The Birth of South PiNanays

Sometime in mid-2011, I was heavily pregnant with my second child. After attending a birthing class where the coach talked about breastfeeding, my husband and I decided that we would breastfeed our child exclusively. I researched for as much information on the internet as I could to help me succeed long-term this time around as my eldest child was only breastfed for 3 months. When I gave birth in July, I breastfed as often as needed. I was quite happy that everything was going well despite initial latching issues but a few days after arriving home I started experiencing engorged breasts and sore nipples. Again, I turned to the internet for help. I found and relied on Kellymom for breastfeeding information. I tried to search for local breastfeeding support but found none. The only local source of breastfeeding information I found was from the Chronicles of a Nursing Mom and I went over the many posts. I never gave up searching for answers and by God’s will and my husband’s unwavering support, I was able to overcome the problems and was able to continue breastfeeding our little girl exclusively.

When I returned to work, I expressed my milk religiously to provide breastmilk while I was away and to ensure that I kept my supply up. By chance, I met a LATCH Counselor at one of the business seminars I attended. We chatted a bit and I mentioned that I had been searching desperately for support and if she knew of any counselors living around the Alabang area but she knew of none --- the exact same response I got from the different breastfeeding groups I reached out to as well. Despite the many obstacles and lack of support, I successfully breastfeed until our daughter’s 1^st birthday.

In 2013, our youngest child was born. That day, I started my tandem breastfeeding journey. Aside from trying to recover from birth and figuring out how to position my two children, we had to help our 20 month old overcome her jealousy.  Since I was breastfeeding for 20 months, I thought this time around engorgement and sore nipples would be a thing of the past but I was wrong! I needed help again but like in the past local resources about breastfeeding was limited. 

When my baby girl was about 2.5 months, I started experiencing excruciating pain on my left breast after feeding at night and so I went online again to search for answers and a remedy. I endured the pain for 5 days after which I decided to see my OB. She tried to help me but to no avail. It was then that I found out that there was such a thing as an IBCLC, a doctor who specialized on breastfeeding concerns. So I went to see the nearest IBCLC and after a couple of weeks of treatment including correcting my latch, she diagnosed me with vasospasm or Reynaud’s disease. I took medications and things improved including my breastfeeding relationship with my youngest. I returned to work in the midst of treatment and after reading about RA 10028, I worked on getting a lactation room set-up in our office. I had a couple of employees who were pregnant at that time and I knew it would also benefit them.

First Meet-Up

It was also around this time that I finally found an online breastfeeding support group in the Philippines --- Breastfeeding Pinays! After a month of actively visiting and participating on BFP, I took a leap of faith and asked if there were members who lived in the same area as I did and wanted to meet-up. Within a day or two, almost 40 moms answered and so I started organizing a meet-up. So on the 5^th of October 2013, over 20 moms and moms-to-be converged in Asian Hospital for a breastfeeding talk. This was the start of South PiNanays (SPiN), a breastfeeding and mommy support group specifically for those living in the South Greater Metro Manila Area (Paranaque, Muntinlupa, Las Pinas, Cavite, Laguna & Batangas) because I knew that mommies living in this area were in dire need of breastfeeding support. With this group, I found like-minded women who could provide support to one another. 

To be able to help more moms and moms-to-be, I decided to get more education and training. I am currently a certified Breastfeeding Peer Counselor with LATCH and BFP and with the knowledge I gained from training combined with experience from breastfeeding continuously for 40 months, I am able to further the advocacy of providing the correct breastfeeding information and most importantly support to women who were going through problems and concerns I had to go through in the past practically alone. 

SPiN now has a couple of trained breastfeeding peer counselors as well as moms who are well-versed in other natural parenting practices such as baby wearing, cloth diapering and baby led weaning so we can now help more nanays in need. As we continue to grow in numbers, experience and knowledge I am giddy and excited to see what the future will bring to the South PiNanays community!