Breastfeeding and Calamities

by Justine C. Tajonera

I just recently read a blog post by Mommy Mec of LATCH (Lactation, Attachment, Training, Counseling, Help) regarding the importance of breastfeeding especially during natural disasters.

Breastfeeding has a lot of benefits, but these are much more emphasized during emergencies. According to a UN News Report on Breastfeeding, babies and small children are particularly at risk for diarrhea, pneumonia and under-nutrition during natural disaters. “The life-saving role [of breastfeeding] during emergencies is firmly supported by evidence and guidance,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in the news report.


Read here also a blog report on the Chinese police officer who became a national and international hero after she breastfed nine infants after an earthquake.

Breastfeeding ensures that a child is getting proper nutrition without the need for sterilized bottles or water. No matter what the situation, breast milk is at the proper temperature, is clean, safe and provides the child with immunological benefits and probiotics. Not only is it good for the child's health, breastfeeding calms down a child and provides him or her a safe haven during such a stressful time.


Let's promote breastfeeding in the Philippines, ensuring our children's health on regular days and most especially, during disasters and natural calamities.


Acknowledging the picture source here. The picture is of heroic Chinese police officer Jiang Xiaojuan breastfeeding an infant who was separated from her parents.

Making the Most of Hospitalization

By Justine C. Tajonera

Last Sept. 15, Badger accidentally ingested nail polish remover. I only knew because he started vomiting. It was one of my worst moments as a parent. I felt like a headless chicken, all panicky and disoriented. It's a good thing Vier is always so clear headed and calm. He asked me to call our pedia who immediately advised us to get him to the ER. The doctor in the ER called up the Poison Control Center and recommended that we admit him for observation.

We had him admitted. The worst part, for me, was the whole dextrose process because he wasn't allowed to drink or eat for 24 hours. The nurses had to stick needles into both his hands because Badger was violently fighting them off. It was so painful to hold Badger while he begged us to take off the needle and the tube.

Badger was finally released the following day, Sept. 16. Here are some things that I observed that helped me and Vier make the most of Badger's hospitalization:

1. Always keep a calm disposition. Even though your blood pressure is rising because it's the nth time that the nurse is finding your child's vein. I realized that it would help no one if I scolded or got angry. I made sure that I did not react emotionally to anything that the hospital staff was doing but rather, rationally. Also, don't waste beating yourself up over what happened. What happened happened. And then move forward.

2. Take advantage of a tag team. I realized that I was able to cope better because Vier and I made sure to get all the help we needed so that neither of us were harassed. I would attend to the Philhealth papers while Vier accompanied Badger to the hospital room. I would take care of the paper work at the cashier while Vier talked to the ER resident.

3. Be assertive and get full explanations for any recommendations. Just because the hospital is recommending something, it doesn't mean that we have to take everything hook, line and sinker. We talked to both our pediatrician and the assigned doctor. We decided to go with the initial recommendation to admit him overnight but when the doctor advised us that we needed to keep him in the hospital for another 24 hours, we disagreed. He had already stabilized and he was suffering more from the IV than from his stomach. So, we signed a waiver, got instructions for his diet and bought his follow-up medicine.

4. Be firm but compassionate with your child. As parents, we knew that he had to be admitted. No matter how hard he fought it, we had to help the nurses insert the IV into his vein. Badger was so angry, confused and frustrated. All I could do was show him how much I loved him. I would hug him and try to divert his attention from his constant requests to take off the IV. We would read him stories, tell him jokes, sing to him, play games with him and surprise him with inexpensive toys (like the gag glasses in the picture).

As parents, there will always be the possibility that our children will be admitted to the hospital. To help cope with this situation, I would recommend: always keeping calm, taking advantage of a tag team with your partner or family members, asserting your right as parents and getting full explanations for all recommendations and being firm but loving and compassionate with your child during such a trying time.

See my poem about Badger's hospitalization: Pinprick

A Field Trip to Pansol and Calamba, Laguna

By Justine C. Tajonera

Kids learn not only from books and lessons at home. Going to new places and seeing new things greatly stimulate their inborn love for learning, no matter what their learning style is.

A great itinerary for busy parents is a trip out of town, not too far from Manila. Why not go south-bound and check out the treasures in Laguna?

Pansol, Laguna has a lot of private pools that are filled with hot spring water. So even during this rainy season, you can be assured of "nginig-proof" swimming pleasure whatever time of the night or morning it is. An overnight stay could cost as low as P2K or as high as P8K depending on the number of people who are staying at the rental.

On the way home, stop by the Rizal Shrine in Calamba. You'll see a rebuilt replica of Rizal's first home (bahay na bato) and you'll see some really interesting sights from his childhood. There's an Audio-Video area where they play a Rizal documentary. Your kids will be fascinated with the contraptions of the Spanish colonization era and you can treat them to an impromptu history lesson. In the yard, there will be a bahay kubo where your kids can have their picture taken and there's also a bronze statue of Jose Rizal as a child with his dog, Syria.

Check out my poem: The Childhood of a Hero
Check out the pictures from our trip

A Trip to the Secondhand Bookstore

By Justine C. Tajonera

It was wonderful to plan an afternoon adventure with my toddler. After his afternoon nap, I asked him if he wanted to take a walk. He already knows how exciting it is to walk the dog (our Dalmatian, Sparta) so he didn't hesitate with his "Yes!!!"

Together with Yaya, Badger and I walked from the house to Roces Avenue and climbed up to the second floor of the building where Chocolate Kiss is and rang the doorbell to "Books for Less." Badger went nuts choosing from all the books on display. We sat on a little table and laid out all his choices. Of course, Mommy had the veto right. We wanted a couple of Dr. Seuss books but one of them was too vandalized and the other one had musical notes which I wasn't sure Badger would be able to appreciate. We finally settled on four books: a biblical re-telling of The Prodigal Son, titled The Lost Son (he liked it because you can literally pull out the "son" from the cover and it acts like a bookmark), Alpabetong Pinoy (published by Adarna House and first spotted on the July issue of Smart Parenting), Tight Times (in both English and Filipino, also published by Adarna House), and his favorite of the batch, Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings, a touch-and-read book which he absolutely adored because of all the textures and colors on each page.

So, we not only got to exercise (around 300 meters worth of walking), but we also got to save a lot of money and discovered new things that Badger liked! His book preference really demonstrated to me how Badger is so kinesthetic or tactile in his learning style.

After thirty minutes of book browsing, we capped our afternoon with Baked Potato, iced tea and a slice of carrot cake. 

For more information on learning styles, check out Learning Styles Online.