a series.

Ever since I had Naima, I seem to have transferred my interest in bag/clothes/bargains shopping to shopping and researching for baby stuff. If I need to buy a product, I read reviews and look for the best price. Throughout my 16 months (and going) nursing journey, I've amassed numerous products (some of them unnecessary) for breastfeeding. I've had several friends ask me where to get the products I have. Some were purchased abroad, some locally. I've come up with a list of products locally available as a ready shopping/resource list for nursing moms.
==================

One of the concerns of a nursing mom is: "will I have enough milk". In reality, the average mom will have enough milk and does not really need galactagogues to maintain or increase supply. When I was directly nursing Naima (and did not pump), my milk supply was enough for her. When I started working and using the pump, I felt that I was not producing enough and needed to take something to increase milk production. I think that this "feeling" of not being able to produce enough milk is experienced by moms all over. Thus, galactagogues (or substances to increase milk) is being recommended everywhere -- from blessed thistle, domperidone, fenugreek, oatmeal, alfalfa and even Horlicks (yum!).

For Filipino moms, the galactagogue readily available is malunggay. Malunggay has gained quite a following and now comes in several forms. Biotech for Life Media and Advocacy Resource Center has compiled a comprehensive list of malunggay products currently out in the market. I've listed malunggay products that I know of from that list and some other products not included in that list. I have tried several and will include my reviews of these products.

The following malunggay capsules are currently available:
Pro-Lacta is manufactured by Pascual Laboratories and distributed by Altermed (4119907; 9258468; 9286750). Each tablet contains 350mg of Malunggay powdered leaves and costs about 6.65p at mercury and 6.75p at Watson's. Altermed has been aggressively marketing Pro-Lacta and I've seen in them in several parenting/pregnancy/breastfeeding sessions and activities I have attended.

Natalac is manufactured by Metropolitan Pharmaceuticals (807-9756/2782) and costs 8.95p each at Mercury Drug and 9p at Watson's. This was the brand recommended by my ob-gyne that I take at 36 weeks of pregnancy. I took it then eventually realized that it didn't give me much value for money. Each capsule contained 250mg only and was more expensive than Pro-Lacta. So I switched to Pro-lacta instead.

I found Sun Angel Malunggay capsules on the internet and read about them in the newspaper. Each capsule contains 500mg of pure malunggay -- the most that I've found in the market. However, they sell the capsules by the bottle - with 50 capsules costing 400p (8p). After Pro-Lacta, I switched to Sun Angel capsules. The only problem I have is that they are not yet readily available in the drug stores and I have make sure that I am able to order before my stocks run out.

I also inquired from Dr. Lester Lora, a retired pediatrician who is a breastfeeding advocate. She is now focused on promoting breastfeeding through trainings and seminars. She also sells malunggay capsules and can be contacted at 9273475 or 09173676568 or email at dra.lester@gmail.com. I think her capsules are 350mg and cost 6.50p each. Another company selling malunggay capsules is Moringana by Organics Asia. I met their Managing Director during the L.A.T.C.H. peer counsellor training. Their capsules are 300mg but I didn't get to ask about the price.

Aside from capsules, with the emergence of malunggay as a super vegetable, several products have been introduced in the market. One that I use daily is Sun Angel's malunggay herb tea (168p for a box of 20). They also have a malunggay camote tea (240p for a box of 20) but I didn't like it. It tasted slightly bitter. Polvoron (15p) and malunggay powder (85p) are also available. I thought the polvoron tasted too sweet. The malunggay powder is a healthy addition to the kitchen -- you can easily add this to soup stock, baby cereal, oatmeal, etc. to fortify it. Aside from Sun Angel, Moringana also sells malunggay powder and promote it to used as beverage mix and salad garnish, among others.

