Godma of my child

I am writing this page, specially dedicated to a very special person. A good friend of mine and a Godma to my precious princess. Oh yes, she's very dear to me and we've been through thick and thin together. Nothing can come in between our friendship because we have known each other for so long, since college! and yes, I suppose you can say, I trust her completely and I believe she does as well.

I remembered back then when I was pregnant, she reminded me of my baby's baptism, little Rosemary would need a Godma. I knew about that but have completely overlooked it! Yes, when you are pregnant, you can become a very pelupa person! So anyway, when she reminded me about it, you can say I was very anxious and relieved at the same time, because at that point, I knew deep within my heart that this dear friend of mine would have loved to hold this big role as my little princess's Godma. And true enough, when I called her after that to ask her, she exclaimed with happiness and excitement and said Yess!! Looking back at that moment again, I kept imagining both of us crying with excitement, hugging and jumping up with glee like 2 little girls who just scored straight As in UPSR!

Today, I am proud to say that this Godma of my child is the world's most happening and the most beautiful Godma! Just look at the pictures and you will see Godma's love for little Rosemary, so sincere. :)




Thank you for your honest friendship and I am happy and lucky to have someone whom I can call a true friend. Cheers!

Breastfeeding..

As you know I am a mother to a beautiful 6 months old baby girl. And just like any other mothers, I want to give the best to my baby, including.. breastfeeding. And I know, to all mothers-to-be out there, you too would want to give the best to your newborn. When my daughter was born, I became very anxious and not to mention, excited too, because this is it! I have finally become a mommy! Considered sudah naik pangkat lah!

But so much of thoughts keep running on my mind, such as; will I be a good mommy?.. How am I going to protect her from any harm or from a broken heart when she grows up?...How am I going to cope up between work, husband and my baby?...and oh yes, I even have this question running on my mind all the time: Will I have enough milk supply to nurse her? Seriously, I really did. But to my dismay, I could only nurse her till about 2 months ++ when I realized that my milk supply was slowly decreasing. It did not make any sense to me at all, as my gynae told me that so long I continuously nurse my baby, the flow will increase! I became angry at myself because every time when I nurse my baby, she gets cranky and starts to whimper.

Eventually, I realized that it is because my supply is not up to her demands. Gradually, day by day.. I began to slowly gave up. Until..it came to one point that I asked myself.. how can I give up too soon! So I started doing a bit of research here and there in the net and to my surprise, I found out a few tips that is pretty interesting. I tried following this particular tip and yes, the good news is, my milk supply did improve, not much but it did. The bad news is when the supply slowly improved, I had to return to working life and because there is no proper room in my office that allows me to pump my supply privately..it eventually slowed down again, not to mention as well that because I had to start all over again to build up the supply while coping up with work, I had no choice but to slowly decrease nursing my baby.

However, I wished so much that I found out about this tip from the beginning so that I could nurse my baby for a good 3 months and in fact, if the supply was so overwhelming, heck! I would even take a drive back home just to pump out the milk! Okay, I do want to stress out something here, and that is to the fathers. Breastfeeding can become really stressful especially in my case where the supply is low. If you were to keep pressuring your wife to nurse her baby, she is going to get very stressed up and trust me, it won't help. So, please try not to do that. Instead, gently talk to her and support her emotionally because she is vulnerable. A big thanks to the hormones! So, to all mothers who are facing this problem, please remember this.. you are not alone.

So anyway, it is interesting that I found out in the net that there is such a herb called Fenugreek that can actually stimulate milk production. This herb is normally used in one of the ingredients to cook curry. However, in the pharmacies, it is sold in pill form. There are even some sold in tea bag form. I searched high and low for this supplement and eventually found it in GNC Live Well Malaysia. Here is a snapshot of how the bottle looks like.



If you read it on the net you may find that there are mixed reports on the effectiveness of fenugreek on increasing milk production, but I have to say that it worked pretty well for me. I do have to warn you though, that after taking this..your sweat might begin to smell like maple syrup. Basically it's smelly! But who cares! We just want to give the best to our baby, right? I hope you are still with me on this. lol.

