Train The Trainers for Peer Counselors Program

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...

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

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!

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

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 +

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...

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....

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...

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...

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

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....

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)

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....

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

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....