Mothering Corner

I haven’t seen my gynae for some time. The last time I went to his clinic was a few months ago for pap smears test. Like some women, I don’t feel like seeing my gynae most of the time, unless it’s necessary. If I need to find out more about woman health issues.

One of the websites which provides such information is AskMyGyn, and it doesn’t only provide articles about woman health, you can also ask their certified gynecologists about anything until you are totally satisfied with their answers. Of course, you might need to pay a small amount of consultation fee, but they will refund the fee to you if you are not satisfied with the information provided. On top of that, AskMyGyn.com will donate 25 cents to Doctors Without Borders for every question asked. So, you are not only getting the information needed, you are helping some victims of war and disaster indirectly in getting the medical attention needed by volunteered doctors and nurses as well.

So, if you have any question about birth control, pap smears, vaginal infection or breast care, just check out the articles or ask the gynecologists at AskMyGyn.com.

I think diaper bag is a great gift for daddy who likes to bring his baby out for some bonding session. My hubby likes to take care of his kids but when they were babies, he had not brought them out by himself once. Maybe the diaper bag doesn’t look nice to him, or he was lack of confidence. Nonetheless, it’s nice to bring your baby out once in a while, and maybe it’s a bit scary for the first time for some daddies, but trust me, things will come easily after more practice.

Just don’t forget that you might need to bring some stuffs like clean diapers, handkerchiefs, formula milk or expressed breast milk in bottles, a changing mat and etc. So, a handy diaper bag is great for storing all those stuffs. If you are one of those daddies who are particular about looks, get this diaper bag.

Diaper Dude Diaper Bag

So, daddies, do you like it?

I fell sick twice for the past 2 months and I hardly fall sick before this. I must be really tired for the traveling and preparation, my immune system is not working as good as before. Thus, I sleep early these days, and if I have late nights, I try my best to take a nap with my kids. They are really clingy to me anyway, so I might as well just sleep in early with them.

Besides that, I haven’t been exercising. I stopped going to yoga and belly dance due to our moving plan. We have some exercise equipments and one of those boring treadmills at home, but I hardly use them. I’m not so interested in home gym because it’s boring to me. And my kids will definitely join in the fun before I can even sweat anything one. LOL!

So, what’s the best exercise for me? I think it’s just playing with the kids outside in the evening. When they run, I run. When they jump, I jump. I missed having a lot of fun when I was away, so it’s time to make it up to them now.

When I was a first time mother, I was pretty paranoid about anything. I would check on my baby’s breath just to ensure that he’s still breathing and sleeping soundly. Maybe I was doing nothing else except taking care of my first baby 24/7 so I had so much time to watch over him day and night. But when my second one came along, I was more relax and I knew how to take things easily. I was so at ease at handling a newborn baby, but of course, my time was split for a toddler, a baby, and my other daily stuffs. I’m aware of sudden infant death syndrome, but the fear was not there anymore for second baby.

SIDS would normally affects babies between 2 to 4 months, and most of the babies were found death in the crib without any particular reason, so it’s extremely hard for parents of SIDS babies. That’s why most hospitals would advice babies not to be placed in a tummy down position when they sleep. But in Asia, most of us have the tendency to sleep in the same room with the babies, so it’s easier to check on the babies during the night. Most mothers won’t let their babies cry for hunger too, and will attend to their babies as soon as possible, so I guess this would reduce the risk of having anything bad happens to the babies.

The real cause of SIDS are still unknown, but some babies have a higher risk than others, like the factors listed here by Baby Center:

• Having a parent or caregiver who smokes
• Being born prematurely or at a very low birth weight
• Overheating while sleeping
• Sleeping on a soft surface
• Being born to a mother who smoked or abused drugs during pregnancy
• Being born to a mother under the age of 20
• Suffering an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE)
• Having certain ethnic backgrounds
• Being a boy

Just take note of the factors, but try not to be over paranoid. When I first had my baby, I was worried too much about anything. I hardly slept for the first few weeks and I was totally exhausted. But for my second baby, I tried my best to arrange some free time for myself, despite being so busy all day long. I still managed to apply some body firming cream and put on my corset and body shaper to help me get back in shape faster. I didn’t have time for this when I was handling only a baby! So, it’s all about time management and being informed but not over worried about our babies.

