Pure Prime Pressed Cocoa Butter

#freshpicksPREMIUM

Mentega koko (Cocoa butter) diekstrak daripada biji koko atau kekacang koko. Ianya berwarna kuning krim, mentega koko asli adalah semata-mata mentega koko dalam bentuknya yang mentah dan sangat kaya dengan khasiat.

Tidak seperti metega koko ditapis, mentega koko yang diperolehi daripada kaedah Pure Prime Pressed (PPP) dapat mengekalkan bau yang kaya dengan coklat berserta memastikan semua kebaikan semula jadinya dikekalkan.

Kebiasaannya ia digunakan untuk memberi lebih khasiat kepada  bibir atau lipbalm, mentega badan (body butter), sentalan badan (body scrub) dan losyen. Sangat baik untuk kulit yang kering, mempunyai tanda calar pada kulit dan kulit yang sensitif.
Mentega koko akan cair dalam suhu kulit.

PPP  ini diperbuat daripada bahan-bahan yang bukan GMO dengan kaedah pensterilan berwap dan diproses selaras dengan Amalan Pengilangan Yang Baik (Good Manufacturing Practice - GMP) dan HACCP kawalan keselamatan makanan (HACCP).

Tahukah anda, produk freshpicks menggunakan PPP Cocoa butter sebagai ramuan premium untuk produk kami seperti

Lipbalm
Irresistible Lip Treatment
BodyScrub
Deodorant
Ultra moisturizer

Sebab itu ramai yang memberi feedback yang positif apabila menggunakan freshpicks

Kebaikan Mentega koko (Cocoa butter):

Antioksidan yang hebat
Kulit yang lembut, berseri, dan licin
Mengurangkan tanda calar, parut dan jerawat
Melegakan ekzema dan psoriasis
Melegakan dermatitis atau ruam
Menghidrat kulit secara mendalam
Menyembuhkan kulit sensitif
Mengurangkan parut
Menguatkan rambut yang rosak

#freshpicks

Paed Dermatologist' advice for Eczema Prone Children

Last weekend i brought Adni to meet a paediatric dermatologist for the first time...just to look for other opinions regarding her eczema.Usually we just went to her paed and get the usual medicine supplies.Recently she was having continuous flares for quite some time that makes me think to get another expert's opinion.She was restless,cranky and scratching non stop until her skin bleeds.

And the fact that i myself was quite anxious and rimas with her neverending scratching. So when i brought her to her last vax schedule, her paed suggested to see the new visiting paed dermatologist consultant in PCMC, Dr Sabeera Begum.FYI she is a specialist in HKL and only have clinic sessions in PCMS on Saturdays. Being an eczema patient myself, I think this session i had with Dr Sabeera is an eye opener and helps to manage my eczema prone children (and mine and my hubby!) better.

So just thought of summarizing the advice that we got from Dr Sabeera for my own reference and for other eczema patient parents out there :

1 The first question i asked the doctor, why are kids nowadays are prone to eczema?

She said it has something to do with kids nowadays are `too clean'.. they are not used to playing in mud, water puddles, grass etc hence their immune system does not tolerate with the `dirty' environment. Hence the system is always on alert and sometimes identify even dust and heat as 'potential danger' hence triggers eczema to some kids.Overtime, the eczema will normally subside when the immune system is relax and used to the environment.

2. Generally the eczema patient needs this combo to keep moisturizing the skin : special wash (non soap base) + moisturizer + medicine (be it steroid/non steroid) and a strict schedule. Moisturizer can be applied 3-4 times a day, while wash and medicine shall be used twice a day.

3.When you see the eczema subsides from the skin after 2-3 days, DON'T STOP applying the combo until the itchiness subsides and gone. Usually this takes about 2-3 weeks. However you can reduce the frequency of applying the medicine ointment i.e from twice a day to once a day, then gradually stop after 3 weeks.

4.Is topical steroid safe for kids? Generally it is safe if you use it the correct way, and ask your doctor first since steroid creams had several types; from mild until potent and super potent. Usually the ones prescribed for children is mild until potent. If your child had a severe eczema flares and moisturizer/non steroid cream does not work, you are obliged to reduce it by what ever ways, parents. Some anti histamine also available in syrup form - ask your doctor to find out more. 

5.If your child is having severe eczema, it is advised to get ointment type rather than cream type since cream requires more preservatives that might not be good for your child's skin.

6.Parents need to be patient, patient and more patient (i'm talking to my self, really).Treating eczema needs about 2-3 weeks and no certain medicine will make the overnight wonders.

