Breastfeeding Unfriendly Hospital and so much more!

My cousin gave birth last week at one of the hospitals along E.Rod (You can take a guess na lang). Mark and I visited her the following night after she gave birth. She had undergone C-section so inevitably, I asked her why she had undergone C-section. She actually did not know she had CS until she woke up! She was not informed. The staff asked for the husband's consent instead. The things that made me raise my eyebrows were the following:

Just Chill, Shake & Gulp! Be Happily Healthy with Goody Gulp!

Goody Gulp is a deliciously healthy milk drink made from New Zealand Milk with NO PRESERVATIVES!

My kids love chocolate and milk drinks whether at home or as their baon in school. So, when I received a pack of Goody Gulp Milk drink the other day, they tasted it right away even if it's not yet chilled! They were also extra excited because of the Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star packaging! Even I love the taste especially the strawberry milk flavor. What's good about it aside from the delicious taste is that it's a natural source of calcium, vitamins and minerals and it has no preservatives. 

Makoy enjoying his Spongebob Goody Gulp Chocolate Milk Drink :)

The good news? Goody Gulp is giving away a limited edition Spongebob Speaker and 2 Goody Gulp Milk drink gift pack! 

Get a chance to win this limited edition Spongebob Speaker

Mechanics:

1. Like my Facebook Page Joy Lim Astilla to get updates.

2. Click the survey link and copy and paste this URL http://joylimastilla.blogspot.com/
3. Fill out the required fields in the survery form.
4. Once done, comment below the date of your completion.

5. Contest is from August 16 until October 30, 2014.

6. I will choose the following:

• 1 winner Limited Edition Spongebob Squarepants Speaker
• 2 winners of 4 Goody Gulp Milk Drink

7. Prizes will be sent by Good Gulp.

GOOD LUCK! :)

Goody Gulp Milk Drink is available in all leading supermarkets.

National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

Miranda Kerr

Top Model Gisele Bundchen 

As you all know I am a breastfeeding advocate so all my kids were breastfed. Enzo and Marko were exclusively breastfed until 6 months, and from then on,  they were mixed fed with formula milk. Since they could eat solids already, I figured it would be okay to give them formula milk while still being breastfed. But as I was able to attend several pregnancy talks (due to Urban Essentials either being a sponsor or an exhibitor in the event), I found out that babies have actually no need for any formula milk ever! That is why my youngest, Javi, is still exclusively breastfed even at age 1 and I am not planning to let him have a taste of formula milk. There are still people who argue that feeding formula milk is not harmful to the baby’s health. Formula milk has been fed to babies since before I was born! Even I was given formula milk when I was a baby and I am alive! They actually have a point. What has changed now that led some moms to believe that formula feeding is not good for babies? The answer is education and awareness. When I was a kid, most of the breastfeeding moms that I saw were the ones whom I sat beside in the jeep, moms who are in the streets, moms who had not enough money to buy formula milk. The rich parents before were the ones who fed their babies formula milk. The more expensive the better because paying more could mean providing more nutrition to their baby. These days, everything has reversed.  The breastfeeding moms are the sosyal ones, the ones who could afford to buy formula milk but prefer to breastfeed their babies in style, the celebrities, the bloggers, the famous ones, etc. The mothers who don’t have enough money, they are the ones who work to death to be able to buy formula milk for their babies. What the heck happened? More and more moms are becoming aware and educated of not the just importance of breastfeeding but also of the harmful effects formula feeding can have on their babies. They even pay to attend breastfeeding seminars and lay forums. So you see, this is the reason why the ones who are well-off are usually the ones who are breastfeeding because they are the ones who get the proper education. When I was pregnant with Enzo and Marko, I never attended such seminars because I never entertained the idea that it would be difficult for me to breastfeed. I just researched online so I’d know what to expect. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. Nakaka conscious lang sa simula because someone is continuously sucking on your breasts! But ones you get the hang of it, dere derecho na lang! I am thankful that I never had any problem with breastfeeding and that all my babies never had a problem with sucking my breasts. But I wish I knew then that I did not need to feed my babies formula milk even after 6 months. Kaya education is really important. Everyone knows that breastfeeding is best feeding. What we need to be more aware of is do babies need formula milk at some point in their lives? Does formula feeding have bad effects on my baby’s health? Is mixed feeding okay? Does formula feeding have an effect on my toddler’s appetite and eating habits? Is milk necessary for my kids’ bone formation?

Is it really a must to throw a big party for my child’s first birthday?

Javi is turning 1 tomorrow and we are not having a big party. We will definitely go out and have a simple celebration with the entire family but unlike Enzo and Marko who had huge birthday parties when they turned 1, this year we opted not to spend too much.

Enzo's 1st birthday party. Balloons pa lang more than PhP 30k na! 

Marko's 1st birthday party.

Is it really necessary to throw a big party and spend so much money on a one-day occasion? I just realized that it is not. These days, when you decide to have a kiddie party, para ka na din gumastos for a wedding. Pabonggahan! Guests and relatives will expect you to provide superb food, great entertainment and of course bonggang loot bags and/or give aways. It’s like we are planning for the party with the guests on our mind and not the celebrant. Dapat masarap ang food dahil baka maokray ng guests. Dapat magaling magenglish ang host or magician dahil nakakahiya sa guests. Dapat may photobooth dahil the guests will expect it. Dapat unique ang theme kasi iisipin ng guests na nanggaya ka lang ng theme ng iba. Dapat may giveaways dahil kung wala, yun ang magiging huling impression nila of the party “Ay walang giveaways?!”

Port Congestion due to Truck Ban

"The recent truck ban in Manila has caused tremendous port congestion in the Port of Manila. This has delayed the arrival and unloading of containers. Futhermore, the sheer volume of containers has delayed the processing and releasing from Philippines Customs."

This is such an inconvenience sa lahat ng negosyante! Nabawasan nga ang traffic sa kalsada ng Maynila, nagtraffic naman sa Port! Because of the congestion, some vessels stay in the Port of Taiwan habang wala pa silang madaungan sa Port of Manila. So yung usual na 30 days na paghihintay sa mga shipments, nagiging 45 to 60 days. Nakakabadtrip dahil tulog ang pera sa stocks na hindi makarating sa Pilipinas. Lahat ng negosyante apektado, maliit or malaki.

I hope the government does something about this mess because it is causing too much stress!

http://www.philstar.com/business-usual/2014/07/21/1348438/port-congestion-making-phl-exports-highly-uncompetitive


How bout you? Were you also affected by the port congestion?