Mother Nurture introduces the first-ever lactation
Choco and Coffee mixes in the Philippine for breastfeeding moms. Available in
Chocolate and Coffee mixes, the pro-breastfeeding brand has been nurturing
Filipino mothers and championing the cause of breastfeeding through their
online (FB) stores and resellers.
Lan San Juan-Perez, the woman behind Mother
Nurture products, became aware of the challenges in breastfeeding of many
Filipino women. After successfully re-lactating to breastfeed her second child,
she became an ardent advocate. Lan firmly believes in the many benefits of
breastfeeding.
“Breast milk is the perfect food to give to an
infant. It has all the necessary nutrients that they need for immunity and to
protect them from common infections. Breastfed babies are shown to have
higher IQ, language ability, visual-motor abilities, emotional and intellectual
developments. All these things will benefit children later in life,” Lan
explains.
While on her breastfeeding journey, Lan noticed
that there were very few local products specifically formulated and deemed safe
for pregnant and lactating mothers. This is especially true for Coffee drinks.
Although there was Malunggay Coffee available, the labels usually caution
pregnant and lactating mothers against drinking them because of the caffeine
content.
This encouraged Lan to formulate, develop, and
market what we now know today as Mother Nurture products. She believes that
Filipino women like herself should be able enjoy luscious chocolate and coffee
drinks that are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Lan also added
that since breastfeeding women are more careful about the food and drinks they
take, they usually miss drinking coffee. Coffee contains caffeine which may
cause fussiness in breastfed babies.
Lan’s search for breastfeeding friendly products
led her to create her own brand of drink mixtures with carefully selected and
locally-sourced ingredients. The Mother Nurture 7in1 Chocomix and 7in1
Coffeemix are packed with breast milk production booster or galactogogues such
as Calcium Lactate, Malunggay power and Ashitaba. It also has Gotu Kola, a herb
that helps relieve mental fatigue and boost blood circulation. Both products
are sweetened with Stevia, a healthy sugar substitute that helps in insulin secretion
and is a known antioxidant.
These unique ingredients make Mother Nurture
products not only safe for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. It is also safe for
diabetics, hypertensive, acidic and even kids. They are also Halal certified.
Nursing moms are often and tired and hungry.
Breastfeeding burns as much as 500-calories, thus it’s no wonder moms have a
voracious appetite. Because of their amazing sacrifice for giving birth and
nursing mothers deserve as much pampering as possible.
Not diverting from the need to stay healthy,
breastfeeding moms need to eat as much healthy and nutritious food to sustain
their milk production and energy. As a breastfeeding mom, one should be more
aware of the food they take and the possible effect these foods have for their
nursing child. The Philippines is abundant in Moringa or Malunggay which is a
known milk booster and the main ingredient in Mother Nurture Drink Mixes.
Mother Nurture products are made by a mom for
moms. Lan Perez stressed that many Filipino women are struggling to balance
having a job and taking care of their families. Those who choose to stay home
to focus on their family may still find ways to earn and become mompreneur like
herself. She opened her products for online sellers. She currently has more
than 150 partner reseller stores, fellow breastfeeding moms and advocates
nationwide.
Through her products,
she is not only helping fellow mothers enjoy a wonderful breastfeeding journey.
She is also empowering women by giving them a chance to earn while taking care
of their babies full time. After five years of online entrepreneurship, Mother
Nurture is now officially launching products after earning the approval of the
FDA.
Despite continuous advocacy and information
dissemination on the benefits of breastfeeding, Filipino mothers have yet to
fully understand and appreciate the wonderful benefits of exclusively
breastfeeding their babies.
The 2014 State of the World’s Children report from UNICEF showed that
only 34% of Filipino infants 6 months and below were exclusively breastfed. And
only 34% of this number continues getting breast milk for two years. Most
Filipino mothers choose to provide milk formula for different reasons. Some
claimed to be unable to produ
