A Mother's Discovery...

Ezani the 1st MasterChef Malaysia...is my own sister...

2012-01-09T11:41:00.001+08:00

sorry peeps, i have not been updating the blog since God-Knows-When...

but today i want to share something special with all of you...

Malaysia's very own 1st Masterchef is my sister! yeay for her (and for me)...!

you don't believe me..? her full name is Ezani Farhana Md Monoto and mine Ezura Madiana Md Monoto...we stay in the same house and i used to rumble (and still doing it) into her stuffs and belongings and we still fight with each other...

get to know her better

Facebook: Ezani (Masterchef Malaysia)

twitter: @ezanimonoto

website: www.zestbyezani.com

thank you for supporting her!

sisters fight!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Imtiaz...Penang escapade (part 1)

2011-03-08T17:05:00.001+08:00

my macho boy turned 2 last Sunday (yes, the "terrible twos")....we had a wonderful casual celebration at the northern part of Malaysia, at the Pearl of the Orient (Penang)...

Imtiaz is all excited to board on the airplane

Imtiaz and i have been away from home for the past 2 weeks...we spent great time together in Penang as i attended the Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice Course in Georgetown Penang...my mum followed us there to take care of Imtiaz when i was in the course during daytime... i took my time to breastfeed him during break time and lunch time and sometimes, Imtiaz went up to the 16th floor of Bayview Hotel to have his breastfeeding break with me...

on the trishaw heritage and food trail

in the evening, once i finished the course for the day, we would stroll along the Penang Road looking for local food for dinner...we even walked to Komtar and took a taxi back to the hotel and some days, Imtiaz would love to get on the trishaw...we had scrumptious selection of local and street food... it was heaven that i gained lots of weight in just 2 weeks..!

both of us even went on a trishaw tour to the heritage places with some of my course mates...we had lovely time trailing along the heritage places, not forgetting tasting some good food along the tour...Imtiaz even made friend with the trishaw man and was really enjoying himself on the tour...

imtiaz was all tired after the trishaw tour

i carried Imtiaz in the soft-structured carrier and he loved being in it...he enjoyed watching all kind of transports while we were strolling along the busy road of Georgetown...

with the technologies nowadays, we were able to stay connected with Jihan and papa through phone calls and Skype...Imtiaz was so excited seeing them on Skype video calls... Imtiaz had his books and favourite cars with him, but i think he missed home and his other toys too...while at the hotel, he loved taking his bath in the bathtub too...

there are more exciting stories in Penang, which i will update in the second part of this lovely escapade (when the family reunited later and had a wonderful journey together..)

men in ladies' coach..?

2011-01-10T10:21:00.001+08:00

i must congratulate KTM Berhad for their initiatives of introducing the Ladies' Coach for KTM Komuter services, which started the operation in April last year...to tell you the truth, i have not been using its services for quite some time now, but i'm glad that this effort benefits many ladies out there who use KTM Komuter as their main public transport, to ensure a comfortable and safe journey and reducing the risk of sexual harassment in a congested environment..

unfortunately, many are still unaware about this privilege are for ladies and boys below the age of 12, accompanied by a female guardian/relative...why is this so..?

my dear husband had such experience when he boarded the KTM Komuter some time last year from Bandar Tasik Selatan to KL Sentral for a seminar (after so many years not using it services)... it was at peak hours...the station was sardine-packed with passengers who waited to board the commuter...obviously, you can't even see the area where the ground is painted in pink, stating that's the area where the Ladies' Coach would have stopped...when the commuter arrived, the door opened and everybody rushed to the coach..and my husband just followed the crowd...when he was inside the coach, then he realized that he was in the Ladies' Coach..and all ladies were looking at him and few other foreigner men who was together in that coach...there were voices expressing their dissatisfaction and frustration with these selfish men on board...(they thought my husband was a foreigner as well, by looking at his look...so they thought my husband couldn't understand Malay)...

yes, my husband felt embarrassed and got off the Ladies' Coach at the next station and hopped on to the adjacent coach, which was the normal coach...the other foreigners remain on the Ladies' Coach..

according to my husband, pity him that he didn't know that that was the Ladies' Coach...he couldn't see the special stickers attached on the door, which was obviously hidden when the door opened to let the passengers in and out..and that particular commuter he boarded did not paint an extraordinary colour for the Ladies' Coach, thus making a "first timer" like him unaware and confused about the special coach...KTM Berhad also claimed they have special pink poles and banners at the designated area at the station, but that was not clearly visible during peak hours...

i agree that some men are just being ignorance and become the opportunists here, enjoying their ride in the Ladies' Coach because it is less packed and more comfortable...hopefully, KTM Berhad will make the Ladies' Coach more significant from afar, to create less confusion among the passengers...and to men out there, please make yourself aware of this special privilege and put them into practical...and my dear hubby, he will never board the commuter again... ; )

Happy New year 2011 - Lucky Draw Winner of Canon EOS 1000D

2011-01-03T11:52:00.000+08:00

happy new year everyone! how did you start your new year this time round? alhamdulillah, we started ours with a bang...unexpectedly, i was announced as one of the lucky draw winner of Canon EOS 1000D by myflippix, our favourite photobook company....

we've started photobooking recently and have been enjoying photobooking with myflippix...the winning entry was produced by my dear hubby and we didn't expect that that number will be selected as one of the 3 lucky winners to win a canon DSLR..

i am really thankful and happy for this gift...thanks myflippix ; )

for 2011, i'm hoping to be more diligent and hardworking, stop procrastinating, more knowledgeable, an excellent wife to my husband and a fantastic mother to my children, to pass my Part 2 MMed (Family Medicine) in November 2011 and have an enjoyable moments with my loved ones...

insya Allah, i'm praying too for the peace and harmony among all mankind, a good health and iman for me, my family and friends...may Allah bless our good deeds and intention in 2011 and reward us in the hereafter...

Susuibu.com Lactation Consultant

2010-12-31T10:39:00.000+08:00

MAHA 2010

2010-12-03T16:49:00.026+08:00

we went to the recent MAHA 2010 for the first time...our aim was to bring the kids to see live farm animals and trying out some good popular foods...shopping for goods was very down the list ; )

anyway, we arrived quite early at around 9.45 am, the weather was just great and there were already many people marching towards the venue...we managed to get a good parking spot, but still had to walk up and it was a good exercise...

posing with the cow

our first spot was the farm area...we got a ride on the RapidKL bus and the kids were so excited to go on the bus..this was the first experience for Imtiaz...he was extremely excited and cannot stop humming the sound of the bus while on it...

we went to see the cows and goats and sheep and i took this opportunity to introduce to Imtiaz all these animals...Jihan, even though she knows all the animals by looking at their pictures in books, sometimes she got it mixed up when seeing it live in front of her eyes...so i corrected her and she was amazed when she saw the big cows and buffaloes (not like the ones she saw during Korban recently)...

yummilicious roast lamb

next we filled our gastronomic needs with roast lamb...it was so succulent! the kids got to see some chicks and chickens, ducks and ducklings, rabbits, turkey and geese too..we went to see some of the producst exhibition as well..then back on the bus ride to the main exhibition halls...and the kids loved the bus ride so much..

at the main exhibition halls, we marched our way to the Popular Food Stalls...crowd of peoples have started to arrive and filled most of the corners of the large MAEPS area...we tasted nasi kerabu, mee rebus, cendol, murtabak singapore and murtabak mengkasar...boy, our stomachs were full with yummilicious food!

then we made our way to one of the exhibition halls but got out after a while because the kids were already exhausted...before heading home Jihan bargained to get some balloons...so a Hello Kitty balloon for her and Upin Ipin balloon for Imtiaz...

the weather was getting hotter but still lots of people started arriving...MAHA was a great place for the whole family...learning, shopping and trying out good food all under one roof...

Imtiaz in his sling while munching beef balls

we brought Imtiaz stroller along and he behaved well while in it..when he fell asleep, we put him in the stroller so that he could have a somehow comfortable nap...but when he was up and about, we let him to be on his feet, especially in a less crowded area...or else he would be in his MiniMonkey sling with me...Jihan took the opportunity to sit in the stroller while Imtiaz was in the sling...

tired Imtiaz

it was a tiring day for all of us, even though we didn't explore the whole area...luckily the kids got stroller to ride on and a sling to hop on, so they were less tired than we were...

am I a normal parent?

2010-11-26T16:19:00.000+08:00

just finished reading "Am I A Normal Parent?" by Sara Dimerman...i really want to know if i am a normal parent...

this book is a therapy for the mind and soul for parents...i thoroughly enjoyed reading this and every parent should read it...this is the definitive guide to figuring out what's normal for parents in the 21st century...Am I a Normal Parent? will allow you to evaluate how you fit into what is most typical and will reaasure you that you are not alone in your worries...it also addresses feeling guilty about losing patience, being angry and not spending enough time with your children...this book also touches on how culture, upbringing and external influences affect your parenting way...

i am really fascinated with the author believes what NORMAL is...NORMAL is an acronym for No One Really Marches Alone.... even if you are in a situation where you think or feel is not normal, comfort yourself by knowing that somewhere out there, another parent is feeling, thinking and behaving just like you....

this book is deeply comforting to mothers like me who suffers the guilt and anxiety that woven into the parenting experience...it is very reassuring, not preachy, yet thoughtful and insightful, and best of all it is written in a humorous way...!

after reading this, i assure you that i am still a normal parent..!

going green- cloth padding

2010-11-24T10:57:00.000+08:00

my stash

yeah, Let's Go Green! it's definitely time to make a paradigm shift if we want to save our world...long live Mother Nature...

let's see how green is our family now...i'm breastfeeding, Imtiaz is cloth diapering, we bring our reusable shopping bags on no plastic bag day (occasionally, if we remember what day it is, sigh), we signed up for e-billing for bank statements and phone bills, Jihan uses recycle papers to draw or write her stuffs, we grow our own vegetables/ulam, we make our own Roselle cordial, hmmm, what else..?

and recently, i've been cloth padding fully during my last menstrual cycle...to start with, i bought 3 night pads, 8 regular pads and 4 panty liners from various brands...i had mamapatch, momiji, fussybutt moonbow and sweetprettystuff...

at first, i was nervous it would leak and i doubt its absorbency and messiness...lucky my 1st day menses fell on a holiday, so there's no need for me to anticipate any possible embarrassing moments in public...

my first day experience, well, not bad at all...i really like the feeling of having something soft down there with no feeling of wetness at all (like the one that i feel with disposable pads usually)...plus, there was no itchiness or urticaria developed at the contact area...there was no leaking and handling it was a breeze...

what i did was wash thoroughly the soiled pads with running water until there water ran clear and there was no stain on the pad...well, if the stain did not come off, i soaked it overnight with a tiny amount of detergent...and the next morning, i tossed it together with Imtiaz's cloth diapers and let the washing machine do its job...

for the heavy days, i tend to use about 5-6 pads per day and on lighter days, 3-4 pads per day...the washed pads were very clean with no stains visible and the cloth stayed like new...

if i'm on the go, i bring along a small wetbag to stuff in the used pad that has been washed with water...i definitely like the pretty prints on the pads..it makes my period day happy...and saves my pocket too....

lesson learnt...

2010-11-20T17:01:00.003+08:00

cartoon googled

yesterday, i was on leave, yet i had to attend to some important matters in the afternoon and later in the evening catching up with my best friend, Dahlia for dinner...

i had to leave the kids at home and they followed their wan and atok to an engagement party in the afternooon...before leaving, as usual, i nursed my thirsty dinosaur... and throughout the afternoon to late evening, i did not express my breast milk...

returned home, i nursed Imtiaz as usual and throughout the night as he demanded..and this morning i felt a pain lump on the left breast and pain on the nipple...i checked for any crack nipple but i found another milk bleb...gosh, that caused the pain and possibly causing a blocked milk duct...

so, i guess i have to self-remedy...i nursed Imtiaz frequently on the affected side and kept on massaging the painful lump...in the shower, i immersed the whole breast in a mug of warm water and massaged the painful lump towards the bleb/nipple (ouch!)...

it helped but didn't solve the problem...the milk flowed through the bleb but did not burst opened the bleb...so, i took a sterile needle, gently stuck it into the bleb and milk oozed from it....phew..!! then i massaged the lump towards the bleb and more milk flowed..quickly i called Imtiaz to nurse and he did a wonderful job sucking all the milk out and relieving the blocked duct...

alhamdulillah, it's now better...

i thought, my milk production is not that heavenly much like before (as Imtiaz is already 20 months old now) but it can cause significant problem when i did not empty my breasts for about 5 hours yesterday....that's why i still pump at work twice a day - for stimulation and also to prevent such things to happen...i will never, ever leave Imtiaz again for a significant long duration without any intervention..

i'm listed on ILCA

2010-11-18T22:14:00.000+08:00

i've been a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) for the past 1 year... ILCA, is the professional association for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and other health care professionals who care for breastfeeding families.... their vision is a worldwide network of lactation professionals.... their mission is to advance the profession of lactation consulting worldwide through leadership, advocacy, professional development and research...

and now, as an IBCLC, i am listed in the Find a Lactation Consultant (FALC) Directory.. i'm proud to be part of ILCA..hoping to get a scholarship and attend the annual ILCA conference soon...in the meanwhile, to make a lactation profession well-known and established in Malaysia...

the meaning of Aidiladha

2010-11-18T17:33:00.001+08:00

1 cow down

on 10th of Zulhijjah month of Islamic calendar, Muslims all over the world celebrate Aidiladha, which is one of the biggest and important events in the annual Muslim calender...similarly on the same day, the pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca are performing the fifth pillar of Islam, the Haj..

during Aidiladha, a ritual known as qurban or sacrifice is carried out after the Aidiladha prayer... animals such as cows, goats and camels that meet certain religious criteria are sacrificed as a symbolic gesture to remember the sacrifice that was instructed upon Prophet Ibrahim a.s...this act of sacrifice is an attribute of the spirit embodied in Islam... Islam encourages its believers to be everwilling to sacrifice in the name of God....While the sacrifice on Aidiladha is specific in nature, sacrifice can come in many forms...

imtiaz makes new friends

it should be realised that sacrifice should not be limited to the day of Aidiladha...instead sacrifice should be part and parcel of a Muslim's character which is practised every day of his life....this form of sacrifice can be tangible or intangible, be they in the form of material, financial, time and/or energy...

besides a whole array of delicacies on the table, we should inculcate the meaning of Qurban in our children...even though they are too small to understand the true meaning of it, it is a good exposure for them to see what is really happening on the day....

my two beautiful kids

as Jihan becomes mature each day, she understands that Muslims go to the holy Mecca to perform Haj..her school principal also went to perform Haj this year, so that put more sense into her...when she saw the photos of Kaabah and Muslims performing the Haj in the TV, she would say that she one day too would want to go to Mecca...and we always tell her before going to Mecca, she must perform 5 times prayers a day, be a good Muslimah and to start saving money from now on...

and yesterday, dear hubby brought the two kids to see our Jamaah slaughtering cows at the surau...Imtiaz was so excited seeing the cows and Jihan too, being scared at first, later enjoyed herself..it was such an experience for her and i was very proud of her courage..

the kids are so amazed

later in the evening, i read her a story regarding Prophet Ibrahim a.s and his son, Prophet Ismail a.s, how Prophet Ibrahim was commanded to offer his son Ismail up for sacrifice, and though it grieved him greatly, he made ready to perform the task.. however, as he was about to strike his son, God stopped him and revealed that it was a trial... Ismail's life was spared, and a ram was sacrificed in his place...