I believe that Moringana's products are available in ECHOstore (901-3485) in Serendra. ECHOstore also carries malunggay chips (60p) and malunggay pesto (199p). One interesting malunggay product I want to try is Butchie's Recipe's malunggay ice cream. Butchie's (385-0387) is in Wilson St., San Juan and I definitely have to make a trip there this summer to try this ice cream. I also want to check out the Sun Angel Malunggay Tea House whose menu will include a variety of malunggay products, from shakes, burgers, cookies and muffins. This tea house is located at Unit 101 AIC Gold Tower Emerald Ave. cor Garnet Road Ortigas Center, Pasig. Another place which serves malunggay ice cream is Elfav Ice Creamery in Paranaque. They will be opening another branch but nowhere near me -- in Robinson's Galleria.

As for Malunggay bread, I have only tried it once, bought at our employees' cooperative store. It costs P20 per piece. It tasted like ordinary bread but had a green tinge. I wasn't able to find out where our cooperative sources this malunggay bread. In Makati, Paul Calvin’s Deli in Forbes Town Center sells malunggay muffins and loaves. In Mandaluyong, Powernut (4802079) at 2nd Floor, GSquare Arcade, Barangka, Mandaluyong also sells malunggay bread and other products with malunggay. If you'd like to bake the bread yourself, Heny Sison has created recipes for malunggay bread, pasta and polvoron. This blog is also a great source of other malunggay recipes.

Meanwhile, if you're vacationing outside Manila, you could still get your malunggay fix in Albay at Ben's Baker [(063-52) 824-0233 / (0928) 300-1756] in Maroroy, Daraga, Albay or in Ilocos Sur, where you can get Bungro Ice Cream [(077)-726-4068], which comes in malunggay flavor, among others, in San Ildefonso town and Malunggay cake in 4 Stars Bakeshop in Sto. Domingo town.

*Update: 25 April 2009
Every Friday to Sunday, SM Hypermart in Mall of Asia has some special vendors inside the supermarket. There used to be Adelina's Ham and Bounty Fresh (which sells chicks and organic eggs). When I visited today, one of the new vendors was PowerNut. I'm happy that I don' t have to go all the way to Mandaluyong to buy their goods. According to the salesperson, they just started last week.
Their flier states they are "the first Malunggay Specialty Store.
in the Philippines that manufacture snacks and drinks fortified their Malunggay." Their product list is impressive! They sell malunggay capsules made by Life Pure Wellness at 400p for an 80-piece bottle. Each capsule contains 500mg (GH Malunggay C is made of 460 mg. pure malunggay leaf powder and 40 mg. sodium ascorbate. It is packed in gelatin capsules and has a genuine weight of 500 mg.). This comes out to about 5p per piece and will be cheaper than Sun Angel. I definitely will try this brand once my current stock runs out. They also have some malunggay pancit canton (80p for 500g) by J. Sesgundo Pancit Factory of San Miguel, Bato, Camarines Sur (09272948900 or 09184098181). We will be trying these malunggay noodles for our next pancit canton meal.
Aside from capsules, they also sell bakery goods made by PowerNut, all malunggay-fortified. They have butterfinger cookies (60p), diabetic crackers (45p), oatmeal cookies (65p for 6, 12@), Choco cookies (12@), pandesal (65p for 10), breadsticks (85p for about a dozen or so) and pulvoron (35p for 10). They also have malunggay powder (30p for 10g; 150p for 100g) and malunggay tea (12p for 1 teabag). They even have Am (30p for 1 serving) for babies and malunggay juice (25p for 1 bottle of about 250ml). I got some pandesal and breadsticks for Naima. And since MoA is just nearby, will definitely be back to stock up next week. Tip: It is cheaper to buy direct from PowerNut -- SM adds on to their price about 10p or so.

Aside from PowerNut, one of the regular vendors was MSC (Muñoz Science City) which sells various kinds of teas. Among the teas they sell is malunggay tea at 143p for 12 bags (comes out to about 11.91p per bag -- Sun Angel is still cheaper!). Muñoz Science City Food Products (of Nueva Ecija) can be reached through 09108034265 or 044-4565768. Other products include lemongrass and ginger teas, rice coffee, instant salabat, coffee rice in filter and rice cookies.

