The Big Latch On Korea 2017

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and all over the world people will be participating in events to celebrate.

• At 10:30am on August 4th and 5th, 2017, people will participate in The Global Big Latch On. 
• All day on Sunday, August 6th is Selfie Sunday. 
• All day on Monday, August 7th there will be Express Yourself. 

The latter two you can do on your own, but the Global Big Latch On takes place with other people.

What is The Global Big Latch On?
Their website states that "Global Big Latch On events take place at registered locations around the world, where women gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other. Their friends, family and community join this celebration to promote and support breastfeeding. Volunteers from within the community host each location, hosting a Global Big Latch On event creates a lasting support network for the community."

 It started in New Zealand in 2005. There are many reasons behind this event, according to their site.
"Global Big Latch On events aim to protect, promote & support breastfeeding families by:

• Provide support for communities to identify and grow opportunities to provide on-going breastfeeding support and promotion in local communities.
• Raise awareness of breastfeeding support and knowledge available locally and globally. 
• Help communities positively support breastfeeding in public places. 
• Make breastfeeding as normal part of day-to-day life at a local community level.
• Increase support for women who breastfeed – women are supported by their partners, family and their communities.
• Ensure communities have the resources to advocate for coordinated appropriate and accessible breastfeeding support services."

Who Can Participate?
Breastfeeding moms, their partners, and their supporters are welcome to join. They will count three different things: the number of latches, the number of breastfeeding women, and the total number of people. They recognise that breastfeeding journets are different. As such, in order to be counted as a latch, you can have

• A direct latch
• A supplemental nursing system or nipple shield
• Express milk using your hands or pump
• Feed your child breast milk using an alternative method

In Korea there will be 2 events, one in Yongsan, Seoul and one in Songtan, Pyeongtaek. Be sure to check out Big Latch On Korea on Facebook as well.

Want to Donate or Help Out?
If you're a small or local business, consider donating a prize for the raffle. If you'd like to donate money, please do so on The Big Latch On website. If you'd like to donate your time, please contact Sheila (Seoul) or Sharon (Pyeongtaek) to find out how you can help out.

Yongsan, Seoul: Friday, August 4th from 10-11:30am
The location is TBA. You can register on the Facebook page or on the Big Latch On website. The location code for this event is 1324. Victor will be there to take photos. There will be a raffle and the following businesses will be providing prizes.

• Amy Morgan and Co.
• Art Night Korea
• Brera
• Create Wellness Center
• Dooloo Kids Shop 
• Sprout-Natural Healthy Whole Food Service
• Sweet Seasons by Jayleen from Fat Cat Neighborhood Bistro in HBC 
• The Baker's Table in Kyungridan and Seoul Square
• Vanessa Reid - Birth and Breastfeeding Services

Songtan, Pyeongtaek: Saturday, August 5th from 10-11am
The event will be held at Cornerstone, which is a coffee shop near Posco. You can find a map on the Facebook event. Since they are letting us use the location they have asked that people buy one drink. You can register on the Facebook page or on the Big Latch On website. The location code for this event is 1326.

• After Hours Style
• Alicia, The Bag Lady
• Angie's Crafts
• Art Night Korea
• Ehvan Khinsavath from Rodan and Field
• Essential Oils with Cecilia
• Four Twigs
• Locos Tacos 
• LuLaRoe with Sam Marie
• Meg's Memories Photography
• RC Creations
• Stephanie Allison Photography 
• Tina's Little Angels Babysitting/Tutoring Osan
• Vanessa Reid - Birth and Breastfeeding Services

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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

Where to Buy a New Breast Pump in Korea

I previously wrote about where to buy a used breast pump in Korea. Below you can find some information about buying a new breast pump in Korea. Pumps can be expensive but you can also put them on your baby registry. When planning on what to get for your baby, you need to consider how you will raise your child. Different people will spend money on different things.

Closed vs. Open Breast Pumps
A closed pump keeps the milk from entering the tubing. The Pumping Mommy and Kelly Mom also have some great info about why you should buy a closed breast pump, especially if you're buying a used one. Closed pumps are WHO compliant. Open pumps are not.