Jihan was so amazed listening to the story and that taught her to be brave like Prophet Ismail a.s and obey all Allah's commands and also to listen well to the elderly...

insya Allah, as they mature each day, i believe Jihan and Imtiaz will understand more the wide meaning of sacrifice...

Breastfeeding Sucks - What to do when your mammaries make you miserable

2010-11-16T15:35:00.000+08:00

i've just finished reading such an hilarious breastfeeding book that keeps you laughing out loud from cover to cover...it's good for middle of the night reading when your hubby and kids are fast asleep and you are still wide awake, not knowing what to do...this is just what you need- something funny and engaging that is also somehow informative...

when reading this, i agree that some the stories inside coincide with my own experiences (along with my stupidity and zero knowledge of breastfeeding during my first time nursing my baby 5 years ago)..although as a lactation consultant, i agree that some of the information are incorrect and need further clarification from the lactation experts and further reading from some other breastfeeding references/books...but this book is light enough, short enough and funny enough to engage the average mother...

i would recommend this book to mothers who want to relieve their inevitable stress about breastfeeding, but not as a sole breastfeeding reference...

i bought this at the recent Big Bad Wolf (BBW) Books Sale....guess how much the price is..? i got for RM 5...yes, i'm not kidding you, just RM 5..! the original price at Amazon.com is USD 9.95...

and if you are looking for this piece at the BBW Books Sale today or tomorrow, sorry, you won't find it anymore...my lactation friends have bought them all and they were all sold out by the 3rd day of the sale...

the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale 2010 (part 2)

2010-11-16T12:36:00.001+08:00

that's my stash for the 3rd day...

i'm such a crazy book lover ...yup, went for the 3rd time yesterday (alone) just to see if i can get some good books..the addiction to the BBW Sale is so irresistible...

there weren't many people around...but i saw a few familiar faces that have been coming to the sale for the past 3 consecutive days as well...(that proves that i'm not the only one who went ku-ku with the sale)...

though there were still tonnes of books around, there weren't much cooking/recipes book left, and at the children section, books for preschoolers and toddlers were almost non existence...

despite that, i managed to grab 18 more books that cost me RM 118...(huwaaa...so much damage done these few days due to the BBW Sale!)..mainly some books for the kids, some cookbooks for myself and a few novels...

apart form all the books that woo me, i really like the BBW staffs...they were so friendly and helpful..they even help you to send your books to your car... congratulations to the whole BBW staffs...they deserve a big clap for their dedications and hard work throughout the sale period...

i didn't get the free book marks as mentioned, and i don't think i'll be going there again just to collect them (and that prevent further damage to my pockets as well, huuuu)...anyway, i'm looking forward for the next sale and yes, i'm going to be there on the very first day!

keep up the good work, BBW...!

La Leche League International - How Weaning Happens

2010-11-15T13:04:00.000+08:00

i just finished reading a breastfeeding book that i borrowed from the Susuibu.com Library. the La Leche League International - How Weaning Happens, by Diane Bengson, a LLL leader...

what i like about this book is that it includes the personal experiences of mothers who have weaned their children in a variety of ways...

La Leche League's approach to weaning is very different from the conventional view that weaning is something abrupt and painful that one must do to a baby to push him into the next stage of maturity....HOW WEANING HAPPENS presents weanings that are gentle, gradual, and natural... "Weaning can be seen as a lesson in trust. Trusting that your child will wean when he's ready is an act of faith, as is trusting that you and your child can find gentle, acceptable ways to wean."

Above all, HOW WEANING HAPPENS recognizes that weaning is a process, not an event. It starts when a baby takes anything besides breast milk by mouth. Gradually, the baby finds other activities and pleasures to meet the needs that were once met exclusively by nursing. The weaning process may extend over months or years and over many stages of a child's development. Leaders often say, "Watch the baby, not the clock," about how often you nurse your baby. In the case of weaning, the slogan might translate to, "Watch the baby, not the calendar." As one mother in the book observed, "Weaning is not about logic or charts or time. Weaning is about readiness. I only know this because I can see that my baby is not ready to wean. She hasn't shown me at all that she is ready to wean, and she is the one person whose opinion on this subject counts."

It can be hard to balance the needs of mother and child in the cooperative venture of weaning. Many mothers find themselves thinking about weaning before the child is ready, while others experience disappointment when their baby or toddler initiates weaning earlier than expected. Things grow even more complicated when the rest of society weighs in. An entire chapter is devoted to "Pressure to Wean." It helps mothers deal with criticism or misinformation from others. The chapter on "Weaning Because of Medical Advice" is equally useful and presents information, resources, and enlightening questions to ask when a health care provider suggests weaning.

HOW WEANING HAPPENS does an excellent job of portraying the advantages of natural weaning. Bengson also has the courage to recognize that weaning can be hard emotional work. HOW WEANING HAPPENS respects mothers by addressing both the positive and negative sides of extended nursing: "Being aware of and honest about your own needs is the best way to avoid feeling burned-out or put upon by a nursing toddler." "Extended nursing isn't about being a martyr or feeling powerless in your nursing relationship . . . Instead of seeing nursing (or not nursing) as a power struggle to be won or lost, consider that your child is asking to nurse in order to get his needs met." Bengson helps the reader sort out whether taking a more active role in weaning will be worthwhile. There is a useful section about how weaning should not be expected to change your child's other behaviors, such as eating patterns or night-waking. Chapter 10 also takes us into a new arena: concrete advice for what to do when weaning doesn't go well.

The book ends on a positive note, reminding us that breastfeeding is only one aspect of the mother-child relationship. As one mother expresses it: "We are still very close. I realize that nursing did not equal mothering. I am still his mother and we are still attached." A satisfying weaning is as precious as the beautiful bond of breastfeeding. HOW WEANING HAPPENS will help many mothers achieve this satisfaction.

from the La Leche League International website

no, i'm not ready to wean Imtiaz as yet, although he is already 20 months old..i'm pretty sure Imtiaz is not ready as well...reading this fantastic book gives me the idea on how to anticipate the possible maternal feelings towards weaning, and how to continue to love our child unconditionally after the nursing relationship ends with your child...

it is such an amazing thing reading the mother's experiences and feelings on weaning and how their relationship with their children strengthen after weaning...it does bring tears to my eyes as well, because i am not sure how i would react to end the beautiful nursing moment with my macho Imtiaz when he is ready...

i didn't have any problem with Jihan because i only nursed her for about 6 1/2 months and i distanced myself from her at night so that she wouldn't nurse during the night..at that age, it was quite easy because she didn't even remember that she ever nursed with me..i regretted that i had to end my nursing realtionship with Jihan that way...i blame it on my lack of knowledge at that time...if only i could turn back the time...

the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale 2010

2010-11-15T00:06:00.000+08:00

yes, call me crazy or what, i've been hunting for books for the past 2 days, back-to-back..! my first time ever attending the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale at South City Plaza, Seri Kembangan...couldn't believe my eyes there are so many books (i mean it, MANY) at very low prices (yes, i really mean it, VERY, VERY LOW)....

went there yesterday with my dear hubby (managed to persuade him to come along with me), leaving the kids behind after taking advices from my friends who went there on the very first day of sale...we arrived very early in the morning at around 8.45 am..a few people had arrived and started queue-ing (gosh, we the booklovers are really crazy!)..wo, we went to have a plate of roti canai and teh tarik just outside the mall and went back in at around 9.15 am..the queue was a bit longer, but we were still quite front...waited and waited until they finally opened the grill barrier at around 9.40am..everybody rushed in and ran towards the entry door..being a first timer, we followed the crowd...

we were kept waiting again at the entrance to the hall for another 20 min..when they finally open the door, everybody rushed in like mad people, grabbing boxes, pushing their trolley bags and we just carry our reusable shopping bags...we made a separate ways looking for our books...i can't believe it i grabbed all the books that i touched...the prices were so knocking cheap....

i wanted to look for fictions but then there were so many people and so many books to look at, i didn't know where to start...finally we made our payment after 40 min browsing through the big hall full of books...and guess what was the total amount..? RM 338 for 42 books...!! that's roughly about RM 8 each...!

just look at these fantastic books...

yes, we went in again today...it was quite unplanned, since i had a breastfeeding consultation to attend to this moring and everything settled at around 11.20am...along with the kids this time, we made our way hunting for the wolf again...with Imtiaz securely tugged in his sling, Jihan held his papa's hand, we were lost in the sea of books and people...today's aim- looking for some chick flick stuffs for my sister and some other good books sighted...

so, our earnings for today's catch- RM 236 for 24 books! that's less than RM10 per book..

i'm going crazy with this sale...i think i have enough stocks of books to read that can last for the entire year...me myself not pretty sure when i'm going to finish reading all those books...

enjoy yourselves looking at our books... ; )

i am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

2010-11-14T22:55:00.001+08:00

hi all, sorry for the long hiatus...yes, to much to write, but little time to do it...

first, let me start with a good news...remember that i've written about the MILCC scholarship award for me to sit for the International Board Lactation Consultant Examiners exam? yes, i sat for the exam on 29th July 2010...2 papers- 75 statements questions in the morning and 100 pictures questions in the afternoon...boy, that was exhausting...not forgetting that i was stuck in a massive traffic jam from Bangi to Kajang interchange due to an accident of reckless drivers on drizzling morning...lucky me, my dear hubby took a day off to send me to the exam venue at Hospital Selayang..if not, i would've cry in panic while driving..alhamdulillah, i managed to arrive to exam hall in time, merely about 20 min before the exam started...

there were 6 candidates sitting for the exam..me, being a first timer, i was nervous...i can't say how well or how bad i did in the exam..i prayed for the best and waiting for the results was such a longest wait ever..

finally, the results were announced on the IBLCE website on 29th October 2010...i browsed through my webcode number and my heart was pounding hard...and finally, there it was my number...and i passed the exam! alhamdulillah..i couldn't believe my eyes and re-checked my number again and again, just to make sure...(because the number immediately below me, failed)..i even called my dear hubby to check for me...when his 4 eyes checked and confirmed that my number showed that i passed, then i agreed to believe...

so, officially i am thus awarded the right to use the title International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for a period of 5 years...yes, i'm proud of myself and this is what i really want to do- helping mother and baby pairs out there to successfully breastfeeding with confidence...

insya allah, i will carry this amanah with all my heart...thank you all for the prayers and your support, and may Allah bless us all..

Breastfeeding with Confidence: A Practical Guide

2010-10-27T11:33:00.001+08:00

another great book for parents-to-be...Breastfeeding with Confidence: A Practical Guide by Sue Cox is such a great book for expecting parents...written in easy-to-understand format, this book takes you to the amazing journey of breastfeeding- from the process of making milk to breastfeeding through toddlerhood and weaning of breasfteeding...according to Sue Cox, learning how to breastfeed is a lot like learning how to drive a car...it incorporates the step-by-step practical aspects of breastfeeding that you can practice even before the baby arrives and provide new mothers with the insights they need to be successful...

Sue Cox explains both the art and the method of breastfeeding, and addresses the fact that making milk comes naturally, but breastfeeding is a learned skill...when many mothers-to-be are asked if they'll breastfeed, they often answer, "I will if I can." Cox counters that answer proactively and positively with information, advice, support, resources and encouragement for new mothers...

there are also stories and comments from breastfeeding mothers, with lots of reassuring advice and information...the stories of successful breastfeeding mothers started off with a rough breastfeeding journey and they succeed in the end, which increase our confidence to continue our breastfeeding journey with our little precious...

it's not a thick book but packed with all you need to know on how to breastfeed with confidence successfully...not much of colours and illustration in it, but relevant important pictures such as positioning and latching are included...

Baby-led weaning...

2010-10-20T11:35:00.009+08:00

i'd really love to share with you my limited knowledge of baby-led weaning (BLW)...weaning is another important aspect of child's nutrition apart from breastfeeding...as we know, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months and complementary foods are introduced along with continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond...

BLW is relatively new in Malaysia...traditionally, we spoon feed our baby her first food and this continues until she is big enough to hold and handle her food by herself, but then we are scared of her choking and tend to be overprotective of her act...i used traditional way to wean my children to solid food and often got frustrated when they didn't finish the stipulated amount of food in the bowl...i encountered problem with Imtiaz when he is too used to spoon feed , when one day i put a piece of bread that was relatively easy for him to grab and put into his mouth but he didn't do it... what he did was, he brought his mouth to the plate on the table and try to bite the bread from the plate, like a bird picking his food..! it took him sometime to be able to feed simple food by himself and i shouldn't i feel worry..?

i first heard about BLW a couple months ago when i virtually attended the Australian Breastfeeding Association Online Seminar and was very impressed with Gill Rapley's talk on BLW...after having a minor setback with Imtiaz's feeding experience, i found that BLW is the ideal way of introducing solid to our babies, it's about being in control and balancing the intake of food and fluid by choosing how long each feed should last...

what is baby-led weaning (BLW)?

baby-led weaning is a way of introducing solid foods that allows babies to feed themselves - there’s no spoon feeding and no purées..the baby sits with the family at mealtimes and joins in when she is ready, feeding herself first with her fingers and later with cutlery..

in another words BLW allows babies to explore taste, colour, texture and smell, at the same time encourages independence and confidence, helps to develop their hand-eye coordination and chewing skill and makes picky eating and mealtime battles less likely...and all healthy should be given the opportunity to feed themselves from about 6 month of age...

why 6 months, not 4 months or earlier..?

BLW is based on the way babies develop in their first year...in term of motor development , comparing a 4 month old child and a 6 month old child, i'm sure you can see how steady and stable a 6 month old child is if seated on a chair and how developed his gross motor movement is, including trying to reach out for food on the table.....while the 4 month old would still have wobbly head and shaky body, trying to balance himself, not appear to reach out for food with uncoordinated palmar grasp...

in term of babies' immune and digestive system, they are not ready for other foods until they are about 6 months old- breastmilk [or formula] is all healthy babies need until then...at 6 months, a baby is able to sit upright, pick up pieces of food, take them to her mouth and chew them - she can feed herself!

in the past, when babies were started on solid foods at 3 or 4 months, they had to be given purees because they were too young to feed themselves...so if you've waited until your baby is 6 months to introduce solid foods, there's no need to puree the food for them and you can enjoy family food with the rest of the family members...

won't she choke...?

many parents worry about babies choking..however, there is good reason to believe that babies are at less risk of choking if they are in control of what goes into their mouth than if they are spoon feed...this is because babies are not capable of intentionally moving food to the back of their throats until after they have developed the ability to chew...and they do not develop the ability to chew until after they have developed the ability to reach out and grab things..the ability to pick up very small things develops later still..thus, a very young baby cannot easily put himself at risk because he cannot get small pieces of food into his mouth...spoon feeding, by contrast, encourages the baby to suck the food straight to the back of his mouth, potentially making choking more likely...

tipping a baby backwards or lying him down to feed him solid foods or even milk all by himself is dangerous...i am sure that was what actually happened in the deadly incidents involving babies and toddlers in day-care centres/nurseries recently, where they were left unattended while feeding with their bottles were nicely secured onto the chest and the babies were helplessly fed and got suffocated with their feeding because the fast flow milk were forced into their mouth and lungs and they can't take it at their own pace and such small babies didn't know how to throw the bottles away if they decided they had enough...a baby who is handling food should always be supported in an upright position..this ensures that food he is not yet able to swallow, or does not wish to swallow, will fall forward out of his mouth...

what food to offer my baby...?

the good thing about BLW, you don't have to cook separate food for your baby..you can share most healthy family foods with your baby (avoiding salt and sugar) , for example fruit, vegetable, meat, cheese, well-cooked eggs, bread, rice, pasta and most fish are suitable..choose foods that are easy to cut into sticks or large strips when your baby is starting...

offering your baby a variety of foods will give her the chance to discover different tastes and textures and ensure she gets all the nutrients she needs...

what about breastfeeding...?

continuing to breastfeed on demand during weaning period will have added advantage of allowing the baby to decide how and when to cut down his milk intake...as she eats more at shared mealtimes, so he will 'forget' to ask for some of his milk feeds, or will take less at each feed..there is no need for her mother to make these decisions for him...

the need of follow-on formula for babies who have weaned to solid food and stop breastfeeding is not always necessary as the babies will get most of the nutrients from variety of nutritious and balanced food, not milk anymore...

remember..!

don't expect your baby to eat much in the beginning..many babies eat only small amounts for the first few months of baby-led weaning and still breastfeeding a lot on demand as they take this transition at their own pace...

also, do expect some mess...they thought mealtimes as playtimes in the beginning...however, this approach utilizes his desire to explore and experiment, and to mimic the activities of others..allowing the baby to set the pace of each meal, and maintaining an emphasis on play and exploration rather than on eating, enables the transition to solid foods to take place as naturally as possible...

lastly, keep it enjoyable..that way your baby will be keen to try new foods and looking forward to mealtimes...

