Confinement Food

For the past month or so, the food I've been eating comes in many different shades of brown. The list is weird but wonderful and let me tell you this, it is the BEST thing about being in "confinement".

Every meal I had is protein rich, and almost everything is cooked in sesame oil and ginger! Sauteed chicken in sesame seed oil and ginger, pork in ginger, omelette with ginger, chinese broccoli with ginger, and everything topped with crispy toasted ginger shreds. It's absolutely divine!

In most Asian culture and beliefs, it is customary for a woman who have just given birth to a baby to remain indoors, kept away from the chill and wind and to be kept warm at all times. And the special diet in confinement is said to nourish one's body, to expel wind, to keep warm and to revitalise the health of the woman back to its original state. (wish!)

So mum flew in from Malaysia, and cooked me three square meals a day. She made nutritious herbal soups with lots of brandy. She looked after the boys, cleaned the kitchen, did laundry and shopped for groceries. And dad has changed more dirty nappies in the last 2 weeks than he ever had in his entire life! Bless you both mum and dad, we are a very very fortunate bunch!


Goji berries with herbs and red dates in chicken broth, topped with lots of crispy ginger shreds


Steamed belly pork with pickled mustard green "mui choy".


Stewed pig trotters, eggs and ginger in sweet black vinegar. This is such a popular dish, that was even eaten by most of our visiting family and friends. My mother in law made a huge pot some months ago, and was first eaten by my sister in law after the birth of her son. She kept adding more and more stuff into the pot each week, enriching its flavour and richness. She said that the stew could keep up to 3 years because of the pure black vinegar acting as a preservative. Ugh!

And my absolute favourite: Pig stomach pepper soup!

At this moment, you're either salivating at the thought of confinement food or being sick with disgust wondering how one could consume bits of gut and trotter and say it's the best food in the world!

Pregnancy Diary: Labour of Love

Hi Grace!

I love reading your blog.. and I think your sons are absolutely adorable and seem really smart! Good luck with that, hehe.

Been meaning to ask, now that you're 3rd time preggers.. Why did u choose to do a C-section versus normal birth? For all 3 babies too? Well I'm nowhere near preggers nor married even! But pregnancy is something I kinda fear.. or rather, the labour process. And as age is catching up, well, I do hope to settle down one day and have my own babies.. But whenever I think about the whole labour process, OMG, I faint imagining the pain!

Everyone then says, natural birth is easier to heal, you will forget the pain, it's not that bad, there's epidural, bla bla bla. But considering you were a doctor.. I'm sure you have some good reasons as to your c-secs.. and if it isn't too personal, maybe you can share your views? :) But if it is, I totally understand.. anyways, good luck with the 3rd! Finally a girl. Yay!

Grace Koay March 17 at 7:50am

Hi SR!!

So lovely to hear from you! Yeah 3rd time round... and the LAST hopefully. As much as I enjoy being a stay at home mum, (and being preggers is not that bad trust me), I kinda want to reclaim some pieces of my life back!! teeheee....

I went into natural labour with Lachlan and endured 18 hours of contractions, but because my cervix wasn't dilating and the labour wasn't progressing, so I agreed to a C-Section. Also he was a big baby, 4 kgs! And thank goodness I didn't push him out. So yeah, I had the "best of both worlds" (right!) for my first, but for Lucas and 3rd, I just didn't want to go through the same ordeal again. Also, after having 2 caesars, the risk of going through natural labour is much higher (there's a higher risk of the scar in the uterus rupturing). Anyways, it may all sound really REALLY scary.... but it is not all that.

Being preggers itself for me is yucky for the first 2-3 months. Not everyone gets it, but I had bad morning sickness that lasted all day. Come to think of it, I fear getting pregnant because of morning sickness more than actually giving birth itself! LOL. So it's the feeling of nausea, like being sick, pukey yucky sick (SORRY!) and helpless. Then 2nd trimester whizzes by so quickly. And it's like being totally normal....... except your baby bump is starting to show, and you get to be pampered etc. And the last trimester is just "heavy" lugging around that extra kilos. So really, being pregnant is not like you're sick or anything, it is being as normal as possible and enjoying it.

Now "Labour" - sounds like you're going to have a baby in a major construction site! There are three stages of "labour" and everyone goes through it differently. All I went through was just the 1st stage of labour. And even that has three phases. (Oh gawd, all those medical terms, if only I remember!)

