MacGyver and Sustaining Breastfeeding

I had my gall bladder removed last week. Unfortunately, I underestimated the procedure and thought I could go home after 24 hours. Wrong.

Because of this glitch, I only packed x number of bottles in preparation for the stay at the hospital. I figured I'd pump every 3 or 4 hours and then ask my anesthesiologist when can I resume breastfeeding. From our breastfeeding support group site, mothers were saying that women who underwent Cesarian Section delivery were allowed to breastfeed immediately. Seems logical. But I still had to confirm to ease my worries.

Remember I was pumping every 3-4 hours? Wrong move! Because of the increased time in between sessions, I was getting more milk and filling up my bottles faster than intended. By the time I was about to go to the operating room, I have filled up all the bottles that we brought. Uh oh.

When the anesthesiologist arrived in the Operating Room, I asked him if he was going to give me the same drug as what is used during childbirth. It wasn't. He said to wait for 24 hours before I actually breastfeed.

We waited, pumped and dumped (what a waste of milk, but better safe than sorry). After 24 hours, what to do now that we don't have bottles anymore? We thought that maybe Dad can go back home to get my milk storage bags. Kaya lang, I was really weak after the operation and needed help even with my personal businesses. So dad being away for more than 20 minutes does not seem feasible at that time.

That's when we shifted to MacGyver mode (this is the stuff of the 80s to 90s era hahaha) There was a nearby grocery store where dad bought zip-lock sandwich bags. It was the smallest size that he could find.

Zip-lock sandwich bags?? But these are...

• Not sterilized. May contaminate milk. Damn it, we are no longer sterilizing the bottles that Miko use at home. Pwede na yan.
• Not freezer safe. May rip when placed in freezer. We'll double up the bags. Pwede na yan.
• Not double zipped. May drip. Doble naman ang bags. Pwede na yan.

In the end, it was really pwede na since we had no other alternative. We even had different styles in packing the milk.

Dad was laying out the inner bag flatly inside the other one, then pour the milk into the two bags.

I poured the milk into one bag first, then jimmy the bag into the second one.

And that's how we survived sustaining breastfeeding even with no bottles. We were able to bring home about 900ml of milk for Miko! Thank God!

Want to hear more stories about my lap chole? I'll tell you in the next posts. :) I love you!

Adversity

"There's something a bit different when your child is born with a certain level of adversity. There's a deep sense of not only love but also of respect... (He) is a constant source of inspiration and admiration" -Colin Farrell on his son James, 10, who has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder that impairs speech and motor skills

Daily Reading

Sharing with you a Bible reading I got this month.

9 November Friday TODAY'S READINGS: DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH DIDACHE Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome purifying FIRE So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. – John 2:15 My kitchen faucet leaked again and I had to pick up my plumber Alex from his house at the squatters area. To my surprise, what used to be a colony of rusty shanties, muddy corridors and putrid air, was now a pleasant community with widened roads, decent concrete houses and clean surroundings. Before I even asked, Alex explained, "The city mayor had always wanted to improve the living conditions of the people here. But they wouldn't allow clearing works that would sweep through their illegal structures. This prevented infrastructure and community development for so long. Then an accidental fire swept though the entire colony, forcibly cleaning the whole area. Suddenly, the government, NGOs and other well-meaning groups had free access to build their gift to the people. Thanks to the raging fire! It drove away all that had been hindering the blessings." Friend, are there things — mindset, habits, sins, even relationships — that need to be driven out of your life to give way to the next level blessing? God doesn't bring the fire, but in His mercy allows it for our good. Jon Escoto (faithatworkjon@gmail.com) 9 REFLECTION: Let Christ's refining fire burn away everything that stands in the way of His purposes for your life. Jesus, I surrender all that clutters and pushes out the blessings from my life. Help me drive them all away to make space for Your perfect gift. St. Benignus, pray for us.

Carrot, egg, coffee beans

There was once a father whose son was leaving for his first day of  college. Unsure of his future and fearful of  expectations others would give him, he had gone to his father and poured his heart out. Without saying a word, the  father led him to the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, the father allowed a kettle of water to be brought to a boil. In it, he placed a carrot. After a few minutes, he took out the carrot and set it aside.
The next thing he placed inside the kettle of water was an egg. After a few minutes, he took out the egg and set it aside.
The last thing he placed was a handful of coffee beans. After closing the kettle's lid, he turned to face his son.
"Son, the water in the kettle represents adversity. In the course of navigating through life, we sometimes come across situations that put pressure on us and make us uncomfortable"
"The carrot represents some people who go in with an optimistic view. Strong, hard, and unrelenting, they realize in the end that they are unable to take the pressure and soften up, just as the carrot did."
"The egg represents people who go into life with a negative view. Starting out as fragile individuals, they become hardened and difficult to live with in the end."
"The coffee beans, however, eventually changed the water that it was boiling in. These are the people who allow circumstances to change them for the better and increase their sphere of influence, as a result"
Handing his son a cup of coffee he then asked: "When adversity comes knocking, how will you respond? Will you be a carrot, egg or a coffee bean?"

:)

Life is a climb, but the view's great.

Rick Warren

For when you feel that everything does not go your way...

"God changes caterpillars into butterflies,
sand into pearls
and coal into diamonds
using TIME AND PRESSURE.
He's working on you, too."

To Kuya

I can see that, being blind, you get scared easily. Please always remember to be brave and never fear because mommy will always have your back.
When God throws trials your way, just keep in mind that whatever it is, He knows that you can handle it. So praise Him for the learning opportunity and keep in mind that it's gonna take more than whatever the trial is to break your soul.

You are a very intelligent and smart and handsome boy, my son. Please be brave too. You need this to survive the world around you. Don't forget that I might not always be with you physically, but I can always be in your heart as long as you keep me there.

I love you my firstborn. Mwamwamwah

From the mouth of babes

"Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms." Alyssa Knight, age 12

On Michael Phelp's Mother

“I knew that if I collaborated with Michael, he could achieve anything he sets his mind to.”

Debbie Phelps

(mother of Michael Phelps, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 9, now an Olympian gold medalist)

On Moses' Mother

 “This mother understood (that) if she’s (going to) influence her son in a positive way, she had to look at him the way God looks at this baby.

She needed eyes of faith. She needed to see the greatness of the destiny that God has placed in Moses.

And if we would ever want to see greatness in our children as parents, then the first thing we have to see is we have to see them the way God sees them”

Gilbert Foliente

VCF pastor discussing Moses’ mother