Basically, for swimming we started with allowing them to play in the kiddies pool. The most important thing is to watch over them carefully, ensuring that they are not traumatized by any sudden splashes of water. Next is to make sure that we ourselves are not the panicky kind of parents. Kids pick up our bad vibes easily and they can sense any feelings from us.

As for the other sports, we started with playing balls with them as soon as they can walk. It is a good way to get the kids to learn to walk and run on the green, grassy field as it is a healthy exercise as well.

So, how do I get my children to swim or do any kind of sports? We provide them the opportunities to try out new sports and games and allow them space to master them. When my children see the trend of skateboarding, they too wanted to be involve in this sport and it takes a lot of courage to do all the skateboarding tricks.

Meanwhile, my little boy loves badminton and will pester my hubby to play badminton with him in the evenings. He has these rosy cheeks after a good game and the little man comes home feeling proud that he has played a good game. This also teaches him to be disciplined, have good manners and competitive.

Like all the other sports, I think swimming is the best activities because they to be courageous, responsible and adventurous. Beside that, playing sports together is also a good time for family bonding as well. We had shared so many funny moments in the pool, at the field and the skatepark.

I think this will also lift off some worries when they have to venture away from home on their school trips or other activities. Knowing that they can somehow swim and deal with playing a game with others is a lot comforting. The children will inevitably go somewhere far away from us on scout camps, school field trips or national service. We can rest assured that should they be asked to do any , they will be alright with them.

In conclusion, do not make playing sport or swimming as a lesson but instead, a play time for the whole family.

We are all going to come face to face with the financial demands of bringing up a family. I know very well because I have been through some tough times during the recession in the late 80s and early 90s where jobs were scarce, salary was slow in coming and there was no bonus or promotion.

We live in uncertainties, with economic upheavals, risk of losing jobs or bleak prospects. Though we may be doing well at one moment, we may not always be as lucky. So, it is always wise to be prepared financially to face any storm ahead.

When we have a family, we have to care for them with our best abilities. We have to budget, cut down on our own expenses and save money. However, not many of us have the discipline or even the awareness of how much or how little we can spend on each family needs.

This is when we need someone who is well versed and professional in dealing with budgets and financial management come in very handy and timely. It is good to know how much we are committed in managing our daily expenses, saving for the future, paying for our mortgages, loans, insurance coverages and how much we can afford to spend on other needs like family holidays, luxurious items and other necessities.

AmBank Family First offers a wealth of resources and privileges which provide a convenient and reliable way to manage our budget and planning. When you have children, you know that education costs a lot of money. We also need to ensure that our families are decently covered with insurance because we never know what can happen.

When you have come to an age like my husband and I, with ample EPF savings and FDs, our financial headaches are not over. We have to make sure that we know how to invest these money wisely or else they may be stagnant or losing in inflation. Or even worse, if some parents are not careful, they may even invest wrongly, losing all the money meant for their children.

We cannot afford all these risks so it is always better to find a person who can help us to chart out our paths. We must have the map to guide us to wise financial management because our family comes first.

Check out AmBank’s Family First website at www.familyfirst.com.my and find out how financial healthy you are with their Money Measure. Learn the tips and tricks from their site and call up the toll free number at 1300 80 8888 to begin this very important responsibility of taking care of our family.

Remember, Family always come first.

…I bought many of the tiny sharks with their skin ripped off and made soup with them after the Indian nurses told me that it is good for breastmilk. The fish is easy to eat because it does not smell and the bones are still very soft. (Lilian)

Yes , Lactare is suppose to increase milk supply. I think it should not be a problem to take it during confinement. Anyway you could check it out on the instruction on the box. I used to take (I think ) 3 x a day, 3 tablets each time. You can take it together with your beverages also… had used Lactare for more than a year & find that it increases milk supply. (Sheela)