From Better Health Channel:

The first stage of labour

The first stage of labour is concerned with the thinning of the cervix and its dilation to around 10cm. The different phases include:

• The latent phase - generally, this stage is the longest and the least painful part of labour. The cervix can thin out over weeks, days or hours and be accompanied by mild contractions. The contractions may be regularly or irregularly spaced, or else you might not even notice them at all.
• The active phase - the next phase is marked by strong, painful contractions that tend to occur around three or four minutes apart and last up to a minute or so. The cervix dilates to around 7cm.
• The transition phase - the contractions become more intense, painful and frequent. It may feel like the contractions are no longer separate but running into each other. The cervix may take around an hour or so to dilate the final 3cm. It is not unusual to feel a strong urge to go to the toilet as the baby’s head pushes against the rectum.

The second stage of labour
Once the cervix is dilated to around 10cm, the second stage of labour can begin. The contractions should now be regular and spaced apart, so that you can relax between them (as best as you can). As each contraction builds to a peak, you may feel the urge to bear down and push. The sensation of the baby moving through the vagina is described as a stretching or burning, particularly as the baby’s head crowns (appears at the vaginal entrance). Once the head has emerged, the delivery staff will turn the body to deliver the shoulders. The rest of the baby will then slip out. The second stage of labour typically lasts around 15 minutes to one hour.

The third stage of labour
The placenta is then delivered, usually five to 30 minutes later. Your uterus gently contracts to loosen and push out the placenta, although you may not be able to feel these contractions.

The first ??12-14 hours is not bad really, it's like having crampy period pains that comes and goes in intervals. It's like hey I need to poo but there's no poo, just a huge lump of head pressing onto my rectum. It's not like screamy GET OUT pain, but more like a discomfort. So that "18 hours of labour" that I endured wasn't particularly like GET ME OUT OF HERE pain! LOL. It's hard to explain. Even when I went to medical school, it all wasn't making much sense to me until I actually went through the whole process....hehee... The pains started to get worse and more intensed in the second active phase, and it's just frustrating because the cervix remained at 3-4 cm and not dilating further.

You're right, there's all sorts of pain relief goodies out there now, and don't be afraid to use them. They're being invented for a reason. USE THEM!! And then by the 18th hour (honestly, I don't remember much of what goes on between the 14th - 18th hour! Probably drugged out and exhausted), I just nodded my head quicker than the bullet train when doc suggested a caesar. And I swear, when the spinal (just another form of epidural) went in, I would jump up to kiss the anaesthetist (pain doctor) if I could feel my legs, but I couldn't. So yeah, into the operating theatre and Lachlan came out 20 minutes later.

You are right about the recovery time. I am always envious of the moms who had normal labour and delivery, and on that same day look like they've just been back from a spa retreat, a nice hair do and a facial! All radiant and glowing with new bubba. So the recovery for a caesar is quite painful, and it takes time. It IS a major abdominal surgery after all. So I do advocate GO FOR NORMAL if you can, afterall it's been done for centuries! LOL. Good luck!!!

And for more reading.... go here: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Pregnancy_stages_of_labour

Oh am I that long winded? Now can I publish this on my blog?? :O XOXOXOX

Grace :)

Pregnancy Diary: Week 32.

Week 32!

Where did all that time go? With my elective caesar scheduled at around 38 weeks, it will only be another 6 weeks before the arrival of baby. And I feel OK with that. I guess third time round, I'm a little excited, a little more relaxed and I kinda know what's in store for us! You know, just as the boys are starting to get that wee bit more independent, we're about to embark on this cycle ALL OVER AGAIN. I mean, I really didn't mind it at all. In fact, I kinda missed it: the late night feeds, sleepless nights, the invasion of body parts etc. Sounds crazy huh?

The boys? They're keeping me on my tippy toes. I get random kisses on my belly some days, but now and again I also get a sharp elbow nudge or a very painful accidental flying kick. But they're awesome with it. I think they have a fair idea now, what's to come, especially Lachy. And he can't wait! Lucas is sometimes clueless, he'd point to his own belly button and say "baby in there"!

I sit in bed procrastinating every night. Refusing to do anything mentally challenging. Or even if I do, it's like constipation, except it involves my brains. So that totally explains my blog, or lack of. And I apologise for that. Let's hope this is only transient, cos my mundane days are driving me nuts quite frankly.

o.o

Pregnancy Diary: Oh My Goodness, I'm in my 3rd Trimester!

So, I haven't updated for a while now, but the second trimester whizzed by so quickly even before I could say yay, the morning sickness is all gone! Because it hasn't really...

It's been rather smooth sailing I should say, the second trimester. I spent most of it in Malaysia, eating off roadside stalls, cooling down with fresh coconut juice and just being spoilt silly at my parents' home. The highlight was definitely when I jiggled my belly down the aisle, doing a reenactment of the JK Wedding dance for my brother's wedding, with relatives watching in sheer horror, and also singing with a REAL band feeling like a rock star! Haha... Oh, I have yet to blog about the wedding haven't I?