7.If you want some guide on the available products, here are some suggestions :

i. Wash - use old fashion homemade soap (like Freshpicks Criansa Soap for kids, or goat's milk soap) or special non soap body wash i.e QV moisturize wash/Cetaphil for kids. Avoid commercial soap! 

ii. Moisturizer - organic balms (my favourite is Earth Mama Angel baby bottom balm or Freshpicks ultramoisturizer), coconut oil/olive oil/shea butter or QV intensive moisturizer. Avoid watery lotion/cream as much as possible.

iii.Medicine - steroid type includes Hydrocortisone (mild), Elomet (potent). non steroid type includes Protopic (but it is deemed mild - does not work for my kid.And super expensive too!). You need to try and error to know which product suits your kids skin and condition.

8.Keep your child clean and ensure their surrounding is clean and cool - wipe the excess food/saliva from her/his face as it might trigger flares as well. If possible get an air purifier.

Usually the eczema will subside as they grow up, so less thing to worry about, parents :)

Apa beza toner, moisturizer dan serum?

Ni saya share cara mudah saya membezakan ketiga2 benda ni :

Definasi :

TONER

Toner adalah untuk membersikan kulit dan mengecilkan pori2 muka. So it is an essential first step of face care regime selepas membasuh muka

MOISTURIZER
Moisturizer mempunyai molekul lebih besar dari serum. Ia membentuk barrier untuk mengurangkan proses kehilangan air atau dehydration dari kulit kita. Boleh dipakai dua kali sehari untuk kesan lebih optimum.

SERUM
Serum ni molekulnya lebih kecil dari moisturizer maka ia boleh bertindak pantas memasukkan unsur2 tertentu terus ke kulit kita jauh ke dalam lapisan kulit. Jadi ia sangat sesuai untuk treat masalah2 urgent dan important anda contohnya untuk hilangkan garis2 halus dan panda eyes.

Antara unsur yg sangat bagus sebagai serum adalah vitamin c yang boleh menganjalkan kulit, dan hyaluronic acid yang boleh menambah moisture dan mencantikkan kulit.

Cara2 nak pakai :

toner >serum>moisturizer

If you skip any of them, please follow the turutan ye.

Soalan2 FAQ seterusnya semestinya adalah :

PERLU KAH SAYA PAKAI TONER?

If you ask me, jawapan saya yes. Sebab saya dah experience few years skipping toner sebab rasa macam tak penting je huhu... tapi bila saya start pakai toner i think it leaves better effect to my skin. So now i continue pakai toner prior to serum and moisturizer.

PERLU KE SAYA PAKAI SERUM KALAU SAYA DAH PAKAI MOISTURIZER?

Jawapan mudah adalah... kalau kulit you tak bermasalah, cantik mulus gebu..tak payah pakai serum pun takpe. Especially kalau anda baru belasan tahun.. tak payah pun pakai sebab kulit you tengah cantik. In fact elakkan pakai banyak sgt skin care ye.. pakai yang organik dan nipis2 sahaja. Sayang kalau kulit muda2 dan rosak.

Tapi biasanya bermula dari umur 30 tahun ke atas.. anda akan perasan perubahan kulit dan mulalah mencari macam2 produk penjagaan kulit utk mencantikkan kulit :) Macam saya pun after 30 years old baru la saya mula pakai serum. Lagipun my skin jenis sensitive and super dry.. hence serum sangat diperlukan. Cuma serum ni texture dia a bit oily and pakai sekali sehari je sebelum tidur.

BOLEH KE SAYA PAKAI SERUM JE, TAK PAKAI MOISTURIZER?

Pun boleh kalau nak.. tapi serum ni generally harga lebih mahal dari moisturizer :) So up to you.

Sekian simple beautytips by your trusted beauty agent :P

Kaolin clay

#freshpicksPREMIUM

Kaolin Clay (tanah liat kaolin)

Tanah liat Kaolin (Tanah Liat Kosmetik Putih) sering digunakan dalam pembuatan sabun, skrub, deodorant, pupur muka. Ianya salah satu tanah liat yang paling bagus dan tidak terlalu kuat.

Sesuai untuk kulit sensitif yang membantu menyingkirkan bendasing, menstimulasi peredaran, mengelupas dan membersih.

Sesuai untuk kulit kering kerana ia tidak akan menghakis minyak semulajadi kulit.

Juga popular kerana kebolehannya memberikan bau yang lebih wangi.

Antara rangkaian produk freshpicks yang menggunakan kaoilin clay adalah

Refreshing Deodorant (available & best seller)
Scrub, Sabun (coming soon)

Berminat?
Whatsapp 0193755133 for info and order.

