My name is Andreany Perez, I’m 32 years old and by pure coincidence I was born in Caracas, Venezuela but I was raised in Villa de Cura, Aragua State (usually called just “La Villa”) a small town located between Cagua and San Juan de Los Morros known for its excellent saddlery, crowded Holy Sepulcher procession that takes place every Holy Friday and the pilgrimages to the Virgin of Lourdes’ grotto that began on 1904 thanks to the initiative of Jose Manuel Jimenez, parish priest of the time.
After six years of marriage I finally wanted to get pregnant and on September ’17 I was blessed with a healthy and beautiful baby girl called Valentina Sofia. At the time of this post’s writing it’s been five months surfing the waves of motherhood: sometimes high, sometimes low, but always amazing! A rough and yet wonderful world on which I plan sharing my experiences through the Steemit platform hoping that some first time moms like me can find in them some guidance, support or comfort.
Being mom of a baby in Venezuela’s current humanitarian crisis is a challenge, but luckily we live in the digital era and there’s tons of information just a click away, something our mothers and grandmothers didn’t have. In my case, this has allowed me to ensure my daughter’s feeding during her first six months of life with breastmilk; benefiting not only her health and development, but my family’s economy.
As I began getting closer to the goal (six months of exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by the World Health Organization) my anxiety levels started to rise because I thought I had to start feeding her with formula (which is extremely expensive and difficult to find nowadays in Venezuela). However, I learned that it is completely unnecessary! Even rice cream and fororo (toasted cornmeal) can be prepared with breastmilk! A familiar flavor for the baby that provides greater nutritional value than formula (contrary to popular belief).
It is definitely time to break paradigms, turn crisis into an opportunity and educate our children to eat healthy as we re-educate ourselves in the process! I hope I can count with your company in this adventure! :)
