Health & Wellness Archives

My Hospital Bag Checklist

I suddenly found myself searching for a cute or trendy baby bag. It feels like just yesterday when we tested and I’m positive for our 6th child. I haven’t even planned the gender reveal yet (though I already know the gender haha) and here I am feeling ready to give birth. I’m on my 30th weeks already and due on April first week. At my age, it will seem like baby will arrive earlier than expected so it is best to be prepared. I have been reading a lot and they say it is best to have your baby hospital bag organized and packed around 32 weeks of pregnancy. I only have 2 weeks to prepare!

So I am posting this personal check list (based on readings and experiences from past child birth) to help me prepare everything I need for myself, the baby, and the daddy. I divided it into 3 categories, each with own separate smalls bag and will list it that way. For me, this is the best way to organize our baby bag. Everything will be then put in a big bag after. What kind of bag? As I have mentioned earlier, still looking for it! But some of my jujube bags seems promising, better to save the money on diapers and other baby essentials.

Hospital Bag for Baby

Receiving essentials which I will put in a small pouch and will be placed on top most of our big hospital bag.
- receiving blanket
- baby clothes (I prefer side tie tops and cute pajama)
- mittens & booties
- newborn diaper
Comfort essentials for the baby. I am thinking of putting this essentials on a plastic box so that I can just put it on top a table or cabinet while in the hospital room.
- - pacifier
  - diaper rash cream
  - IPI Aceite de Manzanilla if in case baby is colic. Our tried and tested product when it comes to soothing the baby’s discomfort due to accumulation of gas or what we call as “kabag’. IPI Aceite de Manzanilla main ingredient is manzanilla oil which has a soothing and calming effect.

I have been using Aceite de Manzanilla since my first born at as I have mentioned, tried and tested product in soothing the baby. Recently, I heard some rumors about the use of aceite and that it can cause Pneumonia. Syempre feeling first time mom at medyo nagpanic ako doon so I researched and asked our pedia about.

Can Aceite de Manzanilla really cause Pneumonia?

Fact is, there are two types of pneumonia, one cause by bacteria and one cause by vrius, nothing in my research says that another cause is the use of Acete de Manzanilla. If there’s one thing I learned, it is that proper hygiene and cleanliness dapat to avoid getting sick, lalo na kay baby.

Our pedia advised us on how to properly use it. Remembering always that improper use and excessive use is not good. Use it only when necessary and when the baby is experiencing kabag or discomfort. Avoid using it as oil before bathing the baby, you don’t really need to put oil on baby’s back or head. Mag bu build up lang yan ng bacteria because hindi mo malilinis ng husto si baby. Of course, at the first sign of irritation, stop use na agad and ask advice sa pedia. SInce in our case, wala namang history ng irritation, Acete de Manzanilla is still part of our hospital bag list.

Aside from the receiving essentials and comfort essentials, ito pa yung mga essentials na nasa bag ni baby:

Baby toiletries will include diapers, baby wipes, cotton balls, and alcohol. This will be placed together with the comfort essentials.
Change of clothes for the baby. I am thinking of packing at least 3 change of clothes for the baby but will add more pjs. Based on my experience, you will need this more often. So that would be 3 tops + 3 mittens, and 5 pjs + 5 booties.
Going home outfit (and car seat). This is the most exciting part to plan! Since baby’s gender is not out yet, I am not going to discuss this more haha. Rest assured, it will be the cutest outfit ever, after all, it will the older siblings’ first time to see their newest baby.

Hospital Bag for Mommy

I think this is what will take most space on our hospital bag. After all, I will be the one doing all the labor.

