I hope all of you are safe in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy.
My family was fortunate not be hit, but I think all of us know at least one person who was greatly affected by the typhoon. I personally know more than a dozen people who lost almost everything in the floods.
If you're a breastfeeding mom, one way you can help the Ondoy victims is by donating breastmilk. Many moms in the evacuation centers are unable to nurse because of the stress they've been going through, and many babies are getting diarrhea from the formula they're drinking. If you want to donate breastmilk, you can course it through PGH. PGH will pasteurize the milk and deliver it to the evacuation centers. If you want to donate breastmilk please contact Dra. Silvestre of PGH at 0917 535 2438 or Lita Nery 0918 555 7565.
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On one of the mailing lists of which I'm a member, there has been a discussion about how much to pay a nanny. It seems to be a question that a lot of homemakers have.
Some people may not be aware that Senate Bill 1662, approved in 2007, sets the minimum wage for domestic helpers shall be P3000 in NCR, P2500 in other chartered cities and first class municipalities, and P2000 in other municipalities.
The bill also requires that a written contract be entered into by the employer and employee, that first-aid equipment and medicine be made available, and that household employees be covered by SSS and Philhealth.
As far as I know (and someone can correct me if I'm mistaken), the bill is not yet a law, because its equivalent is still pending in the Lower House. Nonetheless, I think it is a helpful guide for employers to follow. The text of the entire bill is here.
It bears mentioning, of course, that nannies' (especially those tasked with taking care of newborn babies) and cooks' salaries are usually higher than so-called "all-around" housekeepers. Share
Kudos to Jenny from Chronicles of a Nursing Mom for her contribution to this great initiative at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas! The BSP has opened a lactation room, thanks to the advocacy of some pumping moms who work there.
Their story might give other moms an idea of how to advocate for a lactation room in their respective offices. An excerpt:[Monetary Board member Ignacio Bunye's chief of staff Jennifer Joy Ong] and Claire Mogol of the BSP’s Corporate Affairs Office, according to Bunye, have been instrumental in initiating awareness on the importance of breastfeeding at the BSP.
After getting the support of other young working mothers, the two approached Ada Cruz and Daisy Sanchez of the Human Resource Management Department’s Wellness Division and suggested the introduction of a breastfeeding awareness activity at the institution.
“Their advocacy paved the way for the approval and implementation of the milk banking project,” Bunye said. Share
A friend of mine shared a link to this nice article about learning to let go as a parent, as opposed to "hyperparenting." An excerpt:Hyperparents are spotted when they are trying to educate their child from the womb, and expose them to the most intellectually stimulating music and art and literature before the kid can crawl. They obsess over everything, from whether the child is learning fast enough to how safe every single thing is to every little scrape and bruise. They are overprotective, overbearing, overwhelming to the child.
I admit, I was a hyperparent once, and still can be sometimes. It’s a habit I’m trying to break, with some success.
The rest of the article is here. I particularly like tip #10. Share
There was an article on baby allergies in yesterday's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. One thought-provoking hypothesis mentioned in the article: Also an interesting hypothesis (hygiene hypothesis) proposes that limited exposure to bacteria, especially in early life, due to extremely sterile surroundings may also increase the risk of allergy. So, clean environment for the baby is good, but “sterile” rooms –supposed to be a privilege of urban affluence – may deprive the babies the chance to develop the babies’ immune system.
The article doesn't say whether there is any data to support this hypothesis, though. Another useful excerpt:The risk of allergy from milk preparations is one strong argument for breastfeeding. Dr. Smith stresses that it still remains as the best and earliest step that can be taken for dietary protection against allergy, regardless of family history. He explained that breast milk provided a naturally hypoallergenic milk protein that significantly reduces the risk of allergy. Also, breast milk contains antibodies and probiotics (live, good bacteria) like bifidobacteria that help strengthen the infant’s immune system.
Both my husband and I have histories of allergies, and my son already has eczema. I hope that he doesn't develop many allergies growing up. Share
