We started out five years ago as a little passion project committed to address this problem: the Philippine General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PGH-NICU) had a breastmilk storage deficit of a staggering 16 liters. The goal back then was to help augment the supply for the sick babies who were in dire need of breastmilk. The babies were giving it all they got to survive, and we were committed to give them the only food indicated to help them fight their infections. To help them leverage for a fighting chance at life.
It still is the goal now, but five years into this little passion project called Milk Matters, Phi Lambda Delta Sorority knows there are bigger, relevant goals we can achieve not just for the babies in PGH NICU.
Five years later, Milk Matters evolved into a vision of committed medical students, doctors, community-based health volunteers and parish-based advocates dedicated to provide quality healthcare in the service of the Filipino children.
This vision, and more.
We are aiming towards evidence-based research that would help understand and promote breastfeeding and child health among urban poor communities.
We are aiming towards establishing milk storage facilities located in strategic partner communities to empower and promote child-rearing practices for both the mother and the baby. We currently have two sites: Tondo and Canossa Center in Cavite.
We are aiming towards interprofessional and international collaboration with the private and public health sectors pursuing similar goals.
These goals, and more.
We are not going to be complacent and rest on our laurels after having achieved numerous awards and citations, both in national and international arenas (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations 2014 Winner, international presentations such as in Consortium of Universities for Global Health, recipient of international grants, etc.), all at the age of five years. These awards are a reminder that we are on the right path, and we are blessed enough to even be acknowledged.
Awards or no awards, we know service is our core. We know who we do this for, why we do what we do, how we will do it. The vision may not be 20/20 clear yet, but we are brave enough, compassionate enough, blessed enough to pursue the path set before us.
Five years, and more.
I thank the Lord for using me as an instrument to have spearheaded this worthy and meaningful project. Everything is grace, indeed. To my Phi sisses, and to all those who have helped us and believed in us and continue to do so, THANK YOU. No one can do Milk Matters alone. We are a dream team. I am beyond blessed.
PS. We started Milk Matters while I was a third year medical student. Don’t limit yourself with what you can do. Learning is not confined within the four walls of the classroom.

Mommy Bhing shares what a lot of mothers have struggled with during breastfeeding – supply vs demand. “My supply was not enough to meet my baby's demand,” Mommy Bhing shares. However, she didn’t let this nor her job stop her from pursuing exclusive breastfeeding— “I needed to wake up in the middle of the night just to pump so I can leave her breastmilk that she can take enough for the day before going to the office.” She was determined to balance being a professional with her desire to exclusively breastfeed — she was successful with her first born, Anya, and she continues to be successful for baby Aira.
Despite all the problems she has faced with her breastfeeding journey, she was able to push through with determination and love for her daughter. So when asked if she would have done anything differently when she had first started breastfeeding, she said she wouldn’t change a thing. Mommy Bhing brings everything that she has learned to her on-going breastfeeding journey with her second baby and shares her story to other mothers having struggles with breastfeeding.
From a fortified immunity, to more savings, and to being environmental-friendly, Mommy Bhing uses her experience with both her daughters as a platform for advocating breastfeeding to relatives and friends. But most of all, she promotes breastfeeding because of the love she and her daughters share, it is a love every mother should experience. “It’s true that breastmilk is really best for babies. I am more close to my 1st born because i chose to breastfed her. I want all mothers to know the benefits of breastfeeding as i have seen it with my first born.”

Dianne Pangilinan-Concepcion is a mother to one year old baby girl CC, one with a newfound advocacy for breastfeeding.  Like most first-time mothers, Dianne initially struggled with nursing her daughter. However, with dedication and utmost love for her daughter, she was able to overcome her struggles and breastfeed successfully, giving her daughter the best gift a mother can offer.

​Tracy Paulino-Cuesta is a medical doctor fresh out of her Pediatrics residency at the Makati Medical Center, a wife to pilot Gino Cuesta, and a doting Supermom to two beautiful girls: Rina (4) and Gicca (9 months).
 
Despite the mental and physical demands of medical training, Tracy remains extremely family-centered and feels strongly about exclusively breastfeeding her two girls. “I want to normalize breastfeeding, even in public,” she says. “It’s a perfectly natural way to feed a baby, and I feed my babies anywhere and anytime. I don't need to look for breastfeeding places or do extraordinary things to cover up.”