Source: Rapley Weaning.com

in her presentation, Gill Rapley showed a few videos of different ages of babies and toddlers doing BLW and they have good hands and eyes coordination and very good at using cutleries during mealtimes at an early age, together with their family members...

after knowing this fantastic approach, i really hope to use it on my future children and i love to share this bit of information with all of you...and i'm currently hunting for Gill Rapley's Baby Led Weaning: Helping Your Baby to Love Good Food book and DVD at affordable prices {they are not in Malaysia :( }

for those who'd like to watch the video of BLW, try this link and this link or find some other interesting clips at youtube.com

Susuibu.com International Lactation Conference 2010

2010-10-18T14:06:00.007+08:00

hope it's not too late for me to blog about this auspicious event occurred from 5th -7th October 2010 at Pullman Lakeside Putrajaya...wide topics were covered by our key speakers - Dr Jack Newman, Sue Cox and Diana West (as mentioned in my previous entry )...

i was glad that i attended the event..i came not only to gain more knowledge and get a first hand experience from the experts, but also to build a good and establishing a network of breastfeeding advocates and exchanging views and sharing experiences with all the participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong,Thailand, Philippines, Australia and others...

as for me, this is a good experience and opportunity gain the knowledge and experience, making new friends and adapting other nations' way promoting breastfeeding...

in Indonesia, the Asosiasi Ibu Menyusui Indonesia (AIMI) approaches the Ustaz and Ustazah and teach them the importance and the technique of breastfeeding so that they'll be able to preach their communities that breastfeeding is greatly beneficial for the infants, as proven by science and it is also mandatory as mentioned in the Noble Quran...

in Bangkok, the breastfeeding mothers have WOMBLES (working overstressed mothers of Bangkok lets eat supper)..it's a great way to let yourself out, hanging out with friends and supporting each other...

in Malaysia, we are proud to present the first structured and systematic Mother-to-Mother Support group, the Malaysian Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (MBfPC), which currently have trained around 120 peer counselors and we are working together supporting and educating breastfeeding mothers and their families so that a more favourable breastfeeding outcomes will be seen in Malaysia in years to come...

even though the participants of this conference came for different background, our aim is the same..we want to empower women to choose to breastfeed, to educate society at large about the importance and benefits of breastfeeding, and working together to make breastfeeding a norm among the population...while many knows that breastfeeding is best, but some do not know how to get it done right from the start and lost their confidence in their breastfeeding journey...that's why it is important to build a strong network of breastfeeding advocates in the country so that we can reach to those mothers, fathers, grandparents out there who are in need of help and support to improve the breastfeeding practices for both mother and infant and young child..

i had fun during the conference...food was good, there were many breastfeeding books, gadgets, clothings on sale, not forgetting babies stuffs including cloth diapers, babywearing stuffs and organic and green stuffs on sale at unbeatable prices...we also had fun contests and lucky draws with great prizes offered {which i didn't win :( }

i really admire the efforts brought by Nurturing Concepts Sdn Bhd and Susuibu.com who have made this conference a success...insya Allah, this will be their annual event as part of continuous breastfeeding education in Malaysia...

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk

2010-10-12T21:51:00.004+08:00

often we hear many new mothers and even experienced mothers complaint of having low milk supply and that somehow hinders their confidence to breastfeed their baby...knowing what goes wrong or trying to work it out why it happens is important, as the management for each problem differs...some might just go for a quick-fix but will that solve the entire problem..?

getting peer support or even professional help may relieve the anxiety and stress; which can aggravate further drop in the milk supply...searching for reliable information through the internet or books widens our knowledge and at the same time help us understand more on the physiology of milk-making in our body...i couldn't agree more that mothers should not be alone during this situation...they need support and encouragement and a word of advice telling them the correct thing to do....

i found a very interesting book that i bought while i was having the milk supply crisis when Imtiaz was around 9 months old...although at that time i was looking for a quick-fix, but after reading the whole book, i realized that there is more that just a quick-fix in making more milk for my little ones...The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk and how babies contribute to your milk production.. best of all, it offers valuable suggestions for both time-honoured and innovative ways to make more milk...

the opportunity to meet the author, Diana West during the Susuibu.com International Lactation Conference 2010 recently was exciting...listening to her speech helped me to boost my confidence to continue helping mothers with breastfeeding difficulties...i also got my book signed too...

this is definitely a worth buy...

LCBSP Eid Mubarak Celebration & Mini M&M Concert

2010-10-11T17:54:00.006+08:00

for the first time ever, Little Calips Bandar Seri Putra (LCBSP) invited the whole family to attend the Eid Mubarak Celebration...previous years, the event was held at the school compound and was celebrated among the kids and their teachers...this year, they made it a bigger event and invited the whole family to come over to enjoy the fun and to see our children in action...was held on the 25th September 2010 at Anuwar Mahmud Hall UKM Bangi, it was the children's first experience making a stage performance in front of a whole lot of audiences...

the children has been practicing their performances for quite some time, but when the time came that's the time when the lyrics were forgotten, wrong steps occurred, some just too astonished to move on stage, but most of all, they had real fun on stage...even my little boy made his own performance in front of the stage, following the songs and steps of the bigger kids on stage....

at the end of the concert, awards were given out to those children who managed to fast the most during Ramadhan...one of the recipient is my fantastic Jihan who manage to fast the whole month of Ramadhan...

and we had a feast of food afterward...where every family brought potluck, there were more than enough food for everybody present...

alhamdulillah, the event was a success one...we hope to see more of our children's work in the future...

Syawal 1431H

2010-09-27T15:26:00.003+08:00

alhamdulillah, we had a blast aidilfitri this year...we went back to negeri sembilan and batu pahat and had great food, meeting up with relatives and enjoying ourselves travelling....the kids behaved well and had lots of fun too..

after the raya break, we went back to work and had another short break during the Malaysia Day..this time we travelled up north and had another round of great fun there...we visited relatives and friends and on the way back to KL, we stopped by at Bukit Merah Laketown Resort for a night stay...we have to come again to this place to enjoy all the fun there next time..!

something to be proud of, this year Jihan stood tall with her personal achievement of being able to fast fully during Ramadhan, alhamdulillah..she treasured the meaning of Ramadhan and Aidilfitri more this year...sharing and caring with others, especially with the less fortunate ones...

May Allah bless us all and accept our good deeds and reward us with Jannah in the hereafter

i'm having milk bleb : (

2010-09-14T16:26:00.005+08:00

picture googled from mother-2-mother.com

alhamdulillah, to date at 18 months, Imtiaz is still breastfeeding, without any supplementation of formula milk..even though during the day,he is no more interested to drink my expressed breast milk (EBM) via bottle, cup, etc, he drinks only plain water, juices or occasionally UHT flavoured milk...but when i'm around, i am his readily available milk producer for him...

once a while, i noticed i will have to deal with nipple pain or blocked duct myself, even Imtiaz is considered as big enough to cause such problem to me...during the hari raya break, i had another episode of nipple pain, being the usual area, the right nipple...i thought it was due to improper latching or due to pulling by my aggressive little dinosaur...the pain was sharp, at every feeding, even after i corrected the position...

this morning, upon waking up, i noticed a tiny, white spot on the nipple...i'm having a milk bleb or milk blister...

A milk blister, or blocked nipple pore, is also called a bleb or nipple blister, or simply "milk under the skin." It occurs when a tiny bit of skin overgrows a milk duct opening and milk backs up behind it. A milk blister usually shows up as a painful white, clear or yellow dot on the nipple or areola, and the pain tends to be focused at that spot and just behind it. If you compress the breast so that milk is forced down the ducts, the blister will typically bulge outward. Milk blisters can be persistent and very painful during feeding, and may remain for several days or weeks and then spontaneously heal when the skin peels away from the affected area.. (from kellymom.com)

so, what i did just now, i applied moist heat to the area (i immersed my nipple in a bowl of warm water), then i apply some olive oil on a cotton ball and gently rub the area to soften the blocked pore...then i massage my nipple in the warm water and the milk started to ooze out of the bleb...alhamdulillah, milk is able to eject through that pore...and now i feel a bit better, with less pain...

the recommended treatment will be, applying the moist heat prior to feeding, then nurse the baby often or pump with hospital-grade pump, and followed by antibiotic cream if needed...alternatively if all the methods above do not work, ask your healthcare provider to use a sterile needle to open the bleb...pain relief can be used to relieve discomfort...

remember, to seek immediate treatment if any of the following occurs: fever, inflammation, swelling, any kind of discharge, abscess, etc...

2010 raya preparations

2010-09-07T16:49:00.003+08:00

Jihan is so excited, she sleeps in her raya tudung!

alhamdulillah, towards the end of ramadhan, i am very proud of my Jihan who is still fasting fully until today...she is very excited to complete her fasting this ramadhan and very eager to celebrate eid...i am sure that this is the most meaningful ramadhan and idulfitri for her as she reaches the highest achievement in her life....

as for us, similar like years before, the preparation for idulfitri is done in moderation..this year, we are wearing purple and each of us got 1 piece each of baju kurung/baju melayu...for casual wear, the kids got 2 pieces each and a pair of shoes that is also to be used for day to day occasion...

kuih raya..? i managed to make 4 types and 2 cannisters already finished...alhamdulillah, i'm very happy that somebody will eat my kuih raya...

insya allah, we will be going back to Negeri Sembilan and Batu Pahat from 1st raya until Monday..dear hubby starts working and Monday and he'll travel back to work on Monday morning...we weill continue our journey to Muar visiting friends.. and on Malaysia Day holiday, we are going back to Sg Petani to celebrate idulfitri with my parents in-law...

wishing all my readers Eid Mubarak, Maaf Zahir batin...drive carefully and have a safe raya...

Parents-Teachers Meet Little Caliphs Bandar Seri Putra

2010-08-31T17:45:00.005+08:00

last saturday, we went to the parents-teachers meet of Little Caliphs Bandar Seri Putra to see our little darling's school performance and achievements...

from my observation, Jihan had made such an improvement since she started going to kindergarten..being a busy working mother of 2, it is not easy for me to give my utmost attention to her and to coach her by myself...that's why we decided to send her to kindergarten at the age of 3 and a half year old because we were aware of our limitations as parents...alhamdulillah, sending her to the Little Caliphs program, an English- Islamic Integrated education was a correct choice...Jihan was able to grasp and digest the materials well...though she seldom tells us what she learned at school ( even when we asked her many, many times), she unconsciously shows her intelligent and talent when she is doing play role as a teacher herself...sometimes, she reads aloud her books and she loves to improvise her readings and making her own story...

during the last semester, she received good comment from the teachers, although she was quite playful and talkative...and this time round, her teacher told us that in term of achievement, she is actually far ahead from most her friends...she reads both malay and english well...and her iqra' also has improved..she is currently going to book 6...her achievement during this ramadhan, being able to fast fully, has become an example to other students as well..she is able to solat and recite the readings in solat well too...alhamdulillah..even though she is naughty and sometimes stubborn, she performs well in school...

i believe, the teachers and the parents complement each other in our children's education...and choosing the right method in early education is also essential as a core for our children's foundation...

we pray that our children will continue to pave their way to success, insya allah...

iftar with the unfortunate orphans

2010-08-26T15:52:00.004+08:00

yesterday, we were invited to break fast with a few unfortunate orphans from Darul Izzah Bangi and Kajang area at Dewan MPKJ Kajang..the event was organized by Susuibu.com, Nurturing Concepts, Sdn Bhd, Sands Consulting Sdn Bhd and MPKJ....

i was glad that we were given this opportunity to do some good deeds in Ramadhan and to contribute some duit raya to the unfortunate children...i took this opportunity to teach Jihan to be grateful to Allah for what He has gives us and how fortunate we are to still have our parents with us...

Imtiaz, as usual kept on running around the big hall and it was quite difficult for us to enjoy our meals :( nevertheless, we had good meals of kambing bakar, satay, white rice and delicious lauk and kuih...

Imtiaz also helped me to distribute the duit raya packets to the kids while Jihan and papa ate their meals...

alhamdulillah, until today, Jihan has fast fully since day 1 of ramadhan...she is such a strong girl...we are very proud of her...

i hope we can continue to help the poor, the less fortunate and the needy as much as we can...and i hope to instill this good value in our children from now on and hopefully they'll grow up to be good muslims, insya allah...

Jihan's Ramadhan Journey - day 10 today

2010-08-20T09:29:00.004+08:00

alhamdulillah...we are entering the 10th ramadhan today and i'm very proud of my girl who has been fasting fully for 10 days all these while!! congratulations, dear...at first, i thought it was going to be quite hard for her...after she went through her first few days with a bit of crankiness towards the end of the day, now she is more calm and more patient waiting for iftar...

as usual, her appetite has always been big since the first day of ramadhan...she has been requesting me to buy murtabak almost everyday...luckily, that's everybody's favourite too...at the end of the day, it was us who finished it for her...

and my little boy, Imtiaz is not bad too...he will have his iftar with us and likes nasi kerabu or any other couloured rice very much!...he wakes up for sahur and enjoys his meal very much...and during the day, he somehow eats a little less than usual..fasting as well, huh..?

alhamdulillah, we are enjoying ramadhan very much...and insya allah, we'll sail through the rest of ramadhan in barakah....

Jihan's first attempt fasting...

2010-08-12T14:24:00.003+08:00

alhamdulillah, my little girl is getting more mature....yesterday, she fast the whole day and broke her fast together with us...she was so excited to break her fast with us and demanded a Chicky Meal from KFC....

it was easy to wake her up for sahur and she had a proper meal during sahur....later, she went to school in the morning and many of the children in the school also fast....she told us that she mostly read books rather than playing with her friends in order to conserve her energy....when she came back, she slept for an hour before going for Iqra' class...

i called her a few times asking her whether she is still fasting or not and i was very proud of her achievement....

when i came back, she was so excited looking at the kuihs and some dishes that i brought home for iftar....and when the time for iftar was almost there, she sat at the table and kept on looking at the clock....

and when it was time, she put almost everything on her plate and drank a whole glass of fruit juice to quench her thirst...

alhamdulillah, she made it on the first day...and today, she was very eager to fast for the whole month...and when i called her just now, she is still fasting...

congratulations Jihan...we are so proud of you..!