Closed Breast Pumps
Here are some closed breast pumps. There are hospital-grade, double electric pumps, single electric pumps, and single manual pumps. Be sure to read the reviews to see which one would be best for you. I always read the negative reviews first.

• Ameda Elite, Platinum, and Purely Yours
• Ardo Calypso, Calypso-to-go, and Carum
• Avent Double Electric Breast Pump, ISIS IQ Uno, and ISIS IQ Uno Complete
• Bailey Nurture III, Nurture III Basic, and Nurture III Deluxe
• Evenflo Comfort Select Dual
• First Years Natural Comfort Double
• Freemie Freedom and Equality
• Hygeia EnDeare, EnJoye-EPS, EnJoye-EXT, EnJoye-LBI, and EnJoye-LBI Professional
• Lansinoh Affinity Pro, Double Electric, and Signature Pro
• Limerick PJ's Bliss and Comfort 
• Lucina Melodi One
• Medela Lactina, Symphony, and Swing
• Playtex Embrace
• Rumble Tuff Serene Express Duo 
• Spectra 9, Dew, M1, S1, and S2

Stores
Baby Fairs are a good place to check out different breast pumps. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a pump at a baby fair than at a store. Stores dedicated to families, such as Moms Mom and Toys R Us
may have them. Bigger department stores such as Lotte and Shinsaegae may as well. In Lotte in Myeongdong, there is a place called BB on the 7th floor that has some pumps. Around women's hospitals there are often stores dedicated to families and some bigger hospitals may actually have a store inside. Mothercare is located inside Homeplus and they may have some pumps. Sunny Smart Shopping and Ask Ajumma are services that can help you locate a pump whether from a brick-and-mortar store or an online store. 


Online direct from companies

• 11th Street
• Baby Mini Mall
• Coupang 
• Dawa 
• Gmarket
 

Online from people
Sometimes people buy a pump or are given a pump and never use it. You might find one listed on one of the sites below. 

• Craigslist
• Flea Market
• Kids in Korea Swap & Sell
• Korea Maternity/Baby Gear Sale Extravaganza
• Osan Flea Market for moms, babies, and toddlers 
• Osan Mom Swap
• Seoul Buy and Sell
• Seoul Military Buy and Sell
• Seoul Mamas
• Stuff for Sale

NB: I will be taking a break from blogging in July and August. I will be back in September. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on sharonkcouzens@gmail.com

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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

Why the Words "Low" and "High" Should Not be Used by Your Doctor

It typically happens like this. You go for a routine doctor's visit only to be told . . .

• your heart rate . . .
• your baby's heart rate . . .
• the amniotic fluid . . .  
• the baby's weight . . . 
• your blood pressure . . .

is too low / too high so we need to do . . .

• an induction.
• an (emergency) C-section.
• more tests. 

This is absolutely horrible and bullies parents into decisions when they have not received complete informed consent. More often than not it's accompanies by fear and guilt techniques such as if you don't do this your baby could have serious long-term problems or even death. When you're told this by your doctor (someone you trust), you blindly do what they tell you. Granted there are situations that do merit immediate care. However, more often than not, things are normal.

Let's step away from doctors and get a different perspective. Imagine you want to find out the weather forecast for the next week and all that you can see is the date and "hot" or "cold". That's it. No temperatures. That's not very helpful, is it?

That's precisely what doctors are doing when they tell you your numbers or your baby's numbers are "low" or "high". They're not giving you the complete picture, so how exactly can you make an informed decision when you're missing the vital information?

Always, always, ask for numbers. "Low" and "high" are subjective. Numbers are concrete and objective. Let's look at two different situations. You need two numbers:

• what the normal range is
• what your number is.

Only then, can you make an informed decision.

Situation A
You go in for a routine visit and are told your X is low. You ask for numbers and are told that the normal range is 100-120 and you are at 98. You're 2 numbers away from being within the normal range. You now know the complete picture and can decide what to do. That might be to follow the doctor's advice, ask for re-testing, check and see what can cause low numbers and try to fix it and then re-test. 2 numbers isn't that drastic and remember that there is room for error in all tests.