​As is the case for many mothers, breastfeeding wasn’t always easy for Tracy. “My milk didn’t come until my girls were three days old,” she admits. “Rina was getting hungry and even had an episode of low blood sugar; I had to give in to giving glucose water.” Despite this setback, Tracy kept trying. She was determined to give her babies the benefits that only breast milk can offer. “I couldn’t just give up, and my milk finally came in at the third day. So, when it was Gicca’s turn, I knew not to put too much pressure on myself and not to get disheartened right away.”
 
The initial scarcity of milk wasn’t the only problem that Tracy had encountered in her breastfeeding journey. In addition to raising a family, Tracy also had other kids to look after: her patients. “It meant a lot of sleepless nights and sore breasts, especially since breastfed babies wake up more during the night to feed,” she shares. “I breastfed and pumped during Residency. I would pump every three hours—even while I was on duty.”

Despite the bumps in the road, Tracy has never regretted her decision to exclusively breastfeed her girls. “I breastfed my eldest, Rina, for 14 months, and I’m still currently breastfeeding Gicca who is 9 months old,” she says proudly. “I, and everyone around me, have noticed how close my girls are to me. Rina is a mature and independent child, but she knows that she just needs to cuddle in my arms whenever she feels unwell or scared to feel better again.” Tracy is living testament to the unique mother-child bond formed during breastfeeding. She gushes, “There is not a feeling more amazing than seeing all the love in their eyes while they gaze up at me while breastfeeding.”

​Tracy is passionate about sharing this love for breastfeeding with other mothers. She ends by saying, “Breastfeeding is physically demanding. Sometimes, it’s exhausting. You will be alone and awake in the wee hours of the morning feeding and rocking your baby to sleep. You will lose your privacy when you bare your body anytime your baby gets hungry. Yet, despite these difficulties, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your baby grow big and strong—knowing that you are providing the best and most perfect food for your baby.”

​Mommy Valerie Cuyegkeng-Go opens up about her breastfeeding journey with her 7-month old baby, Quino – sharing their bonding experience, how to overcome difficulties, and how to deal with society’s misconceptions on top of her duties as a wife and working in PGH. As an advocate for breastfeeding and breastmilk, Mommy Val shares her thoughts on her journey.
 
She has been breast feeding her baby since birth despite being on-duty at the hospital. She shares that “...with breastfeeding, I’m giving my child a part of myself each time. It’s something I can only give him.” Coming from a medical background, Mommy Val knows what to give baby Quino during this critical time in his development. She shares that this has deepened their relationship and adds that “he knows his mama when he smells me and my milk, even if I’m always on duty!”
 
However, despite having a stronger bond between mother and child, Mommy Val has also experienced a lot of difficulties during her breastfeeding journey. She mentioned that, “everything about breastfeeding was difficult for me – from initiating the first latch and building milk supply, to getting engorged and mastitis when I went back to work, and to just being exhausted from it all.” But, she was able to push through all of that because of her child and the support from the people around her – “what helped me through it all, and is still helping me through it, is knowing that I’m giving my child the best form of nutrition and having a support group of breastfeeding mommies to share my woes and successes with.”
 
When asked if she would have done anything differently, Mommy Val said that “I would have wanted to stay at home longer, to really be able to directly latch my baby for the first two months – but it isn’t always an option for most working moms, especially those who are in medical school like me.”  Even though, Mommy Val made an effort to manually express her breastmilk for use at home whenever she’s not around, “I had to bottle feed my child at 6 weeks when I went back to work and he got nipple confusion early on. He no longer latched on to me after that, but he’s still on a 100% breastmilk diet thanks to technology and breast pumps. He’s 7 months now and I’m still producing a lot of milk.” Because of her effort to manually express her breastmilk regularly, she has a large supply of breastmilk that she donates to moms in need.
 
Being able to be a part of Milk Matters, advocating exclusive breastfeeding, and working at PGH was not enough preparation for what breastfeeding would bring to her. “I realized that breastfeeding is not easy at all. It requires so much commitment, time, and effort. I never understood how hard it was until I was doing it myself,” Mommy Val shares.
 
For the 7 months Mommy Val has had on her breastfeeding journey, there are four things she would want to share to breastfeeding moms, to soon-to-be moms, and to society in general. “First, it should be clear that breastfeeding and breastmilk is really the best nutrition you can give your child.” As a medical doctor, she sees the importance and how critical it is to a child’s growth and development. She advocates giving breastmilk in all its forms – may it be from the direct latch or manually expressed.
 
