Cheeky Fez

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Breastfeeding 101 in Nueva Ecija

Last June 4, 2016, Arugaan goes to Cabanatuan city. Nanay Ines and the whole team conduct a Breastfeeding 101 in Auditorium, Old Capitol Compound, Burgos Avenue, Cabanatuan City.

Breastfeeding 101 participants

It was organized by the ladies of Nueva Ecija Breastfriends and Arugaan led by Nanay Ines Avellana-Fernandez - a home centre organised by groups of working mothers, largely the urban poor. The registration for the seminar was 300.00 which includes 2 snacks and packed lunch.

Topics discussed are:Dangers of Formula Feding

Myth in Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Positions
Breastfeeding Proctection Laws
Relactation from Bottle Feeding
Emerging Issues on Breastfeeding

A group of pregnant mothers, nurses, hospital staff and doctors attended this seminar. Sharing you some of the pictures during the event.

group of pregnant women, nurses and pediatricians

teaching the correct latch for the baby

Demonstrating laid back position

with Dra Veronica Flores - a breastfeeding friendly pedia in Nueva Ecija.

Nay Ines was interviewed by the local tv station - TV48

A surprise visit by Jayjay Medina - a filmaker

The seminar started at 9:00 am and ends up at around 4:00 PM. There was a lactation massage by Nanay Rich after at Karen's house for some breastfeeding mom including me. It was a tired day since I have lack of sleep because I came from a graveyard shift work in Manila but the massage was so relaxing to end the day well.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Chubby Toes Ceramic Impressions

The hand and footprints are taken for identification purposes. The foot print does not change with age, it is just like a hand print but baby's hand and foot prints are so small and you can compare it when they grow up. The reason why I want to do imprints is to preserve a special keepsake of Sabv's hands and feet impressions on to something like ceramic plates. It is a unique way to capture your most treasured memories.

I met Jen Faiwas, the owner of Chubby Toes Ceramic Impressions through the
Breastfeeding Pinay group as an admin. Chubby Toes Ceramic Impressions is the first in the country to offer ceramic keepsakes. They are more than year now in the business. They can capture your loved ones' hand and foot prints in beautiful, heirloom-quality ceramic plate newborn baby, to the grandparents and even your pets! She's one of my breastfriends. We decided to meet last September to get Sabv's imprint at SM Megamall before he turns 1. The session only lasted in less than 30 minutes including quick chitchats.

After few weeks, I got the finish product when we met again in the Peer Counselor Training. We loved the everything on it - the combination, the smoothness of the ceramic. It costs only 1,440 since I got it at 20% discount from its original price of 1,800. I got a free keychain that imprints Sabv's thumb which cost 150 for heart shape. Isn't a good deal, right?

For other prices, you can check on the following:

Website: http://www.chubbytoes.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChubbyToesPH/?fref=ts
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chubbytoesph

Proud to be a Breastfeeding Pinay

Sharing you my breastfeeding journey: A rocky road to success

I joined Breastfeeding Pinay on my 25th week of pregnancy. Why? Because I want to breastfeed my son – Sabv. I was a formula fed baby and my younger brother was breastfed for 2 years. I saw the difference of it between the two of us – be being an asthmatic person and of course he who seldom got sick. I read all valuable information in the albums, checked on admin notes and posts. I thought it will be easy for me since I got enough information from the group - I was wrong. Sabv was delivered earlier than expected. I wasn’t able to submit my birth plan to my ob at that time. I got ruptured water bag that brought me to have an emergency Cesarean delivery. This is not my plan – because I heard being a CS mom will be one of the hindrance in my breastfeeding journey. I strongly requested to my ob to have my Unang yakap before the operation – she said, it depends on Sabv’s recovery. I have a chance to have a quick Unang yakap – to breastfeed him for the first time. The experience is priceless.

My son needed to stay in NICU because the pedia said his lungs was under observation– usually encountered by preterm babies. For the first night he brought in the room to breastfeed because I am still recovering from operation. We usually called in the NICU nurse to bring him to us for feeding. I have problem on my first day. He had a poor latch because his lips and mouth were so small. He was just 2kg when he popped out. He had a hardtime and unable to latch. We were asked to use nipple shield by the lactation nurse in the NICU. I always asked the nurse how many wet diapers that he had so I can gauge if he is getting milk from me.

