Giving Birth at Asian Hospital

When I gave birth to our firstborn Lia, the choice of hospital was easy from the beginning. It was my first time then and we wanted D-day to happen at Asian Hospital so we wouldn’t have anything to worry about - the facilities were state-of-the-art and we knew the medical team would give me and the baby the best care possible. This time with our second baby, I entertained the idea of giving birth at another hospital for practical reasons. Hubby shot down the suggestion, however, and he won. Asian might cost us an arm and a leg again, but it’s worth the peace of mind, he said. 

photo borrowed from Google Images

Lia Meets Rocco

Being the only child for 3 years and a half, we had always wondered how Lia would react once she sees her baby brother in the flesh. When Rocco was still in my tummy, Lia's feelings about him were erratic. Sometimes she'd say she loves him, other times she won't answer when asked. Hehe.  We tried explaining things to her about her soon-to-be-born brother, that she would soon be an ate. We also made her watch episodes of Daniel Tiger where Daniel's mom became pregnant and gave birth to his baby sister. Slowly but surely, we felt she understood to a certain extent, and somehow, we felt she was ready.

Then came D-day when Rocco was finally allowed to room in with us at the hospital.  Hubby immediately went home to get Lia, we were very excited about their first meetup! 👧👶 How did it go?  Watch this. 📹

The Birth Story of Pietro Joaquin

I am a brand new mother of two!💖 Last week, 13th of October 2018, our baby boy, a.k.a. Dumpling, was born. We named him Pietro Joaquin, the nickname is Rocco. Pietro is the Italian form of Peter which means “rock,” while Joaquin is the Spanish form of Joachim which means “God gives strength.” A name combination that’s apt for a strong boy that God has given us. Both names are also names of two saints: St. Peter the Rock and St. Joachim, the father of Mama Mary.

Pietro Joaquin Del Pilar - Delos Reyes
Born on 13 October 2018 at 5:30am
5 lbs and 9 oz

A Price Survey of Milk Brands for Kids 3 Years and Up

Are you a mom like me whose kid is over 3? Then you know the choices out there when it comes to milk. Though there are many factors when deciding the milk brand for your kid, there's no denying that price is a consideration.💰 Since I was at the supermarket yesterday and doing price surveys is just routine in my line of work, I thought of doing a scan of milk price tags for the benefit of moms who want to do cost comparisons but don't have the time.

In no particular order:

Disclaimer: Photos from Google Images.

Price Survey done at SM Supermarket, SM Southmall.

Date: October 11, 2018

Some photos do not match the actual SKU size I surveyed so it's better

to refer to the caption than the picture. ;)

Pediasure Plus (Preschool Age)
1.6kg: PhP 1,899.50
1.2kg: PhP 1,347.50
850g: PhP 1,099.50

Boosting Milk Supply with Malunggay 🌿

Yippee! Dumpling and I have finally reached 37 weeks and it's truly an answered prayer!🙏  Thank You, Lord! It's very timely that today is my first day of maternity leave, I no longer have to drive myself to work (Las Pinas - Makati - Las Pinas) every day.  With my oversized belly that looks as if I'm carrying multiples, it's hard to be behind the steering wheel because it already touches my tummy.  Last week, I had to adjust the driver's seat so that it's farther from the manibela, but that meant my not-so-long legs would exert a little bit of effort reaching the gas and brake pedals. Hehe. Hashtag BuntisNaBulilit  problems.🤣

Anyway, as part of our preps for Dumpling's arrival, I have already started taking malunggay capsules to aid me in my breastfeeding plan.  It's among the herbal supplements popular in the country as a galactagogue (milk-stimulating food), similar to fenugreek, fennel, milk thistle, and cumin.  

Photo from Google Images

Our Marriage Encounter Weekend

Hubby and I will be celebrating our 6th year wedding anniversary on November 8, and we’ve always wanted to go to a retreat for married couples. But since I’m giving birth soon, we know we cannot squeeze in a weekend to ourselves in November. So sakto, even when my belly looks like a big balloon about to burst, we decided to go for it last weekend, Friday night to Sunday afternoon.