Bengkung/Post Pregnancy Girdle

This is the essential thing that you would need right after your pregnancy.Why?This would help you tremendously with getting your tummy right on track after pregnancy.Even Jessica Alba wears one.Trust me.If you don't have one, get one!If you have a normal delivery, you can start wearing one as soon as your 4th day after delivery. Those who had C Section may wear within a few weeks when you are slightly more healed.

Birth of Harith and other birth info

Wow...it's been a while since I put up any entries...and since then I was busy nesting. Cleared up the house to make space for Harith,who arrived on the 24 of February,normal.

Anyway, the last few weeks was torturing as I was getting less sleep and was sweating constantly,even when the AC could probably create snow! I had a 'mak bidan' or a confinement lady who is 73years old came to the house to give me a light massage, just 2 weeks before I gave birth. Maksu, as I called her, also did my berurut,bertungku and bengkung when I delivered Fateeha...so I simply had to have her after giving birth to Harith.

(Contrary to western believes,the Malays thinks it is ok to give a light massage towards the end of the pregnancy,especially when you are in aches and pains! Plus should you feel pain on any side of your body the mak bidan will probably move the baby to a correct position -I never experienced this before tho).

This time my delivery was different.Since I had more experience, whenever my contractions came, I took note of the time consistency.Sometimes I knew it was a false alarm so I simply ignored it by watching HBO or AXN when the pain comes at 3am in the morning.Because of it, I only found out that I was already opened 3cm+ when I had my check up...of course the doctor asked me whether I wanted to deliver on the same day or wait naturally. I simply agreed to be admitted which was around 10am in the morning and Harith was out at 3.10pm...sounds pretty short...but trust me..its was pretty painful...but you will forget the pain the moment they place your baby in your arms!

What happens in labor?

1.Some laxatives will be given to you to remove your stools so that your baby won't choke on it or comes out during delivery.

2.They would break the waterbag.

3.Saline is put in to expidite the process.

4.They would ask if you opt for epidural etc. - I had none,except for pain killers.

5.Wait for your contraction gets closer and you have that feeling to pushhh...This might take time.First pregnancy may take longer.Mine took about 6 hours.

(I have never been to a lamaze class, but since this is my 2nd time,I already had a general idea what to do:))

6.The doctor will tell you to take a deep breath and count to 20 and push.Push as hard as you can. The doctor will stop you if you are pushing wrongly. You will have a gap during the contraction which is the 20second count for you to take a deep breath and gather your energy.

7.After several push...the baby is out!Hooooray...you made it!!!

8.The doctor will do the necessary cleaning up on you...stiches etc.You can request for oxygen if you feel pain - but the doctor will give you a general anesthetic before stiching you up...

9.And you are done. Your nurse will assist you to wear your maternity pads,clothes etc before pushing you to your room for you to recover.

What happens to the baby??

1.Once out,baby is put on you.During this time the umbilical cord is cut.You get a few minutes of interaction before they take the baby for suction and cleaning up.  (This the time to do azan +tahnik for muslims).

2.The baby is then taken away to the nursery for feeding,checks etc.

3.After an hour or so, you will get to see your baby and will be asked to breastfeed your child.

What happens to the placenta?

I believe that most Asians or muslims will take back the placenta...I wouldn't want the placenta to be used as part of some beauty product!!!

By the way, I want to thank my gyne, Dr.Ariza and every nurse who attended Harith and me.You are my heroes:)

Remember,every pregnancy, labour,procedures are different to every women in every country. This is just my experience.(The hospital I went to was Ampang Putri...will update more on the address and current package).

Toksoplasma/toxoplasma continued

What are the symptoms that you might have toksoplasma/toxoplasma?

• Flulike symptoms
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Muscle aches and pains for weeks

For those who missed out, toxo is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The infection is most commonly acquired from contact with cats and their feces or with raw or undercooked meat.