“Second, there should be no judgment placed on any mom if she decides not to breastfeed. Like I said, it’s hard and everyone’s circumstance is different.” Being exposed to different cases at the hospital and encountering moms from different backgrounds, Mommy Val understands that each mom’s experience would vary and it should not be a reason for a negative stigma.
 
“Third, it’s difficult but doable, if you really want to breastfeed your child then you just have to persevere and keep trying. Lastly, happy Mommy is best for baby – and that trumps it all!” Despite all the difficutly she had, Mommy Val still advocates for breastfeeding and breastmilk. She understands that it will always require commitment, time, and effort but it is doable especially with the inspiration from her baby and with the support of the people around her.

Mommy Eileen Goco-Dy opens up about her breastfeeding journey – sharing her bonding experience with her 13 month-old baby, overcoming difficulties, and dealing with society’s misconceptions.
 
Breastfeeding has definitely had an impact on her bonding experience with her baby, Dana Eliana. Mommy Eileen has been breastfeeding her since birth. She says that, “During times na hindi siya comfortable, distressed siya, or may comfort siyang hinahanap – si mommy talaga hanap. Sa 13 months, feeling ko yung bond namin dalawa, hindi kaya pantayan – kahit ng sa papa niya. Iba talaga kapag breastfed baby.”

Despite strengthening the bonding experience of Mommy Eileen and her baby, she still had her fair share of difficulties during breastfeeding. Altough milk supply was never a problem, she dealt with the pain during latching. She would experience lumps and blebs (milk plugs) on her breasts. She shared that she overcame the pain by performing hand expression to clear the ducts and prevent futher swelling.
 
When asked if she would have done anything differently when she first started breastfeeding, she said that “I wouldn’t change na direct latch kami, but I would probably invest in a pump. Why? Because I want to donate! For us [moms], thats our way of giving back.” Mommy Eileen recalls that she experienced a difficult pregnancy that led her to bed rest majority of the time, which is why even before she gave birth, she was sure that she was going to breastfeed her baby. “Paglabas pa lang, yung boobs ko namamaga na kaya sabi ng Pedia ko sobrang dami. If I started pumping early on, sana marami na akong na-donate,” she shares.
 
On misconceptions, Mommy Eileen believes that a common misconception would be, "[when people say], ‘Dapat maghanda ka na, dapat humingi ka na ng milk from other people kasi pag nanganak ka, wala kang milk. Dapat painomin mo [si baby] ng milk.’” She further says that is is a common misconception because “[moms] do have milk! Its just that hindi lang madami kasi they start out na sobrang liit ng stomach nila parang, calamansi lang. So for you to build up a supply, there needs to be a demand. The more na naglatch si baby, the more na dadami ang supply.”
 
Another common misconception that Mommy Eileen shares with us is about the reliance on supplements. “Though it helps, moms should definitely not be dependent and hoping that if they take all of [the supplements], it will dramatically increase the supply. It really takes determination and perseverance to increase your supply, [which includes] latching and regligious pumping every 2-3 hours.”
 
With all her experiences during breastfeeding, dealing with the difficulties, and handling the misconceptions of society, Mommy Eileen has two main points she wants to share with society.
 
To the moms that are breastfeeding, “there’s [a] very little percentage of moms na walang milk. Everyone has milk. God designed our bodies para magsupply ng milk sa anak natin. So if I were to say that, never doubt the design. Never doubt that your body can give milk to your baby. That’s the way it was built. Even way before formula milk was made, it was breastfeeding – wala naman iba. Never doubt na wala akong mabibigay or kulang yan.
 
To society in general about breastfeeding itself, “hindi dapat siya ikahiya, hindi dapat siya itreat na bastos or something na ‘ano ba yan nagbrebreast feed, di marunong magtago ng dede’. Yung boobs, in the mind na lang yan, eventually society made it bastos – a sexual image. It was never meant for that naman eh, it was meant for a women to bear a child, give birth, and grow your child.”
 
She also adds the importance of family support, “if your husband thinks na bastos or nakakahiya mag breast feed ka in public, that automatically degrades you as a woman. Dapat talaga if its an advocacy or a shared awareness, dapat di lang siya sa moms but to the family and the people surrounding the mom to breastfeed.”
 
Sharing her story, Mommy Eileen shows that moms are not alone in their breastfeeding journey, that they should believe in themselves to provide for their babies, and that support from family and society are important to ending the stigma against public breastfeeding.