Documents required in the hospital that will be placed neatly in a resealable pouch
- ID
- RT- PCR test result
- contact details of my OB-GYN
- Insurance documents (Philhealth, SSS, HMO, and the likes)

Comfort essentials that I will probably need during labor also placed in a separate small bag.
- lip balm
- socks
- essential oil like IPI Acete de Manzanilla to help me calm during labor, just the smell of it, parang kumakalma na ako eh. Also I noticed how it helped me kabag too lalo na pag busy ako mag work.
- hand lotion
Change of clothes during our stay in the hospital.
- 3 comfy tops
- 3 comfy bottoms
- 3 pairs of undies and nursing bra
- Jacket or robe
- Slippers
Toiletries & make- up. I am not comfortable taking a bath in the hospital so I will not include bath essentials but will include facial wash (skin care is a must!)
- maternity pads
- hand soap
- body lotion
- facial wash and moisturizer
- Make up kit
Other essentials that will be very useful during our hospital stay will include:
- blanket
- extra pillow
- charger and power bank
- snacks
- alcohol
Going home outfit would be a nice nursing top or dress.

Hospital Bag for Daddy (Birth Partner)

So let us not forget the essentials for daddy who is my birth partner since child #1.

For documents, I still have to check with the hospital if husband also needs to present an RT- PCR result.
For husband’s comfort, I will be packing a blanket for him, slippers, and jacket.
Other essentials will include:
- alcohol
- charger and power bank
- snacks
For change of clothes, 2 shirts and 1 pants will do, plus undies for him.

These are my list so far and will probably add a few more as the day goes by but this is is most likely the bulk of it. As this is already my 6th baby, no need to read up on the signs of labor, kabisado ko na yan! But if it is your first time to give birth, it is best to also discuss the signs of labor to your birth partner so he would know what to do if labor starts. Good luck to us mommies of 2022 babies!

All Natural Seasons Juice Review

As I have always mentioned on my plant vlogs, wala namang masama kung makiusuo ka, or be updated with the latest trends. Do what makes you happy but of course without sacrificing your budget and most specially your health. Nasabi ko yan because I was like that when it comes to fruit juices, noong nauso ang mga fruit juice in can few summers ago, ang dami ko binili! Kase the flavors are really enticing only to realize later that their common ingredients is sugar! Kaya pala iba ang tamis niya.

I stopped buying fruits juices for a while because of that. But we do really love drinking something with a different taste and as much as I want to make fruit juice out of real fruits (or vegetables), my schedule won’t permit. Good thing we discovered a fruit juice that is not only has the freshest ingredients, healthy and natural pa.

Remember my guiding principle when checking the ingredients of products that claim to be healthy and natural article? When I first heard about All Natural Seasons Juice, yan ang una kong ginawa, check the label! And here’s what I found out:

Check the first 5 ingredients. Usually the first 5 ingredients make up the largest part of the food component.

All Natural Seasons Juice first five ingredients are

water,
clarified pineapple juice concentrate
pineapple juice concentrate
banana puree
ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

Other ingredients are Stevia, natural flavor, VItamin E, and VItamin A. Based on our guiding principle, upon checking the label, All Natural Seasons Juice first five ingredients are all natural!

If an ingredients list is longer than two to three lines suggests that the product is highly processed. Pag mahaba, magduda ka na.

Second guiding principle, check the names of the ingredients! If it is two to three lines long, that suggests that the product is highly processed. Upon checking All Natural Seasons Juice list of all ingredients are short and we understand/know it all.

If an ingredient is hard to pronounce, it might not be good for you

Last but not the least and the easiest to remember, if the ingredients is hard to pronounce, it might nor be good for you. Kumusta naman ang mga ingredients ng juice natin? All Natural Seasons Juice ingredients listed are so easy to pronounce!

Indeed the freshest juice with natural ingredients is All Natural Seasons Juice.

Syempre dapat pasado sa mga kids ko specially to my teens. Sa totoo lang with the new normal, I am having a hard time with my teens in terms of managing their health. They are busier now that school are starting, busy with school activities, also busy catching up with friends (online of course). To keep up with their busy lifestyle and the fact that they love drinking flavored drinks, I gave them All Natural Seasons Juice. At pasado ang lasa sa mga teens ko! Medyo kinabahan ako kase all natural ingredients baka they would look for something sweeter, surprisingly, they love the taste of All Natural Seasons Juice Pineapple Banana Juice. Bagay din daw na shake!

