On Breastfeeding: Some Doctors Just Don't Get It!

I went to see a lung doctor last week due to my incessant coughing. As a breastfeeding mom, I'm a little hesitant when meeting doctors especially our local ones (I live in Laguna; most of our doctors are old-school, some I believe don't even attend medical seminars anymore. lol) since I have to remind them again and again about my breastfeeding and why they should be a little more thoughtful about the medications they are about to prescribe to me. It can get really exhausting, you know.

And so I went into the motions: scheduled an appointment, lined up and waited patiently to see the doc, got myself weighed and BPed, checked once by the doctor, x-rayed, lined and waited yet again, checked for the second time and alas, the result: it was asthma.

I was diagnosed with asthma, doc suspected that I have somehow developed it since I didn't have it in my entire 30 years until now. He further explained that it might also be the skin allergy that I'm currently nursing. No gross description here, just your plain super red patches of skin like I was scratched by a very angry cat. lol :)

Then he went on the "prescribing" part which made me really nervous since we were dealing with allergies and I heard that most allergy meds are not good for breastfeeding moms. I reminded him again about my breastfeeding however, I think that time got him a little annoyed by my reminders. The doc asked, "Ilang taon na?" ("How old?" referring to the baby) I told him the baby is a year old. He then blurted incredulously, "Ayaw mo pa pabutawin?"

I gave him the dagger looks.

I mean, don't they get it? Breastfeeding kept my baby away from any medical maladies. It has managed to bring my baby to a year old without any frantic calls to our pedia or unexpected trips to emergency rooms. I know the difference, my firstborn was bottle-fed and every month we were faced with different medical issues from high fevers to constipation. When I gave birth to my son, my secondborn, I chose to breastfeed even if I have the option (and the reason) to bottle feed him. It was a personal decision, and a fierce one. There's no way you can make me wean him just because some doctor is lazy enough to think of something safe for this breastfeeding mom to take.

Endofstory.

Chic-Boy Chicken at Baboy Review

Last Sunday, my ever spontaneous hubby packed us up and drove us to Alabang without further ado. Me not knowing why, as I was expecting a Sunday night cozily tucked at home, rode the truck without any objections. lol :)

We were asking him where we're heading to but he was quite evasive about it, I guess he was also thinking if it's a good idea to try out a new place on a Sunday. Actually, we try to avoid new places on Sundays since we wouldn't want to start the week with a wee bit of disappointment. But the place, apparently, was highly recommended by his local, idol chef so I guess he thought it was worth a try.

The place: Chic-Boy Chicken at Baboy

El Molito Commercial Center Branch

This is the El Molito Commercial Center branch. Snugly located in the center's 2nd floor, it is open 24 hours so anytime you would want to visit, it's there waiting for you. El Molito Commercial Center is located along Alabang-Zapote Road, Just opposite Ayala Town Center.

The food: Cebu Lechon Manok and Cebu Lechon Liempo

Lechon Liempo and Lechon Manok ng Cebu

Priced at P210 for whole; P120 for half Lechon Manok orders and P160 for Lechon Liempo, not bad for large family dinners. 

Lechon Sisig is P88

We skipped desserts since we already bagged a dozen of Krispy Kreme donuts along the way but their dessert selection is not bad at all.

Service: Fast food style

My hubby ordering our food :)

Chic-Boy is fast food style. You go to the counter, order, pay for your food and wait a little while for your food to be served. Chic-Boy has a Mang Inasal feel to it so if you frequent the later then you won't have a hard time adjusting to Chic-Boy's way of service.

The verdict: While it is very much pocket-friendly, I find the food a little too salty for my taste. We went for their specialty dishes so it should be their best ones right? Their lechons were served with vinegar which you might really need to balance the saltiness of the dishes. The hubby liked the Lechon sisig though. The place was not terribly packed at 10pm so our food was served fast enough. Overall, I am giving Chic-Boy a 3 out of 5 which means, I might come back some other time and if running out of options but not very soon.

Cheers! :)

FernC Coffee

I've been too sickly these past few weeks. Been coughing like crazy since last week that I truly think it could be a tumor stuck in anywhere from my throat down to my lungs! It was awful :(

Hubby suspects that it has something to do with my one-month long allnight shifts. It was a first time for me to work on such shift and my body is not really used to it. (although when I was younger, I could pull off an allnighter talking to my bestgirls over the phone, apparently when you get older, you must be sleeping in right times)

Add to that the pressure of being all perky, wide awake and alert when baby is up and about. I just couldn't do that and obviously my body strongly agrees.