Two days after the operation, I go to the NICU room every 2-3 hours to feed him up. We don’t wait for the nurse to call us because we voluntary go there. The substitute ‘pedia’ gave me prescription of a formula milk though I told her that I will breastfeed him. What she did? She took a note of it – If breastmilk is inadequate, give him this ******* milk brand. My hubby almost gave up, he doubted of my milk supply too. He said he is seeing nothing until on my 4th day where I hand expressed excess milk.

We went to the province on the 5th day. The first night outside the hospital was very challenging. I can’t get into right position – until I mastered the football hold position. Breastfeeding pillow helped me because Sabv was too fragile. Having an environment that was not pro-breastfeeding was hard for me. They wanted Sabv to take formula milk because he was small and weight gain was not good.

On my first week I get rid of the nipple shield so I can breastfeed Sabv directly. I got a sleepy baby which leads to breast engorgement. I had sore nipples in the first three months and sleepless nights.

I am now proud that I surpassed everything. So far, we are still breastfeeding for 16mos – working in a graveyard shift. And the advocacy continues.

Thank you Breastfeeding Pinays for giving the right information and online support and to my breast friends for giving me the support when I was about to give up. Thank you for giving me a supportive husband that was with me through my journey.

In few months, Sabv will wean on his own but the satisfaction that I did everything to give him the absolute best start of his first 1,000 days of life will be my prize.

While breastfeeding may not seem the right choice for every parent, it is the best choice for every baby. -Amy Spangler

#BFPturns3 #breastfeedingpinays #normalizebreastfeeding

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Savings Account for baby

I am planning to open a savings account for Sabv. The most common requirements needed to open savings accounts for your children are one or more of the following. If you have them, just bring all of them, in case the bank officers ask for them.

Birth certificate of your child (This is the Number One requirement, and can be the sole requirement in certain banks.)
School ID or enrollment card, for students
Photos of child, usually two 1x1 pictures, just in case
Parent's IDs and photos for In-Trust-For (ITF) accounts for younger children
Baptismal certificate, just in case
Proof of address, just in case; can be a recent utility bill or credit card statement
Here are savings accounts designed by banks in the Philippines especially for kids:

BANCO DE ORO BDO

BDO Junior Savers

For children 12 years old and younger
Minimum initial deposit is 100 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 100
Minimum balance to earn interest is 2,000
ATM debit card for kids 7 years to 12 years old, with balance of 2,000 pesos or more
Junior Savers ID card for kids 6 years old and younger
Annual interest rate is 0.25 %, subject to 20% withholding tax

BDO Power Teens Club

For children 13 to 19 years old
Minimum initial deposit is 2,000 pesos
Minimum average daily balance is 2,000
Minimum balance to earn interest is 2,000
Annual interest rate is 0.25 %, subject to 20% withholding tax
Passbook
ATM debit card, which can also be used as shopping card at SM Department Stores and affiliate shops
Special discounts at selected affiliate shops

BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS and BPI FAMILY

BPI or BPI Family Jumpstart Savings

For children 10 to 17 years old
This is an ATM savings account
Minimum initial deposit is 100 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is:
- 500 for a BPI Family account
- 1,000 for a BPI account
Minimum average daily balance to earn interest is:
- 1,000 for a BPI Family account
- 2,000 for a BPI account
Annual interest rate is 0.50 % for BPI Family and 0.25 % for BPI
Free 4 withdrawals per month (for controlled spending)
Can set aside a Guaranteed Savings amount, which you cannot easily withdraw and you can use only when really needed
Can set regular automatic fund transfer from parents' BPI account
ATM can be used as shopping card at BPI Express Payment System (EPS) stores
Special discounts at selected EPS shops
Can be used to reload cellphones via BPI ATM, BPI phone 89-100, BPI Express Mobile, or BPI Online Banking

METROBANK

Metrobank Fun Savers Club

For children below 18 years old
Minimum initial deposit is 500 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 500 pesos
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 4,000 pesos
For US dollar accounts:
- initial deposit is $100
- maintaining balance is $100
- minimum balance to earn interest is $200
Annual interest rate is 0.25% (peso account)
Annual interest rate is 0.125% (US dollar account, subject to change)
Free educational trust benefit worth 50,000 pesos for accounts reaching a certain minimum average daily balance (ADB) level
Free personal accident insurance worth twice the average daily balance for accounts reaching a certain minimum ADB (up to 1 million pesos) level
Special discounts at affiliate shops