Ramadhan Al Mubarak 2010

2010-08-11T10:10:00.005+08:00

Ahlan Ya Ramadhan Kareem....alhamdulillah, this year He gives us the opportunity to celebrate Ramadhan again...this is my 2nd year fasting with Imtiaz still fully breastfeeding...alhamdulillah...since Imtiaz is still reverse cycling, there is no worry for me to express enough breastmilk for him during the day time...although i do express them to maintain milk supply, twice a day, 2-3 oz each session....i've blogged about a few tips during ramadhan before to maintain the milk supply, here and here...

insya Allah, this Ramadhan, i'm trying my best to spend more time to do extra good deeds and ibadah (i already missed last night's tarawikh due to tiredness and Imtiaz was a bit cranky and kept on breastfeeding every single hour)...

and this year, Jihan is trying her best to fast for the first time...! she had been very excited before the Ramadhan month and kept telling us that she is 5 year old and must fast...and her Atok's friend told her if she fasts throughout the Ramadhan month, she can get money!

so this morning, it was easy to wake her up for sahur....and she ate a plate of rice and drank her favourite strawberry yogurt drink until he stomach was full....and Imtiaz joined us for sahur as well, enjoying some pasta and soup....

we should encourage our children to start fasting at the early age... there is no harm to give some kind of reward at the end of the day, at the same time educating them that fasting is obligated among healthy Muslims during Ramadhan...

i found this interesting free download fasting chart from ALIM Kids Bookshop.. perhaps this will encourage our children to fast this Ramadhan, insya Allah....

One Minute Simultaneous Breastfeeding

2010-08-08T14:28:00.006+08:00

in conjunction with the recent World Breastfeeding Week 2010, the Mother-to-Mother Peer Support (MMPS) group held an event, the "one-minute simultaneous breastfeeding" where mothers breastfeed their babies for one minute together at the same time...

this year, mother and baby pairs who were unable to attend physically at the event were able to participate as well by joining them on 7th August 2010 at 3.30 pm...

Imtiaz and I showed our support by participating this event yesterday and we were proud to be part of 175 mother-baby pairs this year who participated in the event as well...this is our 2nd year doing the similar event...last year, we physically attended the event at Kajang...here's the post about it...

congratulations to all of us and breastfeeding rocks the world..yeay!

Happy Breastfeeding Week 2010

2010-08-04T11:24:00.005+08:00

i hope it's not too late to wish all of you a Happy Breastfeeding Week 2010, which is celebrated every year on the 1st week of August....

the theme for this year, "Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps- the Baby-Friendly Way"...

it is well known that research shows that the best feeding option globally is the initiation of breastfeeding within the first half hour of life, exclusive breastfeeding for a full six months and continued breastfeeding through the second year or beyond... breastfeeding improves short and long term maternal and child health thus contributing to a happy, healthy nation...

UNICEF recently noted that the reduction of child deaths from 13 million globally in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008 is partly due to the adoption of basic health interventions such as early and exclusive breastfeeding...more and more studies have shown that implementation of the Ten Steps with continued postnatal support contributes to increased breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding at the local, national and global levels....

Recent studies have shown that with more of the Ten Steps in place, the more likely women are to achieve their breastfeeding goals... this confirms that importance for every maternity, hospital, clinic and community to strive to increase the number of steps in place, even if they cannot achieve all ten steps immediately...therefore every step counts!

*adapted from WABA WBW2010

my little Imtiaz is still fully breastfeeding..in fact, he is reverse cycling now....he refused to drink the expressed breastmilk during the day or when i'm away...so he'll wait for me to come back and get hold to my boops till he finishes his business....at night, he just won't get off me at all....

i really treasure every moment with him now...especially when he is breastfeeding and looks into my eyes and gives me his charming smile, with his hands exploring all parts of my face and upper body....this moment will soon wear off, eventually.....

he is thriving well, active and healthy...and he loves mama's milk so much!

Susuibu.Com International Lactation Conference

2010-07-25T12:59:00.004+08:00

calling for participants for the auspicious and prestigious international lactation conference, to be held in Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Selangor, Malaysia, on the 5th - 7th October 2010!

This conference is supported by international bodies UNICEF & World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). The honorable patron for this event is Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali. 

The conference will be exploring the wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding we have about breastfeeding as the natural way to feed and nurture our babies. We believe that if empowered, women are able to successfully breastfeed and nurture their child naturally. The main objective of this conference is to create awareness on the issues surrounding breastfeeding and provide the opportunity for Malaysians to learn from top notch professional speakers in the field of Human Lactation.

Internationally renowned speakers along with Malaysia’s own lactation experts form the exceptional list of invited guests who will present at the conference.
International Speakers for this conference will be:
Dr. Jack Newman - world renowned expert on childcare and breastfeeding, author of best selling books “Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers”
Sue Cox - distinguished author, speaker and pioneer in breastfeeding support in Australia. Author of “Breastfeeding with Confidence” and “Baby Magic”
Diana West - distinguished speaker and author of best selling book "Making More Milk"
TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE 3 DAY CONFERENCE:
- Targeting treatment for Low Milk Production to infant and maternal management cause
- Milk production for preterm baby
- Norms for the breastfeeding baby
- What they didn't teach you about breastfeeding in your training
- Making more milk! 
- Baby magic and altering hospital breastfeeding culture
- National Health Morbidity Survey on infant feeding
- Building Peer Counselor Network in Malaysia
- Early stimulation for babies
- Strengthening the on going support for Breastfeeding
- Controversies in breastfeeding

taken from susuibu.com international lactation conference 2010 website



early bird registration extended to 15th august 2010...
10% discount for MBfPC, government bodies, susuibu.com members, students
more discounts for group registration of more than 10 people...kindly email me for more info..
for more info, log on to http://susuibu.com/siconf2010

don't miss this chance of a lifetime!

when the eye popped out...

2010-07-20T15:03:00.005+08:00

how will you react when your eyes popped out...? scary...??!! shocked..??!!

those were the reactions that i experienced last night..for so long, i already knew that i have allergic conjunctivitis that obviously cannot be cured but can be controlled...but to date, i am not sure what are the specific allergens that cause it..let's say, it is multifactorial....i've been using a medication to control the symptoms and avoiding the allergen) poor me, cannot wear any eyeliner or mascara)..

so last night it was THE DAY it chose to happen again, but this time so intensely itchy until i couldn't open my left eye...i kept on rubbing my eye and felt like taking it out and soak it in a sterilized water so that it becomes purely clean... after almost 1 hour, it gradually stopped and i felt that the affected eye was heavy and droopy...

what i saw in the mirror was a very red eye...fine, that was expected...i look closer in the mirror...eh..? how come the nasal limbus and its conjunctiva were swollen and popping out more than my cornea? that scared me off....

so i called my friend who is training in ophthalmology asking her opinion...it was just a chemosis...she reassured me that it's going to be fine but if i'm unlucky, my conjunctiva can just pop out tomorrow morning if it decided not to subside....

so, i woke up this morning, feeling a bit gritty on the affected eye...looked into the mirror- well, it was still red but not swollen anymore..

so, i need to discipline myself not to rub my eyes vigorously again or else my eyes will popped out again...huuu.....

if you are not sure what is happening to you, please seek medical attention...even though this condition is non life-threatening, if you are not a health professional please get yourself checked by a doctor to confirm the diagnosis....

Chemosis is swelling of the tissue that lines the eyelids and surface of the eye (conjunctiva).
In general, chemosis is a nonspecific sign of eye irritation. The outer surface covering appears to have fluid in it. Often, the eye area swells so much that you can't close your eyes properly.
Chemosis is often related to an allergic response or infection.

one year older..

2010-07-19T11:07:00.006+08:00

one year older (huu..), one year wiser (ehh..?), one year mature (hmm...), hopefully a whole lot richer (aha..!)...oh please, no gray hair nor wrinkles (hahaha!)

pardon me for not updating the blog since god-knows-when...i'm stuck doing some beneficial and non-beneficial stuffs for myself....hmmm...what are the beneficial and important stuffs that i do...? well, i celebrated my birthday, then i was busy counting the calories i take per day and find ways how to burn the extra calories (after i found out that eating good food for the past months means the clothes are tight on me), trying out new recipes that are low-fat, low calories but yummy, studying for my IBLCE...arggghh!!! yes, the IBLCE is just around the corner...and suddenly i realized that there are so much things to read..!!!

gosh, friends, please pray for me and my other colleagues (Dr Nadrah and Jess Wong) who are going to sit for the IBLCE as well...we hope we'll succeed as IBCLC to increase the awareness of breastfeeding in our society and to reach out mums out there in need of our help...

i've also updated my recipe blog with new nutritious recipes..feel free to drop by..

i pray that success will be always on my side in no matter what i do...i am thankful that i'm surrounded with lovely and fantastic people who love me so much and thank you for the support...to my beloved dinosours of my life (including papa dinosaur), you are the best thing that can possibly happen in my life...thank you for everything...

Kathy, you'll be dearly missed....

2010-05-29T11:34:00.002+08:00

i woke in the wee hours of the morning yesterday and automatically my hand reached my Iphone to check for new incoming emails....an email from Pushpa from Paraguay caught my eyes and when i read her email, i was shocked and saddened by the news that Kathy passed away peacefully in her sleep the night before...i got to know these fantastic women during the Train the Trainers for Peer Counselor Program in January recently...

i was very much glad to have the opportunity to know dear Kathy personally during the training...she was such a great La Leche League International leader, who have touched our hearts during the training....she was such a passionate person, full of determination and high spirit and i really adore her very much....though it was only a short moment, but the bonds we made seemed to be that we've known each other for quite some time...her passing is such a big loss to the breastfeeding movement and we are going to miss her very much....

Kathy dear, may your soul rest in peace...we'll carry your spirit and spread your breastfeeding spirits here in Malaysia....with love....

cloth diapering

2010-05-27T10:54:00.008+08:00

ya i know i already missed the boat long time ago...! parents had started cloth diapering their babies and toddlers many years ago to save money and protecting the environment but i only started trying just recently...

i have been using disposable diapers since Jihan was born...not really interested in cloth diapering because i thought it was quite expensive for a piece of cloth diaper, but actually in long term run, you will actually save a lot on costs...another aspect that made me a bit reluctant to try it at first was the hassle and fussiness (and laziness) to wash the cloth diapers..although at that time i had maid to do it for me...

anyhow, i really adore the way it looks on baby's bum...they look colourful, cute and nicely snugged the baby's bum...

so, why did i start using cloth diapers recently on Imtiaz..? firstly, out of sudden, Imtiaz had itchiness of his bum...not really sure of what it is...it didn't look like a nappy rash or fungal infection but he kept scratching his bum especially after we took of his disposable diapers to change or for bath...he kept on scratching until it left scratching marks on his bum...we applied all sorts of cream and ointment and it didn't work...

so i discussed the matter with Mr Hubby and a few of my friends who had experiences with cloth diapers and decided to try...so i bought 7 pieces of bamboo type of cloth diapers for a start and started using it on Imtiaz...we roughly know when Imtiaz poo-poos everyday, so at that time we put him on disposable diapers (we still have 3 jumbo packs of disposable diapers)... but accidents happened, a few times he poo-ed in his cloth diapers and now i'm an expert at washing soiled diapers ; )

so, my review after 2 weeks of trial, i'm happy with it and it saves my pocket too...in the mean time we are still trying to finish the stacks of disposable diapers...Imtiaz's bum is already back to normal..no more scratching...plus he looks adorable in his cloth diapers...

we are still going to use disposable diapers especially travelling outstation...so far we are well to do with only 7 pieces of cloth diapers as he only uses 3-4 pieces per day...probably i'm going to buy a few more pieces (make it 10-12 pieces - what do you think..?)...

Jihan's Sports Day...

2010-05-25T18:14:00.005+08:00

the Little Caliphs Grand Sports Day was held recently (2 weeks ago to be exact) at the UKM Stadium Bangi...for the first time this year, 5 Little Caliphs Pre Schools collaborated in a grand event...Jihan was so excited to participate in the events...last year, she was a little timid and was quite overwhelmed with the audiences and other participants and she ended up sobbing especially during the marching event...but after that she participated in all her events...

this year, my little girl was very brave and really enjoyed herself with her friends...poor me didn't get to watch her competitive spirit because i was accompanying Imtiaz in the car for his nap....

although the weather was extremely hot and sunny, the children were very high on energy...the parents were also very supportive with high spirits as well...we wore purple outfits to show our supports to Little Caliphs Bandar Seri Putra (LCBSP)...

even though LCBSP finished 4th, the children enjoyed themselves to the maximum...by the end of the day, we were all very tired and exhausted....some pictures for you to enjoy!

Soft Launch-Susuibu.com International Lactation Conference 2010

2010-05-20T22:25:00.005+08:00

i am very proud to announce that for the first time ever, Malaysia is going to organize its very own International Lactation Conference, scheduled on 5th - 7th October 2010, which will be held at Kolej Universiti Islam Selangor (KUIS), Bandar Seri Putra... this is made possible with the hard work, efforts and determinations of the breastfeeding mothers at The Nurturing Concepts Sdn Bhd (NCSB) and Susuibu.com...renowned speakers in the lactation field such as Dr Jack Newman, Sue Cox and Diana West are expected to share their expertise with us at this auspicious event...

i attended the soft launch of this event recently, held at NCSB Seri Kembangan...our Deputy Minister of Health, Datuk Rosnah Shirlin Abdul Rashid Shirlin, officiated the event...i managed to have a casual talk with her and i was very glad that she fully supported the program and very much determined in breastfeeding his 4 months old baby as well....

so, for those who are interested to attend this conference, hurry to book your seat now! more informations at the website

see you there!

14 months old Little Dino!

2010-05-18T09:07:00.003+08:00

yeay, my little dinosaur is currently 14 months + and glad to say that he is more stable at walking...! he started to walk soon after his first birthday in his wobbly gait, but with practice he is a Pro now...he even dare to climb up the sofa or table, but all these episodes were not without any accidents...

1 major accident that he had was about 2 weeks ago...he was already very sleepy but wanted to play and walk about in the room...suddenly he tripped and hi mouth hit hard on the floor....there went his very loud cry and along with it, blood was drooling from his lower lips...2 pieces of tissue were drenched with blood, and we used towel after that to soak the flowing blood...his cry was so loud and i was quite panic ( i hate blood ; { )

we didn't put ice as he was struggling not to let us wipe his mouth...and his face was smudge with blood...to calm him down, i started to nurse him and his cry subsided...he slept well and woke up the next morning with a swollen lip...

he is still fully breastfeeding, active and healthy and also very naughty and cheeky...he is due for his 3rd dose of pnuemococcal vaccine and varicella vaccine soon...

Happy 6th Anniversary...

2010-05-16T21:24:00.003+08:00

coincides with the MBfPC training, we celebrated our 6th anniversary...it was lovely that we got this golden opportunity to reminisce our sweet memories in Kuantan....we started to get really close and got to know each other well about 8 months before we tied our knot....and we spent a year after married living together and surely that make Kuantan our favourite spot always...

so, after the training, we spent a night at Swiss Garden Resort and Spa, to unwind and relax...a short one but a quality one...we are planning for another east coast treat in Kuala Terengganu at the end of May, and you have to stay put for the story...

Jihan got to splash in the pool, unfortunately for Imtiaz, he was too sleepy to join his sister but somehow managed to had a good splash at the bathtub...

we pray that our marriage will always be blessed by Allah and i am very much grateful for having Dr Asrul as my husband, my soul, my warrior, my partner, my best friend...my life is so meaningful with his love, presence and support, no matter what i do....and our life is more colourful with the presence of our little monsters who keep our world spinning, but our love towards them is endless...may Allah gives us strength to walk through our journey together, keep us together, no matter what happened... thank you Allah for this great life, great journey, with my loved ones....