Nonetheless, new mothers are always advised to read more and talk to the doctors about things like this, if you are not sure about facts and myths. I found that it’s more comforting know more than just a fraction of it. Talk to your doctor to know more about SIDS, or you can always search for more information on the internet.

I’ve been pretty busy for the past 3 months. Ever since we decided on relocating to Bangkok, my days were packed with packing, moving, flying to and fro and feeling totally exhausted. We are moving there for good in 2 weeks and after that, we will help the kids to get adjusted to the new environment. It’s going to be a new phrase in our family lives, but hopefully our kids will be able to get adapted soon.

I’ve lost some weight lately, and no, I didn’t use any Anoretix or diet pills. I think I am really tired of moving around and preparing for this relocation. Once we settle down there, I will get back to my yoga and exercise. I think I need to rest and exercise more to keep myself fit and healthy. My body is not feeling as great as before, so it’s a warning sign.

So, I wonder how things will be for us there?

I’m not a green person, but I will try my best to do my part in caring for our mother earth. Some of my friends are wearing clothes in organic cotton now, and maybe I should give it a try as well. But the thing is, I can’t really find trendy clothes in organic cotton as most of the tops are really not my type. Nonetheless, if you are looking for nursing tops in organic cotton, check out the selection available by Expressiva Nursing Wear.

V-neck Tank with Lace Applique in Bamboo/Cotton

Ruched Split Neck Top in Bamboo/Cotton

But if you are one of those mothers who prefer something sexier, how about this top with bamboo and cotton blend? Personally, I will get this if I’m still nursing.

St. Tropez Top

There’s a sales going on, so don’t miss the great bargain!

I know that it’s really hot these days, and the hot weather is making some kids fall sick easily too. But over at my place, the mosquitoes are lesser now and my kids are play freely outside without the repellent. They have always been using the mosquito repellent since they are babies as there are a lot of mosquitoes in our area and there are incidents of dengue fever too.

But since they have recovered from their fever, they enjoy playing outside with their cousins. It’s nice to see them playing and running actively without the fear of getting bitten by mosquitoes. At least my gal’s skin is not having an outbreak anymore.

Too bad we don’t have teak outdoor furniture here, if not I would really enjoy knitting outdoor while watching the kids. Don’t you just love the sun?

I was cleaning up my jewelry box just now and found that I kept a pearl necklace, which was given to me by my MIL. She bought 4 of the same designs and all her daughters-in-law have one. It was given to me before I got married, but I have long forgotten about it. Frankly, I’m not a big fan of Akoya pearls and I don’t even know how to match the necklace with my jeans!  However, it was her way of greeting us into the family, so it should be kept well as our family treasure.

It’s not easy to be close to our own mothers sometimes, and let alone the mother of our spouse. So, there’s a lot of give and take between us and we just have to learn to love them as our own mother too. If it’s not because of my MIL, I think my days as a SAHM won’t be that easy. At least I don’t have to worry about getting food ready on the table everyday now, not until we move over to Bangkok! LOL! So, I keep telling myself, if there’s a conflict, step up and see from her point of view. Thank god that I’m blessed with an understanding MIL, so we hardly have issue at home.

So, we are moving away soon and I hope that my kids will miss her too.

 If I’m given the choice to choose again, I would still prefer to be a stay at home mother. It’s really not that bad and I can always be there for my kids. Besides that, we can make money from our blogs if you join networks like Bloggerwave. The money might not be a lot, but still, it will mean something to us one day.

I’m emotionally disturbed by the news about earthquake in Sichuan, and it’s sad to see so many people had been killed but still many were being rescued day by day. I read something touching today. It’s about a policewoman who helped in breastfeeding the orphan babies in her village, even if she had to send her own baby away under someone’s care. She may not think that what she’s been doing is honorable, but I think the rest of us do.

I showed some of the pictures and read the news to my kids so that they can understand what’s going on in China too. I want them to know that while they are being clothed and fed well here, some children out there may not be so fortunate. So, they have to appreciate what they have in their lives and try to understand that life is fragile. Sometimes, we just can’t foresee the natural disaster but we can help by donating or praying for them.

I guess this incident hit me too. I was so caught up with shopping for kitchen faucets, furniture, lightings, and everything for the house and I thought I was so busy in Bangkok. But I should feel blessed that we have a roof over our head now. Let’s mourn for the quake victims in China.