Mommies, imagine this!

You are still in your office, finishing some deadlines, then suddenly, you feel like you’re having a fever. Your body temperature seems to be getting higher, the cool air from the AC is getting into your bones, you almost shiver. You perfectly know what’s causing this, and so you excuse yourself from work for a couple of minutes to get this liquid gold out of your body. So you can feel better again. 

And there you go! You got 6 oz of breastmilk, now temporarily stored in the office fridge. You're feeling okay now because you’re able to get rid of that feverish feeling. However, your heart tells you otherwise.

That you’re not okay.

That you’re missin’ your little one. 

And then your mind keeps sayin’ “Nagugutom na ang baby ko, gusto ko na umuwi.”

A sad story, right?

I should know, ‘coz that was my story. 

Yes! I was once a breastfeeding corporate mom. And I can attest that the struggle of wanting to be with your baby and providing them with only the best milk is real! (By the way, when I say the best milk, it only means breastmilk. Breastfeeding mommas also refer to it as liquid gold.)

To tell you the truth, I really don’t know how I was able to surpass that difficult stage of being a breastfeeding corporate mom for my firstborn, but I thank God that I did. I believe it was also His doin’ that I learned all about working from home months before I gave birth to my second child. Back then, I knew I had to make better decisions for my family and for myself.

And so, I became a breastfeeding work-at-home mom to my two children, and I’ve been doing that for a year now. 

So far, I’m lovin’ every moment. Let me tell you why! 

1. I love that I can give my babies only the best milk any time they demand for it.

Oh! You just don’t know how relieved I was that I no longer need to express my milk four times a day in the office just to make sure my baby has enough milk to consume whenever I go to work. Not to mention my worries that the milk I’ve expressed might not be able to make it at home in good condition (despite having it stored in a cooler bag), because of long-distance travel, are now gone.

It feels great too that I can already feed my babies by demand and not by the 1-1.5 oz/hr rule (that’s how much breastmilk your baby should intake while you’re gone). They no longer need to cup feed/ bottle feed, so there are no bottles to wash and disinfect. Isn’t that good news?

And yes, no need to worry about having engorged breasts. No more feverish feeling, ever!

But enough of the gone worries, let’s talk about the real benefits of breastfeeding to babies. Here’s a list of them according to research:

• Protects against allergies and eczema.
• Causes less stomach upset, diarrhea, and constipation than formula. 
• Reduces the risk of viruses, urinary tract infections, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroenteritis, ear infections, and respiratory infections.
• Lessens the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• Makes vaccines more effective. 
• Protects against diseases such as spinal meningitis, type 1 diabetes, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. 
• May make your baby smarter. 
• It could help prevent obesity. 
• Brings baby close to you. skin-to-skin contact of breastfeeding is reassuring to a newborn.

Benefits of breastfeeding extend to mommies too, and here’s how:

• Lowers your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. 
• Helps you lose pregnancy weight. 
• Triggers your uterus to shrink back to pre-pregnancy size. 
• May lower your risk of osteoporosis.  
• Heals your body after delivery. 
• Delays menstruation. 
• Can give you some natural birth-control protection. 
• Gives you closeness with your baby. 
• Saves you money. 
• The cost savings extend beyond your household, too. 
• Cultivates friendships. I highly recommend that you join the FB Group “Breastfeeding Pinays” where you’ll get the facts you need to know to help you on your breastfeeding journey, plus encouragement from fellow breastfeeding moms and breastfeeding counselors as well.  (Singling this out in case there will be mommies reading this blog who might need support on their breastfeeding journey.)

2. I love that I can earn as much while being able to be there for my babies.

I remember back then when we would go to the Health Center for my firstborn’s vaccination (note that I was still working in the corporate that time), the nurse would always say:

“Ang mga nanay iniiwan ang mga anak para magtrabaho to buy milk for her baby where in fact the food that her baby need is dala dala lang nila”.

I felt like I was being slapped in the face because she’s totally right, I leave my daughter with her nanny while I go to work, when in fact “ako lang ang kailangan ng baby ko.” 

But something in her statement is not appropriate for my situation. I don’t work so I can buy formula milk for my baby, I work because I have to help my husband in providing for our family’s needs.

That’s why I consider working from home a gift for families. In my case, I can earn more than what I was earning in the corporate back then, while I am able to take care of my husband and my babies.

How did I learn about working from home?

Well, I found this Facebook Group, FreeLancers In the Philippines by Jason Dulay where I learned a lot about the basics of freelancing. Then it led me to an online course, the Virtual Assistant Bootcamp. I felt like God was leading me to enroll in this course, and so I did. 

Thank God, everything was worth it! Got into a bunch of clients and woooh! Who would have thought this month is already my 1st year anniversary as an Online Freelancer, a Breastfeeding Work-at-Home Mom!

What kind of online work have I done?

I’ve been an Internet Researcher, Virtual Assistant managing emails, doing email campaigns, booking travels/massage/haircut. I’ve done lead generation. I’ve been a hiring manager, project manager, chat, email and phone technical support, website manager, photo editor, video editor, community manager, content creator, blogger, office receptionist, LinkedIn account manager, social media strategist, etc. 

Why did I have to state all those jobs? Because those are the jobs a breastfeeding mom can do!

Interesting right? 

You can do it too!

3. I love the bond that I am able to make with my family.

Yes! I love that I can produce the milk my babies need and I can give it to them anytime they want it. And I definitely love that even if I no longer work as an Electronics Engineer in a corporate setting, I can still provide for my family through online jobs.

But what I love most about being a breastfeeding work-at-home mom, is the bond that we have now as a family (not to mention the special kind of bond that I was able to make with my two kids through breastfeeding).

Here are just some of the things that I was able to do that made our family closer than ever since I started working from home:

• Cook for the family. Being at the office 6am-5pm not including overtime work (which happens most of the time) makes it really impossible for me to cook back then. But now, I do cook for the family, and they love it that I do! In fact, my husband is always requesting for his all-time favorite, Fish Tinola. 
• Attend birthday parties, wedding events, and other family events.  Yes! Pwede na. I don’t have to worry about filing leaves, or whether my leave applications will be approved or not.
• Attend church. For 4 years, I used to having only Sunday as my day-off, which sometimes makes it tiring to go to church and just stay at home to rest. Now, we are making everyday Sunday, we sometimes prepare desserts on a weekday, play gospel songs in the morning, wake up late, and even attend church.
• Movie “days”. Who says watching a movie is better at night? Watching a movie is also enjoyable in the morning especially if your babies are done with all their meals and baths (though I don't mind if they ask for dede throughout this bonding sesh too).
• Play with my babies and cuddle them any time of the day. This, I can’t do when I was still in the corporate. My daughter is spending most of her time with her nanny back then. 
• Treat my eldest daughter to an hour of pure joy at a playhouse. I can bring along my work at the playhouse if I want to.
• 2 days weekend off. Before, I only have one day off in a week, only Sundays. But now, I have 2 days' weekend off plus all the other days flexi-time which means more quality time with the family (and unlimited breastfeeding session with my baby, too). It seems to be “having a life you don't need a vacation from”.

You may or may not want to work at home but I just want to let you know that there is a choice!

Every piece of information you need is already laid out for you.

A lot of Facebook Groups help aspiring work-at-home moms and dads!

And a lot of breastfeeding moms are already enjoying the life of being with their babies. 

The advent of the internet, computers, cell phones are helping you out. Now it's your decision to make it happen! 

Want a course that will guide you on your freelancing journey every step of the way? Get started now by signing up to the VA BOOTCAMP Course here.