Chickenpox At Our Church

Two weeks ago, seven person from the church I attend were attacked by Varicella Zoster – chickenpox virus. It attacked all kind of age, from toddlers till the old one.

Chickenpox is contagious, meaning that someone who has it can easily spread it to someone else. Someone who has chickenpox is most contagious after 2-3weeks since he or she got it, when the scabs are about to fall off.

A person who has chickenpox can pass it to someone else by coughing or sneezing. When he or she coughs, sneezes, laughs, and even talks, tiny drops come out of the mouth and nose. These drops are full of the chickenpox virus.Before you know it, the chickenpox virus has infected someone new.
The good news is that chickenpox is a common illness for kids and most people get better by just resting like you do with a cold or the flu. And the really good news is that, thanks to the chickenpox vaccine, lots of kids don't get chickenpox at all.

Usually the vaccine is given at age 1. But you can get it when you're older too. Kids, who do get it, if they got the shot, often get less severe cases, which means they get better quicker.

Fidel just had the CP vaccine last Wednesday as he is one year-old now and going to face CP virus at anytime and anyplace.

Train Fidel To Sleep Through The Night

Last week, I lied on the bed for three days. I had a bad flu-runny nose, fever, backache and headache. I really need my mother-in-law to take care of Fidel at daytime, and Joseph takes turn in the evening. I went to doctor and he suggested me to stop breastfeeding for 2-3days though he didn’t prescribe antibiotic for me. But anyhow I managed to breastfeed Fidel for 3-4times/day.

Usually I will feed my baby on the bed till him asleep and he will wake up and cry at least 2-3 times before he really got a deep sleep, again at 3-4am. Every time he must suck the breast milk only he will go back to sleep.

Since I was sick, Joseph thinks that it’s a best time to train him sleep through the night. Then, the training starts….

First night, after feed him to sleep (the last breast milk at night), I move to another room. Joseph sleeps with him. Like usual, he wakes up after 1hour, he cried but this time no more milk for him. Let him cry for half hour, and he go back to sleep.

Second night, he wakes up again at 1am, let him cry till he sleep. He woke up at 5am and tapped Joseph backside.

Third, fourth, till sixth day mostly he wakes up one time, and normally he sleeps again until 6am, and Joseph carries him to me, and I feed him.

Seventh day, he didn’t wake up at all from 10.30pm till 7.00am. We were surprised! Is it success? We are not sure about the answer. Joseph is sick now. I think I passed the virus to him. And Fidel will sleep with me again.

Thank God that Fidel is still fine; he is strong. I guess it because the antibody from the breast milk that he took while I was sick.

For all mothers who breastfeed your baby, when you are not feeling well, flu, fever, just continue the breastfeeding. Wear a face mask and feed your baby or you can pump the milk out. The breast milk will still contain antibody to prevent your baby from get sick.

Breastfeed For Health

Fidel is 8 months now, and I still breastfeed him, 3-4times/day.
From the newspaper I read last Sunday about breastfeeding; multiple studies have shown a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression in women who have breastfed their babies. The longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Breastfeeding helps restore the uterus to its original size by inducing uterine contractions and decreasing postpartum blood loss after birth. The act of breastfeeding also provides an intimate, relaxing experience for mother and baby, helping them bond. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted.
Breastfeeding mothers also may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness to their infants.

Breast milk is always warm, ready for use, and in perfect proportion to infants’ needs: no bottles to wash or trash to discard. And because of the immune protections provided to infants, breastfed babies are healthier, saving on health care expenses and increasing productivity of parents who miss less work.

It is very important to do exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for the first year of life and beyond.

My Baby Had Pneumonia

It’s been a long time, I didn’t update my blog. I was busy with taking care of Fidel. We had hard weeks because our beloved baby fell sick.

It started with dry cough for few days and when it came to a cough with phlegm, I took him to the doctor.
After five days took the medicine, he didn’t recover. Doctor changed the medicine. The next day evening, I felt Fidel’s body a little bit warm. Fidel had fever for three days. I took him to the doctor again, and she said he had Pneumonia. It’s a lung infection because a lot of phlegm inside there and it cause fever.
Doctor asked us to do phlegm suction to Fidel as he was not able to make the phlegm out. We could not imagine 2 tiny tubes will go through his nose and mouth into his lung; sure he will feel painful and suffer. We don’t want our 6 month old Fidel to experience this thing, as he still taking the cough and runny nose medicine, plus nebulizer which we do at home every four hours (Thanks to Karen for lend me the nebulizer compressor)
Two days later we went to check again and the phlegm still remain the same. Next two days, also still the same. In one week, we went to doctor for four times. Finally doctor told us not to drag the time anymore, or it will cause lung damage as the phlegm stays too long in the lung, which is already 15days. When I heard that it can cause lung damage, it really broke my heart. With very heavy feeling I told doctor, “I’ll bring him two days later for suction if there is no progression.”