MBfPC East Coast Region Training

2010-05-16T20:54:00.005+08:00

yeah, it has been a while since i last updated this blog...i have loads to share and now i don't know where to start first...

let me first start with my experiences in the Malaysian Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (MBfPC) Training for the East Coast region, held at Leenai's Homestay, Kuantan from 30th April till 2nd may 2010...i was one of the Peer Counselor Program Administrator (PCPA) along with Kak Kamariah, Yatie, Kak Jasmine, Kak Ning and Linda, who were in charged for the East Coast training...and i brought along my little monster, Imtiaz with me, while my dear hubby and Jihan only came on Friday night to join us...lucky me, Imtiaz's behaviour was acceptable and i was able to perform my tasks without much disturbances...

i met wonderful mothers with full dedications and determinations attending this training with the aim of supporting breastfeeding mothers out there....it was a wonderful experience sharing our thoughts and breastfeeding journeys, learning from each other and creating a whole new network of MBfPC of the East Coast region...

the unique thing about this training, we had male participants too they were Mr Sazli (Kak Kamariah's husband) and my dear hubby as well...surprisingly, these 2 participants scored highest marks in the pre and post test assessments..! [they have to perform that well for being the husbands of breastfeeding advocates ; ) ]

indeed, i enjoyed myself in the training and the kids too, they made lots of new friends as well....even though it was quite tiring, but the experiences is more than worth it...as PCPAs, we hope that the guidance and the knowledge that we shared with the participants will be disseminated to other mothers out there....sharing is caring and we want to nurture a better future for our children, as only breastmilk is able to provide the very best nutrient for them...

Psychological Effects Through Breastfeeding

2010-04-11T15:06:00.004+08:00

i was very glad that i attended a talk on Psychological Effects Through Breastfeeding at the Nurturing Concepts Sdn Bhd yesterday, delivered by Dr Umi Adzlin (a psychiatrist) and Dr Zubaidah Jamil Osman (a psychologist)... it is a different kind of a breastfeeding talk...it does not touch the practical aspects of breastfeeding but rather something other than just providing the very best nutrition for our babies...

it opened my eyes and my mind that breastfeeding our babies is more than the nutritional part... breastfeeding makes all the maternal good hormones to function and make the mother feels good...breastfeeding mothers are less likely to suffer from postpartum depression and more likely to have good relationship with their children and raise happy children with better EQ...

breastfeeding your babies is proven to provide the best protection for your babies and it gives a lots of benefits to the mother as well...fathers also can play an active role in breastfeeding...on a whole, it promote a healthy relationship among family members ...

MILCC scholarship

2010-04-11T14:43:00.004+08:00

i have been very busy with my psychiatric posting with challenging events during my daycall that left me feeling down and low mood for a few days...i was totally mentally and physically exhausted and i let my emotion drifted on its own until last Thursday when i received some good news that lifted up my spirit again...

my application for the Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) was approved and i was awarded with full scholarship for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examination (IBLCE) 2010...! and to date, i was informed that i am the first recipient from Malaysia to received the scholarship, alhamdulillah...

i will take the exam in Malaysia with a few other candidates in July 2010...there are lots to study and i will make sure that i fulfill my dream to become a Lactation Consultant that is recognized worldwide and to help mothers out there to breastfeed their babies successfully...

insya Allah, i will do my best to make Malaysia proud....

my 200th post - prevention is better than cure...

2010-04-04T17:32:00.004+08:00

yeay! it's my 200th post....i've been posting in this blog since 2007...glad to have my wonderful readers and thank you for reading the posts and sharing your thoughts with me...

so, back to the topic...the 2nd wave of H1N1 outbreak is back raging in Malaysia...to date, 2 deaths have been reported since the outbreak is back...that should raise our awareness to take good care of ourselves to prevent the H1N1 outbreak within our community...

personal hygiene and cleanliness are still the 1st measures to be taken by everybody seriously....by implementing such actions, the risk of transmission can be minimized...if you are having influenza-like-illness (ILI), it is advisable for you to seek medical attention to get healthcare professional opinions regarding your illness...stay at home until you are cured in order to prevent the viral spread to others...

for those who are high-risk of contracting H1N1, it is advisable to get H1N1 vaccinations..in Malaysia, they are not free..they come at a cost...talk to your healthcare provider regarding this if you are interested....

for us, we decided to vaccinate the whole family...being a healthcare professional is one of the high-risk individuals and we are not risking the life of our loved ones for it...my dear husband runs the H1N1 lab and handles the specimens, me myself work in an environment full with sick people, our children are at risks and my mother who is a diabetic is also at risk...

lastly, don't forget to pray... we've tried all sort of efforts to stop the transmission of one of the deadly virus, but He is the one who knows what is best for us...so, never stop praying for a good health...

Campaign for 90 days maternity leave

2010-03-11T10:59:00.004+08:00

recently, the National Union of Bank Employeed (NUBE) has launched the "Our 90 Days for Mums - 1 MIllion Signature Campaign" at their headquarters in conjunction with thte International Women's Day... NUBE aims to gather the signatures in support of a memorandum to increase the 60 days paid maternity leave to 90 days - an act that would bring Malaysia up to par with the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 183 on Maternity Protection.
Other countries in the region - Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia already has 90 days for maternity leave.....

Some Southeast Asian countries even provide breastfeeding and child care protection. For example a mother in Singapore gets up to 12 months leave to breastfeed and care for her newborn. In Cambodia, companies are obliged to grant a new mother a 30-minute break twice daily to breastfeed her child. Those with more than 100 women workers have to provide nursing rooms and day care centers, with the cost of childcare borne by the company. Indonesian employers meanwhile are required to provide a suitable place for breastfeeding mothers to nurse their children during work hours.

based on my personal experiences, it is not easy to make people to understand the nature and the needs of breastfeeding for our own babies....to implement such a policy as mentioned above in Malaysia, we are still lagging behind and with more awareness and education of the benefits in breastfeeding for both mother and child, there is a pressing need to amend the relevant provision in the Employment Act 1955. The 60-day paid maternity leave is simply not enough for most Malaysian women.

for us, this is the time for recovery from physical, emotional and mental stress after delivery...taking care of a newborn baby is not an easy job....the new environment for a new mother, they simply need time for adjustment and recovery...going back to work is another mental and emotional stress for the new mothers and they need adequate time to prepare themselves mentally, physically and emotionally for it....

the collection of signatures in supporting this petition ends on 6th June 2010.... it will be submitted together with a a Memorandum to the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia and a copy to the 221 Members of Parliament as the voice of 1Malaysian citizen urging for the amendments...

lets make a change towards a better quality of postnatal care and breastfeeding practice in Malaysia...

show your supports by clicking the link below and participate...!

http://www.nube.org.my/pd/petitionE.aspx

happy 1st birthday Imtiaz

2010-03-10T14:30:00.005+08:00

finally, Imtiaz turns 1....he's such a handsome, macho boy now....we had a wonderful birthday party inviting family and friends at our lovely home...Imtiaz was dressed in a casual way - a shirt and pair of jeans...he was so excited playing with the balloons, eating all the delicacies that were spread on the table and was so amazed looking at his homemade Winnie the Pooh birthday cake...!!

the day before that, my cousin celebrated her4x birthday...so we had a double birthday party...i made her a chocolate mud cake with a letter R as her initial on her cake...

Imtiaz now has 4 teeth - 2 upper incisors and 2 lower incisors....he is about to stand on his own without holding onto furnitures and is more creative and intelligent from day to day... i still fully breastfeeding him, alhamdulillah and he is stronger and smarter each day...

he got wonderful birthday presents, thanking our relatives and friends for them....

he was so tired by the end of the day and retired early to bed...Jihan too was enjoying herself and was so excited opening Imtiaz's presents....she said, "imtiaz, let's share the presents ya..!"

happy 59th birthday

2010-02-23T17:06:00.003+08:00

it was my father's birthday last sunday, his 59th....alhamdulillah, he is still well, active and healthy at this age, after 3 years pensioned....we had a little celebration at home and later had a lunch out - a feast of nasi baryani....

i made a special chocolate mud cake...the kids were excited having to blow the candle and cutting the cake...

we pray that you have a wonderful year ahead and have a healthy life and may Allah bless you always...

loves, mak, along, angah, asrul, jihan & imtiaz....

Jihan at 4 1/2 year old

2010-02-17T21:36:00.003+08:00

recently, i introduced Jihan to an interactive website on learning to read with phonics method Starfall.com .... i found it very interesting and i managed to get my girl to read....she is so fascinated with the animation and the interactive activities....

i also bought a set of the Read Easy Phonics books... she is a fast learner....i will make her read the book first then reward her with the computer session on the website....

i make and attempt to facilitate her to read everyday....but it is not easy for me who is always busy...for me, a short session is better than none...how i wish i could spend more time to coach my children on my own but that is impossible right now...

i'm very glad she's making a very good progress and hopefully she will continue progressing from time to time...

11 months old Imtiaz

2010-02-17T21:18:00.003+08:00

yeay! it's less than a month to a BIG 1!!!...how time flies...my little boy is now a BIG, macho boy! we are planing to throw him a birthday party soon...Jihan is so excited to have a birthday party...she's the one who is busy deciding what cake should i make for his little brother....

so, let's see Imtiaz's milestones at 11 months:

the upper incisor is coming into picture...looks like it's gonna be a big one...
he loves to crawl like a Spiderman, sparing his knee on the floor....
he understands the word "ball", "kakak", "atok", "wan"...
he'll say "mama" when he wants to breastfeed...
he likes waking up kakak early morning by biting on kakak's hands or feet and by giving a hard pat on kakak's tummy...
cruising onto furniture very well...
wave bye- bye and clap his hands very well...
he is able to eat his biscuits on his own (before tossing it again and again on the floor)

i still fully breastfeeding him (bravo!) and he loves food very much....

so far, he is in good health and we always pray he will always be...

weekend getaway- kuantan

2010-01-29T16:12:00.005+08:00

an ad hoc plan to have a short weekend getaway in kuantan in early January and this time we headed to swiss garden resort and spa....the kids were excited as usual, even us were so excited to have good feast of food there....

the kids had so much fun in the sun at the swimming pool...Jihan got tanned and her body was like a chocolate eclair....half tanned and half normal skin colour, following the shape of her swimming suit...Imtiaz continued his excitement in the bathtub in our room as well....it was hard to get him out of there....

we had good food as usual....the "must-do" list on our feast - Ana Ikan Bakar Petai, satar and keropok lekor at Kuala Kemaman... we also had lunch at Pantai Batu Hitam and a mamak style dinner at Taj Point...

Imtiaz had a change of his usual food...no more porridge but he had ikan bakar, satar, roti canai and roti naan, and omellete for breakfast....

before heading back to KL, my dear friend Dilla invited us to her house for lunch and we had an array of delicious kampung-style food - ikan patin, kerabu umbut and sambal udang....wow!!! that was the best meal ever we had during this trip...! thanks buddy....

our next stop...? hmmm....we'll let you know later..

The Marmet Technique

2010-01-24T14:13:00.003+08:00

i say, all breastfeeding mothers need to know this technique on how to manually express your breastmilk with your hands....it's simple, easily available and for sure you won't forget to bring your hands with you....having a breastpump is an advantage but not a must for breastfeeding mums...i have a friend, Dr Ning, who successfully hand-express her breastmilk when she was breastfeeding without any assistance from the breastpump at all...!! Bravo!

it is very easy to learn...only 5 steps to follow..even if you have a very good and efficient breastpump, i recommend you to learn this technique as well...who knows, one day you really need it to do it manually...

Train The Trainers for Peer Counselors Program

2010-01-23T10:56:00.012+08:00

i was very honoured to become one of the 19 wonder women in this pioneer program... the first of its kind in Malaysia was made possible by the efforts of The Nurturing Concepts Sdn Bhd and it was funded by UNICEF and strongly supported by WABA (World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action)... the 6 days training was conducted by the experts from The La Leche League International (LLLI), Kathy Baker and Pushpa Panadam...

our aim is to form a network of a Mother to Mother Support Group in breastfeeding in Malaysia...the training is provided to the pioneer participants so that we are able to train our Malaysian Peer Counselors (PC) based on the syllabus from the LLLI, specifically tailored to our local settings...the PCs will then reach all women out there in promoting breastfeeding and supporting breastfeeding mothers to increase the number of breastfeeding mothers in Malaysia...according to the National Health Morbidity Survey 2006 (NHMS), reported a high proportion of Malaysian mothers initiating breastfeeding but the practice of exclusive breastfeeding for four to six months was low (14.5%)...

the sessions were held in a leisurely manner, even though the schedules were quite packed, we managed to come out with brilliant ideas to make it work...Shida and Suraya even brought their 2 months old baby to the workshop as they need their mummies breastmilk frequently..not forgetting Linda who brought along her almost 2 year old girl who is still breastfeeding to the course...others (Suria, Yatie, Shikin, Farah, Faridah, Zatul and myself) were pumping our breastmilk for our children who were left at home...

we had lovely times together, sharing our experiences, tears and joys of motherhood and that made us all connectedat heart....Kathy and Pushpa were fantastic ladies and i was very much enlightened with their experiences with breastfeeding mothers.... and i was very glad meeting these enthusiastic and powerful women and breastfeeding mothers (except for jess, she is still single ; D) and we have the same mission here aiming towards success...

so, we are ready to get move on with it and bringing the best in you, fantastic moms out there and your little ones, as they deserve the very best from us - our very own breastmilk...

Imtiaz- 10 months old...

2010-01-13T13:23:00.004+08:00

imtiaz was upset and angry when Jihan took away his toys

how time flies....my little boy is already 10 months old...he is still an avid breastfeeder and on top of that, he eats almost everything that is given to him... he still drinks 4.5oz x 2 bottles everyday when i'm at work and nurses avidly throughout the night...he weighs slightly more than 8kg and most of the time is wearing a 1 year old clothings, though at times we put on his old tight-fitting clothings on him and he looked like The Higglytown Heroes....

he's a master in commando crawling...lifted his chest and straightened his both arms occasionally but put it back down and proceed with commando crawling....steadily sits on his own and able to pull to stand on his own too....he is very stable nowadays and started cruising onto the furnitures...and each day, he becomes very good at climbing stairs too..now in the process of getting down from the stairs....

his favourite toys..? ball...he loves playing football with his papa....will chase the ball, catch it and throw it away....cannot resist water...he'll jump into the swimming pool or his small bath tub or even the bathroom if the door is left opened...

he loves climbing up my body when i lie down...and put his head on my chest...he is very upset when Jihan takes away his toys and loves to pull the sister's hair....

it's less than 2 month till his first birthday...can't wait for it and we are going to have a birthday party...! yeay!

a short PD breakaway

2010-01-07T21:30:00.005+08:00

thanks to lovely cousin, Ana for inviting us for an overnight stay at Sri Pena Port Dickson, a few days before New Year....me and hubby went there right after work...the kids went earlier with their grandparents...

we arrived at almost Maghrib...the clans had already started barbequieng and my little boy had already asleep...Jihan said, Imtiaz was really exhausted after playing in the pool...and the aroma of the barbeque chicken and satay were really fantastic!!

had a wonderful potluck dinner and barbeque....! and had a good night sleep too....

the next day, me and hubby rushed back to work, leaving the kids to stay a bit longer with their grandparents...

even though it's a short one, the kids had so much fun in the pool....and we plan to have fun like this more often next time....

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T16:00:00.004+08:00

yes, it's new year...! meaning that, a more blasting year ahead...! ok, what is going to happen in 2010...?