I am a proud Ambivert

Definition of ambivert. : a person having characteristics of both extrovert and introvert.

I came across to an article in facebook today, about ambivert... and I am so happy at last i belong to a group. Hahaaaa

All this while i thought i am a weirdo.. I love socialising but at times i just love to be alone. Back in school, i was always in a group of girls. Primary school, secondary school and even in uni days :) i always always make sure i was not alone, even eating alone made me feels like i am a loser.

But when i grow older, i feel the need to be alone once in a while. i learn to enjoy alone time in public, like reading in bookstores, or eat at my favourite sushi joints, or just strolling/jogging in the park alone. But at the same time i always need to subscribe to a society, or clubs or group of people with same interests...which are beyond my circle of friends.... :) My current interest group includes this one ladies NGO, charity and latest is Freshpicks family :p But as usual, i need to have my me time once in a while to re energize and self motivate myself. 

So does the above made me an ambivert? :P

Kebaikan mentega koko (cocoa butter)

#freshpicksPREMIUM

PURE PRIME PRESSED(PPP) COCOA BUTTER

Mentega koko (Cocoa butter) diekstrak daripada biji koko atau kekacang koko. Ianya berwarna kuning krim, mentega koko asli adalah semata-mata mentega koko dalam bentuknya yang mentah dan sangat kaya dengan khasiat.

Tidak seperti metega koko ditapis, mentega koko yang diperolehi daripada kaedah Pure Prime Pressed (PPP) dapat mengekalkan bau yang kaya dengan coklat berserta memastikan semua kebaikan semula jadinya dikekalkan.

Kebiasaannya ia digunakan untuk memberi lebih khasiat kepada bibir atau lipbalm, mentega badan (body butter), sentalan badan (body scrub) dan losyen. Sangat baik untuk kulit yang kering, mempunyai tanda calar pada kulit dan kulit yang sensitif.
Mentega koko akan cair dalam suhu kulit.

PPP ini diperbuat daripada bahan-bahan yang bukan GMO dengan kaedah pensterilan berwap dan diproses selaras dengan Amalan Pengilangan Yang Baik (Good Manufacturing Practice - GMP) dan HACCP kawalan keselamatan makanan (HACCP).

Tahukah anda, produk freshpicks menggunakan PPP Cocoa butter sebagai ramuan premium untuk produk kami seperti

Lipbalm
Irresistible Lip Treatment
Shampoo Bar
BodyScrub
Deodorant
Ultra moisturizer
Multipurpose magic cream

Sebab itu ramai yang memberi feedback yang positif apabila menggunakan freshpicks

Kebaikan Mentega koko (Cocoa butter):

Antioksidan yang hebat
Kulit yang lembut, berseri, dan licin
Mengurangkan tanda calar, parut dan jerawat
Melegakan ekzema dan psoriasis
Melegakan dermatitis atau ruam
Menghidrat kulit secara mendalam
Menyembuhkan kulit sensitif
Mengurangkan parut
Menguatkan rambut yang rosak

Apa yang anda perlu tahu : Minyak jojoba

Minyak jojoba memang banyak digunakan dalam syampu dan produk2 penjagaan kulit.

Tahukah anda kenapa??

Sebab tekstur minyak jojoba menyamai minyak semulajadi pada kulit kita..jadi dengan memakai minyak jojoba badan kita akan rasa minyak pada kulit telah mencukupi dan tidak akan menghasilkan lebihan minyak...seterusnya kulit kita akan menjadi seimbang - tak terlalu kering atau terlalu berminyak.

Sumber:livelovefruit

#premiumingredients

Kebaikan rosehip seed oil

(pic from Google)

Ramai yang tak berapa tahu tentang khasiat rosehip seed oil. Rosehip ni tidak lah sefamous argan oil ataupun jojoba, tapi sebenarnya kandungan khasiat rosehip ni tak kurang hebat untuk kulit kita.

4 Kebaikan Rosehip Seed Oil :

1. Melambatkan penuaan (anti aging properties)

• Minyak rosehip seed ni bersifat anti-oksidant dan berupaya untuk menyerap ke dalam lapisan kulit dengan efektif
• Juga mengandungi vitamin C dan meningkatkan penghasilan kolagen

2. Mengurangkan jeragat (spots)

• Sifat anti -oksidan rosehip berupaya mengurangkan kesan sunburn
• Asid lemak rosehip yang baik mampu merawat masalah tona kulit tak sekata,tekstur kasar dan pigmentasi

3.Mengurangkan kesan eczema dan parut jerawat

• Asid lemak rosehip mampu mengurangkan kesan eczema dan menggalakkan pembentukan sel2 baru

4. Meningkatkan imunisasi tubuh

• Rosehip seed oil kaya dengan vitamin C dan membantu merawat penyakit dan meningkatkan imunisasi tubuh badan

So sekarang boleh la cari skincare yang ade rosehip seed oil pula ya!