Within that week, came red spots on Fidel face, shoulders, and arms till his whole body. It was measles. Thank God it’s a fake one, and it was called Roseola. Doctor didn’t do any treatment on it, and it disappeared after three days.
Many of our church members in Penang, Jakarta, and many places, they prayed for Fidel. We really hope that through prayers and the medicine and the treatment which Fidel takes, he can recover soon.

The next day we heard him cough and cough. Two days later we hardly heard him cough. He is getting better and better day by day. Few days later we brought him to check again, and the doctor said,” I didn’t hear anymore phlegm.”

Thank God, he finally answered our prayers.
Dear all brothers and sisters in Christ, we would like to thank you very very much for remember us, especially Fidel in your prayers.

Awesome Fat Loss Site!

It has been a year that I didn’t meet my friend, who moved back to her hometown. Last month she backed here to visit us. She looked different, put on a lot of weights. When we asked about her job, she said “Good! Every time go out to entertain customers”. Oh! Now we know why she put on a lot of weights. She works as a marketer for her company. Entertain means eat and eat.

Fat loss is a huge problem. Here are some little known facts about fat loss:
-Low Calorie Diets ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
You cannot lose weight by simply starving yourself on a “low calorie diet plan.” In fact, eating a low amount of calories is terrible for your body.
-Low Carb Plans ARE WAY TOO STRICT.
They are too hard to follow for the average person, unhealthy and leave you feeling drained.
-Low Fat Foods JUST DON’T WORK.
Low fat diets alone are not enough to get rid of your growing belly and love handles.
-Weight Watchers & Jenny Craig Diet Plans Take Too Long.
These programs can in fact be effective, but the strategies they use to help you lose weight take, FOREVER. These programs require special meal plans that you must have in order to succeed. But once you are off the program, you will no longer have these special meals and be left again to fend for yourself.

I found a site that gives us a simple diet and idiot proof. Thefatlossguru.com is better than Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig diet plan because of its fat burning diet generator and it comes with the ultimate diet handbook. You will easily and healthily lose up to 10pounds every 7days!

How refreshing it is to find a diet that will help you lose weight and help you fix chronic illnesses like diabetes, adrenal fatigue, hormonal problems, etc.

The Most Important Nutrient For Children

Today at the kindergarten, I saw something that made me smile.
One of the teachers encouraged the children to drink a lot of water with an interesting trick.
Teacher will start by saying, “One… Two… Three….”
And they say “Go!” At the same time, they take their water tumbler and drink it.
They repeat it many times, and they really enjoy it and have fun.

Children have smaller bodies, but it does not mean they need less of water. Water is in fact one of the most important nutrients for children.

Water not only keeps children healthy, but also will help them perform better in school. Long-term chronic dehydration may cause health problems and illnesses.

Because many schools have inadequate water resources, parents and teachers should regularly encourage children to drink water at home, and even bring their own to school. Children should especially drink water after taking part in sports, such as in gym class.

A small degree of dehydration can lead to a reduction of mental and physical performance. It can lead to poor concentration in the classroom, which could mean not as much participation, and even lower test scores.

Another reason why children should drink up is that their thirst mechanisms are less developed than adults', and tend to appear after dehydration has already set in. Children should therefore be encouraged to drink water even if they are not thirsty. Headaches, irritability and sleepiness are often signs of dehydration. Of course, children are bombarded with ads of cool soft drinks, but parents, please note that water is a far better choice.

Portion Size or Serving Size?

If you want to shed weight, watch your food portion size.

The nutrition facts on the packaging tell you the serving size, while how much you eat at one time is your portion size. The serving size acts only as a standard guide, so what really matter is your portion size.

Take a packet of freshly baked buns, for example. The standard serving size is one bun, but the packet consists of four buns, equivalent to four serving sizes. If you consume all four buns, your calories, fat and other nutrients have quadrupled!

If you are a typical Malaysian whose eyes light up at every eat-all-you-can-buffet, you can be sure you will have a bigger waistline in no time! Portion does matter.