Imtiaz will turn 1
Jihan will turn 5
our marriage is growing stronger entering its 6th year
both me and hubby are entering the 3rd decade of life
i'll be sitting for the IBCLE in July, insya allah
starting on my research by doing its proposal and stuffs
planning to have a good vacation with the kids
probably an intimate holiday with dear hubby
to improve on myself - be the best Muslim, the best wife, the best Mom, the best of everything
to save more money
to shed off a few more kg of my weight and keep myself slim and trim - meaning that cut down on the unnecessary calories and hit the gym more often
to continue breastfeeding Imtiaz until he is 2 years old

i had a good year in 2009...we were blessed with our gorgeous prince, Ahmad Imtiaz Iman...both of us passed our 1st part exam of our Masters programme, so, it's going to be another 3 years to complete...lots of good memories and events happened in 2009 but there were always some potholes that needed to be improved...

my hope, 2010 is going to be another good year...may Allah bless our good intentions and deeds and reward us with Jannah...

my new gadget

2009-12-29T10:52:00.003+08:00

Imtiaz has been breastfeeding for almost 10 months now, alhamdulillah...and i'm so motivated to continue until he is 2 years old....

and i have been a loyal user to my good ol' Medela Pump In Style Traveler breastpump for the past 5+ 8 months at work (5 months when i was breastfeeding Jihan and almost 8 months while i'm breastfeed Imtiaz now)...yes, i only express my breastmilk at work using my beloved Medela PIS (and mind you it's the old version of PIS, not the advanced version) , and i used my Medela Harmony occasionally when i intended to express my milk at home...i really like the PIS mechanism very much, thanks to Sis Rita of Momslittleones.com for teaching me how to manually work out the stimulation and expression phase with the PIS...

and the amount that i got in each pumping session was superb using the gadget...i love the bag and it's matching cooler bag too...i carry them to work everyday without fail....and it's quite heavy, plus that i had to carry another big bag to stuff in my books, laptop and other things too...

when i managed to breastfeed Imtiaz past beyond 6 months, i thought of getting a more portable, lightweight breastpump that i can use for the next few months and for my next babies too....so i did a few research over the internet and based on few testimonials from my friends who bought the latest innovation from Medela, the Freestyle, i thought of getting it....

so i got a good deal of Medela Freestyle and started using it for almost 3 weeks now...at first, i didn't like it because the suction was not as great as my ol' PIS and i got to pump for 30 min to get 4-5 oz..maybe at that time my milk production was low because i was about to have my menses and i was nervous about using the Freestyle....after a few days, i got mastered in attaching the hands-free attachment....and the milk production was good and today i managed to pump out 6 oz in just 15 min...!

it's good to have a great breastpump like this but it's not a must for every breastfeeding mums...other breastpumps can work wonder too if you make full use of it...before buying a breastpump, it is wise to first try on it to look at its suitability on you....you could start saving a few ringgit per month to invest in this valuable gadget as the price is expensive...and this gadget is not used only for a baby but for the next to come....

my ol PIS..? i don't intend to sell it because that's my "first love"...i'm going to keep it and maybe my sister can use the motor when she has her own baby...it is nicely packed and kept for her...

imtiaz @ 9 months old +

2009-12-27T22:32:00.004+08:00

it's a little too late to write about it but it's better than never...

went for a routine check up and 2nd dose of Prevenar....he weighed almost 8kg....not that much despite good appetite and excellent food intake and breastmilk intake...it's probably due to his active lifestyle that keeps him in shape...

a very good commando crawler and sits steadily with a little help (right now able to do it on his own)...very good at articulating "papa", "boo-ahh", "teh-teh"....he can pull himself to stand onto the furniture and stuffs, and loves to do "head-first" stunt from the bed or couch, like a superman...

not to forget a little bit hot-tempered too, especially at feeding time....sometimes, he just love screaming at the top of his voice!....

and now, he can climb the stairs right to the top, not once but repeatedly not feeling tired at all!! and it is so tiring for us who escorted him to the top repeatedly...

2 lower incisors in good shape....lucky me he doesn't bite when he breastfeeds...

a healthy little boy that always make my day....

Imtiaz's gastronomic experience...

2009-12-12T01:15:00.005+08:00

my little boy simply loves food so much....i would say he's addicted to food....! he can't hear the sound of cutleries or plastics or people munching, he'd scream and try to get hold of it, thinking that it'd be his food and it's feeding time....

since he started weaning at 6 months, he had rice porridge with carrots, potato, cauliflower, broccoli, fish or chicken, all mixed together....i tried feeding him with pasta with chicken, carrots and potatoes, he loves it so much....my mum made him pancakes for breakfast and he finished it...he also loves breads and buns of any kinds....i gave him cheese slices and he took that well too....i made him pasta with cauliflower, spinach and potato with cheese and he licked the whole bowl up...not forgetting homemade banana smoothies, he swallowed 2 bowls of it for prebreakfast and subsequently had a slice of french toast....!

a few days ago, while i was having my dinner at the table and he was crawling on the floor (he alredy had his dinner) and while everybody else was busy doing their stuffs, my little Imti cried wanting to sit on my lap with his lips smacking all over...i was eating rice with chicken in soy sauce and fish in yellow river (masak lemas cili padi), and he reached for my plate....i gave him the inner meat of the chicken and i possibly had a trace of chilli and he gobbled that too....oh my...!

so far, he has no problem with food- no allergies, no diarrhea or constipation...he is still breastfeeding actively despite all the foods he is eating...he is such and active baby and his weight gains satisfactorily...

i tried to give him variety fo food for him to taste and experience them naturally...i have not introduce salt and sugar into his food and avoiding sauces and artificial sweetener and flavour, he is taking everything in natural flavours and aromas....

all his food is roughly chopped and mashed, not smoothly pureed anymore as he has 2 lower incisor teeth and he is actually good at chewing using his gum...

Bravo little boy...!

pullman putrajaya getaway....

2009-11-24T21:28:00.005+08:00

dear hubby had promised us for a getaway after my exam...he booked a night stay in pullman putrajaya before my exam result was out....so, i guess if i didn't make through it, i won't be enjoying my stay at pullman...alhamdulillah, i got through it and i really enjoyed myself with my beloved family at pullman....

the place was superb and marvellous exteriorly and interiorly....our room was cosy and spacious enough for Imtiaz to crawl all over...

the kids really enjoyed themselves at the pool...it's Imtiaz's first experience and he loved splashing the water....

we had good dinner along with my friend, Dahlia...she helped me in the exam by giving a one-to-one tutorial in obstetrics and gynaecology....

we got a good bargain for this stay...thumbs up to pullman....

humpty dumpty sat on the wall, little imti had a great fall...

2009-11-24T20:33:00.003+08:00

well, the title of this entry tells it all....i blamed myself for it...lucky he was a strong boy...here's the story goes....

it was a week after my exam...i've cleared all the book from
my bed...put little Imti to sleep and i slept beside him...when he's up in the
middle of the night for milk, i would move myself to his left or right to get
him to my breast alternately...

the last feed was at 5 am...he sucked well and i dozed back
to sleep...i thought he was awake...he kicked my back but didn't make a sound
(usually he would make noisy babbles and squeak when he woke up)...

and then, BAM!!!! a loud thudding sound followed by a loud
cry...dear hubby saw my little Imti on the floor with his face down....my baby
fell from the bed....!!! he cried so loudly for about 10-15 min....and then i
saw blood mixed with his mucus from his nose...minimal but enough to tell you
his fall with face down had given a trauma to his nose...no other bleeders were
seen....

we managed to put him back to sleep and he slept for 2
hours....he woke up with a smiley face as if nothing happened...he was well
throughout the day apart from the swollen nose...i was assured there was no
broken nose bridge...no vomiting or cranky behaviour...alhamdulillah....

from that moment on, the parents learnt their lesson....we
made sure that the edge of the bed was well protected to avoid him from falling
again...

we didn't experience such fall with Jihan because the 3 of us
slept on the matress on the floor when she was small....

alhamdulillah...

2009-11-15T21:36:00.002+08:00

it has been a while and now i'm back...yes, i was struggling with my exam, Part 1 Master of Medicine (Family Medicine), which was held last week in PPUKM....it was a scary and terrifying experience...the last time i had a major exam was 4 years ago...so, the feeling was so intense and i was so nervous...

my life was a torture...books were everywhere...the kids had to be managed b my dear hubby and my parents....i came in action only to breastfeed Imtiaz...i was down with a very bad fever 3 weeks before the exam..Imtiaz got it too and my life was a disaster....the fever settled after 5 days with the initiation of antibiotics....i gained back the strength to continue from where i left...at times i felt like giving up but Allah gave me the strength to carry on....Allah sent me friends to help me with my studies and that really helps...

i prayed to Allah to give me strength to face the exam and to give me and my friends success in the exam...i want to pass this exam very badly because i do not want to undergo the same stress again in another 6 months...i do not want to leave my children with improper attention from their mama again...i need to move on to the next level to accomplish my dreams...

during the exam days, i wasn't sure of my destiny....i left it all to Allah as He knows what is best for me...

waiting for the results was the longest 2 days of my life...i lost 1 kg in 2 days, i couldn't sleep and i was screaming in my sleep...

dear hubby had promised the kids to go for a short breakaway after i finished the exam...Jihan especially was so excited to go for splash in the swimming pool...on Friday afternoon, i went to get a swim suit for little Imtiaz....it was at the carpark i got a sms form my lecturer that the result was ready....i called her feeling shaky and trembling throughout....when she told me that i passed the exam, i was so relief and alhamdulillah, Allah granted my prayer...

i thank Allah for His mercy and blessing to me and my family...i thank my dear hubby for giving me the support and for taking care of the kids, my parents and my maid for taking care of everything else, my friends and lecturers for their supports, help and guidance...

and i did enjoy my 1 night stay at Pullman Putrajaya with my family....

breastfeeding tips

2009-10-21T15:34:00.004+08:00

this is my EBM in my Medela cooler

my products today - 2 bottles of EBM with 2 sessions of pumping

yes, i'm the midst of exam stress.....my exam is less than 3 weeks away...and now, the kids are not in good health, both are having respiratory tract infections and that contributes to my stress as well...

but still, alhamdulillah i'm still breastfeeding Imtiaz fully....the milk supply is still good and able to keep going with Imtiaz's demand....

i have no particular tips actually but i'm telling you what i have been doing...you can try them, insya allah they'll work for you as well....

regular pumping session at work and also at home - this is a must for me at work...i scheduled myself regularly to pump at around 10-11 am, then 1-2pm and if i'm coming home late, i'll pump at 5pm...sometimes i pump only 1 side on the way back home so that i can feed Imtiaz straight away with the other breast...and when the supply is not that great, i make an attempt to pump at home too...it doesn't matter if at that session i only managed to get 1 oz, or sometimes even 0.5 oz....but pump more so that i can add them and after 4-5 pumping session i'll be able to produce 1 feed for Imtiaz...

i wait longer to get the 2nd let down reflex- i usually get about 2-3 oz at 1 go....i'm using the old Medela Pump=In=Style...so i do my own stimulation phase after the first go....maximize the speed and minimize the suction...i'll watch Imtiaz's video on my phone and wait for the 2nd let down reflex....and i'm able to get 1-2 oz extra....that is sufficient for Imtiaz one feed...sometimes i waited for the 3rd let down reflex....and limit each pumping session to only 30 minutes because i can't afford to let my patients wait for me longer than that...

drink and drink and drink - i realized that Milo works for me....plain water too...it doesn't matter what you drink but drinking water or any other drinks help to make more milk...and currently i take Sacred Tea to boost up milk supply...it kinds of hel p too....

direct breastfeeding at home- i make sure that i directly nurse Imtiaz at home... NO EBM for him if i'm at home with him...the more he sucks, the more milk is produced....sometimes he wants it every 1/2 hour....i simply give him...you might think the boop is empty because your baby just fed from it....NO, our boops constantly make milk....with stimulation from your baby, it will be expelled out from our boops...

i think that's all i've been doing...the other thing is be confident with the milk supply...i only managed to express about 4 oz each session nowadays compared to my earlier days when Imtiaz was exclusively breastfeeding, i got 7-8 oz each time...now he has eat solid food and my breasts are producing what he actually takes....

and i'm strongly believe that i am able to continue breastfeeding Imtiaz up to 2 years, insya allah...

little shaolin....

2009-10-11T09:18:00.003+08:00

let the photos tell you the story...

we start at the back...

ayo, mamak...you tilt my head...

half side gone...

owwww!!! don't cut my ear....

hey, mamak!!! what have you done to my hair hah???

i need a shoulder to cry on...

do i look like rosyam nor in castello..?

but i'm still mama and papa's little shaolin....

hand, foot mouth disease (HFMD)

2009-10-03T11:21:00.003+08:00

the whole family is QUARANTINED!!!!

Jihan and i got HFMD....and we are totally clueless where we got it from....i haven't seen such aptients before i was on raya leave and there was not a single case in Jihan's school...we probably contracted the disease during hari raya, but we wonder where was the source...

anyway, what happened was both of us had low grade fever and sorethroat with ILI symptoms but they were not that severe to disturb our daily activities and the duration was very transient....so we thought it was a normal upper respiratory tract infection...the next day Jihan said she had mouth pain, probably mouth ulcer due to too much drinking and eating all the kuih raya and stuffs...no other suspicious symptoms to suggest anything highly contagious or sinister...

on Wednesday, i realized i got a few tender nodules and blisters on the back of my hand.....i didn't pay much attention to it...i was on leave because i wanted to study for the exam...then i went back, Jihan couldn't eat because of painful sorethroat and mouth...we inspected her mouth and there were multiple ulcers and herpengina at the back of her mouth, palate and tongue...then we discovered multiple red spots on her feet, then hands....gosh!!! it really looked like HFMD...and i looked at my hands and oh my...i couldn't be getting it too...?? it rarely affects adult and sometimes it comes unnoticed...

the next day, i showed the lesions to my specialist...with the given history and suggestive physical symptoms, i was confirmed to have HFMD...and there were multiple ulcers in my mouth too but i didn't feel it that painful and i was able to eat normally....Jihan too was seen by my specialist and both of our cases were notified to the health authority....

HFMD is a notifiable disease that needs to be notified within 24 hours of diagnosis....it is highly contagious and treatment is just supportive and symptomatic...hygiene is very important and that's how the disease can be curbed....

we are recovering now...Jihan is able to tolerate orally better...her school is taking every measures to disinfect all their cutleries and picking up cases with similar symptoms to be checked by doctors....

i found a very good website regarding the disease, worthwhile to read about it...

http://www.sarawak.health.gov.my/hfmd.htm

hari raya preparations....

