Oct 28, 2010

Nurturing Toddler's Fine Motor Skill

During the infant and toddler years, children develop basic grasping and manipulation skills, which are refined during the preschool years. The preschooler becomes quite adept in self-help, construction, holding grips, and bimanual control tasks requiring the use of both hands. – Essa, E., Young, R. & Lehne, L., Introduction to early childhood education, 2nd Ed. (1998)



Okie auntie-auntie. Miya dah terrer buat rantai beads. Ada sapa-sapa nak tempah?


Buat rantai mainan ni adalah antara method in nurturing fine motor skill through "manipulative material".



Oct 27, 2010

Pregnancy & Pedicure


My belly dah semakin besar and today I find it pretty hard to cut my toe nails. Tergeliat segala urat nak get into an "okay" position untuk potong kuku tau. I didn't remember having such difficulty when I was pregnant with Miya.

Have you experienced begini jugak? Care to share your tips to do your toe nails during pregnancy (while having a large belly)?

Oct 26, 2010

Cucu Manja Tokma!!


Miya, the spoiled rotten toddler, sayang sangat tokma!!
Tokma is Miya's bestfriend, tau.

Teman Miya menyanyi, menari, go to the playground, go shopping and go 'kayan-kayan' (pelat Miya for 'Jalan-jalan').

Kalau gaduh, Miya akan kata "Takmo kawan sudah. Dok diam". Sapa ajar ayat tu? Tokma lah, sapa lagi.

Miya suka fakup-fakup (pelat Miya for 'make-up'). Sapa ajar tu? Tokma lah, sapa lagi.






Over sebulan tokma dok dgn dia, memacam peel timbul.
Cute memanglah cute, tapi......

Oct 25, 2010

DHA for the Human Body

After publishing last week’s post, I still rasa tak puas hati on this DHA matter. Could the study have just proven only for preggy moms & babies? Or could it also have had a similar result if a new study being conducted for the overall benefits of DHA to all age and gender?

So to get it out of my system, I decided to do some reading on DHA. Lemme share my findings.....

As we all know, DHA cannot be produced by our body on its own, we need to get DHA from our diet.

DHA is a major structural component of our retinal membranes, the nerves and the brain. Prior to the recent study being done on preggy ladies by the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, Adelaide (Australia), studies have proven that fish oil helps the brain to repair damage by promoting neuronal growth and for the past decade of n−3 fatty acid research has procured some Western interest in n−3 fatty acids as being a legitimate 'brain food.'

DHA has also been promoted as having the properties of anti-cancer(the fatty acid kurangkan risk of tumor growth), avoiding cardiovascular disease (the good cholesterol in the fish oil flushes out the bad cholesterol), boost of immune function, reduces inflammation (e.g. headache, migraine, sakit sendi & sengal-sengal badan).

And in regards to DHA and pregnancy, once a study have been done on nearly 9,000 pregnant women, researchers found women who ate fish once a week during their first trimester had 3.6 times less risk of low birth weight and premature birth than those who ate no fish. Low consumption of fish was a strong risk factor for preterm delivery and low birth weight. However, there have been attempts by other groups of researcher to replicate the study and do a further discovery on this area, tapi many unsuccessful. Therefore, it is safe for me to say that it is a questionable recommendation for DHA to be promoted to preggy ladies as something that has important contribution to the growth of the unborn child.

Moreover, there are also risks related to the consumption of DHA supplement and among them are:

· Increased incidence of bleeding.
· Hemorrhagic stroke.
· Oxidation of omega-3 fatty acids forming biologically active oxidation products.
· Increased levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol or apoproteins associated with LDL cholesterol among diabetics and hyperlipidemics.
· Reduced glycemic control among diabetics.
· Heart health and cardiac risk (for people with existing condition).

These are the known or suspected risks of EPA and DHA n−3 fatty acids if consumed in excess of 3 grams per day.

So...... from the benefits and information I’ve listed here, many health institution and association recommends for us to eat fatty fish rich with DHA or to consume vegetable oils primarily flaxseed, soy, and canola (for the vegan/vegetarian) for at least twice a week, which is a better choice than taking supplements.

Tapi, sebabkan kita ni selalu tak makan a well balanced diet nor do we always consume food from the freshest ingredient, the capitalist world took the advantage to promote and market fish oil capsules as a safe source for DHA as the better option.

Now, do you agree with my findings on DHA?

Oct 24, 2010

Happy Birthday To Me!!


Alhamdulillah, each day of the year creates a wonderful piece in completing my life. I couldn't ask for more and I can only give thanks.

Oct 21, 2010

DHA for Preggy Mama & Unborn Child

Semalam while tengah bersiap nak pegi uni, I heard Mel and Kochie (Sunrise on 7) said that a new study have found that Dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fish oil supplement does not give effect to a pregnant mother or to the unborn child.

Wah wah..ni cukup bercanggah from what I have been educated.