WHY I DO WHAT I DO

Freshpicks adalah sebahagian dari perjuangan saya untuk create awareness tentang bahan2 yang terkandung dalam produk2 penjagaan seharian.Semoga kita lebih cakna dan ambil tahu tentang barang2 yang kita guna...bahan2 ni bukan sahaja boleh mendatangkan kesan kepada kesihatan kita tapi juga kpd alam sekitar.

Bila dah ramai orang aware tentang bahan2 beracun dan terlarang dalam barang penjagaan harian dan kosmetik,kita sekaligus dapat memberi tekanan kepada syarikat2 besar yang hanya fokus kepada keuntungan semata2..terutama dgn lambakan bahan2 timbang kilo lepas tu sesetengah pihak repackage dan rebrand je. Senang betul kerja mereka.huhu

Saya juga sangat gembira melihat banyak produk2 homemade muncul sebagai alternatif kpd produk2 sedia ada..atleast ada options kan.Dan segelintir produk best seperti Freshpicks ni menjanjikan  harga mampu milik Yelah..mana nak dapat :

facescrub and lipscrub 15g RM9 SAHAJA
Bodyscrub 50g RM15 SAHAJA
Rosewater facemist RM15 JE
Facial soap CBS DAN homemade deodorant yang best seller pun RM25
Dan sekarang baru keluar argan face oil dgn face serum tak sampai RM50 PUN!!

macam nak cakap founder ni ade untung ke jual produk harga mcm ni???? Haha

Dan sebagai ejen pon i nak cakap untung mmg seriously tak banyak mana pun..siap dengan free gift free post bagai mmg ambik margin keuntungan kami.

Tetapi...

Demi untuk meningkatkan kesedaran kpd masyarakat , dan the fact that sy sgt suka produk homemade yang satu ni..saya teruskan sharing dan promote untuk kebaikan kita semua.Paling tidak lepas ni kalau beli sabun ke lipstick ke boleh la start jeling2 kat bahagian ingredients tu..bahan2 yg tak paham boleh google dan fahamkan sebelum beli. Siapa lagi nak cakna kalau bukan consumer sendiri kan

Sekian pesanan khidmat masyarakat dari your FP beauty agent 

Oh ya,kedai FP saya sentiasa buka seperti biasa.whatsapp 019 3755133 ya. Cod KLCC/Mindef/Setiawangsa.

#FreshpicksKL #Freshpicksagent

Selamat tahun baru

i need to revive and strengthen my parenting time with the kids especially part ajar anak baca Quran..

Amna had memorized 12 surahs when i started to be inconsistent around mid year due to overwhelming office work and house chores.Then Amna was (and still is) in phase of voicing out her thoughts like 'taknak la baca surah harini' ' amna taknak baca amna nak tido je' which makes things more difficult for me..its not my style to force the kids into something. i was in idle mode until recently, when i resorted to tell stories of the surah (translation) to my kids before they go to sleep,at least they learnt something if not memorizing the actual surah.They love the animals, volcanos and other physicial elements found in the Quran.

I know semua tu alasan Jadual semua dah ada,mcm2 teknik dah belajar.But it was me.I was being inconsistent. The truth that,perhaps i was inconsistent in reciting the Quran myself (am not proud of it). I know i need to do something and must not rely to anyone else to execute my mission i.e to teach my kids Quran since early age.

Azam tahun baru: Revive and rejuv Quran reciting and parenting activities again.Thanks for the reminder Puan Husna Haron.

Other parents,if you have certain method or ideas on teaching your kids to learn Quran, please share your techniques and tips to this needy mom Gazillion thanks.

Belisambilberamal with FP

Therapy

My current passion..
Because skincare and makeups are like therapy to me (and i believe to most women too)..
Because office workload are so overwhelming these days that i need a destressing activity in midst of this chaos.. and that always means trying new things (coz im adventurous liddat)
Because my skin is supersensitive and relied too much on overpriced commercial products which made me think,hey,lets find a safer,local products that contained premium quality ingredients with AFFORDABLE price, and suitable for sensitive skin.i'm sure there is one out there.
And now i found the ONE. 