2009-09-13T18:47:00.004+08:00

syawal is just around the corner and that means ramadhan is leaving us for this year....hopefully, we are still able to meet ramadhan in years to come....there are lots of barakah in the month of ramadhan and i'm going to miss ramadhan this year...

i love this year's ramadhan...throughout the month, we only experienced homecooked food cooked by either me, my mum or our maid...but most of them were my mum's....it was only yesterday that we had iftar outside with our friends in Serdang....

as i'm in the middle of preparing my exam, i made sure all the baju raya were bought at the beginning of ramadhan...due to the economic downturn, it's not the best time to spend lavishly for hari raya....the kids got a suit of baju kurung/baju melayu each, a 2 pieces of casual wear each...for me 2 baju kurung that i can wear to work as well, hubby 1 baju melayu...shoes...? we bought jihan a pair of comfy shoes that she wears to school as well, and for Imtiaz, he's not walking yet so no need for shoes...he got the shoes that i won in a giveaway, he could wear that if he wants...if not just socks would be nice for him...kuih raya..? my mum made them with my help...i'm not baking any on my own as i need to study for the exam...

that should be enough, i think...we have prepared the duit raya packets to give out to the children as well...cuti raya..? well, i'll be working till friday but then on leave until the mid week after raya...but i'm taking those extra leaves to study....i need to progress so much for the exam...oh, gosh! and hubby is oncall on 2nd raya, then he'll be back working on thursday...

and jihan and imtiaz got another pair of baju kurung/baju melayu from wan and atuk...that completes our preparation for this year's raya....

imtiaz's first food

2009-09-06T21:28:00.004+08:00

finally, imtiaz's is already 6 month old...so it's time for his first food!...we were all very excited to feed him with his first food...and alhamdulillah, a pat on my back too for successfully exclusive breastfed him for 6 months...yeay!

so, i decided to give him carrot puree as his very first food...i opted for natural, homemade food as jihan had previous history to manufactured baby's food during her weaning....so, it is better, healthier and safer to give imtiaz a homemade food to prevent allergy reaction....

i started preparing his food after sahur....i cleaned and cut the carrot into small pieces and steamed it until soften...then i pureed the carrot till smooth...when about to feed him, i add some breastmilk to the puree to give it a smoothie consistency...i refrigerated the rest of the puree for lunch and dinner...

the first bite, he gave me a weird face, then he started to lick all corners of his mouth....it was a fun experience for him and for us who watched him till he finished a tablespoonful of puree....he still breastfeed in between the feeds and on the first day of weaning, he already took 3 meals per day...! he simply loves meal time....!

today, he had carrot and potato puree plus breastmilk....and for tomorrow, he'll have potato and spinach puree....even though imtiaz has started on solid food, i still breastfeed him and plan to do so until he is at least 2 years old....

let's pray for this little boy....

2009-08-28T12:26:00.004+08:00

a friend of mine who is also Jihan's school principle (The Little Caliph Bandar Seri Putra), delivered a baby boy about 4 months ago... but it's not always sunny out there, her baby was diagnosed with a heart condition called Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), or in other word "a hole in heart"...

he was born with the weight of 3.0kg but already showed symptoms of heart failure at early age such as, rapid breathing, very breathless and excessive sweating when feeding, bluish discolouration of his lips and fingers when crying (cyanosis) and did not gain weight satisfactorily....in fact when he was first admitted to the hospital, his weight reduced to 2.6kg....

he was given antifailure medications and was nursed in the hospital for quite some time before discharged home...he was fed via Ryle's tube (feeding tube through the nose) so that he won't become tired if fed through normal route (sucking)...

unfortunately, he was again admitted to the hospital for heart failure symptoms and stayed there until transferred recently to IJN for a heart surgery....

today, as scheduled, this baby boy through a major operation to close the hole in his heart so that he will regain his normal physiological function of his heart and grow up healthily....

let's pray for the safety of this baby, Taib Muhammad Nafis and his family, so that Allah will give them the strength that they need at this point of time...

surviving fasting month while breastfeeding...

2009-08-27T12:09:00.004+08:00

first of all, salam ramadhan to all my viewers....may Allah bless us with ggood health and iman...this is my 2nd experience fasting while fully exclusively breastfeeding my children...the first one was 4 years ago, at that time Jihan was about 4 months old....and i survived without having to break fast earlier due to excessive tiredness or for whatsoever reason...but at that time, during ramadhan i got my first menses after i gave birth....so still i have to replace my fasting...

but this time, Imtiaz is 5 months old + and about a few more days to his solid food....i'm glad i'm on leave at the beginning of ramadhan so i can rest too....

so the first day of sahur, i ate few kurma and bread and drank a lot of plain water and nutritious malt drink...i was able to complete my fasting that day despite fully breastfeeding little Imtiaz on his demand...i was able to pump my milk twice and expressed about 2 oz each time just to empty my breasts....i did not feel tired or thirsty and alhamdulillah, Imtiaz was full and satisfied after each feed....

subsequently, i make sure that i drink a lot of water at night time..well, i only drink mainly during breaking fast...and eat healthily and a lot too...!

think positive and be calm too help...not to think much about how much milk i can produce and pump out for Imti....it's ok if i can get only 2 oz each time, but i have to increase the frequency (especially at night and early morning) to meet the demand of my little boy...

Imtiaz is currently taking about 4oz of expressed breastmilk each time, about 4-5 times during my working hours....i usually prepare about 5-6 bottles of newly expressed breastmilk in the fridge...those were the milk expressed 1 -2 days earlier... and i have about 20 bottles of frozen breastmilk in stock which i have never use to feed Imti (thanks to our side-by-side Samsung refrigerator, i can use 1 whole shelf for Imti's frozen milk) ...i believe that the fresh one is better than the frozen one...but i will resort to the frozen one if really, really needed....i'll probably use them to make Imtiaz's fruit or vegetable puree later...

be back working next week after this long leave...hopefully i'll survive this ramadhan in good health...

Jamuan Teh Malaysia

2009-08-25T15:39:00.000+08:00

about 2 weeks ago, me and a few friends have gathered at my house to take part in Jamuan Teh Malaysia as our social responsibility to the public....we had good foods, good stories to exchange and at the end of the day, we emptied our pockets to contribute to the National Canser Society Malaysia (NCSM) and the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA)....

alhamdulillah, we managed to colect a few hundreds and it had been handed over to the NCSM...

thanks friends for the superb foods and the supports...!

5th month vaccination and update

2009-08-23T15:53:00.001+08:00

last week we went for Imtiaz's 5th month vaccination of triple antigen and Hepatitis B...he weighs 7.4kg....and he still feed solely on mama's milk....

Imtiaz can now turn from supine to prone to supine, eagerly reach out his hands to grab whatever is given to him, laugh out loud especially when Jihan make some funny movement in front of him and put everything in his hand inside his mouth (to show that he is ready to eat)...

Prof B was very satisfied with Imtiaz's development...during the jab, Imtiaz let his loud voice out....! so painful...!

and good thing, he did not have fever after the jab...good boy!

he is due for the meninggococcal vaccination next month....and ready for his first food next month, yeay!

the road isn't always smooth as you want it to be...

2009-08-13T18:23:00.007+08:00

today, i feel like blogging about my breastfeeding journey, particularly with my little Imti currently...alhamdulillah, i am still able to fully breastfeed him and i'm proud to say that Imti is exclusively fed with my breastmilk only....so far, i have good supply of breatmilk and i 'm able to produce more than his demand...

i'm going through a hard working life now...i'm doing my attachment in HKL and i travel almost 100km everyday, from home to work...it takes me about 45min - 1 hour to work and the same duration back home, depending on the weather and road condition of the day...i wake up at 5 or 5.30 everyday to express my milk and get ready to work....i have my breakfast in the car in the traffic jam or at the carpark when i arrive in HKL.... i've been doing this routine for the past 2 months + and it's going to end soon...since starting this routine, i always pray that Allah make it easier for me to express my milk at the designated time (every 3-4 hourly) and my prayer has been answered most of the time...

but being an attachment medical officer at a very huge hospital is not easy....i have to struggle to do my job as a pumping and breastfeeding mama....many people think that working in an environment of baby-friendly hospital makes you easier to to carry yourself as a breastfeeding mum, but that's not always true...sometimes i couldn't find the right place to express my milk and people look at me weirdly...the medical staffs seem not to know that you can express the milk and store them in the refrigerator for your baby to feed the next day! and some gave a disgusting look at my face trying to tell me that, "i'm not going to do that when i have kids later.."..some even made fun of me.......sometimes i have to beg the owner of the place to use a corner of the room for me to express my milk...but some of them were really nice, they really gave me the freedom to use their space for 20 minutes for me to do my job...

at one time, my breastpump and its apparatus were purposely locked in a room because they didn't want an intruder messing around with their stuffs inside the room...i was left with engorged breasts for more than 7 hours...when the door is opened, i got my stuffs and ended up expressing in the car on a very hot afternoon...

there were times, somebody (male colleagues/staffs) just stormed into the room while i was expressing, luckily i was wearing the nursing poncho to cover....

i realized that my milk production reduced than the norm these few days but still sufficient for Imti's need.... probably i am a bit stress as well....so i express more at home to stimulate the milk production and it kind of help....

perhaps, there's more can be done to educate the public as well as the medical personnels regarding breastfeeding...it's my dream to do this professionally in the near future...may Allah bless my good intention and make this dream a reality...

Breastfeeding Day 2009

2009-08-10T20:38:00.005+08:00

Breastfeeding Week is celebrated worldwide on the first week of August yearly....and this year , i am proud to celebrate this wonderful event together with my breastfeeding baby....in fact, this is my 1st year celebrating it as a breastfeeding mum!...when Jihan was born in 2005, i wasn't aware of such event, so i missed the boat....the subsequent years, i already stopped breastfeeding and i was busy doing my oncalls, so there goes my chance to support the event...and this year, with the born of my little prince, i made an attempt not to miss this auspicious event!

it was organized by susuibu.com and Majlis Perbandaran Kajang, held at Dewan MPKJ Kajang, last Saturday....the 3 of us (me, hubby and Imti - Jihan had to stay home as she had cough and cold), woke up early and arrived in time for the ceremony...we took part in the Breastfeeding-thon where mums breastfed their babies for 5 minutes at the same time together...there were at least 30 pairs of mums and babes participating....Imti couldn't wait for the event, so he started about 10 minutes earlier as he was so hungry...

i was so happy to meet my breastfeeding mentor, Puan Kamariah of susuibu.com and Puan Rita Rahayu of momslittleones, and i made new friends with other breastfeeding mums too...i was surprised to meet the silent reader of my blog, Salwa...thanks for saying hi and acknowledging yourself to me...really nice meeting you...

we had potlucks party...i brought kuih talam labu berlauk....

i hope to participate and support such event next year and i pray that i am still breastfeeding Imtiaz at that time...

Imti sits in the bumbo seat...

2009-07-18T16:46:00.003+08:00

that's the jumbo thigh!!!

i tried to sit Imti in Jihan's bumbo seat yesterday...(arghh, the seat looks very much worn out and the bright yellow colour has blackish smudge on it...)..that didn't matter, that's for being number 2 in the family, Imti..you'll get hand-over stuffs....whatever..!

Imti was very delighted seeing the yellow seat...when i put him inside, oh my gosh!!!...his thighs won't fit in the legs compartment..!!! i had to push them in and then he sat comfortably in it...

he laughed and played in the seat for a while then i took him out of it...goshhh!!! another problem...his thighs got stuck in the legs compartment...! someone, please pull the chair off Imti...!! hahahah...!!!

oh, my..! Imti..you better start on your leg exercise...make your thigh slimmer please....

girls hang out (+ Imti)

2009-07-12T16:43:00.000+08:00

got a lunch date at my good friend in Nilai Impian, just 5km from our house...kind of birthday celebration for both of us...we were born in the month of july, so it was a good time to get together...

she was oncall the day before but still the plan went on..oh, yes, she had sorethroat and fever too (not H1N1 though) but we still met and have a good time together...

initially, i planned to buy some pizza and a cake and had a blast at her house...but then she told me her mum in Bangi cooked something for our lunch that day...so, i just bought a chocholate cake....

i arrived ther with the 2 kiddos tagging along....and we had a smashing meal of plain rice with sup tulang, sambal tumis and telur dadar, not forgetting icy cold, ice tea.......that was super, duper yummylicious!!!

we chit chatted, mainly girls' talk plus interruptions from Jihan and Imti....

then, time for cake...sang happy birthday, blowed the candles and cut the cake....then, indulge...

time for presenting a bag of goodies to my dear friend, D...well, of course she was really surprised with the stuffs that i gave her....then, we experimented the stuffs that i gave her and it turned out really good on her...so glad you like it, D...

a new milestones....

2009-07-12T11:13:00.003+08:00

little Imti is 4 months old now and he weighs 7kg+... phew, ain't that heavy..? he's a cheeky boy with a charming smile that'll melt everyone's heart...

so now, he can turn to prone position, lift up his head for a while and that's it...!!! isn't that great...? bravo my little boy...that's quite an achievement for you....he has strong legs and likes to kick and kick in the bathtub....

and he's out of reverse cycling...he started to feed normally during the day and more at night and on weekends with mama....!

happy birthday, dear hubby

2009-06-26T23:35:00.007+08:00

it's hubby's 29th birthday...! so , i hope you'll enjoy the entire year ahead before you turn 30...then, there's no twenties in your life, ever..!

nothing special today...i thought of getting a card and some small thing for him (yeah, i bought the Blackberry Storm 1 month ago)...but the unplanned happened... the only available car at home became smokey when my dad fetched Jihan from school in the afternoon..so it had to be sent to the workshop to be fixed...my mum took the other car and the big car is too big for me to take...

i didn't have time to get him anything, but i already bought 3 GSC tickets to watch Transformers tonight for both of us and Jihan wanted to tag along too...but what am i doing at home now..?..i told you about Imtiaz is currently reverse cycling...so he refused to let me go as he wanted to breastfeed directly with me when we were about to go....so, i told hubby to go ahead watching the movie with Jihan and without me, as it was running late...

i was quite disappointed but i didn't have the heart to leave my little boy crying for milk...he slept soundlessly until now, feeling satisfied after the feed....and my other 2 precious are not home yet...i'm still waiting for them...

we'll celebrate their birthdays tomorrow with a special cake that i'm going to make tomorrow morning....

bottle strike or just reverse cycling..?

2009-06-25T08:50:00.000+08:00

oh oo....my little Imti is on strike now....!!!! he just refuses expressed breastmilk (EBM) through his usual bottles for the past few days...!

it was quite worrying for my mum and my maid who are taking care of him because it was his ritual to finish up 4.5oz each feeding in every 2-3 hours....for the past few days, he just took a sip or two of milk and started to spurt it out...

i came home early and fed him straight away and he has no problem with direct breastfeeding...at night he feeds frequently with me...

is there something wrong with the milk or bottles or what???

i went to see my friend who is a lactation consultant, Kak Kamariah of susuibu.com and she reassured me that it's a normal behavioral changes in breastfed babies in every 3-4 month....well, i didn't have such problems with jihan though but every babies are different....it is reverse cycling and imtiaz feels more comfortable tu nurse directly with me rather than with the bottles nowadays...

more info on it here:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/reverse-cycling.html

well, i will just keep offering the bottles during the day, and when he realizes that mama is not around during the day, he'll take it especially when he is really hungry...

happy 4th birthday, Jihan Qaisara....

2009-06-24T16:01:00.000+08:00

it's Jihan's 4th birthday..!! and she got to bring a 2-tier Dora & Diego cake to school...thanx to kak ayu for baking and decorating a great cake for Jihan....!!

Jihan brought some goody bags for her schoolmates and teachers as well...she got a set of stationary form her teachers...

she really enjoyed the day...

i bought ice cream for her to celebrate her birthdya at home...

her party at home will be on Saturday, celebrating it with kak sofea, abang ikmal and abang emir...and i'm baking a Disney's princesses cake for her...hope it'll turn out well...'

so, Jihan, mama and papa pray for you always...be a good big sister...you will always be our little girl in our hearts...

my sumo wrestler and a little updates...