*Update 19 June 2009:
I have almost finished the entire bag of PowerNut Malunggay tea I purchased (I bought 20 bags). I have to say that the SunAngel brand is better. The PowerNut tea was "mapakla". I also tried the MSC malunggay tea but found it too light. So now, I've gone back to SunAngel tea - the plain malunggay one (not the malunggay-camote, which is expensive and weird tasting!).
Other posts in this series:
Clothes, clothes, clothes!
Cover-ups

Nursing Bras

Excess Milk? Where to Donate Milk in the Philippines

Since I went back to full-time work in July 2008, expressing milk for Naima has become routine. Naima is now 16 months old and her milk intake (when we are separated) has reduced from 16 ounces to about 10-11ounces. This means that I always have a lot of extra milk and we have no more freezer space for food!

I started donating milk in March of 2008 and the very first recipient was PCMC, through Dr. Fats Banez. PCMC was in faraway Quezon City so Dr. Fats graciously picked up the milk. Then I found PGH through Naima's pediatrician, Dr. Silvestre. PGH was much closer to home so yaya Tata and Ruben started monthly milk deliveries to Nurse Tina.

Through my various groups, I found several moms who needed milk for their babies including twins and triplets. These moms were willing to pick-up milk from the condo. So I stopped giving to PGH and now donate milk to babies whose families pick up milk from the condo.
I use Lansinoh milk bags which I brought home from the US or asked my friends to bring home for me. I 'm happy to find that Thai-made milk bags - NANNY brand are available in SM -- and for a reasonable price! About 350p for a box of 25 pieces. (Update: Nanny is no longer sold at SM but there are several brands of milk storage bags now available)

One of my latest donations was to a Bacolod-based baby. When her aunt picked the milk, she gave me NANNY milk bags as replacement. This gave me an idea. I know that milk donations should be free but in my case, I've spent so much in the milk bags. After that donation, I've started to ask milk recipients to replace my milk bags. I give my milk in Lansinoh bags but I'm happy to receive NANNY bags as replacement. I think it's only reasonable that I make this request so I can continue donating to other babies in need.

Anyway, for moms with excess milk who don't know where to donate or don't have friends with babies who need milk, here are some entities who would be happy to receive milk. I know Fabella also accepts milk donations but I don't have their details yet.

Alay Gatas Headquarters - Human Milk Bank
2/F Philippine Childrens Medical Center Quezon Avenue, Quezon City 1100 Philippines
Telephone numbers: 9240838 and 9246601 local 354
Click link for email address.
Fax to: 9240840
Contact: Dr. Fats Banez - 09228221408
PCMC requires that donors fill up a Screening Form and submit a HepaB test. I submitted the HepaB test taken when I was pregnant.

Angels Milk Bank
09178464987
7212890
Contact: Rosanna Henares Angeles
They were recently featured in Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 13 April 2009. They also require a HepaB screening test which you can fax to them.

Philippine General Hospital
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
0921-4535310
5362867
Contact: Nurse Tina
We usually deliver our milk since they don't do pick-ups. PGH has a 25p parking fee so to avoid parking, yaya Tata texts Nurse Tina and they meet in the lobby for the milk delivery.

*Update 8/20/2010:
Makati City will be establishing its own milk bank. They started with a "milk letting" on August 11, 2010 - the 1st year death anniversary of the city Mayor's wife, who died at childbirth. The Mayor's daughter then survived on donated breastmilk. Read about it HERE. Makati Milk Bank has opened.  Click here to read about it. See more details below.

Still looking for details of the Fabella Milk bank. Leads appreciated :)

Update 11/9/2010: Finally got information on Fabella Milk Bank.

Meanwhile, for moms needing breastmilk, I was able to get some information about Fabella Milk Bank. You can purchase milk from their milk bank at the cost of P400 per 200ml. However, breastmilk is not always available as this depends whether they have ward mothers donating breastmilk. The milk is pasteurized and tested. Before you can buy however, you need to bring a medical abstract of your baby. The ward mothers are eager to donate breastmilk because donors receive a huge discount off their hospital bills. Sometimes, they only pay P50! To get in touch with the Fabella Milk Bank, call 734-5561 local 156.

