For those who are not moms yet, I just want to share that wet wipes are our best friend when it comes to taking care of our babies and children. We need wet wipes when we change their diapers, when they make a mess when eating, etc. I haven’t really measured how much wet wipes we consume, but I would say think that we use a lot!
In using wet wipes, I’m now a fan of biodegradable wet wipes. We currently use Two Little Ducks wet wipes. But since I’m always in the look out for new brands, recently, I’ve discovered this other brand called Organic Baby Wipes. Organic Baby Wipes is the 1st organic baby wipes in the Philippines.
In 2012, the founders (a couple with a baby) were looking for baby wipes that would meet their standards. They couldn’t find any so they decided to use their chemistry background to create the “perfect wipes” for their baby. After months of experimenting and testing, Organic Baby Wipes was born.
Every wipe is made out of natural ingredients that are free from chemicals like parabens, alcohol and chlorine. It’s biodegradable; this is what made me try it out actually!
As the first organic baby wipe in the market, the founders wanted “organic” products to be accessible to parents. Of course, this is because we want what’s purest, gentlest and safest for our little one.
For those who follow my blog and posts, you’d know that me and my daughters have sensitive skin. These wipes, being organic, is a plus for me. I tried it out with Yani, and the other thing that I loved about it is the smell. Yani smells so clean after using these wipes on her.
If you want to check out these Organic Baby Wipes, it’s available in selected Department stores and groceries nationwide. They also have an online store: http://www.littlegreen.ph.
For those with Lazada and Shoppee accounts, they also have stores there. Just look for @littlegreenbynature ad @organicbabywipes.
Have you started Christmas shopping? I haven’t started shopping, but I’m not worried because it’s so easy to do your shopping nowadays. Everything is online. This Christmas, I plan to shop from the Globe Business Gift Local MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). I would love to buy from local businesses to help them during these trying times. What I love about these MSMEs of Globe Business Gift Local is that these businesses give back to their own communities. When you buy once, you give twice!
If you’re interested to check out the products of these MSMEs, go to http://glbe.co/giftlocal. I’ll go through some of them here.
GreenLife Coconut Products
Virgin Coconut oil has a lot of health benefits. It is a quick source of energy, has anti-microbial effects, reduces seizures and a lot more. I’m thinking of giving these as a gift to my aunts and uncles, since I know that a lot of them would appreciate getting gifts that would make them healthier.
Greenlife has various products such as export-quality organic coconut vinegar, organic coconut sap aminos, coconut spirit, coconut sugar, coconut flour, organic VCO, and cosmetics. What I like about this business is that they support Quezon province farmers. Check out their products here! Every purchase gives their farming community a better life, thanks to the versatile coconut tree.
HTP Clothing
For my clothes, I usually like the simple and comfortable ones. Especially now that we are mostly at home (plus the fact that I’m breastfeeding), my number one priority is comfort. I just love these clothes from HTP clothing. I also love the founder, Ricca del Rosario’s vision of creating quality yet affordable clothes, and I truly support her mission of helping seamstresses from Bulacan, Quezon Province, Rizal, and Metro Manila.
I think my sister and cousins will love these timeless tops, pants, bags, slides, and PPEs. They also have hassle-free reseller packages that start at ₱1,500 for 10 tees available on e-commerce sites.
Locano
You should always get good blankets! haha! Yup, that’s my personal belief. Sleep for me is very important. I guest it’s because sleep is “me-time” for most of us. To get a good night’s rest, you need the right “tools”. Check out this comfortable Fluffy Abel Blanket. I think this will be the perfect gift for our parents. These Locano’s woven crafts are skillfully pedal-loomed by the artisan women of Vigan and Santa, Ilocos and Bangar, La Union. This Globe Business Gift Local MSME brand is definitely something worth checking! Support their advocacy and shop for these exquisite pieces.
Malagos Chocolate
Another brand that I’m looking at for my Christmas shopping is Malagos Chocolate. Recently, I’ve been craving for Tsokolate / Hot chocolate most of the time. I would love and am super excited to try these products.
They also have an interesting story and cause. Malagos Chocolate started with rehabilitating cacao trees in Malagos (thus their brand name), Baguio District, Davao City. Aside from helping farmers, they have won several awards through improving chocolate processing, farms, nurseries, facilities, and factories. Help Malagos continue training and supporting farmers, and shop for their chocolates!