 

Once diagnosed, for those who are pregnant or with weakened immune system, doctors will discuss with you what treatment is necessary. For those who are healthy and not pregnant, you do not need treatment as the symptoms will go away on its own within a few weeks.

Yeast Infection

Another common thing between us women. And another thing that could trigger worst than ever during pregnancy.

• Why is it that yeast infection is more common during pregnancy?Your body goes through under a lot of things during pregnancy, which of course has a great deal to do you with your hormones.There is more sugar secretion on which the yeast can feed, causing imbalance resulting in too much fungus.
• How are yeast infection treated during pregnancy? Only with vaginal creams and suppositories only.It may take 10-14 days for your infection to clear up during pregnancy.It may be helpful to use starch-free powder  or Nystatin to keep them from recurring.
• They can be avoided by:  wearing loose fitting clothes,use cool temperature on your blow dryer to dry your genitals,shower after swim, don't use douche,sanitary pads, feminine spray,bubble bath,any kind or fancy toilet paper.Cut sugar intake, rest a lot and eat yoghurt:)

Why breast milk is good for your child

Through my reading, I found out that children who are breast fed are smarter when they get older.They say:

• Children who are breast fed have IQ scores about 7-10 points than those who are on formula based.Numbers are based on hundreds of children...so breast feed is the way to go to have smarter kids!
• Better school grades.Even after other school influences is taken into count.
• Intellectual advantage gains the longer the child is breast fed.

Nutrients in breastmilk:

Smarty fats-One key ingredient in breastmilk is a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA is a vital nutrient for growth, development, and maintenance of brain tissue. Autopsy analysis of brain tissue from breastfed and formula-fed infants shows that the brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA, and DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest.

Nutritip - To ensure that babies have a healthy brain growth,breast feeding mommies must be on a good DHA diet.Rich sources are from salmon and tuna.

Cholesterol -provides basic component for babies brain growth. None in formula milk but there is in moms milk. Bad for adults but good for kids...DHA, cholesterol, and other breastmilk fats provide the right substances for manufacturing myelin, the fatty sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. Myelin acts as insulation, making it possible for nerves to carry information from one part of the brain or body to another. So important are these brain-building fats, that if mother's diet doesn't provide enough of them for her milk, the breasts can make them on the spot.

Smart sugars - Lactose is main sugar component in breast milk.The body breaks it down into two simpler sugars - glucose and galactose. Galactose is a valuable nutrient for brain tissue development. more intelligent species of mammals have greater amounts of lactose in their milk, and human milk contains one of the highest concentrations of lactose of any mammal milk. Cow milk and some cow milk formulas contain lactose, but not as much as human milk. Soy-based and other lactose-free formulas contain no lactose at all, only table sugar and corn syrup.

Smarter connection - During the 1st 2 years of the baby's life, their brain is grows rapidly. Every experience contributes to their brain growth.Because breastmilk is digested faster, breastfed babies feed more often and therefore probably interact with their caregivers more often. Breastfeeding itself, with its skin-to-skin contact, the variations in milk flow, and the closeness between mother and baby, is usually a more interesting, more interactive experience than bottle-feeding.

How breast feeding benefit moms

1. Reducing breast cancer risk.Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 25 percent. The reduction in cancer risk comes in proportion to the cumulative lifetime duration of breastfeeding. That is, the more months or years a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.
2. Benefit child spacing. Breast feeding causes us to ovulate later.
3. Promotes good emotional health and bond with child.Some mothers get very emotional when they are unable to breastfeed. If you are able to,you are very lucky. (Remember to use the right techniques!)
   
4. Lessen osteoperosis.Women who don't breastfeed are 4times likely to have hip fracture after menopause.
5. Help you to loose pregnancy weight.Mothers who breastfeed tend to return to their pre-pregnancy size faster than moms who feed their child on formula.They also have more fat lost and large hip circumference within one month compared to those who don't.
6. Easy on the money. Baby milk/formula can cost you. Breast feeding definitely would reduce cost and...you don't have to constantly prepare milk for your child.