Situation B
You go in for a routine visit and are told your X is low. You ask for numbers and are told that the normal range is 100-120 and you are at 50. Now this situation is very different than Situation A. Here you are 50 numbers away from being within the normal range. Knowing this you will probably make a very different decision that what you would make in Situation A.

Conclusion
Doctors do tend to have your best interests and the baby's best interest in mind. However, there are also many other things that come into play.

• They're following hospital policies.
• They actively manage births instead of using expectant management.
• They want to go home because it's Friday / they have plans the next day.
• They're afraid of being sued.

The bottom line is that it's ultimately up to you to get the complete picture and make a decision based on concrete, objective numbers not abstract, subjective adjectives.

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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, Neonatal Death, and Infant Loss Support in Korea

Losing a child is a difficult time for a parent. Many women suffer from miscarriages and some do not even know they were pregnant. A baby is usually considered stillborn if the loss happens after 20 weeks and if it happens before then it's considered a miscarriage. A very early miscarriage (before 5 weeks) is usually considered a chemical pregnancy. Neonatal death is when a baby dies within the first 28 days of life. Infant death is between 28-364 days.

Despite the different terminology, the result is still the same: a child has been lost. There are places to seek out help and talk to people who have been through the same experience, trained volunteers, as well as professional counselors and social workers. There are also a number of books written on this topic.

Depending on how old the baby was, many families find that photos or memory boxes (here's a list of what you can add to your memory box) can be very comforting. Others create certificates of life for their child that they lost in utero, such as the ones available at Bears of Hope, Grief Watch, and Memorial for the Unborn.

Support in Korea, both online and in person

• KISS: Korean Infertility Support System: sadly fertility treatments can increase the likelihood of miscarriage.
• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: photographers who capture infant loss. Although none are listed on their website for Korea, you can find photographers willing to volunteer their services in Korea here.
• Pregnancy Loss in Korea: a small, but close-knit group.

Online Support in Korea (these do not deal with loss specifically)

• Postpartum Depression Support in Korea
• Pregnant Army Wives in South Korea
• Pregnant in Korea
• Pregnant in Osan

Counselors and Social Workers in Korea

• Adaptable Human Services (AHS): Seoul. 02-749-7419. Counselors and social workers who speak English and Korean. Some have been trained and licensed abroad. Fees are rather high.  
•  International Family Counseling Center (IFCC) is located in Yongsan.
•  International Psychology Center is located in Seoul and is a university-affiliated psychology clinic. 
• Therapy in Korea is located near Hanti station. 
• Torch Trinity Christian Counseling Center: Seoul and online. 02-570-7115. Counselors who are pursuing masters and doctorates. Fees depend on how far they are along in their studies. They do have free services. They will not push religion on you.

Online support, not specifically for Korea

• 7 cups of tea: Worldwide. There are people you can talk to online It's free, anonymous, and confidential to talk to trained volunteer listeners.
• Baby Angel Pics
• Bereavement Seminar 
• Hope Mommies: A religious support group. They also have a Facebook page. 
• Miscarriage and Loss
• Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss
• Pregnancy After a Loss
• StillBirthDay: Support prior to, during, or after any loss. They also offer a bereavement certification so you can help other parents. 

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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.

The Difference Between Folic Acid and Folate: Which is Better?

Folic acid is to folate as pitocin is to oxytocin. The former is the synthetic form and the latter is the natural form.

The Linus Pauling Institute has some good information on what folate is. Chris Kesser and Wellness Mama both have very detailed posts about the differences between folic acid and folate. I highly recommend reading the articles and deciding which is best for you. It's easy to find folic acid supplements, but a bit more difficult to find folate supplements. Try searching for L-Methylfolate or
5-MTHF. Below are a few folate supplements.

• Blue Bonnet
• Jarrow Formula 
• Life Extension
• Pure Encapsulations
• Solgar

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Tender Embrace Birthing offers childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care classes and support.