Dig this: a classroom full of moms and expectant moms (and a handful of dads as well) who are total strangers exchanging knowledge about breastfeeding.

It was a breast-opening, I mean, eye-opening morning for me and my husband as we decided to attend a breastfeeding seminar. We were totally clueless about what to expect during the seminar. I knew about the seminar in an email group where I belong, started texting the contact person signifying our interest to attend, and found ourselves sitting in the Play Area in one of the posh malls in Makati. Interesting, I said, as we were heading our way to the venue, seeing even more beautiful, not to mention, expensive, baby stuff that I will just dream of buying.

Upon arriving, some fifteen women were already seated. Some of them chatting, others just silently waiting. And then, the facilitator came. She is Abbie Yabot, a leader of La Leche League Philippines, an organization of nursing mothers who advocate pure breastfeeding to their babies.

Back in high school, I remember commercials of milk formulas for babies telling us that breastfeeding is good for babies up to two years old. Yet, I was surprised to find out that some of the moms in this group breastfed their babies up to four years old! Now, that’s saving a lot of money for buying formulas.

The topic of the day was about pumping and going back to work. I also learned about different types of breast pumps. There are manual or electric, single or double breast pumps, you take your pick. You’re supposed to use them if you are a working mother who needs to store extra milk for your baby.

That morning, I didn’t have any breast pump yet. But I was surprised to receive one at the end of the day during the baby shower given by my family and friends. It was a manual single breast pump which uses forearm power to extract breast milk. Great, I said. At least I don’t have to buy one, which can be quite expensive, by the way.

I don’t know if the men felt awkward being in the midst of women talking about breasts. At least I know my husband wasn’t. He was even taking notes about the lecture. I’m happy that my husband shows his full support in my quest for breastfeeding. Oh, if only men could breastfeed!

Got milk? Then start breastfeeding. As what I’ve learned in this seminar, all mothers have milk. There are exceptions, though, like you cannot breastfeed if you have certain conditions. Breast milk has a long list of health benefits for your newborn. Being closer to your child is added bonus. As they say, breast is best.

– Touringkitty

How much time do you really need to spend thinking about baby names? Well, you’d probably stop until your own baby(even in utero) “dictates” what she wants. And in our case, our baby girl did.

We’ve started thinking about baby names long before we thought of making babies. My choice for a baby girl’s name was Tala (star). My husband thought of naming our baby boy Arjuna, a character he read from the book Bhagavad Gita. Unfortunately, they’re out of our list.

During the fourth month, we shifted to either Maristela or Aaron. I opted for Maristela because it has a Marian touch to it, and it’s a mix of my father and grandmother’s names. Aaron, on the other hand, means High Mountain and is a biblical character. Options are still open, not until after we determined the gender.

I had my routine ultrasound during the fifth month of pregnancy. We were glad to see that the baby is doing fine, doing all those kicks and punches and even swallowing. I am content seeing her arms, legs, hands and feet complete, and heart in steady pumping action. We’re even more elated to know the gender bythis time. At least I know I’ll be buying more pink stuff. Yes, the baby is a girl, and she is expected to come out September 17.

It’s easier to play the name game this time. We trimmed down our options. It has to start with A. So, being opera buffs, we want to call her Aria (Italian for Air, a solo piece sung by the lead opera character). It can stand alone as her name, actually, but it’s much cuter as a nickname. Still, wes earched for other options, so we added a third syllable. It could be Arianne or Arianna, until I saw the German Ariadne (from another opera, Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss). I almost considered Ariadna, which is the Spanish variation, and is the real name of Mexican star Thalia aka MariMar. In the meantime, I settled with Ariadne.

The name Ariadne (pronounced as ar-YAD-nee) means holy woman. She was the daughter of the Cretan king Minos in Greek mythology. As far as the website babynamespedia.com is concerned, this was the only info available. So I looked for other baby name websites, until I found out about Saint Ariadne.

Saint Ariadne of Phrygia was a slave of a Phrygian prince and refused to participate in a rite intended for a pagan god that involved flogging. As she escaped from the authorities, a chasm opened miraculously and she was entombed.

As I clicked on the link, I found this: her feast day is September 17,130 AD. I was crying while my husband was speechless. Both of us cannot believe that somehow our baby was telling us she already had a name. I remember the Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam-ang where the young boy Lam-ang named himself as well. Now my baby’s a record breaker. It all happened on the evening of May 6th.

If this is not Divine Intervention, then I don’t know what is. All I know is that my baby spoke to me, telling me that everything will be fine despite the risks of my pregnancy. Now, my husband and I are praying for the intercession of this unknown saint. And I shall not cease to seek for her intercession.

Saint Ariadne, pray for us.

– Touringkitty

Like: I can eat twice the amount (or more) of what I was used to, especially now in my seventh month
Dislike: No coffee, tea, softdrinks

Like: I have all the reason to shop for new clothes
Dislike: I can’t wear heels

Like: I can use my pregnancy rights when traveling, i.e. using the service cart in the mall, hopping on the first cab in the MRT and LRT, and being offered a seat anywhere and a ride home by friends
Dislike: I can’t travel too much and too far, can’t ride anything three-wheeled, and I walk like a former president

Like: Nightly massage courtesy of my husband to alleviate leg cramps
Dislike: Sleepless nights because of a heavy tummy

Like: Everybody’s concern towards your safe delivery
Dislike: In two months, I will miss being pregnant

Nevertheless, I love pregnancy, and I look forward to the blessing that is to come.

– Touringkitty