Mel and the New Normal

A few weeks ago, I was saddened to read that another mommy lost her baby. Mommy MJ lost her son at 32 weeks, while he was still inside her. Her friend told her that she could donate the milk to babies in need, and though mourning, she posted in the Human Milk for Human Babies - Philippines page that she was willing to donate. MiAnn of Babymama pitched in and offered to lend her a pump for this, and Mommy Zel offered to lend her a pump as well. Though I am sad for her and her family's sudden loss, I am so happy that she has stepped forward and decided to help other moms. I'm sure it helps her. She's from the same industry as I am (kiddie parties) so I know that work can be hectic, but she continues to donate until now. Wonderful!! I feel the exact same way! My current thoughts now are focused on helping other families and babies. There are several reasons why donating milk is so important. This deserves a separate entry, but I read one good example this afte...

I've been told a couple of times by doctors who pick-up the milk that mine has high fat-content. The first few times I laughed about it because I thought it was a reflection of my diet. But after a few more times of being told this, I got curious about how exactly this fat content is produced, and if it really is more beneficial for the babies I donate to. You can tell the fat content because of the creamy part on top when the milk is refrigerated or frozen. The cream and watery part separate, but sometimes, mine just stays almost completely white or yellow. Which means, a lot of fat! Don't get shocked when you see this happen, it doesn't mean the milk is spoiled or anything (spoiled milk has a sour smell). It's a little bit complicated, and my understanding of the whole thing could be wrong, but I hope I can explain it as simply as I can. As you can see, it's pretty solid white    Does the diet affect the AMOUN...

A few weeks ago, I posted here about how sometimes, I feel my baby, Kat, likes to respond to our questions by giving us different signs. Like, right away. Then, a few days back, in this post , I blogged about how sad I felt that I was throwing away 'tainted' milk because of antibiotics, and was contemplating on stopping completely. (On a sidenote, though I now have non-stop coughing, not at all related to our Saturday incident, I have been on my feet since Monday working.) Baby Kat strikes again! Monday, just a day after my post, I woke up to an early message from one of the NICU doctors from UST. She had just come back from out of the country, and was hoping to ask for milk if there was any, for 2 babies I had given to before. Not wanting to answer right away that "no, there's no milk, there will be no milk for a while", I went back to sleep. A few hours later, when I had a cup of coffee with my antiobiotics (don't judge me, I chew my medicine and it...

I'm blogging from bed, not at 100% yet but much better. Since yesterday, I've been experiencing fevers as high as 39.5. J was also bed-ridden from something, but took care of me since he was in slightly better shape.  When my fever would not go down, he begged that we go to Asian Hospital already for a blood test. Ironic  that I would have the high fevers but J would be the one dextrosed. Apparently , he was dehydrated while I had bacterial infection. I actually know where this stemmed from. Thursday and Friday were incredibly busy days, and I did not drink enough water. Maybe just 4 cups or so, and since I was pumping, my body couldn't handle it. It didn't affect my milk, and wouldn't even affect it now. However, I need to take antibiotics for 7 days, and that would pass on to the milk. My milk will only be okay after the 8th day. My mom suggested that I stop donating already. After all, it's been three months. And perhaps I should, because to be honest, th...

If you've stumbled upon my page, you may be in need of milk for your baby. I will be more than happy to help, as long as I can. Please note that I will most likely stop pumping anytime January-February 2013, which is about 6 months after my baby's passing. I am cleared of any possible diseases that may pass on to the milk. I took the necessary tests for these when I was pregnant. I do not smoke, drink (and if I do, this will be pumped and thrown away), or do anything that can pass on to the milk. I refrain from eating sushi and sashimi (which is ironic, because that's our family business) because this can affect the milk. As of now, I do not drink cow's milk and avoid any seafood as well. I am, however, a big fan of milk tea and Starbucks Christmas drinks (haha). As of now, 30+ babies have availed of the milk, and I have yet to receive any feedback that the milk gave the babies adverse reactions. Your doctor might need this information, as milk-sharing is not complete...