Why are Youtube ads are a waste of money of advertisers?

1. Ads are annoying, we all know that. Imagine that you eagerly want to watch a video then suddenly something cuts you up, wouldn't it be annoying? Ofcourse you just want to click the Skip Ad button as soon as it appears.
2. Advertisers should position their ads on places and circumstances where customers are conditioned to view it. Is it before the video they want to watch? I don't think so. No one wants to watch your ads because they're focused to watch the video they came for.
3. Unskipped ads don't mean they've watched it. Well there's a pee break, a text message need to be read or a tv commercial to be viewed in replacement with the ads, especially the unskippable ones.
4. Seriously, the algorithm to depict what ads to show is so... "trying hard". Why would you show ads of make-up when my one year old toddler is watching her nursery rhymes video? She would just scream and cry because something's interrupting her.
5. My toddler doesn't want it! When my toddler watches youtube for nursery rhymes, she would cry whenever there's an ad and it's so frustrating, it's not helping moms, seriously.

• Will I buy that coffee in an unskippable ad? NO. I can't drink coffee.
• Will I buy that Maggi soy sauce seen in the ads? NO. I don't buy soy sauces, it's my in-law who decides what soy sauce to use.
• Will I buy Kinder Joy seen in the ads? NO. Some facebook posts say it's cancerous.

This list can go on forever but the point is I'm one of those viewers who watches a company's ad for a product but won't buy it. Just like most of us do.

Image from www.brandsoftheworld.com

Part I - The Rush to Labor

On my 9th month, I got a little impatient and tired with pregnancy. From excitement, the feeling transformed to impatience and anxiety. One source of anxiety is that I'm already nearing my due date schedule but my cervix has been totally closed yet. I've been so worried because I really don't want to have a C-Section due to many reasons. So on January 28, I decided to take periods of long (very very long) brisk walk in the morning with my husband. During the afternoon, we went to the park to exercise. This exercise composed of brisk-walk-till-you-drop around the park and 20 rounds of going up and down the staircase. This technique is advised by my friend when I told her I'm worried about not giving birth any time soon.

Part II - The Rush to the Hospital

After the exercise at around 5pm, I felt mild cramps on my abdomen and lower back. It feels exactly like menstruation cramps. At first I ignored it, we went home, ate dinner and tried to sleep. As hours passed by, the cramps grew stronger with irregular intervals so I thought it was just a false labor. But at around 10 in the evening, the interval was constantly around one minute and the pain lasts for around 4 minutes. I checked my underwear because it felt wet and to my surprise, I saw blood on it. I panicked, told my husband about it and we both panicked, in a good way :P. We immediately decided to to go to the hospital. Oh, before we went, I drank milk and took a sponge bath.

Tip: When you're on labor, do not eat anymore as you might just vomit it during delivery.

Part III - The Labor Begins

At 12midnight, we were able to check-in but not in a private room because there was no available room for us. *sobs*. We we're given a bed in the ward for male that underwent surgical procedures. Could you imagine how difficult it was, being the only girl, in labor, in a ward full of men? It wasn't easy especially if it's time for your IE.

I just accepted the ward because I really need to be in the hospital. The pain interval was constant and progressing that time and went on the whole day. It felt like forever. The pain I felt was like a severe menstruation cramp where you can't stand, walk or go to the office, something like that.

At 8am, my OB-Gyne checked my cervix. Nope, still closed at that time. She told me that if I did not progress, I should have a C-Section already at the afternoon, around 3pm. I agreed with her due to the increasing pain and I was thinking, well, maybe my cervix won't open at all. But I really didn't like to have a CS because:
(1) It's very expensive
(2) There are lots of negative feedback I heard about babies delivered via CS
(3) I'm scared in operation. I can't imagine being sliced like a meat!

After that, I did some walking exercise around the hospital lobby and stairs. I also did some squats as advised by my husband's aunt. I was tired already and I just wanted the baby to come out. Why should it be so difficult?

At 3pm my doctor came back and I told her I just want to wait for another day before the operation, to which she agreed. At 4pm we we're able to get a private room (Thank God!) and I continued my exercise there. At around 6pm, a midwife came and did an IE. My cervix opened around 1 cm, according to her. Because of this progress I've been determined to exercise some more even if the pain was increasing that night.

How will I describe the pain? Well, it's something I've never felt before. It was like my whole body was aching but I can't point which part, where exactly was the pain coming from, it's not even from my abdomen. It was terrible, horrible and extremely painful. As In. I thought I could die.