People asked me if it felt different this time. Oh yes, it sure did! People asked if I knew the sex of the baby. Oh yes, I sure do! Well, 99% sure anyways. Unless there's a genitalia deformity (eepps!) that we don't know about or a baby boy with a really really small penis (eeeeppss!!!!). So yeah, it's a girl! :)

You know, how some people say the shape of the belly can predict the sex of the baby? I have been skeptical up until now. With the two boys, my pointy belly screams look at moi, I could have this baby anytime now even in my second trimester! This one, everything seems to be growing sideways. I mean everything! My tuck shop lady arms flap in the wind as I yank Lucas out of the car, to the gigantor of an impression on the couch left on by my hips, my belly bump flattens out sideways and for a while, no one could guess I was pregnant! There were polite conversations whether or not I still went to the gym, or you know, when are you having baby number three?.... and then, oh, you're pregnant! Hah... that explains it! Teehee.... Ah well, as long as baby is healthy (We'll talk about my plastic surgery funds later).

Anyways, I'll leave you with a picture of some of the lovely ladies in my family. Yep, I had to pick a photo where all the bits of me are "hidden"!

Front row: (cousins) Ashleigh, Amanda, Allison, Abigail.

2nd row: Natalie (niece), me, Ching Mei (my new sister) :), Phaik Gunn, Phaik Wah (aunts), paternal Grandmother.

Back row: Grace (aunt), Cindy, May (sister in law).

To read my pregnancy diary, click here.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 18. Belly Kisses.

To read the entire pregnancy dairy, click here.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 12/13. My Baby's First Picture

So, a few weeks ago we attended our very first ultrasound for Baby 3. A big sigh of relief for it's a singleton pregnancy! I wouldn't have a clue at this moment, how I could deal with more than one baby. I don't know why I was paranoid to begin with, it doesn't run in the immediate family. But I guess having 3 babies in the span of 4 years is enough to start me thinking a little bit more about family planning. Oh, isn't that what they do BEFORE they start having babies? Anyways...

Baby looks healthy from all angles, at this stage. We may have him/her a little sooner than expected. We went in for the ultrasound thinking we're at 12.5 weeks, but the figures are measuring up to a 13.9 weeker. Surprise surprise? (Or is it just going to be another whopper?)

Even better news, I'm feeling a whole lot better now. I'm getting a lot more energy back (to be wasted on mopping kitchen floors and brushing mouldy bathrooms!) and I don't feel half as bad as I was in the first few weeks. I'm back at the gym, just doing light workouts. So yeah, I'm feeling great.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 11 Being Mrs.Grumps

I'm not normally bitchy about anything, really. Not openly bitchy anyways. But lately I have been a bit of a grump. I would be nit picking on little matters, blowing it into slightly larger proportions, and sometimes I could erupt emotionally like an active volcano without any warnings. I find myself teary eyed more often than not.

One day, Lachlan caught me with tears in my eyes and asked if I'm sad. I said, no, not really. They're just "nothing tears".

Nothing tears? He then wiped them with the tip of his pointer and "popped" them. There, he said... feel better now? What do you know? Soon enough, nothing tears started pouring out.

Oh no! Mummy, your eyes are raining! I just couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter. Nothing tears soon became funny tears.

Oh, back to the topic of bitchiness. This little incident happened a little while ago. I had to blog about it only because I had to get it off my pregnant bosoms! When and if I do look back, at least I could blame it on the hormones!

We were at a kid's party and there was a pirate's treasure hunt. In this treasure hunt, presents and loots were hidden in little bushes and plants, and kids were meant to get their elbows and knees grubby and look for their loot. Read: KID'S treasure hunt. Anyhow, it was over within 30 seconds, because a MOM stood over the loot, pointing to the treasures, well literally fished them out herself and put it in her kid's palm. Trivial? Yes. Annoying? Oh yes!

Even my 3 year old said "Not fair, she's a GROWN UP" Ah huh.

OK...see? I'm getting bitchy.


To read the entire Pregnancy Diary, click here.

Caramelised Upside Down Peach Cake

I had a craving. It wasn't anything bad, really! I wanted canned sliced peaches, and what do you know, I was well stocked up! In my pantry was a whopping 825g can of sliced peaches. I can't really remember why I bought such a big tin of peaches, it must have been for a party or it might just be on special at the supermarket.

Anyways, I was already planning what I was going to do with the rest of the peaches, if I were to open that huge can! I took out some recipe books, remembering reading somewhere about an upside down cake. It was actually an apricot upside down cake, but they're pretty similar anyways. After a little bit of tweaking, here's my version of it, adapted from one of the Women's Day small recipe book series.



Caramelised Upside Down Peach Cake

Ingredients

425g can of sliced peaches in syrup or juice, drained.
50g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g butter, chopped
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk

Method

1. Grease a 20cm round cake tin. Melt 50g butter with brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour caramel mixture onto base of the tin, swirl it evenly so it coats the bottom of the tin.