2009-06-19T20:29:00.006+08:00

he does look like a sumo wrestler, doesn't he..? my handsome "bulat" and "botak"...i love calling him "lat" and "tak"...

a little updates on my gorgeous little Imti...he had his 2nd dose of Infanrix Hexa with Prof B 2 weeks ago...he didn't cry, just a short, soft scream...but he developed a mild fever at night and a little bit cranky in the next 24 hours...he weighed 6.3kg at 3 months...no wonder he's sooo heavy!!! he was 5.2kg at 2 months when he got his first Infanrix Hexa, an increment of 1kg+ in a month...! and he feeds on nothing else but only mama's milk!!!

alhamdulillah i still have aplenty of breastmilk for him...i pump 3 times a day at work with at least twice at home and that gives about 6 bottles of 4.5oz in 24 hours...Imtiaz needs about 4-5 bottles when i'm at work...

back to his development, he simply loves cooing and talking to people...very talkative and "kecoh"...his head is getting stronger...he likes turning to his side and about to turn from supine to prone...he has very strong legs...he loves kicking his play gym so much and listen to the tunes it makes....

he directly breastfeed from my breast every 1.5-2 hours...yes, it is tiring for me but i guess that's the best foundation that i can give to my children...i'm making use of my time at work to learn, study and work at the same time for my coming exam in November...

and now it is June..more headache for me as it is birthdays time....my dear hubby and Jihan's...i ordered a Dora and Diego from my sifu, kak ayu for Jihan to bring to school next Wednesday...and i'm making her a Disney's Princesses cake for her party at home next Saturday so she can celebrate it with Kak Sofea, Abang Ikmal and our close relatives...present for her..?hmmmm, not sure what to buy..usually we let her choose herself...

for dear hubby, well....i bought him the new Blackberry Storm on our anniversary...so i don't think i'm spending much on him (hahaha...sorry dear..)

and Imti is going to have fun having to taste some birthday cakes through the breastmilk...yum,yum..!

Majlis Aqiqah & Potong Jambul Ahmad Imtiaz Iman

2009-06-13T21:14:00.004+08:00

was held on 30th May but delayed in uploading all the pictures....thanks to all who made it to the event...had a real good lunch of gulai kambing, ayam goreng rempah, bergedel, really nice sambal tomato, my favourite sambal goreng, pulut kuning, dadih, and few other deserts...

enjoy the picts...!

now you see it, now you don't...arrgggghhh!!!

2009-06-02T17:25:00.003+08:00

NOW YOU SEE IT...

NOW YOU DON'T...

I'm so sad, i lost it on a lovely Sunday morning...

it sounded so scary when it approached my ears...

i thought i'd lost my ears too...

luckily it went away, far, far away...

but then it came again...

nibbling my precious tresses...

now i lost it forever...

will never come back tomorrow and the day after...

that's my soft, shiny, mohican-styled hair...

- Ahmad Imtiaz Iman -

a very happy Monday!

2009-05-19T13:13:00.002+08:00

yeay, i won a RM 100 voucher from Jusco in a Mother's day contest that i entered in MumCentre Malaysia...you just have to write about A Very Special Mother's Day that ever happened to you...

here's the email that i got telling me this..

Hi Ezzuramd!

I’m pleased to inform you that your Mother’s Day
contest entry entitled “A very special Mother’s Day” won as one of the best
stories entered. Congratulations!

Please reply to this e-mail with your
complete name and address and we will courier your prizes to your home or office
within a month.

Thanks so much!

isn't that great..?

want to know what i wrote..?

"i first celebrated Mother's Day 3 years ago. I was oncall the day before and returned home the next morning feeling very exhausted, not remembering that it was Mother’s Day. I was surprised to see a spread of scrumptious breakfast on the table. We had a lovely breakfast prepared by my husband and daughter. Later, i switched on the computer and i was surprised to find out that both of them had prepared a very colourful multimedia presentation It was full of memorable photographs about my journey as a mother. I was touched with their efforts to make my Mother's Day a very special one..."

i'm sending more entries for more contests to come...wish me luck!!

YES, I WON!!!

2009-05-15T10:26:00.002+08:00

i was surprised to receive this email...

Dear Ezura,

Congratulations! After the judges selection and
decision, you are one of the 10 winners of our Mother’s Day Contest. You have
won RM50.00 gift voucher from KFC. In order for us to send you the voucher,
please email back by providing us the
following:

1. Your full address
with postal code
2. Your contact number
for verification

Thank you for taking the time to vote and stay
tune for our Father’s Day contest.

alhamdulillah, eventhough the prize is not that big, but it's a gift...! and it's free...will be joining more contests soon...

a new me....

2009-05-14T22:04:00.003+08:00

a new me..? no, i'm still my old self but with a new hairdo...yes, it was almost 1 year ago i had my hair cut and treated...the i got pregnant and i was lazy to beautify myself... and that's why people said i was pregnant with a baby boy...

and my hair grew so long for the past 1 year...and today i decided to have a new makeover to the hair...so i made my way to hairkunst at The Curve...this is my first time there... and i met Tiara, a lovely Japanese-looking Malay girl, my hairstylist...she brought me to a secluded area for a tudung-wearer like me so that it is more privacy for me to get my hair treated and cut...i opted for their Seah treatment offer and i really like it...it is certainly a value for money...

and i met Siti Sarah Raisudin there too...she gave me her big smile...

i never had this hairstyle before and i like it...something like victoria beckham but slightly longer....dear hubby and Jihan also love it...

a new craze...

2009-05-13T13:02:00.003+08:00

i 'm sure you can guess what is my latest craze nowadays......! hahahah...!

yes, freebies and contests!!!

it started during my confinement when i bought a magazine a day...(sometimes 2-3 mags a day)...i found a lot of interesting contests!!! and suddenly i become a pro in writing slogans...i sent out the contest forms and hoping to win them...and the results are not out yet...stay tuned if you want to know if i win one or two or none..sob..sob..

then i found out about a lot of fantastic giveaways on the blogs...some are from the US, Canada but they are open to all...i'm trying my luck in winning great stuffs!!!

hopefully my luck is as bright as the stars at night....

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:05:00.004+08:00

wishing all amazing, fabulous moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day...

nothing much special today, dear hubby is soooo busy preparing for his exam on this coming wednesday...may Allah gives him strength and courage to face the exam and succeed with flying colours..

anyhow, both my precious are the best and priceless Mother's Day gifts ever...Imtiaz woke up at 6.30am to breastfeed while i was still sleepy and couldn't open my eyes...soon after that i dozed off again but Imtiaz was being a good little boy today, just lie down beside me playing with himself....until at around 9am, he made a soft cry for another feeding session...

then, hubby gave him a bath and Imtiaz was so happy playing and smiling and cooing with me...and he is being a good boy today...not much hassle to take care of....

on the other hand, Jihan made a lovely apple-shaped Mother's day card that she made at school...and Jihan was being less naughty today...

to Mak, i gave her 2 sets of bedsheets that i grabbed from Harvey Norman 2 weeks ago...i know it was way to cheap to compare to your endless love...

thanks to hubby who gave me a Mother's Day card from you and our 2 kids...

i will try to be a better mother from yesterday and this going to be an endless effort, i'm going to be the best mama for my children...

The Lil Caliph 2nd anniversary giveaways....

2009-05-10T14:27:00.003+08:00

this is indeed a big and great giveaways...in conjunction of their 2nd anniversary, The Lil Caliph is giving out hundreds of giveaways the whole month!!! isn't that GREATTTTT!!!???!!!

The Lil Caliph is another Malaysia-based e-shopping that have a widespread of quality goods for moms and their little ones....it is a very friendly website with very efficient service and prompt delivery....for those who loves hassle-free e-shopping, this website is a great place for you...

so, hurry...get over there now and grab the chance to win their giveaways and happy shopping!!!

FRIDAY FUN: the BabyShashaNMom Giveaway by Kitty Cat

2009-05-09T13:47:00.004+08:00

yeah, another great giveaway for fabulous mothers out there...this time Kitty Cat from A Pregnant Pause and BabyShashaNMom are generous enough to give 2 (TWO) beautiful Sasha’s Pouch/Sling worth RM99 each...isn't that simply irresistable..?

Sasha’s Pouch/Sling are simple and fashionable hip baby carriers:
-Reversible - print on one side, solid color on another
-Comes with secure pocket - to keep small items
-Small and lightweight - made of 100% soft cotton
-Each sling is carefully sized to fit you
-Available in beautiful fabrics at affordable prices
-A nice chiffon bag with ribbon ties to keep your sling
-No adjustment mechanism - no buttons, buckles, zippers, straps or rings - just slip on and go!
Finally, a way to carry baby (or toddler) that does not get in the way of your mama style.

and guess what...? it is SOOOOO EASY to win too...hurry, contest ends at 5pm (GMT8+) May 14...get your mouse over to A Pregnant Pause now for further details and you are on the way to win this practical yet fashionable Shasha's pouch...!!

i really love to have a collection of babylegs from ShashaNMom, the designs are cute and colourful, simply perfect and would nicely hug my Imtiaz's chubby, strong legs and protects them from mosquitoes, harms and bruises (even though he has not cruise or crawl yet....)...

another thing that i would love to have is Shasha's pouch that is very much a practical and stylish way to carry my little ones...it is a reversible pouch, so you can have 2 styles with only 1 pouch! that's smart, right..? the fabrics are soft and it comes with beautiful designs as well...a must for all mums out there..!

mother's day promo - enter and choose your own gifts..

2009-05-09T00:07:00.004+08:00

i stumbled upon this wonderfully pink website, Mom 4 Life, that provides fuss-free online shopping of genius mom-made goodies, a 100% mom invented products....it has a wide range of stuffs perfect for the whole family....and in conjunction with Mother's Day, they are generous enough to give Mother Load Mother's Day Gift Basket Giveaway, where 3 lucky winners get to choose their own gifts...the contest ends on 31st May 2009...hurry, get over to their website for further details and get those winning entries in....!

some of the products that attract me are their lovely and stylish maternity/nursing tops and a wide range of unique baby carriers...they are simply elegant and fabulous...not forgetting the selections of functional yet stylish diaper bags...there are many choices of affordable goods for you and your loved ones...this is indeed a shopping heaven for funky and stylish moms and your little ones...

Mother's Day Giveaway...

2009-05-02T21:17:00.004+08:00

a very special day for SPECIAL WOMEN out there is coming up...thinking of a perfect gift for a perfect lady in your life..? let's try our luck in Mother's Day Giveaway at Mom Bloggers Planet from 1-9 May 2009 and win fabulous prizes from AliceWonders.com.

i'm trying my luck too...i'm very fussy at choosing handbags for everyday use...i usually buy a particular handbag that is multifunctional - it can be used for work, casual outings and as diaper bag as well...i only have 1 handbag at one time and i don't usually change handbags for different occasions....and i will use that bag for at least 6 months to a year before i change to a new one...

when i found this wonderful website, the online shopping realm, i was amazed to see an array of elegant, stylish, practical, functional yet reasonably priced handbags...there are so many choices until you don't know which one to pick...but shopping is so easy with AliceWonders.com in just 5 steps... drop by at their website and you'll find out how simple it is...

come on, the clock is ticking away...get your thinking cap on let flow your ideas...!

It’s easy to enter. Just follow these steps.

Go to AliceWonders.com and PICK your favorite bag.
Leave a comment here by completing the sentence - Me needs a new bag for Mother’s Day because …..
Mention the bag that you want by putting the link to the bag at AliceWonders.com
If you have a blog, write a blog post about this contest and link back to to MomBloggersPlanet.com and AliceWonders.com (and tell us about the post). You can write in Malay or English.

Simple, isn’t it?

There are many wonderful bags at AliceWonders.com. And, you can just select ANY bag of your choice. Isn’t that fun?

Terms & Condition
This contest is opened to Malaysian only.
Contest starts from 1st May and ends on 9th May 09.
By participating, you expressly consent for your particulars to be posted on MomBloggersPlanet.com and AliceWonders.com
AliceWonders.com will select the winners and handle the prizes delivery.
Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Winners will be announced on MomBloggersPlanet.com and also will be contacted via email.
MomBloggersPlanet.com and AliceWonders.com reserves the rights to change, amend, delete or add on to these Terms and Conditions without prior notice to you and shall become effective on such date as determine by us. You agree to be bound by such amendments.
MomBloggersPlanet.com and Alice Wonders.com reserves the right to cancel the contest at any stage, if deemed necessary in our opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of our control.

Imtiaz - 2 months...

2009-05-01T23:01:00.003+08:00

only a few more days Imtiaz will turn 2 (months)....he has grown so much...he weighs 5.2kg now and probably a little extra than that....he is more alert and playful and turn to the sound he heard people calling his name....hi is more chubby and his body is more solid...he was so tiny at birth and people couldn't believe it when i told them he is only 2 months old...

he started coo-ing and smile when people talk to him....he is a very friendly and easy to take care of...not a fussy one...he feeds every 2-3 hours and can't wait to latch to the breast during feeding time...he also love sucking his knuckles and hands now...when he does that, we know that he is ready to be fed...

i love applying lotion on his legs after bath...his legs are so chubby and so nice to hold...it is firm and solid....

Imtiaz loves to be held before he sleeps...then when he already asleep, he loves to curl and arched his back and settle back to sleep....

Jihan loves to pat his brother to sleep...she also like to squeeze Imtiaz's chubby hands, and legs....she helps us to change Imtiaz's nappy by getting the diapers, wet tissue and Drapolene ready and throw the dirty diapers away...sometimes, she helps to bathe Imtiaz too...

my two kids are just adorable...

5 years of...

2009-05-01T09:20:00.004+08:00

"5 years of happiness, 5 years of tsunami (sometimes), 5 years of love, caring and sharing, and blessed with 2 little rascals..."

yes, it's our 5th wedding anniversary...5 years journey of life of 2 adults sharing and bonding their lives physically, psychologically and emotionally....sometimes it was a smoothe one, but there was always a turmoil in between...and i am very proud to experience and undergo the past 5 years with my other half, Dr Asrul...

this year, we did not plan anything in advance...dear hubby is currently in a stress situation preparing for his exam which is 1 week away...probably we'll go for a short break later when everything is settled...

i bought him something "special"...he needs a new one as his old one will be needing a CPR soon...i hope he doesn't know what i'm buying for him...it's an anniversary and a birthday gift as well..his birthday is coming soon too... NO, I'M NOT TELLING YOU GUYS YET WHAT I'M BUYING FOR HIM...he hasn't received it from me... will let you guys know later...

i pray for this marriage to last forever and insya Allah be blessed with more kids after this..(perhaps another 2 or 3 more)....

Happy Labour Day to all...

S.A.H.M (stay at home mom)

2009-04-29T13:08:00.003+08:00

why do i want to be a S.A.H.M...?

i want to spend the whole day with my kids

i'm currently breastfeeding, it is easier to directly breastfeed Imtiaz

i can always cook for the family (currently i only cook when they want a special menu from me or when i have the time)

i can manage my own family to my likings

i can teach my kids a little extra from what they learn at school

i can become my kids' own driver

i don't have to crush and squeeze my head to deal with difficult patients who are just non compliance to medications

i can exercise 7 days a week (now i'm doing it at 3-5 times a week)

i can indulge in doing everything i love (shopping + window shopping, reading novels/magazines/newspaper, watching TV/movie, baking/cooking)

i can be my own family's doctor

i can surf the internet 24/7 (minus the time that needed to attend my kids) finding informations at the tips of my fingers

i can blog and read other blogs to exchange views and opinions

why i can't be S.A.H.M?

i have to complete my Master

i'm bonded 7 years after completing my Master

i won't have my own pocket money and i can't find ways how to find alternative income to stabilize the family's finances (i'm not a good entrepeneur)

i tend to munch a lot in between meals, that will make me to balloon up

what i wish to be...?

i want to complete my Master

then want to become a lactation specialist

complete my 7 years contract with my employer

then i want to promote breastfeeding to the nation and work as a lactation specialist at my own time

i want to have a flexible working hour so that i can manage my family as well

i want to coach my kids myself

sometimes, you can't have what you want...make do with what you can...but there's always room to improve your life to the next stage...