Roots Collective
And last but not the least, Roots Collective. I actually know the founders of Roots Collective and have been impressed by their mission to help local businesses thrive. This is why I’ve been constantly supporting and buying from them. They conduct social enterprise funding, rural community training, and inter-enterprise collaborations. They carry different brands and those participating at Globe Business Gift Local are BalaiKamay, Hineleban Farms, The Bamboo Company, Chocoloco, Creative Definitions, Gouache, HABI Lifestyle, Happy Helpers, Hiraya Chocolates, Jacinto & Lirio, Magwai, Obrano, The Peanut Butter Junkie, Plantsville Health, Reef Picks, The Spark Project/Spark Books, Theo & Philo Chocolates, and Wholly Grain.
Those are a few of the brands and MSME businesses that you may see at the Globe Business Gift Local Page https://glbe.co/giftlocal. Do check out and support these local businesses.
A live selling event is also set on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. via Globe Business Facebook page to provide Gift Local partner merchants a platform to promote their company and products for the holidays.
This year’s Globe Business campaign Buy Once, Give Twice (when you buy, you make your loved ones happy and you also get to help MSMEs) also helps MSMEs in another way. These businesses can also join Globe Business Academy where they are given access to business insights as well as networking opportunities.
I’ve been posting a lot on social media — just some daily updates after giving birth to this cute little baby.
Baby Yani
I recently mentioned in one of my posts that I’m glad that I have documented a lot of stuff during my pregnancy with Zeeka and also created some post partum blog posts after. Weirdly, my blog has been my own personal resource during these times that I’ve given birth again. Some posts that I read again were the ones about breastfeeding.
I’ve been stressing about my output recently, but knowing that I went through the same things with Zeeka 8 years ago gives me comfort that I can actually do this again (because I’ve done it successfully before).
Breastfeeding Mommy here!
I don’t know if it’s because of my age that I feel that I’m having a hard time waking up most hours of the day. I feel so tired and so drained. To top it all, I’ve been experiencing post partum depression. I didn’t have this before, but with this pregnancy, I’ve been feeling a lot of emotions and I know these are the hormones acting up. I would suddenly cry and feel sorry for myself. Thoughts would occupy my mind — like how my body isn’t mine anymore. I would feel so sad and alone. I would just cry out of the blue.
It was hard. I thought I was going crazy (really).
It’s a good thing that I have EJ, Zeeka and our kasambahay, Ate Len to help out around the house. EJ has been really supportive when I have my bouts of sadness. He would hug me and just be there, and that makes me feel better. Just having someone by my side who’s just willing to listen helped me feel better. Zeeka was also so cute to hug me and say that she’s “filling my bucket”. She says that all of us have buckets that need filling up with love, kindness and generosity from other people. I was touched and her hugs were truly appreciated, like I was doing something right as a mom.
I mentioned what I was feeling to my doctor, Dra. Sarmiento, too. I’m the type who wants to know what’s going on with my body, so I knew that talking to my doctor was a good idea. It was nice that she reassured me that this is normal.
I also mentioned what I was going through to my friend, Frances. She mentioned that she had undergone the same thing with her pregnancies. One thing that she said that helped me a lot is when you feel the emotions coming, just acknowledge and know that they are hormones acting up. Be aware of this. This advice really helped me a lot. Whenever I would cry and go through these things that I’m feeling, I would remember what she told me, and would say to myself that these are just my hormones doing this to me.
I’m feeling better now and don’t go through these episodes as much anymore.
To mommies who are experiencing post partum depression, know that it will pass. These negative emotions and feelings that you are having now will pass. It took me close to a month to get back to feeling like my usual self again.
But now, one of my biggest struggles still is breastfeeding. I’m so happy that now, I produce around 2-3 ounces of breastmilk for Baby Yani every time I pump. I get to use my electric pump now since she’s been sleeping longer. I’ve noticed that when I was stressed about my supply (especially during the second and third weeks after Yani was born), it would affect my milk supply.
I’ve learned new things and used new tools during this pregnancy related to breastfeeding.
One is that each baby is different, so you have to learn together. When comparing Zeeka to Yani in terms of breastfeeding, they’re different. Yani knew how to latch and suck well right on the first day. In terms of schedule though, she had a more unpredictable schedule as compared to Zeeka. She eats a lot, too.
Two, there is this new tool that I use. It’s a Milk Saver Pump. Check out this video that I made to see how it looks like: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSe67A3VL/ Basically you attach it to your other nipple while feeding and it collects your milk let down. I will write or take a dedicated video of this soon and share it. I was surprised to see that I had a lot of collected milk!
And lastly (at least for this blog post), always try to relax. Being confined inside our homes for a long time can affect our mood negatively. And if you feel bad, this will affect your milk supply. Try to relax and chill. Watch funny shows, listen to your favorite playlist, etc.
So there, those are my thoughts for today. Let me know if there are things that you want to know about my breastfeeding journey. I’ll write about more experiences soon! Feel free to share stories also with me in the comment section. Love you all!