Healthy Me, Healthy Baby!

To stay Healthy, 5 rules that I follow:

1. Pay attention to my Weight Gain : Excess weight = may lead to Pre-Eclampsia(hi-blood) & Diabetes, in turn boosting the odds that both me and baby may develop diabetes years later. Under weight = lower birth weight or increased risk of prematurity. So, I'll always make sure I take that extra 300 calories per day required in the 2nd&3rd Tri.
2. Quit My Bad Habits: Sex & Rock&Roll=GOOD! don't leave this unless you're advised to. Luckily I don't do drugs & smoke..so the only thing to shed off is, Caffeine! A study found that consuming 200mg of caffeine per day, roughly the amount in a 16ounce brewed coffee at Atarbucks or 2-cups of instant coffee, increased miscarriage risk.
3. Limit my exposure to Toxic chemicals: inhaling certain chemicals-those found in solvents, paints, cleaners & pesticides can cause birth defects or miscarriage. So I avoid painting the kid's room(which is our lil project now), lessen our usage of the synthetic air freshner & any kinds of floor cleaners/chlorine.
4. Keep up my pre-natal appointments: Checking in gives me peace of mind!
5. Nurture myself & my relationships: Nothing rattles a marriage, or a sense of self, like the arrival of a newborn. So, linger in bed whenever I have the time, book a massage/mani pedi, date my husband & appreciate every single time I have with my 5y.o 'big-sister-to-be'.

My 5 easy Prenatal Excercises:

1. Walking: Strengthens my heart and lungs. Increases stamina & help me sleep better. If you prefer walking in a cooler place, do it in shopping malls! End-to-end of Midvalley Megamall, KL is about 5km already! My favourite 'walking' venue= Tesco-the Curve-Cineleisure-Ikano-Ikea-Tesco.. I'm making a fairly big 'curve' at least once or twice a week since it's just a stone away from home, taking grocery shopping as an excuse :-))
2. Water excercise: Swimming, shallow-water aerobics, deep water running&walking offer excellent Cardio benefits while taking pressure off your joints and muscle. water temperature should always stay below 32degC.
3. Prenatal Pilates: Gently strengthens my entire body and teaches me to be aware of my pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles,which will benefit during labor. There are some pilates centres offering PreNatal Pilates nowadays in KL, you can google for the list. I go to Fitfor2 in Bangsar, it is children&mommy friendly with lotsa interesting classes & scrumptious meals :-)) You can also opt for PreNatal Yoga if you like! Alternatively, you can purchase the DVD instead and do it at home!
4. Prenatal Fitball: Low intensity safe and effective exercising on the ball improves core stability (improving the control and tone of deep abdominals) without risk to the baby. The fitball has proven to be a form of relief for back pain - a common ailment for pregnant women - providing comfortable and relaxing positions. I'm also taking a class for this at Fitfor2. Alternatively, you can buy the Fitball which includes a DVD showing the instructions for pregnant users. It is sold normally in exercise/gym equipments store.
5. Weight Training: Helps maintain muscle tone, strength and alignment to ease aches and pains. Reduce the weight as your pregnancy progresses.

To Stay in Shape, I keep to this 5 rules:

1. Move as much as I can!
2. Stop exercising ASAP and consult my doctor if you have certain symptoms: Bleeding, leaking of fluid, serious abdominal cramp or backpain, seeing spots, headache, swelling in hands&feet or a hard 'stitch' on your right side-underneath your ribs.
3. Do my Kegels.
4. Stay hydrated.
5. Use common sense: some types of physical activities should be avoided ie: active sports like basketball, hockey,mountain biking &etc.

Enjoy your pregnancy fellow preggers!

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Mini Ms.LZ!

Alhamdulillah.. dengan izin Allah & berkat doa semua, 'Detailed Scan' results are +ve. All internal & external development are normal & in good shape. 
We have a sweet 5yo Girl & we've had a lovely Boy in 2007/08. Now, it's time to prepare for the arrival of Mini Ms.LZ!

** I've been scheduled for a detailed scan due to my long history in OB: 1 x ectopic, 1 x miscarriege & a Biliary Atresia(BA) baby (Although BA is not an inherited disease).
Some readings on Biliary Atresia from a Biliary Atresia article:

Causes

The cause of biliary atresia is not known. The two types of biliary atresia appear to be a “fetal” form, which arises during fetal life and is present at the time of birth, and a “perinatal” form, which is more typical and does not become evident until the second to fourth week of life. Some children, particularly those with the fetal form of biliary atresia, often have other birth defects in the heart, spleen, or intestines.

An important fact is that biliary atresia is not an inherited disease. Cases of biliary atresia do not run in families; identical twins have been born with only one child having the disease. Biliary atresia is most likely caused by an event occurring during fetal life or around the time of birth. Possibilities for the “triggering” event may include one or a combination of the following factors:

• infection with a virus or bacterium
• a problem with the immune system
• an abnormal bile component
• an error in development of the liver and bile ducts

Research on the cause of biliary atresia is of great importance. Progress in the management and prevention of biliary atresia can only come from a better understanding of its cause or causes.

