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.

Loading...Breastmilk (1)

During my confinement, I got thinking if my milk was enough for Bubs.

Can you imagine, the feeling of not knowing how much milk is your boy drinking, for all the 100% DL mums.

Plus all that random crying makes you wonder 'Is it because I don't have enough milk??!!'

In the beginning it drove me a crazy.

BUT honestly, I didn't need to know. As long as Bubs was putting on weight, has about 4-6 wet diapers a day and active, I ain't got nothing to worry about.

A few were and are getting worried for me. I say 'don't let the worry, worry you' (a wise quote from my cousin brother) and just keep going.

The on-going crying could be anything from colic, teething, hot, cold, soiled diaper, missing someone, restlessness or they just want to be cuddled.

Some fully breastfed babies are thin. Some are super chubs. Both are normal. Obviously their genes plays a role right?

The only time I started panicking was when I was stocking up breastmilk before heading back to work. The pressure of trying to collect as much breastmilk as possible was driving up the wall.

I was trying to figure out when do I actually pump? If it's before Bubs feeds, will there be any left for him? If it's after Bubs feeds, nothing much is left, plus I got to keep the other boob for his next feed.

Bahhhhhhhhh!! 

Stressed. 

These anxious feelings obviously does not help in my supply. Just makes it worse really.

So the first thing I told myself to do was calm down (yeah that was a joke cause by that time I had two weeks left to head back to work,lol!). Then I pumped out what ever that's left after Bubs finished nursing.

I went back to work with only 3 days supply of breastmilk. And it was perfectly fine.

Gradually built up my supply by pumping 3 - 4 times at work. Some days the yield are awesome, some days not so much.

Certain food or drink I'd consumed affected the amount of breastmilk I produce. It might work for you, or it might not. Have a browse and give a try, it's healthy anyway!

Chia Seeds
I add about a teaspoon into my shakes, oats, yogurt or rice. When I was working, I use to mix a teaspoon of Chia seeds in a bottle of water (appx 1.5 litres) to drink throughout the day.

Red Dates & Dried Longans
Love these!!
I use to drink this mix frequently during my confinement as it helps retain warmth in your body.
All you got to do is take a handful of red dates and dried longans, add them in water and boil for an hour or so (Low fire).
Or add them in the slow cooker as an addition to your soups. It produces a sweet flavour.

When purchasing these dried ingredients from your local chinese shop, look for the ones that are not extremely dried. The red dates should look like the picture below, however I think I could do better with the dried longans on my next purchase, tee hee.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
This is a must have in your kitchen. Extremely versatile, from increasing milk supply (works for me) to prevention of nappy rash. I would have to write up in a different post to share with you how beneficial coconut oil is to your home.

I take, or I should say I try taking a tablespoon a day. I can't really handle the taste of coconut oil by itself, gives me the shivers. Solution? I mix it in shakes, drinks and sometimes cook with it.

Oh yes one more thing, ensure you get the cold pressed version, and preferably organic, Cold pressed oils retains more of its existing nutrients just like cold pressed juices!

Various ingredients affects one's supply, not forgetting pumping frequencies too. Hence I will be sure to keep sharing what increases my production in hopes that it will help you.

All the best and latch on!

Kisses of galactagogues from That Skinny Elephant.

Nursing Outfits 01

What's your take on nursing wear here in Malaysia or any where really? 

I find it really difficult to put on outfits embracing my personality. The nursing wear I have come across is simply, *hmm let's see how do I be gentle with this*...not my style.

As a breastfeeding mother, (*DL 90% of the time), I must and should feel like the woman I was before I delivered (with some extra added kilos for those abundant cuddles and maybe, just maybe, a little wiser too). Therefore amongst other randoms bytes, I'd like to share various outfits that complements me and my breastfeeding journey.

A little bit about my style, past and present.

The word is Simple. Most of the time you will probably find me in a baby tee or a plain sleeveless top paired with jeans or shorts. I usually put on one loud item on me, either my shoes, handbag or accessories. I'm not a fan of too many things, it'll just get messy.

Now with breastfeeding, I void all accessories. Firstly because its safer for Bubba, second, I ain't got the time. Will be lucky if I get to comb my hair.

I used to be one of those girls who doesn't even need to carry a handbag at times. Just the pockets in my jeans was enough or a small pouch. At present I could carry a suitcase. Cute handbags are out of the story now, I carry Bubba's stuff, so whatever fits,.unless my man is out with me, then Bubba's stuff goes on his back.

Okay I'm going off track here, back to the nursing outfits.

I try to utilise what I already have, because I have too many clothes. Too many. No idea how it came to this state. Come to think about I mostly own loads of tees, lol. To give you an idea:-

One of my favourite tees. A souvenir from 'Priscilla, Queen of The Desert' broadway show in Toronto.

I've given away three bags of clothes and stored a few of my favourites because tees aren't really breastfeeding friendly, unless you pull it up from the bottom. I find it uncomfortable. So, tees, vacuum packed, sealed tight and fresh to use in....maybe 2 years time? If it still fits heh.

These days, its mostly tank tops and dresses. I will post a picture of what I wear, weekly, most likely monthly (haha depends how exhausted I am), in hopes that it may inspire your outfit for the day.

To start of, here's a dress which I bought from Factorie a few months ago. Simple flirtatious dress where you can easily push the sleeves down to the side and nurse! Easy I say. Plus, the monochrome prints are gorgeous!

I have a number of dresses in this cut and with different prints. I find it versatile and convenient, what about you?
Considering the tropical weather in this Malayan Peninsular, these dresses are a must have for me, nursing or not.
I must add that I usually use a nursing cover so I don't feel too bare. If you feel comfortable without a cover thats even better! Nice and breezy for your little one.

I admire mothers who nurse in public without a nursing cover. You have my full support because its such an amazing experience and stand that you are sharing to the public.

We are all a part of normalizing breastfeeding with or without a nursing cover. I believe its the idea of breastfeeding that I'd like to share out there not how I do it because every mother has her own preferences.

Why do I use a nursing cover? It's just a personal choice. Not because I'm embarrassed (thats the last thing really), I'm just shy by nature. Plus I hardly had boobies before, now that I got some, I'm not quite sure what to do with it, hah!

Till the next tip, go on and get flirty. 

Kisses of twinkling stars from That Skinny Elephant.

For the masses;
*DL - Direct Latch : thats when a baby nurses directly from your boobies. no bottles :)