Taste test, passed! How about the price? Knowing that is all natural, we can’t help but worry about the price. Minsan kase pag all natural, mas mahal di ba? Mura lang pala! I mean, I did not expect the price range being 70+ Pesos per L. Nagualt ako honestly. I was expecting it to be at 90+ Pesos range knowing that the ingredients are all natural. And it’s now available at at leading supermarkets and leading online stores!

It comes in different flavors, https://www.facebook.com/allnaturalseasons/ and https://www.instagram.com/allnaturalseasons/ kung anong flavor ang bagay sa family nyo.

Sa panahon ngayon talaga, very important that we exert more effort in giving the nutrition that our kids need to be healthier. At syempre dapat in check din ang bugdet, kaya naman let’s invite other moms to the same. Sama sama tayo and invite them to join our mommy movement- #PledgetoDoubleCheck

Natural and Healthy? Check The Label Mommies!

The new normal. How many of you have already adjusted to this thing we called the new normal? What are the things you have changed so far? I know there are many changes that is happening around us, some things that we never imagined will happen, but is already happening. As parents, as moms, the responsibility to adjust for the family is relied heavily on us. And it can be really overwhelming and can be stressful, but we will be dealing with it none the less. Tayo pa ba? Ang mga nanay walang sinusukuan yan.

Talking about dealing with it, I guess one of our biggest concerns is the health of our family. I am telling you, your concern is valid and you are not alone. Each every mom have been looking for ways to make their family healthier and with better immunity. It is in our nature to find ways, to ask around what else can we do to make our family health. Kumbaga mas naging health conscious na tayo ngayon.

Kayo ba, what are the changes that you’re doing to ensure that your family is healthy? Alam nyo kame, we have been exercising more, doing more physical activities than ever. We’re alaso trying to take advantage of the health benefits of morning sun exposure. The kids are also more involve with household chores. That’s hitting two birds in one stone! Mas nagiging responsable na sila, may physical activity pa.

Of course we also change a few in our diet. More fruits and veggies please! We really have to wise with our spending di ba? We have to spend our hard earned money wisely and in a more practical way. Lagi ko nga sinasabi sa mga bata, kesa ibili mo ng pagkain that may or will cause you more harm that good, just buy something natural and nutritious.

And that is how we are coping so far! Our buying attitude now lean towards providing the best, and the most nutritious for our family. We understand the importance of fruit in our diet and we buy these to keep our kids healthy. And because we are more conscious with what we buy, we highly rely on the nutritional facts and ingredients list that are indicated on the back label. Pero alam nyo ba some food manufacturers use misleading tricks to convince people to buy highly processed and unhealthy products. Ano daw? Kahit ako nagulat din ng nalaman ko. When it comes to our fruit juices, I also check the ingredients to make sure that it has the freshest ingredients, always check the back label!

I learned that lesson sometime ago. Like most of you, I really believe that aside from water, the next best drink is fruit juices. So for my school kids, I always buy fruit juices in tetra pack in boxes! I have this thinking that what I a giving them as baon for school was healthy. Mali pala when I started reading the label. I’m just actually giving them sugar in a tetrapack. So imagine my surprise eh may 5 box pa ng fruit juice sa pantry.

This is why I am sharing this to you, para hindi na kayo magkamali. Here’s my guiding principle when checking the ingredients of products that claim to be healthy and natural:

Check the first 5 ingredients. Usually the first 5 ingredients make up the largest part of the food component.
If an ingredients list is longer than two to three lines suggests that the product is highly processed. Pag mahaba, magduda ka na.
If an ingredient is hard to pronounce, it might not be good for you

Alam mo mabilis lang naman mag check ng label and investigate. If the product claims to be natural and healthy, double check the back label before buying it. Are you ready to check the back label? Tara lets #PledgeToDoubleCheck and buy just the freshest juice with natural ingredients here: https://www.facebook.com/allnaturalseasons/ and https://www.instagram.com/allnaturalseasons/