#Freshpicksagent #Freshpicksrants #ordernow #whatsapp0193755133 #freeconsultation

My own sweet time

Finally i managed to have my own time..and this is due to the sprained,swollen foot since i missed the last step at the stairs near my house last night.it was so painful and i can barely walk until now.its just icepack and bandages at the moment..dont even have time to go to clinic yet.

So here i am alone without the kids...kakak at playschool and adni with her wanmama.so when i am bored and unable to do the chores,i write.

Well to reflect back,i wish to capture few milestones so it wont slipped off my mind:
1. After 2 months of morning cries to school,Amna eventually embraced the fact that she need to go to school every weekdays morning.and she is happier to go to school now alhamdulillah.

2.However, ever since we establish a new schedule, sometimes when Amna is too tired,she tend to mengamuk and scream on top of lungs for hour.It was traumatic for us parents and we struggled hard to avoid reacting unwise in dealing with her tantrums..although sometimes we slipped as we just human. But most important for me is if even you're angry,please stay in control so you wont react beyond rationale..some people tend to speak harsh words,some throw things.please please try to control yourself when dealing with tantrum kids.

3.Adni is the cooler sister.She rarely cries but when she does,omg i think i want to pengsan.But its just fair since we need to cope with kakak also at the same time.

4.Adni gets his first tooth at 4mo.very impressive!

5.Me and hubby tried our best to get our moments together..recently we took half days leave to watch movies..eventhough the leave meant for baby's monthly checkup in the evening.The first time i managed to pumped my milk in the cinema..and i was confident the neighbours dont even realize it.A mummy need to do what mummy need to do!

6.like most mums,i prefer my weekends to be filled with activities with kids,whether at home or outdoor. It took me awhile to realise that it does not work the same with daddies. Their weekends means to fulfill their hobbies AND also spending time with kids.So you know, i am still trying to figure out the best solution to make end meets..

7. After 2 kids..packing things for a vacation even a short one is quite an issue.i always salah bajet baju and forget to bring their shoes etc..which rarely happened before this.

8. Now Amna has her daily logbook already and i enjoyed reading her caretaker's remarks.At the moment she is 'kelakuan baik tetapi masih memilih pakaian'. Hahaha this phase is very much confusing since she wants to select all her clothes..at the earlier stage she even wanted to wear the same clothes for 2 consecutive days.once we even ended up with her wearing hawaiian theme clothes to a wedding!

9.Thank God for a king framed bed as all of us still cosleeping.babycot currently serves as my temporary tudung shelf while Amna's room become Tokma's room since tokma always sleep there when she pay us a visit.

10.parenthood is enjoyable when you choose to.Negative feeling especially towards your spouse will never do any good to the family well being.and to plan quality time with your spouse is equally important as addressing the kids' needs.All the best to us all

Tips Berpantang sendiri

This time around I stayed at Mom's for just 3 weeks after i delivered before we return back to our home in KL.So I am practically completing my confinement period in my own plus one active toddler to take care of.Hence i would like to share few tips for mommies to be out there yang teringin atau plan nak pantang sendiri in the near future.

1.Get all kind of help from your immediate families/any parties if possible.In my case my inlaw stayed occasionally in KL hence sometimes i just sent my elder to them for a daycare while i focus to my baby.Some of my friends hired confinement lady that can come everyday to help out during confinement,and i think this is a good idea and might consider it for future :p Kalau ada maid mmg settle la masalah di situ.

2.Stock up your food,snacks and toys supplies to keep your elder entertained..kalau diorang boring mmg tak menang tangan nk layan..dengan layan baby lagi -_- I personally cherish the moment of having both kids at home so i can feel how SAHM feels like everyday and eventually this will tighten the bond between mummy n choldren,also between both siblings.Like Amna,every hour dia kiss baby..huhu.

3.Cooking simple dish can be done when both children are asleep..in my case selalunya early morning.masak simple2 je yg boleh cater for me n my eldest i.e soup,telur goreng,grilled chicken camtu.

4.Throw your OCD obsession out of the window for a while.. nobody will judge ruang tamu yang bersepah or the piling dishes in the sink or even the mountain of clothes after laundry.i learnt some tricks from my friend i.e basuh pinggan 2x sehari je,laundry once daily etc..as long as it makes you happier to live throughout the day.

5.Keep calm and be patient..repeat 100 times.You know stress is the last thing you need at this moment.

6.Teach your baby to sleep in the cradle/babycot rather than in your arms.I just tried this with mine..obviously sometimes it worked,sometimes not.just cherish the moment and be patient..babies are not robots so eventually they will get tired and sleep.

