Three months ago, as I was anxiously anticipating our baby Kobe’s arrival, I had fears about failing to breastfeed my son. What if I didn’t have enough milk? What if he doesn’t know how to latch?  I have friends who were successful at breastfeeding, and I also have some who wanted to, but unfortunately, couldn’t. I tried to manage my expectations and prepare myself that if somehow I couldn’t, I shouldn’t be ashamed or sad about it. But now I am happy to say that I am exclusively breastfeeding Kobe, despite some bumps we experienced along the way. 🙂

And today, I am donating milk for the first time! I first found about the Mommy Milk Share event, sponsored by Honeysuckle Philippines and The Parenting Emporium on Instagram and I instantly wanted to attend, especially the 1st talk on “Developmental Milestones of your Infant/Toddler.” And registration is free for those who will donate milk. So I checked my stash of frozen milk and decided that I could spare some, especially since my supply is already established, and I produce just enough for my baby. So I went to The Parenting Emporium this morning, with five milk bags of my breastmilk to donate (I was so proud hehe!). Some moms there brought A LOT of milk, I saw them unloading maybe around 20-30 milk bags from one mom alone! 🙂 I hope the time comes when I can donate that much!

The talk by Teacher Tanya F. Velasco was very enlightening. Infant and toddler development is the most important in a child’s life, and as parents, we should be as involved in it as we could be. It mostly affirmed what we are currently doing with Kobe – talking to him as much as we can (and he already talks back – cooing and babbling as early as 10 weeks, much to our delight), and spending quality time with him whenever he is awake and alert. Teacher Tanya also mentioned several times that all a young infant needs are his hands and your face. And eventually, if you opt to buy toys, invest on toys that the baby can manipulate (like wooden blocks and toys, plastic cups, boxes, paper and a piece of cloth) or good baby books you can read to them. She also stressed that the first two years of a child’s life should be gadget-free. When I was pregnant, I told my husband that we should try our very best to implement this… I hope we can follow through! 🙂

It was my first time to visit The Parenting Emporium (TPE) at their home base in New Manila, QC. The place is so pretty and all the people there are very warm and accommodating. They sell a lot of baby and mommy products and they carry very good brands. Ms. Maricel, one of the owners of TPE gave me a token gift from their launch, and I also received some freebies from Honeysuckle, Tiny Buds and their sponsors for Mommy Milk Share. I wish I could have stayed for the afternoon talks though… For sure, I’ll be attending the next seminars at TPE! 🙂

All in all, I can say that my first experience to donate milk was very fulfilling. Knowing that my milk will be able to help a sick baby, or a new mommy struggling with her milk supply, or a mom of multiples is so empowering. It surely inspired me enough to do an extra “midnight pump” so I can donate again next time.