So I am now trying to "reorganize" my time table, making the "days" my working hours again and the nights exclusively for sleeping. I would say that after a month of being awake at night, I am now having a hard time sleeping by 2am. I have a feeling  that it will take some time for my body clock to come back to its normal waking hours - and some practice too ;)

Upon hearing about my bouts of sickness, my sister quickly sent me a pack of FernC coffee, she knows how I love drinking coffee and how I hate taking vitamins so it's like making sure I  take my vitamins EVERYDAY since I never fail drinking coffee every single day. lol :)

FYI, FernC is a popular non-acidic vitamin C. Now, the company has come up with a coffee-blend enriched with 8 vitamins and minerals: Vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, B12, D3, Calcium and Zinc. As long as the coffee doesn't taste like vitamins, I am not complaining. lol :)

I just had my first cup and I must admit, it was good. Better than your standard-issue 3in1 even. However, consume while hot since it has a tendency to taste weird when tepid - ice lolly out! Can be taken hot or cold. Have yet to try cold version though. I just hope my body will truly benefit from drinking it.

I have no idea how  much a pack cost since it was only given to me but I'll definitely update this post and I hope it isn't too expensive. A pack contains 18 single serve sachets :)

The coffee blend with more perks!

Trivial But Annoying Computing Problems This Week

I just know I am having a not-so-lucky week the moment my USB flashdrive broke down on me. As a chronic hoarder *gasp* - I can't believe I just admitted that!  - it is important for me to, not only have files online as backup but to have them handy when offline hence 4 minimum 2gb flashdrives to back me up!

Yes, I know, didn't expect it too to have that much files in 3 years.

So back to my computing anomalies. Monday night it was that d*mned flashdrive. For some reason, it has just decided to stop working and played a game of hide and seek with my desktop computer. My dinosaur of a computer - due to size and age, really - being old and dumb, cannot detect the sneaky flashdrive hence poor me unable to access my files. I was soooo annoyed but due to my being in recovery from flu, I didn't even bother getting angry. It was too much of an effort that time.

Tuesday same story but this time I have a little energy to spare so I got crazy angry - thrown enough fits to send the hubby flying to the nearest computer technician's house for some words of encouragement. The d*mned flashdrive is now awaiting surgery as i heard it would be operated and dissected, fused and whatever. I heard our chances are 50-50, I hope she survives though.

Today, I have this suspicion that there is something wrong with my router. Since last week, my desktop has been having a hard time accessing websites but I paid no heed as i thought it was just a server problem (not my own) however, the hubby noticed that his iPad's Instagram is also experiencing slow loading time - again, we didn't give it much thought.

This morning's story is different though as I need to update my book blog and it is - yes, you guessed right - inaccessible. That is unforgivable since I really need to update my book blog asap and there's no other way to access it. Weird thing is, I can access this blog but the book blog is a lost cause.

My fear is that I am under attack by malwares again. I do hope not because I'd be throwing fits again. My second fear is that our router is malfunctioning, while that would be easier to solve, it will still give me some downtime which I don't really need right now. My third suspicion which I am praying that it would be the one and only reason to this browser trouble is that our internet connection is getting weaker and slower and it would be okay to nag those never-late-for-bills people over PLDT, our provider, good Lord.

Online Social Networking Causes Depression

I am going to keep this one short as I have lots to do being in sick bed yesterday.

I have stumbled upon an article that says depression is manageable if people just stay socially connected to one another. And, by saying "socially connected", you should be around other people, mingling and interacting. However, technology today has provided us with 101 ways to interact with other people without really getting together. Skype allows you to chat with your friends and family without every leaving your home. Skype mobile app can connect you with your loved-ones even if you are on the go. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter help you keep up with your social circles' endeavors without too much engagement since you can opt to reply back, comment, "like", just browse or ignore them altogether. Apparently, online social networking is more or less, "fake connection", allowing you to feel connected while essentially you are by yourself which, in a way, promotes or triggers depression without us knowing it.

I must admit, I have had few status updates from my newsfeed which managed to upset  me but I didn't consider them depressing at that time. But come to think of it, it may have depressed me in some way, I just didn't acknowledge it then. How about you? What do you think?