At around 11 in the evening, the pain was superior and I felt like there was some alien in my belly, moving, trying to get out. My husband's mother called the nurse. The midwife came and checked my cervix. She then said that the cervix was already opened and I will already give birth so they rushed me to the delivery room. It came so fast. They called my doctor, she came, she instructed me on what to do, then the baby came. During the delivery she told me to pull the bar of the bed and push/force my abdomen for the baby to come out. After three pushes, my baby came into the world and I got blacked-out. I woke up after some time and the nurse asked me, "Did you know you already gave birth?". I did not answer but deep inside I was like "Thank God! After 400 years!". I attempted to stand and the nurse asked me "Where are you going?!". I said, "I'm going back to my room!" (Haha!). She then laughed and said that they will bring me to the room. That's when I realized my body was aching and I cannot walk.

So I just rested the whole day and waited for our discharge the next day... with our baby, of course.

I kept on praying while on labor

list of things about newborns that other sites won't tell you


Almost all sites I've researched for managing my expectations about newborns discussed how a baby could be perfect. They also listed baby's development regarding motor skills, weight, milestones etc. Yes, those are important but those things don't give moms the survival tips they need. Here's my list from personal experience that I can share to you:

1. Your newborn will sleep but you will not have an idea on when or how long.

As they say, they may sleep up to 17 hours per day but you can't panic like "omg, my baby slept for just 16 hours, there could be something wrong!". I tell you, that's normal. Babies will sleep whenever they want to, as long as they want to, even if it doesn't meet the standards the internet is telling you. Unless your pedia told you to record his/her sleeping pattern, you don't have to do it.

Newborns can take a nap for 30 minutes, which is ideal, but they can also take a nap for, say, a minute. That means before you could even put back yourself together and decide to make a cup of tea, your baby will wake up and cry.

2. Your newborn's sleeping schedule, feeding schedule and attitude will change every week. But one thing will not change, your baby will wake up during midnight to dawn. That means you will never be able to enjoy a good night's sleep again until they learn to sleep through the night. My baby's one year old and she still wakes up at midnight, crying, for some unkown reasons

3. Your newborn's skin is very sensitive. He/she is prone to rashes, pimples and other skin problems. Take care of it to avoid irritants. If milk drips on his/her neck, clean it with moist cotton then pat dry. Use rash cream to prevent diaper rashes. There will be times that the baby will cry just because he/she is irritated with the rashes. Then you get irritated because you've done everything but the baby still cries. If this happens, put soothing cream on the area. I'm using Drapolene and it's effective.

4. Your baby will cry but don't take it too seriously. I mean, you should take it seriously but not too serious. If your baby cries, check if the diaper is wet, if he/she pooped or maybe hungry. If not, try to "entertain" him/her. Your baby may cry for hours BUT one thing's for sure, the crying will eventually stop. If you can't soothe him/her, the baby will soothe on his/her own. As our Pedia said, if the baby can't breathe anymore because of crying, a signal to the brain will be sent out to stop the crying. Remember also that your baby cannot talk so whenever he/she needs something, or if something hurts, it will be communicated through crying. Now, use all the intuition that God gave you to figure out what he/she needs. It will be frustrating but just find comfort in knowing you are not alone. Every hands-on moms experience frustration, anxiety and anger (towards life) so don't think you're alone. Find support group and source of strength.

5. Leave your baby. Yes! Leave the baby to a trusted person (usually, the husband) when you need to take a break.

Your babies will not be babies forever. Soon, they will grow, become independent and leave the house. Cherish all the anguish now, don't worry it's not permanent. And oh, take care of your self. A well-taken-care-of mom can take care of the babies properly.

Here's the greatest tip: Keep your sanity. Don't get mad with the baby, with your self nor with your husband. This, too, shall pass.

Knetina's first picture at home

Don't worry! You're baby's going to be fine.

Although moms-to-be will be very worried when they catch colds and cough during pregnancy, this infection will not harm your baby. Just make sure that you won't take any medicine, whether herbal or not, without your doctor's advice. I had horrible cough, twice, during my first pregnancy. Since I was a first-time mom that time, I got so worried that it will affect my baby. But then she grew in my tummy just fine.

On my first trimester, I got a week-long cough and colds because I got soaked in the rain. I'm used to get soak in the rain and loved it but I learned immunity drops when you're pregnant. The doctor prescribed Mucosolvan for cough and Drixine for colds. I did not buy Mucosolvan because my cough that time was already getting better.