I also found out that a possible danger associated with fenugreek is that the herb is related to peanuts, the food most likely to cause an allergy and the allergic reaction in a baby is quite high. Many cases of colic, stomach upset, and diarrhea have been reported among babies whose mothers take fenugreek. But since I have tried and neither I nor my baby experience any of these, I feel that I should share this information out and really, I do recommend this to any mothers who are desperately finding ways and methods to increase their milk production. But my advise is, please make sure you consult your gynae first before consuming this. I am no doctor. I am only recommending this based from my experience. :) And oh yes, this is to be taken only after child birth and not during pregnancy!

Of course, you will find more tips in the net if you were to do more research but I have not tried those and hence, I will not recommend on something that I have not tried myself. Last but not least, I read somewhere before in an article that a woman should nurse even when her breasts do not feel full or heavy because she will still have milk that can be drained. Good Luck and if you have more tips to share, please do post it on the comments box. Cheers!

Green Tea

Are you a green tea lover like me? Well, if you are, then good. We have something in common. You see, I started loving green tea say about +/-8 years ago. It all started when my husband and I started dating. Oh well, no..we didn't fall in love over a cup of green tea if that is what you have in mind. You see, when there's a lunch gathering over at my husband (back then - boyfriend)'s home, and after a hearty satisfying meal, (thanks to my mother in law who cooks extremely well! Really, you must try her nasi goreng/mihun goreng/mutton curry & her very own asian style spaghetti recipe..and many other dishes, too many to mention lah! it will take one whole page to list down all her specialties!) Okay, so yeah, after a good meal, it's a routine that my mother in law prepares a bag of green tea each for everyone. Now, you must be wondering what the heck am I talking about green tea for. Well, you should know a little of me by now (if you've read my 101 tips for weight loss) I am health conscious person and if I came across anything that is good for us, hey..it's my pleasure to share! FOC, mind you :) So, back to the green tea story, I am pretty sure you do know by now that green tea is good for you. But what exactly does it do to your body? If you already know, then good for you! How about posting up some comments, if I missed out any good points. But for those who have a bit of question marks here and there, well I hope you'll find this information beneficial.

Firstly, green tea benefits the immune system because of its high concentrations of polyphenols. Now, what is Polyphenols? I did a bit of research here and there and found out that Polyphenols is actually a kind of chemical that (at least in theory) may protect us against some common health problems and possibly certain effects of aging. Read more http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=16619 Now, there are four primary polyphenols in green tea and they are often referred to as catechins and clinical tests have shown that catechins destroy free radicals. What is free radicals? Again, some research was done and this is what I found out. In animal tissues, free radicals can damage cells leaving the body vulnerable to cancer, heart disease and other degenerative diseases. For example: Heat, ultraviolet radiation, and ionizing radiation all generate free radicals. So you see, it is therefore, very important that we consume green tea because the antioxidant found in green tea, which I found out is called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is at least 100 more times more effective than Vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage which is believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. What other benefits does green tea brings? Well, the common knowledge that we know is it reduces high blood pressure. Drinking green tea represses angiotensin II, I have no idea though what is this but what the heck, it's enough for me to know that it leads to high blood pressure. Now you know why, after a heavy meal especially if you just had a good meal of banana leave rice for example, it is good that you should have a nice hot cup of green tea.
Secondly, green tea actually helps to lower blood sugar and finally as I have mention above, it is believed through studies conducted, that green tea catechins are effective at preventing cancer. In short, to layman's understanding, when drinking the recommended amounts of green tea, (usually about 3 - 4 cups per day) the human body is cleansed from toxins that usually causes health problems, which in return improves your health and your lifestyle as well. As a matter of fact, based from my experience, if you consume green tea regularly, you will feel relaxed, full of energy, and even develop a good outlook in life! Ooh.. by the way, did I mention, I specifically drink this brand called OSK ?