Chewy Junior Cream Puffs: A Family Review

I have been hearing raves about Chewy Junior for quite sometime now and got curious. I stumbled upon Chewy Junior Manila Facebook page and did a little snooping . This is what I found:

"Sink your teeth into your first Chewy Junior and you'll know it's not an ordinary cream puff. It's crispy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside, making it a perfect and healthy snack.

One of the fast expanding healthy food concepts, Chewy Junior has branched out from Singapore to Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam with pioneer outlets set to open in the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

Now you can try it yourself as Chewy Junior comes to the Philippines! With the pioneer branch in Ayala-Trinoma Mall soft-launched last April 2010, 4 more Chewy Junior Outlets will be opening this year (starting September 2010) in Ayala-Greenbelt, SM Cebu, SM Mall of Asia and SM Megamall"

 - from their Facebook page. lol :)

So basically, this is supposed to be a cream puff, but with a twist. I am a bonafide cream puff addict so who am I to ignore an interesting cream puff concept? No, definitely not me. Problem is, I easily get lost in Trinoma. Seriously, I curse whoever designed that *dang* mall, it's soooo confusing! Every loop and turn looks the same - and I mean THE SAME!! Not to mention, it's not momma-friendly (that is, no breastfeeding station! hmm, which reminds me I should be blogging about that too..) So I just gave it all to fate - my eventually finding Chewy Junior's place in Trinoma mall.

Then we met. Finally. :)

That's Chewy Original in front, Chocolate Madness on side and Almond Sweetheart at the back.  I was with my daughter who is a picky eater so I am a little curious how these babies will fare with my daughter. Btw, she's a cream puff addict too. :)

The picky eater's verdict? Nah. She went for Chocolate Madness, took one bite and didn't like it. Didn't pick anything else since then.

My verdict? The filling is custard all right, but I thought I read it was supposed to be crunchy outside and chewy inside. For me, it was chewy all the way. Like biting on a gum but after a few jaw-wags, it separates. lol :) Don't get me wrong, they were good. I particularly liked the Almond Sweetheart. I was told  it's their bestseller and I don't dare argue with that because it is really good :)

The hubby didn't like it though. The baby was busy playing, didn't even bother investigating what was on the table.

Prices are 45pesos a piece (i think), boxes of 3's (P119), 6's (P229), and 12's (P439).

Guess I won't be tagging this post to Chewy Junior's Facebook page afterall. ;) 

Supermoms, Prettify Every Chance You Get

I must admit, that whole 12 months of caring for the baby has left no room to prettify myself. My hair and my skin have gone dry that no amount of lotion can revive it anymore. I wear lousy clothes to bed knowing that it will still end up bunched around my neck upon waking up just because I was too tired and too sleepy to be pulling it up and down everytime the baby wants milk (breasts don't sleep, you know, it's a milk factory 24/7. It's a conspiracy, if you ask me) I get in and out of the shower in 3minutes tops. I was forced to do some dramatic changes on my working hours just because it wouldn't accommodate my baby's "playtime" thus making me look and feel like a walking zombie most of the time. My income has gone down to half the amount it used to be so I have to skimp a lot on my "kikay" allowance.

I get no rest. I get no sleep. I get no love :(

I am also not kidding when I say I get  no love. Seriously, how on Earth could I ever turn "romance" on and off just like a light bulb switch? It's crazy! You're either a mom or you're a wife, there's no meeting halfway sweetheart. You can never survive motherhood wearing lacy thongs underneath your mumus - and that my dear, only happens in Harlequin novels, never in real life.

Now imagine me with eyebags the size of your coin purse, unexplained skin discoloration in face and neck areas, fullblown war against white and blackheads combo - they are winning as of last tally, btw - allergy that is not going anywhere soon, and desert-dry skin and hair. Yikes!

This is what you get if you let go of yourself in 12 straight months, so don't make the same mistake, supermoms!

Because of these injustices, I was compelled to strategize. I made myself a promise to set aside some time for myself even if it means a measly 10 minutes before sleep time. Within this time, I should be able to squeeze in my beauty rituals such as nose and face packs, diy hair color - which should take at 30 minutes, lol -, paint nails, etc. This should be my "me" time. I mighty hope I would be able to add some more minutes as my son grows up! however, the mommy in me likes the baby in him and hopes he'll forever be a baby. lol.

Oh well.. pains of  motherhood, i guess ^_^

Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment 3.4 Oz Bottle with Blue Box sounds lovely, hmm..