Sebelum ni, we have been educated on the fact that DHA is best for to pregnant women as a way of enhancing their offspring's intelligence as well as protecting from subsequent post-natal depression.

Even many epidemiological investigations from the United States and Europe demonstrate that higher intakes of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) from fish and seafood during pregnancy are associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms in the postnatal period, as well as improved developmental outcomes in the offspring. So from there many consumers (mainly mothers) are recommended to increase intake of DHA in pregnancy, and the nutritional supplement industry successfully markets prenatal supplements with DHA to optimize brain function of mother and infant.

So sebabkan tak puas hati, I did more reading on this issue and I finally came to understood on standing of the recent finding on this DHA issues.

Let me share my findings with you mommies.

Recently, the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, Adelaide (Australia), published a study supporting the fact that pregnant women who take DHA fish oil capsules during pregnancy do not reduce their risk of developing post-natal depression, nor do the supplements have any effect on the baby's cognitive and language development during early childhood.

A team of researchers, lead by Maria Makrides, B.Sc., B.N.D., Ph.D. carried out a randomized, multi-centre trial to determine whether DHA fish oil supplements during the latter half of pregnancy had any effect on the risk of developing postpartum depression, as well as enhancing cognitive development of the baby during their first years.

The study involved 2,399 females less than 21-weeks pregnant were recruited at 5 maternity hospitals in Australia between October 2005 and January 2008. By the end of December 2009 a total of 726 children were followed-up. The pregnant women had received 800 mg/d of DHA fish oil capsules or equivalent vegetable oil capsules with no DHA up to the day of childbirth. 96.7% of the women completed the course of capsules.

The researchers founded that:

“Current recommendations suggest that pregnant women increase their dietary DHA to improve their health outcomes as well as those of their children. Such recommendations are increasingly being adopted with women taking prenatal supplements with DHA. However, the results of [this trial] do not support routine DHA supplementation for pregnant women to reduce depressive symptoms or to improve cognitive or language outcomes in early childhood.

Our results are at odds with the results of some large-scale epidemiological studies. It may be that even well-conducted epidemiological studies overestimate effect size and do not adequately deal with residual confounding, or that other nutrients in fish and seafood, beyond DHA, contribute to the observations from epidemiological studies. Further studies are required to determine whether there are specific benefits of DHA supplementation for women with a previous history of depression and for women at risk of preterm birth”.

Jeng jeng jeng....

What do you mommies think? Is this just another inconclusive study or have we been tricked into consuming something we don’t really need all along?

Oct 15, 2010

New Passion for Souffle

Soufflé is the experiment of the week.

Mula-mula buat, I tot its easy peasy aje.

I follow everything in the recipe down to the dot, but bila bakar the souffle naik skit aje.

Instead of this:


or


Dia jadi cam ni:



Tapi rasa dia mmg dah sedap cam kat kedai lah. Even better! Because dia tak semanis yang commercially made.

So, sebab tak puas hati on what I did wrong, I studied on a few recipes and method on making a perfect souffle.

Waaa..rupanya aritu I sudah silap on beating the egg whites. When beating the egg white, I was suppose to beat it until soft peak form & not stiff peak. Kalau stiff peak, dia akan naik cantik time bakar but akan pancit the second kluar dari oven.

So I tried another recipe, Orange Soufflé and the result:



Memang naik cantik...On taste pula mmg puas lah my preggy tastebud ni bila topped with choc sauce.

Still I think ada byk ruang for improvements ni.

So apa flavour of soufflé to try next? Cheese?


Oct 13, 2010

Toddler Tantrum - The Terrible Two

If you child is going thru the terrible two, you should watch this.


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Syukur la Miya punye terrible two tak teruk gini. I feel so much better.

Remember mommies, tantrum is just a phase.

Oct 12, 2010

Adik Miya @ 20weeks!!



When I showed gambar adik to Miya, she said "hmm macam baby..hmm macam adik.. hmm macam nose..hmm macam eyes".

Macam-macam la Kakak Miya oooi....

Anyway, Alhamdulillah everything is ok & anak ni growing well.

I'm halfway thru!!

Oct 10, 2010

Miya sukaaaaaaaaaaa Chocolate!!

Mama's homemade churros with choc dip?


Brunetti's famous desserts?


Devil Choc Layers-Mars Bars, washed down with french vanilla chai latte?


Heaven on Earth!!!

Oct 8, 2010

Kisah Miya Masak

Mama Miya sekarang malas sangat nak masak. So nak tak nak, Miya jugak lah yang kena masak. Kalau tak, kebulor la we all.

It's ok Mama, Miya paham.

Takpe-takpe, Mama rest ok. Nanti takut jadi apa-apa kat adik.





Hmm...So apa menu kita harini?



(muka mencari ilham)



Hish, letih masak berdiri. Kita masak duduk lak.