Christina Kwan just email me giving me a recipe for fish tail bones (buy the big fish ones like garoupa) and half-ripe papaya. For flavouring, add a few pieces of ginger and white pepper corns. Boil them till mushy and milky. Papaya has enzyme (papase) which dentists always give after some dental treatment. So I guess it is the enzyme that makes the glands secrete more milk. Try it! (Lilian)

I too used to take papayas to increase my milk supply. (Sheela)

Have u all tried dates (kurma)? My milk surprisingly increased during fasting month. Usually in the month of Ramadhan, we Muslims take dates twice daily, once during ’sahur’ (early breakfast) and another during fast breaking. Until now, i still take it at least once a day. Manage to express 6-8 oz in 15 minute session. Do try, probably it works on some of you. (Fiza)

For new mommies who want to increase their milk supply, a surefire way is to express after you’ve finished nursing your babies …Our body produces milk based on demand and by expressing (even if you only get a little initially), you’re able to trick your body into thinking that you need to produce more for your growing baby. (Min)

The Nursing Mothers’ Teas are unique blend of herbs* made with the post-partum, nursing mother in mind. They are designed to enhance milk production and supply, promote a restoration to health after the trials of labor, as well as calm, soothe, and lift the spirits of the nursing mother. All the herbs in the teas are organically grown and entirely earth and animal friendly. These teas contain no caffeine, black tea, or orange pekoke tea. These teas are NOT reccomended for pregnant women. (Sze Sze)

My sister, Nazreen (discovered that expressing while nursing worked wonders. (Shahareen)

Regarding food, I remembered eating a lot of garlic & shallots. We Indians believe eating shark will increase your milk supply. So I had a lot of that. Besides that I had oats & horlicks. (Sheela)

My advice to all you mums who are serious & commited to breastfeed your baby is that you should NEVER supplement with formula during the crucial early months. If you do your milk supply will surely diminish. Feed on DEMAND & not the clock! The more your baby suckles, the more your body will produce breastmilk.To build up your milk supply, eat a healthy & nutritious meals & let your baby feed on demand. During the night your body produces more milk. Due to the fact that breastmilk gets digested fast, your baby will be waking up very often. To make it easier, you should cosleep with your baby so that you can nurse on demand. (Sheela)

RECOMMENDATIONS ON MILK ENHANCING FOOD/DRINKS FROM SEVERAL WOMEN

Japanese green tea, camomille tea, Marmite, Brewers Yeast, pucuk manis, kangkung, sawi, roselle, chlorophyl drink, drumstick (a kind of pea) - the list is endless….

More food to ponder over - green brinjal, lima beans (pic. below, thks to Nirmala, Sathiya and Ninuk), tosai and idli (the accompanying curry is power-packed with fenugreek)

You should be able to get fenugreek at any grocery store or else at an Indian store (used a fair bit in Indian cooking)… Try steeping fenugreek in hot water (like tea) or perhaps boil the water with fenugreek - my sister used this method and felt that it helped. (Nazreen)

I bought a big bag of fenugreek … and diffuse it as tea. It taste okey and my milk flows immediately! Probably because of the hot drink. (Lilian)

a Malay friend told me that eating daun pegaga (can be obtained in Malay market/stall) as ulam and white radish (lobak putih) in soup are very effective in increasing milk suppy. I am also told that cooking drumstick tree leaves as a soup, in dhall curry does also help with the supply. I tried the salted fish soup and … notice that the supply has increased somewhat. (Shahareen)

The (Fenugreek) seeds are quite hard & bitter. I tried crushing them with the batu lesong & diluting them in water, but it was so bitter & tasted horrible. …My hubby suggested to make your own capsules .I think you can get empty capsules from the pharmacy & put in your own fenugreek which you can ground it yourself (Sheela)

Caution: These recommendations are from mothers who had tried and tested the food/drinks. Remember that these are for nursing mother. Pregnant mothers are advised NOT to consume these recommendations as some may not be suitable for your pregnancy.