Quick tips :10 biggest mistakes I made wrt breastfeeding

My first breastfeeding (BF) experience was bumpy and challenging.. to the extend I felt quite traumatic when I was confirmed to carry my second child in my womb months ago. Yes, I don't really fear pregnancy or labor as my experience for those were quite smooth and easy, alhamdulillah, but breastfeeding is another different story. Now that my first daughter is already 2.5 years old, I managed to look back and identified the mistakes I made so that I will be more successful for the second time.

10 biggest mistakes I made wrt breastfeeding

1) Although I delivered at a `breastfeeding-friendly' hospital, I did not get a special consultation from lactation consultant that is actually available in most of hospitals(I dont even know who to sought for help).Right after labor, they quickly send the baby for rooming in and left this first time mother figure out how to breastfeed by herself. Of course the act of breastfeeding is natural, however the knowledge and experience shared is vital for survival of fully breastfeed baby. Mind you, not everyone is blessed with overflowing milk with not much effort, some need trial and errors to make things happen. So a good advice from an expert is what you really need to keep the motivation high.

2) Apparently it was true that my milk did not flow properly/I did not provide milk for the baby even on the second day. The nurse told me my baby had crystallized urine and accused me for not giving enough milk to my baby (as initially I was determined to fully bf my baby). None of the bf forum or books that I read that mentioned about possibility of not having milk flow at all and resulted to baby having crystallize urine! At this point of time I have no choice but to allow them to feed formula milk to my baby. I cried hard and felt like a bad mother for not be able to give milk to my own baby.At this time, I was depressed and at the lowest point of my life. I constantly cried, not realizing that depression and unstable emotion did not help to establish a milk flow that was much needed by the baby.

3) I did not  have regular check ups for my baby after I discharged from the hospital. Do you know that you can register at the nearest Klinik Kesihatan and the nurses will come to check on mother and baby every few days to ensure both are healthy and baby's growth is according to the chart. Well I did not know about this back then. So after a month suddenly I suspect my baby might have a slight fever and we went to the paed near to our house (not my baby's paed), we found that my baby did not gain weight at all (luckily she did not lose weight!).The paed (he was my siblings paed and very old fashioned) scolded me for not giving enough milk to my baby and forced me to mix with formula milk. Again, I came home and cried hard and was desperate, so I mixed.

4) The paed I went to as per point 3) is NOT breastfeeding friendly. Going to him for advice (and followed his advice) was the biggest mistake I made so far.So please mommies, it is very important to seek help from baby/BF friendly doctor for any advise.

5) I realized I had a low milk supply hence scared to pump for milk during my baby's first month.Sounds stupid, right? But that's what I did. I just started pumping after I mixed with formula, so obviously the outcome was not satisfying.

6) I was constantly worried, depressed and cried every night, I think I was actually having a post natal depression. My baby was crying non stop every night even after she was full after feeding, and only sleep after dawn. I did not get enough rest, my milk supply was low, I still need to breastfed and well as making formula milk to feed my baby when she did not stop crying, and I was so grumpy at almost everyone.So yeah, that did not help at all.

7) I spent my confinement period at my mother's house. She did not breastfeed her children and my sister in law also did not too due to this mindset - we did not have enough milk for our babies, so it is normal to mix with formula. Although she did not stop me from breastfeed my baby, she constantly suggested to mix with formula since my baby seemed unrest every night. I don't have any support/advice.motivation that is highly needed for all BF moms who was having difficulties especially during confinement like me.

8) My husband was away in Brunei and only came home every 2/3 weeks. I felt like having no support and shoulder to cry on :( I did everything by myself from changing diapers, making formula milk at night, washing the bottles, etc. So everynight I cried when we had our daily Skype session.Sounds like a depressed young mother, I know. I was. It gets worse when I moved to my inlaws' house when I started to work. My inlaws are actually quite keen to help, but this stubborn, depressed, first time mom thought she is a supermom and determined to do everything by herself because she was hesitant/embarrassed/scared to get any help.

9) In most of BF forums or conversations that I followed, there are always these few ultra gung-ho BF moms who wrote/talked like difficulties in BF journey never exist, all mothers should be able to BF their babies easily and it is (almost) a sin to mix with formula for whatever reason. These people made people like me scared to seek for advice especially from strangers who were expert/claimed to be expert in BF. At last, we just tried our luck and see what actually works. If these people are more friendly and welcoming, I believe more mothers will be more successful in BFing.