Update 3/24/2011:

For moms who want to donate directly to families, check out the Facebook page of Human Milk for Human Babies - The Philippines. Post your milk donations there - no cellphone numbers or email addresses please then ask the moms to get in touch with you directly via personal message. Read here for more information where you can donate milk.

Update 06/30/2013: 

Here are the details of the Makati Human Milk Bank -  (02)8438576/ 09333044107 4th floor of Brgy Health Center, E.Rodriguez st. Brgy Bangkal, Makati City

Mothers who have excess milk can donate in MHMB Facility, upon passing the screening forms. We can also pick up breast milk from mothers who expresses and stores their milk at home (upon passing the screening and on site inspection). The facility is located at the 4th floor of Bangkal Health Center in Bangkal Makati, you can contact us directly in the numbers provided or thru our numbers at the city municipality. The milk we are providing for premature babies are pasteurized milk so as the same pricing with PCMC and DJFMH. Together with the Phil Childrens Medical Center and Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital also Phil Gen Hospital, with the strict guidance of the Phil National Committee on Human Milk Banking, this aims to reach out in the community and to promote the full implementation of exclusive breastfeeding.

Nursing Pads/ Breast Pads review

I've been breastfeeding for 16months and still leak on one side whenever Naima feeds on the other. So nursing pads have been a great help to me. I've used several brands, both reusable and disposable, with the following comments:

1. Lansinoh Disposable Pads - I chose to use this initially because it is the cheapest disposable pads I could find. but they are thin and paper-like. It feels like there's paper stuck to your boobs especially when it gets wet. I wouldn't recommend it if you're a heavy leaker. But this is discreet.

2. Gerber Ultra-Thin Nursing Pads - This is cottony soft but it doesn't have tape that you can use to stick to your bra. I really like it but it's not available locally.

3. Medela Disposable Pads - This is like the Lansinoh Pads, paper-like and sticks to the nipple when it gets wet and dries up. This is more expensive than the Lansinoh and I just used this because I was given a box by my friend :) This is also discreet - but expensive. Locally, this is available from Maricel Cua, email her here or here.
*caveat: the medela i used is made in the US. Maricel sells Medela pads made in Switzerland, which are of a different quality. I haven't had the chance to use the Swiss-made pads yet.

4. Pigeon Disposable Pads - This is the best I like from the above. It stays on my bra and it's soft inside. But it is bulky. My sister-in-law from HK sends me my Pigeon pads and they are thinner than the locally available ones. But still, if you wear a fitted shirt it will show, especially if you're using a non-padded nursing bra.

5. Baby and Co. washable pads - Bad bad bad! this is cheap and it's very thin!! Leaks bad. Stan and my mom bought a box for me and I've never used them again!

6. Lansinoh Washable Pads - This is made by Milk Diapers. It has a pie-shape wedge that is thicker than the rest of the pad. When you position it properly it absorbs a lot and you won't leak. However, as with all washables, it doesn't have tape you can use to stick to your bra. And it also shows when you use a non-padded nursing bra and wear a fitted tee.

7. Gerber reusable nursing pads - This doesn't have a groove or contour and it looks like baby & co.'s washable pads. But its thicker and the milk kinda spreads when you leak. Plus the outer cover acts like a barrier so the leak won't spread to your shirt. But when the wet pad dries up, it also sticks to your nipples. Locally, I bought this from Aileen Herrera - email her or text 09178150711

8. Mothercare disposable pads - Very cheap! comes in packs of 100 from mothercare store (shangrila and trinoma). It's about 400php for 100 pieces. I currently use it during the night. However, it's not individually wrapped and unlike other disposables, it does not have an adhesive tape which you can stick to your bra/nursing sleep wear. So I need to wear a nursing bra if I sleep in my loose shirts.

the search for the perfect nursing pad continues.....