First of all, every mother must bear in mind that her milk supply is always adequate for the baby if she nurses often and regularly. On the first few days, the milk quantity may be slow but it will pick up gradually as you nurse. If you are worried, do check with your respective lactation consultant, breast-feeding counsellor, paediatrician, mid-wives and even the district clinic bidan who makes house-calls. (At least where I come from, Penang, the nurses from the Govt. clinic will pop in to my house to visit me.) All the women who have succeeded in breast-feeding their babies will have one very important advice “DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT CAPABLE OF SUPPLYING ENOUGH MILK.” We know that you will be having a host of senior relatives, old friends, clueless women who will keep harping to you that your baby is fussing because you are starving him! Baby cries for several reasons and he/she will nurse if he/she is hungry.

Anyway, on this page we are giving out some of the methods, recipes, tricks, tips about how to increase your milk quantity. Many working mothers who went back to work after their maternity leave will inevitably notice the reduction/increase of the quantity of milk they expressed. I must tell you a funny observation I made through this group of nursing mothers in our group. If we are given a choice of ‘How to increase your money’ and ‘How to increase your milk’, I bet that all the women will run for the milk over the money. This is how deep our obsession over milk quantity is. (Lilian)

Now that baby is in her arms, she will want to continue to protect baby in this big, big world. Baby needs the comfort of mummy’s embrace because baby is now in a loud, strange, cold, noisy world. After 9 months where mummy and baby are one, baby is now an individual, yet very much part of mummy. How does mummy ensure that baby still receives the same loving care? How can mummy continue to protect her baby? Breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is the link that keeps mummy and baby as one. What can be more beautiful and loving than for mummy to continue to nurture and comfort baby by putting baby close to her?

Mummy wants to provide baby with the best nutrition. Mummy is able to protect baby because mummy’s first-milk or colostrum is ‘nature’s antibiotic’. With her warm and gentle embrace, baby will continue to feel secure. Lying on mummy’s chest, baby still hears the familiar heart beats. Baby knows that mummy is the special woman who will give him love, comfort, security and mummy’s milk. Baby knows that mummy will always be there.
A simple guide for moms-to-be intending to maintain that magical bond between mummy and baby
• Be prepared before birth of baby
• Be determined
• Be patient
• Be focused – every mummy has milk for her baby
• Be happy and rejoice!

Mummy’s milk has something money can’t buy – LOVE. For the love of your baby, breastfeed!
(Written by Chan Lilian, Owner, MyMomsBest)

However, there can also be situations where the matter is not related to the pregnancy but probably the problems exist with or without baby/pregnancy. In this case, I guess MMB hasn’t come to the level of marriage counselling yet.
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Lilian

But i still haven’t quite gotten the answer to my true question, which is are pregnancy worries the second time around any different from the first? When i mentioned weight worries, i meant that i know it is usually more an issue for the first kid. You have all confirmed it! Having had 2 and even 5 kids, i can see weight isn’t an issue at all anymore! (so comforting)

But what about finances, housework? Do these things become areas of contention more than the first time? Ya, men can be elated to have 10 kids, but are they as helpful to massage your feet and back as they did when you carried their firstborn? What is the general experience on this? I know men are not all the same, but generally - i have lived long enough with one and chatted enough with women from other marriages to know that they can be quite similar across the board in many areas. It’s so freaky to agree for a second one and then have him suddenly get too busy at work to help as much as you thought he would… more than one mom i know is wondering how to have a second one when their hubbies can’t seem to get their act together even for the first one!

CELYA

Sorry, got a bit carried away with self-esteem stuff. Want to know how men feel about getting more and more kids? Read Today’s Parents June issue. I enjoyed knowing what En. Idris feels (his original interview reply was much, much longer) about getting more kids. My conclusion is - men enjoy having lots of kids! Even my very reluctant husband (whom prefer only one kid) dreams of having lots of grandchildren in future!
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Lilian