On my third trimester, specifically on the week of my due date, I catched cough again. This time, my doctor advised that I take Strepsils but when it did not alleviate my condition, she prescribed Mucoslvan again which I already took. She did not advise me to take Mucosolvan's regular dosage. I just gargled and swallowed half-a-teaspoon of the medicine to relieve my itching throat and chest congestion. 

Tip: Drink a lot of calamansi juice! Make sure it's not hot so that the Vitamin C wont be destroyed.

Image from here

I tried this baby wearing trend and used SaYa Baby Carrier for my newborn baby. I bought it for 950 (without delivery charge) from Baby Mama Ph (http://babymama.ph/).

Here's my summary:

Pros:
1. You will go hands-free. That's what carriers are supposed to do right?
2. Your baby is very well-supported. Unlike the usual baby carrier, baby wearing offers a more natural support for your baby. I noticed on my previous carrier used by my first baby that she was uneasy and seems to be uncomfortable with it. Infants should be carried in a way that their knees are higher than or relatively closer to the bum to avoid stress in their legs and this is what baby carriers provide.
3. Your carrier will grow with your baby. Unlike the usual carrier where you can't put a newborn in it, baby wearing allows you to carry your newborn until toddler in it.

Cons:
1. They say it's easy to wear but not as easy as the usual carriers. I mean, I needed to process all these steps for baby-wearing. When your baby is fussy who's got time for that right? It's only good when your baby is relaxed and there's someone to help you with it.
2. It's so hot. Imagine wrapping a baby in the beach. That's what I did. I used baby wearing when we went to the beach and my baby's sweating all over. This is only good to use where there's proper ventilation like in the mall or inside the car. You don't want your baby to have a heat stroke.
3. It's going to

Will I recommend it? Yes if you think baby wearing is for you and No if you can't deal with the cons.

Got something to say 'bout this baby wearing trend? Let me know in the comment box!

If breastfeeding is as easy as putting water and scoop of milk into a bottle, formula milk wont be popular. I mean, there are lots of things to keep in mind like food to avoid, clogging, soreness, let out of milk, helping your child to latch, etc. I cant even believe that you actually need to teach a baby to properly latch, shouldn't it be innate? And oh, add the judgmental eyes of the people when you breastfeed in public in the complexities of breastfeeding list.

This is the most informative video I've seen so far: Breastfeeding: Getting a Good Latch Every Time

So here's a list of rants:

1. Latching is crazy - if you do it wrong, your nipple will hurt and your milk supply will slow down. So basically, it's everything. Should it be simple? No. How could a first time mom and a first time human know how to work together and perform that dreaded latch? Even if you watch a hundred videos (like I did), and read a hundred articles and asked a hundred moms, latching can only be performed perfectly by you and your baby. So practice, research and practice proper latching. Just make sure it's a proper latch you're practicing. *wink*

2. You are badly needed. The baby can't literally eat without you. It's not just a romantic fancy quote of boyfriend-girlfriend which says "I can't eat without you...". It's crazy, again. When you're hungry and your baby is, of course, as a mom, you will let your baby eat first. The key is that you have to find time to eat even if it's not yet 12noon for lunch or 7pm for dinner. Just eat. You need food to be able to make food for your baby.

3. The low milk supply and slow milk flow problem. This is my major stress. I feel like I have a low milk supply even if I've been doing everything to boost it - malunggay supplements, soup, massage, etc. The only thing I haven't tried is looking for a lactation consultant. Maybe that's the answer. OR MAYBE I dont really have a low milk supply at all. During the first month I got depressed thinking of my milk supply but then after a while I learned to let it go. If I think baby is hungry because he cannot get enough milk from me, I give him formula milk and we're done - he sleeps, I'm not stressed. I know, breast milk advocates will be like "why give him formula milk?". For me, it works. What's the total fret about formula milk? My first baby was breastfed only a month and the rest was formula milk in a bottle and she grew up just fine, perfect and healthy. BUT I still want to give the best for my baby now that I know the benefits of breastfeeding so, as the baby's pedia advised, I pumped milk so that when he gets fussy because the flow is too slow, I can give him the expressed milk.

4. There are lots of things to be considered that needs much attention. Before, when women are expected only to look over the child and are not involved in corporate lives, they can pay attention to these breastfeeding details. Today is different, I want to work and earn money and I need to breastfeed. So there's mastisis, breast engorgement, breast milk life span after expressing, breastfeeding position, hunger cues, etc. It's a lot to take so I took it one step at a time.

My baby and I are still trying to get the hang of our breastfeeding journey. Now I know why it's called a journey. You learn things all through out and you grow together. Will I recommend breastfeeding? Absolutely, Yes.

Here's a picture of my breastfed baby