Oct 6, 2010

Cerita bergambar- Kisah Miya Di Ramadhan & Syawal

Okie Kawan-kawan & Auntie-auntie, mari Miya cerita kisah ramadhan.
(malkumla, back few weeks mama sibuk mabuk-mabuk. So dia takde pun cerita kisah miya kat blog.)


Among the wonderful thing we did during ramadhan:

We celebrated birthday Papa-miya time berbuka. Cantik tak cake Miya buat? Oishiiiiiiiii!






Then banyak we attend iftar dirumah kawan-kawan mama & papa.

Time ni la Miya dapat bersosial dengan budak-budak renek-renek cam Miya ni.


Then papa belikan dutch pancake maker, but Mama selambe babe happy-happy buat takoyaki in it. Best oo berbuka makan takoyaki. Hihihihi...cam la Miya puasa kan?




*******



Then comes RAYA!!!!



Best tau biskut ni Miya buat. Pure chocs!! Dark choc & White choc, Miya likey!!




Haaa...Jemput-jemput la makan. Jangan malu, jangan segan. Miya masak sedap-sedap ni.
Ada nasi impit, ketupat palas, serunding kelapa, rendang ayam itam, nasi dagang & kuah kacang.



We all happy-happy beraya rumah kawan-kawan Mama.Psst- tgk tu, peyut Mama-miya (yg baju & pantz putih tu) dah besor. Mujor ada baju raya yg muat lg.




Pastu Miya attend birthday party kawan Miya. Best!!




Anyway, Miya bukan busy beraya aje tau. Banyak benda Miya kena buat ni.

Winter ends...So Miya started packing away all of those baju tebal-tebal.


And Miya mula kluarkan kipas-kipas yang dah lama tak berkhidmat.




Kan Tokma Miya ada kat sini, so we all rajin-rajin la kluar jalan-jalan.


Tapikan, boring sungguh bila Mama & Tokma sakan shopping. Macam tak ingat dunia. Boring la Miya tunggu-tunggu diaorang. Kalau shopping toys untuk Miya takpe jugak.

Oct 4, 2010

Pregnancy - Its the season to be complaining.

This time around, there are 2 things that annoys me during the 2nd trimester; It’s the pregnancy headache and excessive saliva. Almost every subuh I will wake up to a minor to throbbing headache and I think it’s due to the way my head and neck rest on the pillow. So silap position sikit aje, gerenti sakit kepala. Meanwhile, the other annoying excessive saliva buat mulut rasa pahit or loya. Pretty much annoying sebab kejap-kejap kena telan air liur.

So why are these things happening to this preggy me?

I found out that these headaches are caused by the progesterone boost in my body which causes the blood vessels to relax and not spasm. As the placenta continues to produce both progesterone and estrogen for the duration of the pregnancy and the levels get higher and higher right up to just before the birth.

During the pregnancy, the progesterone is needed in the following ways, (mostly in conjunction with estrogen):

  • Makes the endometrium develop and secrete fluids after being primed by estrogen
  • Maintains the functions of the placenta and fights off unwanted cells near the womb that could cause damage to the placenta or foetus.
  • Keeps the endometrium in a thickened condition
  • Stops the uterus making spontaneous movements
  • Stimulates the growth of breast tissue
  • Prevents lactation until after the birth (with estrogen)
  • Strengthens the mucus plug covering the cervix to prevent infection.
  • Strengthens the pelvic walls in preparation for labour.
  • Stops the uterus from contracting (thus keeping the baby where it is)
  • At the end of the pregnancy, the levels of progesterone secreted by the placenta drop off. It is this action that stimulates the beginning of the contractions that will lead to birth.

Some other effects on a woman due to raised levels of progesterone can include any or all of the following:

  • Constipation
  • Heartburn
  • Runny and irritable nose
  • Eyesight problems (blurring or headaches)
  • Increased kidney infection risk.

Now, that kinda make sense on why I am having excessive saliva recently.

Commonly, excessive salivation is a result of changing hormone levels. Excessive saliva may happen sporadically during periods of rapid hormonal fluctuation.

Some solutions I found on the internet:

  • Brushing their teeth multiple times each day helps relieve their symptoms, or at the very least makes the problem seem less annoying.
  • Drinking more water improves rather than worsens the condition. Your body may produce more saliva in response to dehydration.
  • Chewing gum or sucking hard candies helpful for at least taking their mind off the problem.

Care to share your tips on pregnancy headache and/or excessive saliva?

-

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor nor am I a lawyer. I am not a scientist nor am I an expert. I am just a wife and a mother, who is putting her thoughts and findings in a blog. All of the posting on this website & my blogs were written by me for educational purposes and as my sentimental library, but are not meant to diagnose nor treat any medical disorders. Any other materials that I may have quote from other published materials are for educational purposes only and not for any other manipulative reasons. Anyway, whatever weird stuff that I published are the real stuff that I believe works for me. Tips and tricks that might work for me. You are free to put it in your head if you thinks its valuable, but if you think its rubbish... Please don't mock me. Do please shut your pie hole.
 
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