UNICEF and SM Supermalls: Breastfeeding Supporters

Last Friday was the culmination of Breastfeeding Week and I got an invite to an event helmed by Unicef and SM entitled You, Me and Mommy.

To be honest, it felt weird attending the event and sitting with super breastfeeding advocates knowing how my struggles with breastfeeding went.  But setting that aside, it was very  encouraging to know that major steps are being taken to make breastfeeding a much more accepted activity in our community.

Fun Fact: Do you know that almost all SM Supermalls now have breastfeeding rooms? Yep, they do and it’s awesome that they’ve made the effort. If you’re a mom like me, you must have seen those around major SM malls and just like me, you probably made a mental note where those are located.

It’s great to know that moms can go to a clean place where they can feed their babies (or pump) in peace. The washroom is NEVER a good place to do these things because of obvious sanitary reasons.

I loved the event, the host Patricia Hizon was very engaging and kept the discussions lively. Also, she was very toned. As in. Her legs had more muscle tone than my entire body 😛 I was taking pics of the entire program but I was seated at the back of SM’s event center. So pasensya na LOL!

The program was short but the topics were very informative. The talks started off with a demo on infant massage and toy dolls were passed around for the audience to practice on. Then an interview with dads who had breastfeeding wives came next as well as a game with dads involving diapers and a carrier. Trust me, it was funny. One dad had the carrier on upside down! Uhm come to think of it…not so funny pala haha 😛

A fashion show with Au Lait Nursing and Mommy Matters closed the show. I was pretty excited for this because I found out at the event itself that a friend was modeling haha 😀 It’s awesome that there are fashionable stuff to wear for moms now especially those who are still nursing. Easy access! That’s the key!

That’s Sanne and her daughter Ava. When it was time for Sanne to go Rampa, natulog si Ava haha sayang!

I also saw Benz from WeddingsatWork, Janice of Mommy Mundo and Mommy Matters and a fellow N@wie and blogger, Jenny Ong of fabnaima.blogspot.com. If you want to know more about breastfeeding, Jenny’s blog is a must-read!

That’s Jen, Naima and me. Also, I feel the need to explain that I’m wearing baggy boyfriend jeans that day (basta!)

It was a fun event and it was well-attended. I also saw some moms who walked in with their babies and who were listening to the talks and demos. If I may suggest something, maybe future events similar to these could be done in Filipino.  I feel that the event could have attracted more walk-ins if Tagalog was used.  But that’s just my two centavos 😛

Anyway, hooray to breastfeeding moms!!