Multiparenting Cayen & Cayson

Being a typical kiasu mum, I am very careful with the food I eat and what I use for both my pregnancies. My mantra is "rather safe than sorry". Also, some of these things below are not that intuitive at all hence, I am writing down to share with all of you as you may not google as much as I do over everything.  Please note that I am not a doctor, so when in doubt, ask your doctor.  I am ordering this in order of common knowledge to the uncommon ones. Starting with the common knowledge ...  1. Don't eat raw foods   This means no salads, sashimi , half cooked beef steaks (sobs!) and runny eggs. Also, I am also careful of fresh juices and certain types of cheese if they are unpasteurised.  This is to avoid  risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella. Sources:  http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/ http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-drink-unp...

I've been getting queries on how I lost my weight so fast , and look even slimmer than before Cayson. Well , here's the not-so-secret secret.  1. Don't put on so much weight in the pregnancy to start with  1) For someone who's average weight before pregnancy, average weight gain is about 12-14kg. (Don't take number for what it is because you can afford more if you are underweight to start with). For my first baby Cayen, I put on 20+ kg, about 50% of my original weight. For the next four years, there was this remnant 5kg that I cannot shed so weight stayed at 58kg.   2) For Cayson, I watched my diet and put on only 14kg or so. Now after 7 months, I'm at 52kg. So actually I also lost 20kg after childbirth, same as first time. But as I didn't put on so many kgs, the nett weight is a lot lower.  Note that you should eat sufficiently and healthily during pregnancy , but case in point is that I overate in my first, thinking that I should be able to shed the weight...

This is dedicated to my dear friends who are expecting their bundle of joy very soon. Being a hassle-free type of mother who needs to go back to work after maternity leave, and also one who likes a good bargain, these are the things I personally find very useful, practical & cost saving. 1. A good breastfeeding pillow  - my Brestfriend  For some strange reason, I didn't see the need to invest in this initially. But this has to be the top 1 or 2 items I cannot live without during the first few months. No matter how I positioned the normal pillows, I just couldn't get the right positioning without straining my shoulders/ back. So yes, this is first on the list. Anyway, if your milk production is low, try papaya with fish soup and remember to drink lots of water. If all else fails, you still can try to take some herbal medicine before resorting to Formula Milk. This herbal supplement improved production by 30-50%. I only took it when baby was having gr...