For grandparents, parents, other relatives, friends, ninongs and ninangs:

- You can encourage saving in a child you love.
- You can purchase a Fun Savers Club gift check at any Metrobank branch over-the-counter for a minimum of 500 pesos. This gift check is available to all, whether Metrobank depositor or not.
- Your intended recipient should be younger than 18.
- This gift check will be used by your recipient to open a Metrobank Fun Savers Club or add to his/her existing Fun Savers Club account.
- Anyone can purchase this gift cheque -- depositors or non-depositors.

RCBC SAVINGS BANK

RCBC WISE Savings Account

WISE means Wise Investors Save Early

For children 7 to 14 years old
For children younger than 7, parents can open a WISE account as an In-Trust-For (ITF) account
Minimum initial deposit is 500 pesos
Maintaining balance is 1,000
Balance to earn interest is 5,000
Annual interest rate of 0.5 %, subject to the 20% withholding tax
Can be purely a passbook account, or a passbook account with ATM
Free one-year personal accident insurance worth 20,000 pesos each for parent and child upon
opening a WISE account with an initial deposit of at least 1,000 pesos and with the parent 65
years old or below
Can be set for automatic fund transfer from parents' existing RCBC Savings Bank accounts.

EASTWESTBANK

EastWest Cool Savers Kiddie Account

For kids 18 years old and younger
A passbook account
Minimum initial deposit is 2,000 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 2,000
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 2,000
Annual interest rate is 0.25%, subjec to 20% withholding tax
Charge for below maintaining balance is 500 pesos per month
Charge for two-year dormancy is 500 pesos per month

UCPB

UCPB Kiddie Max Account

For children 18 years old and younger
Passbook or ATM card
Minimum initial deposit is 500 pesos
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 10,000 pesos
Annual interest rate is 0.25%
Can be funded from parents' UCPB accounts via online or phone banking

DEVELOPMENT BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES DBP

DBP Young Earners' Savings Accounts (YES)

For kids ages 12 years and below
Minimum initial deposit of 500 pesos
DBP In Trust For (ITF) Savings
Opened by parents in behalf of their children younger than 18 years old

MAYBANK PHILIPPINES

Maybank IM Teen Savings Account

For teenagers between the ages of 13 to 17 years old
(below 18 years old, as posted in their other ads
Minimum ADB is 500 pesos
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 5,000
Annual interest rate is
- 0.5% for ADB from 5k to 199,999 - 1% for ADB 200k and above - subject to 20% withholding tax
Option to get a free ATM card
With personal accident insurance and medical reimbursement benefit
Maybank Yippie Savings Account
For kids 12 years old and younger
Same requirements and benefits as above IM Teen Savings Account

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK

Standard Chartered DreamSavers Account
For children

Annual interest rates of:
- 1% for balances 25k to 500k
- 1.25% for 500k to 1M
- 1.5% for 1M to 5M
- 1.75% for 5M to 10M
- 2% for 10M and above

Requirements are:
- one valid unexpired primary photo ID, original and clear xerox copy
- student ID should bear signature of school head
- proof of address such as bill, mail, subdivision ID or barangay certificate with seal
- birth certificate

CHINA BANK SAVINGS

China Bank Savings Easi-Save for Kids

Passbook
For kids 12 years old and younger
(In-trust-for accounts or ITF accounts are opened
for children below 7 years old)
Initial deposit is 500 pesos
Minimum Balance to Earn Interest is 500 pesos

ROBINSONS BANK

RobinsonsBank Tykecoon Kiddie Savings Account

Minimum initial deposit is 2,000 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 2,000
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 2,000
Annual interest rate is 0.25%, credited monthly, subject to 20% withholding tax

CITYSTATE SAVINGS BANK

Citystate Student Savers Account

For children 7 to 21 years old
Minimum initial deposit is 100 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 100 pesos
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 500 pesos
Interest credited monthly
Amounts may increase to 500 pesos and 1,000 pesos after the promo period