Weight Loss

For mothers like me who's desperately looking for methods to shed off that extra kgs, trust me.. it's never easy. Firstly, you have to be damn discipline and stick to your work outs/evening jogs and the worst of all, controlling food intake!! Again for food lovers like me, who can resist a nice hot plate of nasi lemak in the mornings or a delicious treat to McD's sundae cup with strawberry toppings in the afternoon. Yup, it's never easy to control, that's why I am always on the net, looking for tips and hoping to find one that can continuously motivate me. In the end, I realized one thing. People like us need motivations!! That's right. Motivation so that we will still be bersemangat to carry out the golden rules to loose weight. So, friends.. it is my duty hereby to share with you the below article, so that you in return will feel bersemangat and may we in the end all look beautiful and hot and remain hot. *giggles* But I must warn you, this is one freaking long article, so choose what you think is relevant and fits well. Enjoy...

1. Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot of water so give in to water. Water is not just way to flush out toxin but if you have more water in your body you will generally feel healthier and fitter. This it self will discourage any tendency to gorge. The best thing about water is that is has no calories at all.

2. Start your day with a glass of water. As soon as you wake up, gulp down a glass of cool water. It’s a wonderful way to start you day and you only need a lesser quantity of your breakfast drink after that. A glass of water lets out all your digestive juices and sort of lubricates the insides of your body. You may have your morning cup of tea but have it after a glass of water. It is good for you.

3. Drink a glass of water before you start the meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself.

4. Have another glass of water while you are having the meal. Again this is another way of making yourself full so that you can actually rise from the table eating less but feeling full just the same. Instead of drinking it one gulp, take sips after each morsel. It will help the food to settle faster so that you get that feeling that you are full faster. SIDENOTE: Water is such a remarkable thing, but seldom do we give it the credit that it deserves. Did you know that over 66% of your body weight is nothing but water’ It’s amazing! Water also plays a vital role in weight control, which is why I donated so much space to it, above.

5. Stay away from sweetened bottle drinks, especially sodas. Hey all those colas and fizzy drinks are sweetened with sugar and sugar means calories. The more you can cut out on these sweetened bottle drinks, the better for you. So if you must drink sodas, then stick to diet sodas.

6. Include in your diet things that contain more water like tomatoes and watermelons. These things contain 90 to 95 % water so that there is nothing that you have to lose by feasting on them. They fill you up without adding to the pounds.

7. Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. Juice is often sweetened but fresh fruits have natural sugars. When you eat fruit, you are taking in a lot of fiber, which is needed by the body, and fruits of course are an excellent source of vitamins.

8. If you do have a craving for fruit juice then go for fresh fruit juice instead of these that contain artificial flavors and colors. Or even better, try making your own fruit juice taking care not to sweeten it with too many calories.

9. Choose fresh fruit to processed fruits. Processed and canned fruits do not have as much fiber as fresh fruit and processed and canned fruits are nearly always sweetened.

10. Increase your fiber intake. Like I mentioned, the body needs a lot of fiber. So try to include in your diet as many fruits and vegetables as you can.

11. Go crazy on vegetables. Vegetables are your best bet when it comes to losing pounds. Nature has a terrific spread when it comes to choosing vegetables. And the leafy green vegetables are your best bet. Try to include a salad in you diet always.

12. Eat intelligently. The difference between man and beast is that we are driven by intelligence while beasts are driven by instinct. Don’t just eat something because you feel like eating it. Ask you’re self whether your body really needs it.

13. Watch what you eat. Keep a watchful eye on every thing that goes in. Sometimes the garnishes can richer than the food itself. Accompaniments too can be very rich. Remember that it is the easiest thing in the world to eat something without realizing that it was something that you should not have eaten. Selective memory you know’

14. Control that sweet tooth. Remember that sweet things generally mean more calories. It is natural that we have cravings for sweet things especially chocolates and other confectionary. Go easy on theses things and each time you consume something sweet understand that it is going to add on somewhere.

15. Fix times to have meals and stick to it. Try to have food at fixed times of the day. You can stretch these times by half an hour, but anything more than that is going to affect your eating pattern, the result will either be a loss of appetite or that famished feeling which will make you stuff yourself with more than what is required the next time you eat.

16. Eat only when you are hungry. Some of us have the tendency to eat whenever we see food. We use parties as an excuse to stuff our selves. Understand that the effect of a whole week of dieting can be wasted by just one day’s party food. Whenever you are offered something to eat do not decline it completely bit just break of a nibble so that you appear to mind your manners and at the same time can watch your diet.

