Frannywanny

Just a few hours ago, as I was scrolling on my phone, I got a notification to look at several photos taken on the same day as today but 2 and 3 years ago. The first photo was that of my sister with my barely-a-month-old niece A. Oh, how A has grown into a smart little toddler who can easily surpass her daily word count and would delight us with the funny things that she would say. The second photo was of my twins, a few days after their first month celebration and it reminded me of how tiny and fragile they were before. We truly came a long long way from that to our active two year old toddlers now who are starting to talk a lot more each day. One thing that I'll never forget about being a new mom to my twins was my breastfeeding journey. I've mentioned this several times here that I actually had very low expectations of myself breastfeeding. I guess it's because my mom didn't breastfed (and it wasn't that widely practiced back then) and my sister struggled with l...

When I got married 8 years ago, I was one of the lucky few who didn't had to worry much about running my own household. It's because I was first asked to move in with my in laws for the first 5 months of our married life and there it was easy breezy for me. I literally would wake up in the morning with a wide breakfast spread lovingly made by Manang on the table, I'd go to work while being driven by Kuya M and after a long busy day at work, I'd go back to my in laws' house with dinner waiting for me. The only thing that Paul and I had to worry then were our basic toiletries. After 5 months, we gave in to my mom's request and moved in to my family. It was even much more easier for me as I didn't had to adjust at all. It was simply going back to the house where I grew up in before I became Mrs. Ang. Likewise, Mommy and Papa had everything ready where we had our reliable helpers to do our laundry, cook our meals and so on. The harsh realities of being marrie...

My twins turns 9 months today. WOW . I've been a proud Mommy for 9 full months already! If you put things into perspective, 9 months is how long it takes for a baby to form inside a Mother's womb. It still feels like yesterday when I was wheeled into the delivery room and I heard the cries of J and L for the first time. I can still remember how small and fragile they were. How we would carry them so carefully to support their necks. Today, both are talking, crawling, rolling over, attempting to climb, eating solids kind of toddlers already. They're no longer considered newborns but they still do smell like one so I'm totally fine with that. Aside from this, this also means that I've been breastfeeding them for 9 full months already. It was no easy feat so please allow me to beam a little and give myself a small pat at the back for going this far. I'm not going to lie though, I came this far because I got help . Help from close friends who offered to share ...

Before I start this post, let me tell you that I am no breastfeeding advocate. Yes, I do recognize and believe in the benefits that it bring but I promise that this won't be the type of post that will lecture you on and on that breastfeeding is the only  way to go. I still do believe that fed is best . That said, I do respect whichever way a Mom feeds her kid. Breastfed, bottle fed, formula, pureed solids, baby-led weaning... for as long as the baby is properly nourished and fed, I am all for that. What I would like to share is my personal experience as a breastfeeding mommy to my twins for the past 8 months (and still counting..whew!). It was actually silly of me to think that I won't have milk to breastfeed. Well, I do have some basis. Looking at my genetic line, neither my Mom nor my Ama breastfed and my sister actually didn't had much so I saw how she struggled and persevered to be able to feed my niece A up until she reaches a year old. Pan totally won the determinat...

"Fed is Best" This is one thing that I constantly remind myself ever since the twins were born. Let's admit it, from the moment you deliver your baby, the hospital will constant encourage you to breastfeed. Okay, so breastfeeding sure has a lot of benefits both to the mother and to the baby. I personally felt so glad that I was able to express my colostrum as soon as my twins were born. Somehow, it gave me this sense of validation that I am doing a good job as their Mommy. Fast forward to today, my twins have been latching on to me and I've been pumping for 7 whole months. I never thought I'd come this far. Breastfeeding sure has its benefits and it has its downside too. One is my mobility as a mom. My twins are so used to having me around that L, for instance, would scream her head off at night if she doesn't sleep latched on to me. That said, I haven't had a decent night out since they were born. One time, Paul and I went out to attend a friend...

Back before I had my twins..even way before I got pregnant, I got to admit that I would scroll over photos of friends sharing their milk and would wonder to myself what the fuss is all about over one's ability to produce milk. It was on my 3rd day post partum when everything just made perfect sense and that was when I finally entered the world of breastfeeding. I got to admit that all throughout my pregnancy, I never really prepared myself for breastfeeding. Paul and I kept an open mind that in case I won't be able to breastfeed my twins, then we are willing to give them formula. I didn't even bothered to join any lactation classes and I barely educated myself about it. In fact, I still remembered that day when I had to ask the NICU nurse to help me express my colostrum as that's one thing that I was determined to give my twins. Luckily, the NICU nurse was super helpful and encouraging. As I tried to express my first amount of liquid gold she told me that I was doing ...