10) Despite all the difficulties, I still continued pumping my milk when I get back to work. Well, the mothers room is not conducive (for me) and I pumped at other secluded place, and I was constantly embarrassed and depressed when other mothers boasted about how much milk they produced, or even to see the abundance of milk in the shared fridge at the office while mine was `kais pagi makan pagi'. When I had a very low milk supply during Ramadhan and not even able to get 1 oz in each pumping session, let alone the work commitment and urgent meetings to attend, finally I stop pumping milk at work. My daughter was 10 months this time and already fed on formula and solids. However I still nurse my daughter when I get home after work until she is almost 2 years.

 Well, I am not proud with my experience and it took me 2 years to actually have the courage and shared this with others; however I believe this sharing is important as I myself actually turned to Google when I need a quick fix for any problems. We all do, I believe. I will share on my latest experience on how I overcome the breastfeeding challenge for my second baby. Yes, I still face challenged in this topic (guess the luck was not on my side but Allah must have a better plan for me) but I will never give up and will not repeat my previous mistakes again.

Welcoming baby Adni

1. I started my medical leave about a week before my edd. Actually i was given 2 edd; 15/11 and 21/11, but my gut feeling trusted the first date.During my visit to my gunae on 5/11, she said baby was already very2 low and i might give birth anytime soon .acik adalah excited coz i always wanted early labor but nervous gak!

2. On the following weekends (8-9/11/2014), we constantly talked to baby to come out somewhere next week coz mummy nk gi jalan2 lg on the weekend but if possible i wanted to be earlier than edd coz i dont like waiting.

3. On 10/11 early morning, i started to feel contraction 15 mins apart.it lasted the whole day.Hubby called and i said it was still bearable (i dont want to go to hosp too early!mind you this was my first experience of natural contraction. Previously i was induced.

4. Come night time the pain was becoming unbearable and contraction was 5-8 mins apart. I tried to lie down,sit on gymball and makan2,until one point i was down on my knee and cried in pain.checked that i was leaking.my water broke! I guess this was the right time to go to hospital..luckily my MIL was at our house and took care of Amna who was sleeping.

5. 10/11 11.30pm we arrived at the hospital. I was straight away sent to labor room and already 4cm dilated.The contraction came and go but the nurse assured that i will only be fully dilated the next morning.

6.Meanwhile i was contemplating to take epidurak or not..the pain was so unbearable and i could not sleep. Hubby gave green light and i got my epidural shot. Although i can still feel the contraction waves, i managed to get a 2 hours sleep.

7.After subuh i felt like want to pass motion.Asked the nurses and they said baby was on the way down.. this time i felt like the epidural didnot work as i felt the contraction pain.asked the nurses when i can bersalin.. could not take it anymore.nurse checked and said i already 9cm dilated.just tunggu doctor datang katanya.

8.Doctor came at 7.15am.. checked me and said 'ok jom lah bersalin shahira' i was like 'jom doctor x sabar dah ni!' With just 2 pushes my baby came out to see the world at 8.10am,alhamdulillah.Allah eased my labor this time.My active labor lasted about 15mins.

9. We stayed at the the hospital for 4 nights merely due to my jaundice baby and also because i was dying to meet the lactating nurse to get her advice. Fyi my first breastfeeding experience 2 yrs ago was TRAUMATIC.i will share the details later.

Feelings and Counting Blessings

When you plan for so many things but it turned out not the actual way you plan, think about it as a rezeki in different form.

At the end of the day, you will see that everything that happened actually made sense especially when you finally see the rationale of everything that happened; although initially you were puzzled (and perhaps crushed) why it turned out that way.

That summarized my feelings right now. And am counting my blessings, Alhamdulillah Allahuakbar.

Product review: Airfryer

I've been wanting to get this thing since it was launched but only manages to get hold of it recently (when my friend sell at a very reasonable price 😅).  

What i can say,if youre a sucker of fried food of any kind or your children are,please get one.you wont regret.one pan worth of fries or chicken drummet only need one spoon oil or less,or for some recipe (esp store bought frozen food since it usually already contain some oil prior the freezing process) even none! Highly recommended :)

Amna' s full conversations

I just need to capture these somewhere. Being 2 years 4 mo, Amna is in the midst of constructing full conversations and building creativity, sometimes i find it cute and hilarious although it makes me tak jadi marah.