*** More articles/facts on BA canalso be found in www.liverfoundation.org

Will our child be FAT?

Some simple and potent changes we can make to keep our entire family at a healthy size:

1. Watch what they drink - less, less, less sugary drinks.. less means just approx 10% intake daily
2. Downsize your dishes - serve your child on a salad plate, fill one half with the entree such as rice, pasta or chicken and the other half with fruits/vege
3. Introduce whole foods - "kids who grow up on high processed and fast food learn to expect things to taste very salty, sweet and fatty" ..uh oh! what have I done to my daughter.. and my body???!
4. Get Moving - Give your child plenty of chances to burn off energy everyday, be it indoor or outdoor. So moms, (me?) limit your social networking time or online games, ait?
5. Play Detective at Daycare - ask questions and observe their weekly menu. Most daycares or kindis have their pre-planned menu pasted somewhere at school
6. Limit their Time with TV/XBox/Playstation - Unless you are a cartoon character, whatever in those machine are more interesting to be watched & heard all day.. Let's not create a couch potato!
7. Eat Dinner Together, at Home - eating out like every other nite/day will not help much eventho u're doing it together. You can control the nutrition at home and the portion size too!
8. Practice what you Preach - You have to practice the same too moms! 

Okay, Fat topic aside, let's predict our kids height.. How tall will they be when they are 18? Wanna try? It's fun! Click here: Child Height Predictor

Ms.LZ and extra classes ..

Call me Crazy, Call me Kiasu! ahah! never will bother..

Important RULE in enrolling your kids into any enrichment class..
1) go to a Trial class or a few trial classes
2) ONLY proceed to enroll if your child is interested to pursue, and
3) ONLY proceed if the instructor thinks (based on his observation) that your child is capable to cope the lessons

Please dear parents, don't push your kids..
Trust me, I've seen some dramas of parents forcing kids altho the kids are yelling&crying like nobody's business in class, it interrupts the class and it will only make the instructor/teacher feel guilty.
And I've also met parents who insist to enroll their kids despite the negative result from the instructor/teacher.

Please..think about your child. This is not about you :-))

Alhamdulillah, dengan izin Allah, Ms.LZ is doing well & happy in her classes. Classes are conducted in school, after the formal Montessori session (except for Iqra' & Swimming Class). So, we saved a lot of time on the road plus her weekends are free too.

Fardhu Ain (11.30 - 12.30pm every Tues & Fri at SWCH)
This is her second year in this class. So far, I've only receive one complaint from her, "I don't think i like Fardhu Ain, it's boooringgg" .. oops! Okayy..
1st = Fardhu Ain is compulsory to Muslim senior students at SWCH,
2nd = the class period is at noon. .. hmm not really in a fresh mood :-))
Come to think of it & based on my personal experiences, I've slept in hundreds of Agama classes throughout my school days.. and sometimes I did feel the same way Ms LZ did.. hahaha!
To make it short, the best I can do is explain to her the importance of Fardhu Ain, Dosa & Pahala.. Alhamdulillah, she understoods.

Iqra' @ MutiaraKafa (5.30 - 6.30pm/twice a week)
Her first year in formal Al-Quran class. Alhamdulillah..so far so good.. she's progressing well.. she'll repeat her Iqra' pages after Isya' everyday, no more tears! it's easier for me to guide her now too, we both can understand each other, both are talking the same language, finally :-))

Speech & Drama by BluBricks (11.30 - 12.30pm every Thurs at SWCH)
Her second year in Speech & Drama at school. This is Ms.LZ's favourite class! Last year the class was conducted by Helen O Grady,  lovely Ms.Andrina. Ms.LZ played as Mrs.Giles in their formal recital, "The Chicken Hearted Fox", one of the leading roles I would say.. proud of her to bits!
This year, the class is conducted by BluBricks with Ms.Elza & Ms.Jaja as their instructor. (Ms.Elza is our local dramatist daughter, Azean Irdawati) ..

Ballet by Plaza Dance Academy (Mondays 11.30 - 12.30pm at SWCH)
Her 2nd year, last year she was in Baby Ballet, a beginner's level. Fun class with her BFFs. Ballet had trained Ms.LZ to be discipline & to care for perfections. It's a good work out too! She'll be famished after class & sleep early almost every Mondays!

Mental Arithmetics (Wednesdays 11.30 - 12.30pm)
First year in formal Math class.. Ms.LZ taught me how use the Abacus! and I'm enjoying her weekly homework too..it helps me sharpen my brain. after yearsss in excessive usage of scientific calculators :-))

Swimming with SuperSharkz (Tuesdays 4.30 - 5.30pm)
She can swim after a few classes, aqua phobics no more.. and no longer relying on her arm bands whenever she swims in our pool. Kudos girl!

It went all well with Ms.LZ, but I'm sure her future younger siblings will have their own interest/choice. What ever it is, hope I'll be an understanding mom and a friend to my kids despite all the hopes and dreams I have for them..and thank you Allah for all Your rezeki..