PHILIPPINE BUSINESS BANK

Philippine Business Bank Campus Savers

For students from elementary to college
Passbook account
Minimum initial deposit is 100 pesos
Maintaining average daily balance is 100 pesos
Minimum ADB to earn interest is 500
Annual interest rate is 0.25%, credited quarterly

SECURITY BANK SAVINGS

Young Savers Savings Account

For children aged 7 to 17
Passbook of SBS CashLink ATM card
Maintaining balance requirement is 100 pesos
Interest Rate:
100 - 2K: 0.0%
2K - 9K: 0.5%
10K - 19K: 0.75%
20K - 49K: 1.0%
50K and above - 1.25%

PLANTERS DEVELOPMENT BANK

SME Kiddie Club

For children 7 to 12 years of age
Minimum initial deposit is 500 pesos
Maintaining balance requirement is 500 pesos
Balance to earn interest is 1,000 pesos
Interest rate of 0.5% per annum
Can have scheduled fund transfer option from a designated source account

SME Teen Club

For children 13 to 19 years of age
Minimum initial deposit is 1,000 pesos
Maintaining balance is 1,000 pesos
Minimum balance to earn interest is 2,000 pesos
Interest rate of 0.5% per annum
May come with a passbook or an ATM card
Can have scheduled fund transfer option from a designated source accoun

STERLING BANK OF ASIA

Sterling Bank NEO Savings Account

For kids ages 17 years old and younger
Initial deposit: any amount
No maintaining balance requirement
Minimum balance to earn interest is 2,000 pesos
Annual interest rate is 0.375%
Passbook and Visa debit card

EQUICOM SAVINGS BANK

Equicom Savings Kiddie Builders Savings Account

For children 13 years and younger
Minimum initial deposit is 500 pesos
Maintaining balance is 500 pesos
Balance to earn interest is 1,000 pesos
Annual interest rate is 1%
Auto Fund Transfer Arrangement (AFTA) option
Minimum monthly contribution is 100 pesos
Entitled to free dental and medical benefits from Maxicare or Metro Dental when account balance reaches 15,000 pesos
Maximum withdrawal limit is 3 times within a month

ONE NETWORK BANK

One Network Bank Young PeraSavers

Free Emmet the Ant Passbook
Initial deposit is 50 pesos
Maintaining balance is 50 pesos
Interest rate is 0.50% per year, credited monthly

BANK OF MAKATI

Bank of Makati Kidz Savers Account

For kids and teens ages 7 to 17 years old
Minimum initial deposit is 100 pesos
Interest rate per year is 1%, credited monthly

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

MILK: Born into this World (Special screening by Breastfeeding Pinays)

Milk - an internationally-acclaimed documentary by Noemi Weis, takes an intimate, cross-cultural look at childbirth and infant nutrition, looking at the commercial, societal and other issues that affect motherhood.

Breastfeeding Pinays is hosting a one-time private screening of MILK The Film here in the Philippines on August 30, 2015, 10:30am at Robinsons Galleria Cinema 2.

To know more about the film, visit http://www.milkhood.com/
Movie trailer - https://vimeo.com/119580864

Here's the director's message: https://vimeo.com/119811668

For ticket reservation, go to http://bit.ly/MilkScreeningManila

Ticket price: General Admission - P250.00, Students - P100.00, VIP with reserved seats - P500.00.

Baby Comfy nose

I bought this from BabyComfyNose Philippines early this year but was not able to use it until this month where Sabv is down with colds. Karen is so accommodating and easy to deal with. The price is 750 pesos plus the shipping fee depends on your location

Baby Comfy Nose works better than bulb and battery-powered type nasal aspirators because it uses your own suction. Designed specifically to use standard household tissue as a filter so there's nothing else to buy. Two soft nose tips are included: Standard & Newborn. The dishwasher/storage pouch allows the aspirator to dry hygienically after washing. Always safe for your child because you are in control of the suction power. Dishwasher Safe. BPA and Phthalate Free.

The case

It has 2 nose tips for newborn and standard

Mesh bag pouch keeps pieces together

It is one of the best-designed and most effective nasal aspirator available on the market today

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Hakab na 2015 Nueva Ecija Sponsors

Hakab na 2015 Nueva Ecija happened last August 1 2015 - a first time to host in our province. We are so grateful for the support of our sponsors which makes the event successful and lot of prizes for the mommies and babies.