BabyTalk: Picnic at the Park (Funtivities)

the last month of my maternity leave was fruitful.. apart from being able to spend time with the kids, i had fun putting together the column & pictures for Funtivities on BabyTalk's  October 2011 issue.

if you haven't heard about the magazine, i invite you to climb out from under your rock to get a copy of this mag ;p

BabyTalk is a friendly resource to guide and support expecting and new moms manage the challenges of the most life-changing event in their life - motherhood. It offers the right balance of expert advice and real-life stories to inform, encourage and involve mothers stage-by-stage from pregnancy to parenthood.

what i love about the mag is it's written by moms for moms.

i had severe milk shortage last week. was down with high fever, chills & cough & made the wrong move by taking what i thought was a harmless cough mixture off the shelf. previously i could express 6 ounces of milk but it suddenly plunged into a pathetic 1 ounce.
my heart sank everytime i had to take the reserves from the freezer. all 52 ounces gone in just 3 days!

in my desperation, i wrote to babytalk and asked if they knew of any lactation consultants that could help. i wasn't about to give up on breastfeeding leah. i needed someone reliable whom i can consult.
amidst their busy schedule, they made the effort & gave me a whole list of contacts of lactation consultants.

i finally managed to contact one and was amazed by how helpful a total stranger can be to you... i told her my exact predicament and she patiently came out with helpful solutions.
was told that the body wasn't producing milk because the cough mixture i took dries up all the phlegm & at the same time the milk production in the body.

thank you so much joey & gina for your invaluable help!

meanwhile, here are some photos for the column...
do pick up a copy of their Oct issue (available now at major newstands).