17. Quit snacking in between meals. Do not fall for snacks in between meals. This is especially true for those who have to travel a lot. They feel that the only time they can get a bite to eat is snacks and junk food. The main problem with most snacks and junk food is that they are usually less filling and contain a lot of fat and calories. Just think about French fries tempting but terribly fattening.

18. Snack on vegetables if you must. You might get the pangs of hunger in between meals. It is something that you can very well control. Or even better, try munching on carrots. They are an excellent way to satisfy those hungry pangs and are good for your eyes and teeth. True, you might end up being called Bugs Bunny, but its miles better to be called Bugs Bunny than fatso.

19. Go easy on tea and coffee. Tea and coffee are harmless by themselves. It’s when you add the cream and sugar that they become fattening. Did you know that having a cup of tea or coffee that has cream and at least two cubes of sugar is as bad as having a big piece of rich chocolate cake’

20. Try to stick to black tea/coffee. Black tea or coffee can actually be good for you. But personally I would like to recommend tea rather than coffee. The caffeine in the coffee is not really good for you because it is an alkaloid and can affect other functions of your body like the metabolism.

21. Count the calories as you eat. It’s a good idea to have an idea of the calories that most food items have. If it is a packed thing then the label is sure to have the calories that the substance has.

22. be sure to burn out those extra calories by the end of the week. If you feel that you have consumed more calories than you should have during the week, it happens you know, and then make sure that you work off those extra calories by the end of the week.

23. Stay away from fried things. Fried things are an absolute no-no. The more fried things that you avoid, the lesser weight you will gain. Fried things are called so because they are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.

24. Do not skip meals. The worst thing you can do while watching you diet is skip a meal. It has just the opposite effect of what you want. You need to have at least four regular meals every day.

25. Fresh vegetables are better than cooked or canned vegetables. Try to eat your vegetables raw. When you cook them, you are in fact taking away nearly half the vitamins in them. And canned vegetables too are processed and are not nearly half as good as fresh vegetables. When you buy your vegetables it would be a good thing to see if the label says that it is pesticide free.

26. Nothing more than an egg a day. Eggs are not such a bright idea. It would be best to reduce your intake of eggs to maybe three in a week. But for those of you die hard egg fans, you may have up to one egg a day but nothing more than that.

Article taken from Fitness Tips For Life. For further tips, please click: www.fitnesstipsforlife.com

Crazy...*shakes head*

Yup, crazy is the word. I have not been blogging since the last post (which was my first by the way) and I have completely forgotten my blog's name! LOL. The funny thing is, my good friend (you know who you are) kept my blog's link under her favorite list and when I asked her for my blog's link, she went berserk! Can't blame her right, this is suppose to be my blog lah! For goodness sake! LOL. Adoi.. the amount of scoldings I kena. Sorry la friend... lol.. this is the problem with not so active bloggers. (excuses excuses.. remember? :p) So yes, crazy is the word and maybe you have another word in mind.. but please.. have mercy, I am only human and I do tend to forget things!

Introduction

Wow! I can't believe that I have started blogging! My good friend Merryn - http://submerryn.com ( yeah man...she's pro blogger! juz check her blog out, u'll know what i mean :) ) So she's been encouraging me to start one but I always tell her; "nah... im not the type who blogs, nah... i only read blogs, nah... i dont have the time" Yep, tons of excuses! But don't know why..today my brain cells went itchy and I decided to create my very own blog! Round of applause please people.. :D

Okay so here's the thing, since I am still very new at this, plus I am typing this during office hour (not so productive huh), plus I am chatting with my another good friend of mine, missy zita... I really can't decide on what I wanna start blogging about. I will be back for sure but then again (yep, here comes the excuses again), since Chinese New Year is just around the corner, I will be pretty tied up with shopping, cooking, visitors... Guess I'll be back only after the holidays! and hopefully by then, I will have a lot to talk about! Cheers and Gong Xi Fa Cai! Let's welcome the year of Tiger with full of energy, prosperity and success in everything and anything that we do... including blogging...