Situation 1(subuh time)

Mummy: Amna why dont u finish ur susu?
Amna : taknak! (We communicate in both languages anyway so dont bother)
Mummy: if u dont want to finish, mummy gives your susu to cat..she loves your susu
Amna : tak boleh
Mummy: why?
Amna : cat tido.. (she noticed it was still dark outside)

Situation 2 (sleep time,lights off already but she still wide awake)

Mummy: mummy dah ngantuk ni, mummy tido dulu ok
Amna: ok.gelapnyer.. (went down the bed,took her frozen figurines and climb back the bed)
Mummy: dah tido2
Amna: (talked to her figurines) kristoff,olaf,jom tido.(changed voice) tanakkkk..
Mummy: (penat tahan gelak coz i suppose to pretend sleeping this time)

Omg i love this stage..she is so unpredictable and funny

Ending the LDR and starting new life

Its been almost 3 months since my husband came back to KL for good. It means that our long distance relationship (LDR) for 3 years is finally over alhamdulillah :) The truth is throughout my married life, we only live together for a couple of months as before his Brunei assignment, he was always on long assignments in different projects, hence it is fair to say we're finally starting over.

Well, obviously this is the best happen to any LDR wives out there, but little that I know is the need of change and readjusting to normal life is not really a breeze and sometimes may be quite challenging.

1.Suddenly you have a partner to go and back from work. My habit of having my own sweet time every morning (sometimes I do sleep back after the Subuh prayer, and go to the office at 8.40am because I dont feel like coming early that day) is quite irrelevant anymore since I need to consider his morning meetings,etc. And he is quite reluctant to take the LRT hence we need to arrange of season parking near the office, and some mornings we need to send our child to the grandma's since we have 2 homes to man now hence it took more time off my usual morning routine.

2.Obviously, more house chores and laundry is waiting at home :P I dont mind washing and folding clothes but ironing is such a different story altogether. I always wonder why women's clothes are easier to iron hence quicker, as my routine is to iron MY clothes every morning before I go to work. But men's clothes always take more than 30 minutes (why dont  the men's shirt manufacturers make shirts from iron-free materials??)! Of course tak sempat if I want to iron both of our clothes every morning! Don't talk about weekends because we're rarely at home hence ironing a one week's stock is out of question for my situation. Finally I manage to convince the husband to take his cothes for ironing at the nearby laundry shop.. phew that lifts my workload alot. Also the guilt of hardly cooking any meal for the husband especially on weekdays.. usually we eat at our inlaws or outside and although my husband dont really mind his dear wife is rarely cook, but the guilt is a must for all wives I guess.

3. The different ideas on how we spend our out of office time sometimes makes me go crazy. While sometimes I carefully plan for a family weekends or attend usrah or programs at night, he would surprise me with his adhoc outstation, late meetings, adhoc golfing, meeting friends etc. While his is always `urgent' and `important' as if mine was not, this is where diplomatic conversation is really crucial to avoid miscommunation and get a win-win situation. So expect some confrontation and drama but at the end of the day, just dont drag any emotional or communication breakdown for too long; focus to sort the problems out soonest possible.

4.While the three points listed above is the challenge, one cant deny the perks and joy of having a husband by your side. The lesser burden of having to manage the house and kid on your own, a driver to drive you to most of your destination, a person to carry your groceries, a person to entertain your kid to sleep when Mummy is too tired or sick and most importantly Amna is evidently very happy with his Daddy's presence that of course makes Mummy happier.

5.Among unexpected thing that happened when the husband finally come home for good is, suddenly he brought back with him loads of clothes and stuff that we dont have enough storage in our tiny crib. I remembered he departed few years ago with only 2 bags and now these?! Hence we decided to get a new,bigger wardrobe for all the stuff. And when we plan for that, suddenly we felt that it was high time to refurbish the house abit since it looks exactly the same as 4 years ago (our apartment is a fully furnished unit when we bought it, even the curtains were 4 years old and never been washed!). Hence the small plan become a major thing and as of my writing now, the refurbishing work is still in progress and the house still looks like a ship wreck. So forgive me if i did not invite anyone to my house for Raya, promise I will invite you next year :)

Well that's a summary of my life after giving up the LDR wife title for good. I pray for other LDR wives to stay cool and collected, as you're one superwoman, ladies! The experience is priceless I must say, as it prepares you for anything, anytime. Now I can casually and coolly say `OK' when my husband break the news to go outstation/offshore the very next day (yes adhoc assignment is a norm).Cool right? We also knows where and when to pay the bills (trivia: do you know how many bills your husband need to pay every month?), who to call when the pipe is leaking or car battery is flat, you know the things that may be taken for granted when the hubby is constantly around.And needless to say, the whole situation brings us closer to the family as they are our lifesaver more often than not. Talk about the benefits of having both parents near you :) TTYL :)