BAMBI News July/August 2016
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Dear Members,Last Sunday we went out for lunch with my husband and our 14-month-old daughter Lia. In the midst of feeding Lia chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, I realised that we had passed another milestone: I could order a whole meal for her from the restaurant menu! How crazy fast they grow! I clearly remember how last year, at this time, I was breastfeeding her 7 times a day. What an amazing experience to feed your baby with your own milk. However, it is not an easy step for all moms. I know it well because my breastfeeding story also had a bumpy start.I come from “breastfeeding heaven”. In Estonia, the concept of formula milk is practically unknown, and it is very common to breastfeed your baby for more than one year. So I went through my pregnancy pretty certain that my baby will be 100% breastfed. But, as always, life does not go as planned. For me, breastfeeding was very (very!) painful. I tried hard and suffered for days and finally accepted the idea of giving Lia formula for a while, so I could heal. However, I did not give up. After this week of supplementing with formula, I kept on trying to breastfeed her and finally managed to do it until she was five months old. While it no longer seems so bad, but, in those first days of becoming a new mother, I felt that I had failed as one. Was I a bad mom? No! I just got my first motherhood lesson early on: everybody is different! Every baby, every mom, every breastfeeding story is different. It is necessary to try to give and do the best for your baby, but at the end of the day a “perfect mom” does not exist and you can only be the best version of yourself.For my next baby, I already know better than to worry about trying to be perfect! Also, I know now that in Bangkok there are so many great sources of help and support for breastfeeding moms: lactation consultants, the Breastfeeding Cafe, BAMBI Bumps & Babies group and for example even this issue of BAMBI News. So, if your breastfeeding story has a rocky start like mine did, just keep in mind that you are not alone!Now, let's return from this trip down the memory lane to summer 2016. Before the holidays, we had some changes in our Committee. Alex, our British Club Coordinator stepped up and took the role of Playgroups Coordinator. Tatiana, the former Playgroups Coordinator became Activities Coordinator. This is a new, interesting position in BAMBI; she will create playgroups with activities for older kids and more fun activities for our existing Playgroups and Events. We were also happy to welcome new volunteers to our team: Josephine as Yard Sales Coordinator, Emily as Website Coordinator and Emy as Treasurer Assistant.Most of the BAMBI Committee members will take a break in July. So before attending playgroups during the summertime, please do check our website calendar or Facebook page to ensure that they are open.Enjoy the summer!Cheers,Tini View PDF
Dear Members,Last Sunday we went out for lunch with my husband and our 14-month-old daughter Lia. In the midst of feeding Lia chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, I realised that we had passed another milestone: I could order a whole meal for her from the restaurant menu! How crazy fast they grow! I clearly remember how last year, at this time, I was breastfeeding her 7 times a day. What an amazing experience to feed your baby with your own milk. However, it is not an easy step for all moms. I know it well because my breastfeeding story also had a bumpy start.I come from “breastfeeding heaven”. In Estonia, the concept of formula milk is practically unknown, and it is very common to breastfeed your baby for more than one year. So I went through my pregnancy pretty certain that my baby will be 100% breastfed. But, as always, life does not go as planned. For me, breastfeeding was very (very!) painful. I tried hard and suffered for days and finally accepted the idea of giving Lia formula for a while, so I could heal. However, I did not give up. After this week of supplementing with formula, I kept on trying to breastfeed her and finally managed to do it until she was five months old. While it no longer seems so bad, but, in those first days of becoming a new mother, I felt that I had failed as one. Was I a bad mom? No! I just got my first motherhood lesson early on: everybody is different! Every baby, every mom, every breastfeeding story is different. It is necessary to try to give and do the best for your baby, but at the end of the day a “perfect mom” does not exist and you can only be the best version of yourself.For my next baby, I already know better than to worry about trying to be perfect! Also, I know now that in Bangkok there are so many great sources of help and support for breastfeeding moms: lactation consultants, the Breastfeeding Cafe, BAMBI Bumps & Babies group and for example even this issue of BAMBI News. So, if your breastfeeding story has a rocky start like mine did, just keep in mind that you are not alone!Now, let's return from this trip down the memory lane to summer 2016. Before the holidays, we had some changes in our Committee. Alex, our British Club Coordinator stepped up and took the role of Playgroups Coordinator. Tatiana, the former Playgroups Coordinator became Activities Coordinator. This is a new, interesting position in BAMBI; she will create playgroups with activities for older kids and more fun activities for our existing Playgroups and Events. We were also happy to welcome new volunteers to our team: Josephine as Yard Sales Coordinator, Emily as Website Coordinator and Emy as Treasurer Assistant.Most of the BAMBI Committee members will take a break in July. So before attending playgroups during the summertime, please do check our website calendar or Facebook page to ensure that they are open.Enjoy the summer!Cheers,Tini View PDF