Sunday 14 June 2015

Pledge for a Malaysian Breastfeeding AD

Did you ever think about breastfeeding before you were married or had kids?
I didn't.

What was the idea you had in your head when it comes to feeding a baby?
Yeah milk and some water in the first few months I guess?

How did you react when you see a mother breastfeeding?
I have never seen one!

Did you ever wonder what you were fed with when you were a baby?
Nooo idea until I had my own, hahah!

How many of you have had these same thoughts and questions after you had a baby?
I sure do hope I'm not the only one.
Breastfeeding is something I learnt during pregnancy.
Yup, like most people I knew a baby drinks milk. It was only during pregnancy I started asking myself, what milk?
I thought yes okay formula, which to me was milk. I didn't even know that infant milk that comes in a tin is called formula, to me it was..,well milk.

My sister and my brother's wife both recommended me to check out a breastfeeding talk.

Wait, what? Breastfeeding? Breastfeeding talk?

Ouh ya totally forgot about breastfeeding. It is only the most natural thing to do, breastfeeding your baby!

My sister was going to give me a super long lecture if didn't sign up for the talk. Maybe she might just skip the lecturing and just drive me there and tie me to a seat during the breastfeeding talk.
So I went for it, together with my mum and husband.

Thank you sis for the push :)

I started thinking, the marketing of baby formula was so convincing that they have successfully implanted deep in our heads that feeding your baby formula is the norm, for years!!!
I have nothing against formula, I too wasn't a breastfed baby. I'd like to think I turned out fine, hahaha!!

BUT what I find disturbing is that the concept of breastfeeding has been pretty much wiped out of our heads. The fact that we think formula feeding is the way to go because that is what most of us know and breastfeeding isn't socially accepted especially when in public.

Shouldn't breastfeeding come first, and if for some reason it cannot be accomplished then it's formula milk?

I swear the world we live in is so weird. You are already given what you need but somehow we are programmed to think that what we have is not enough.

After going for the talk, I joined a breastfeeding group on Facebook called The Breastfeeding Advocates Network aka TBAN.
Having read through their files, questions and comments from everyone was a massive eye opener.
I too have realized the importance and benefits of nursing your baby.

Did you know that they're mothers who go on hormone therapy to breastfeed their adopted babies? 
Induced lactation.
I have never thought of such thing. Or even thought it's possible.

TBAN was created by Gina Yong, a breastfeeding advocate. She holds talks, runs a confinement center, a breastfeeding peer counselor, a daughter, a wife and a mother of 4! 
Along with her group of friends, the admins of TBAN, they have tirelessly been sharing information and organising events and/or talks to normalise breastfeeding since 2009. TBAN today has over 65000 members and are growing.

The admins of TBAN are all mothers with children and full time jobs, sacrificing their time to create an awareness on breastfeeding. 
This too means getting messages from distressed mothers at 4 am who are wondering why isn't my baby latching or help me I don't know what I'm doing etc.

Bless. I cannot imagine having that amount of responsibility.

When I found out that TBAN needed help, I felt it was simply the right thing to do to offer a hand, and so I approached them.

One of the main reasons why I started out my blog was to not only share my journey in motherhood but to write about breastfeeding.
As you may have noticed, I have not done so. This is shall be a good time to start.
I will start by seeking your help into the production of the very first Breastfeeding AD in Malaysia that the admins of TBAN  have been working on.

Yes yes.

You and I know its about time.

Thanks to the admins of TBAN, the idea is now made possible.

Any idea how much a TV Commercial would cost though? Even a magazine spread costs a bomb, imagine advertising on TV.

That's where we come in. The commercial will only be possible if we help.
A total sum of USD65000 needs to be reached to make this commercial possible. That is approximately MYR200000.

I know it looks like a big lump sum but it isn't that big when there are thousands of people involved in donating, crowdfunding!
All you got to do is maybe skip one thing that you were planning to spend on for a day and donate instead! 
Skip that LV bag?
Skip that one night of having dinner in a restaurant?
Skip that Starbucks drinks for four?
All you got to do is skip it one time.
Trust me you will make all the difference.

I'm no where near that LV status or even having dinner in a fine dining restaurant (Yes being a SAHM comes with a very tight budget, haha!) but I'm skipping a day out in the mall to donate.
Here's the link to send in your kind contributions TBAN Breastfeeding Video.

In addition to that, TBAN Gift Of Love will be organizing a Charity Bazaar in August 2015.
It's the world's Breastfeeding Month!!
Everyone is welcome to join in and support. A note to Mummypreneurs and businesses, come on over and open up a booth! Check out their page for more information and updates. They are having an early bird promotion till the end of June 2015. Drop them an email at tban.giftoflove@gmail.com. 

Here's a big hug to EVERYONE working together to reach a goal that brings back a little bit of what I believe is the natural way of life to the masses, breastfeeding.

Thank you Gina, Daphne, Felicia and Ashley for your constant efforts in normalizing breastfeeding.

Felicia, Ashley, Daphne and Gina (TBAN Admins & Breastfeeding Peer Counselors)
Photo take from: Indiegogo Gallery


Pledge and share.

Kisses of love from That Skinny Elephant.






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