2. Line the sliced peaches over the top of the caramel, in a nice and even circular pattern.

3. In the mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla essence and eggs one at a time. Fold through sifted flour, sour cream and milk.

4. Bake in a moderate oven (160 degrees celcius, fan force) for 40-45 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.

5. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before overturning cake onto a cake plate. Serve warm with a dollop of fresh cream or ice cream.



The recipe calls for 125g butter in total, half of that melted for the caramel. But I find it really hard to cream 60g of butter, it all get stuck at the sides of the bowl! So I doubled the quantity of butter. Then I realised, oh crap, I didn't have any eggs! But I have duck eggs! Rich, creamy, huge duck eggs. (Why do I have duck eggs? My lovely mother in law gave them to me, freshly laid, free range duck eggs!) While rummaging through my fridge for bits and bobs, I found sour cream! Gaahhhh, why not make this dessert a triply rich and super naughty dessert. I figured the people around me need some fattening up, so I don't look too bad around them.



The cake turned out really really moist, and fluffy and rich. The gooey caramel just oozes out as I tip the cake upside down. The peaches went really well with the rest of the cake. Two thumbs up, a recipe I would keep and make again when I have a massive can of peaches.



Hah! What a naughty craving this has become!

Pregnancy Diary: Week 10. I am a Spitting Machine

I can't remember what it is, with being pregnant and a hyperactive salivary gland. Something about the hormone progesterone?

Anyways, my salivary glands are on overdrive. I would wake up in a puddle, or I get teased about the drool patch on my pillow to no end. Yuck, I know.

One day, I was trying to break up a fight between the two boys. I went up to them, and in the middle of a stern lecture, Lachlan had a look of disgust, wiped his brow with the back of his hand and said to me "stop spitting mom! I'm getting wet!"

Oh gosh, this is severe.

To read the entire Pregnancy Diary, click here.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 9. Choosing a Hospital

With Lachlan, I went completely private. I remember booking in with an obstetrician and a private hospital as soon as the word go. With Lucas, I went to a public hospital under a private obstetrician because I knew I was having an elective Cesarean Section. Both times, I had the same obstetrician and was completely happy with him. Comparing the two hospitals, I really have no preference to which one is better. Both have their pro's and con's.

In a private hospital, you have the luxury of a private room, where you can fill the entire room with flowers, relatives, guests and free biscuits. You have your own TV and your husband can stay the night. The bed is soft and fluffy, which worked to my disadvantage. I had a C-section and it was difficult to get in and out of bed. There are so many midwives and nurses waiting on you, and sometimes you get a lot of "interference" with your recuperation. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate what they do, but every time there's a changeover of nurses, a different person comes in and offer a different advise as to how to breastfeed your child, and it could get a little annoying.

When I had Lucas, right after he was born and after I was stitched-up, he was just plonked on my bare belly, naked, left to his own devices. He found his own way to my nipple and started suckling rightaway. That, was the most beautiful thing in the world. He stayed there for a good 4-5-6? hours, I could not even remember, until I raised my arm and said to one of the nurses... errr, there's a baby under my covers? The nursing staff was supportive and accommodating. The one thing with my public stay was that I shared a room with a drug user on the Methadone program, a young mother who had a baby with shoulder dystocia who wouldn't stop screaming, a mother who gave birth in the morning and wanted to check out the same day, a plethora of weird and wonderful people. 3 days/nights to me, wasn't such a big deal. I saved heaps of money!

This time *deep breath*, I am going completely public! I called a friend I used to work with, someone whose work I've always admired, who has such lovely work ethics and demeanor. I lightly joked with her one day that when I have my babies, I will come to her. She wasn't quite ready when I had the two boys but now she is. She will be performing my third C-Section in a public hospital. Having worked in a public hospital and knowing how the system works, I am a little nervous but at the same time, having done this the third time round, what matters is that the baby is safely delivered. Who cares if the lady next door is snoring. Aahh, why do we pay for our private health insurance anyways????

To read the entire pregnancy diary, click here.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 8. A Busy Time

(By the way, I am now Week 15! This is a pre-written post)

This week, my little magic bean is being busy. It is growing rapidly, the formation of some of the major organs are getting a little more complicated. The teeth and the palate are forming into a beautiful smile. The ears are continuing to develope and eyelids are beginning to cover the eyes. Its little webby feet and hands are shaping up and can now do a little jiggy with it.

My little magic bean is no longer an embryo, but now a foetus.

I remember my very first pregnancy with Lachlan. I was so excited. Everything was a new experience. I guard my pregnant belly fiercely. I never carried anything heavier than a box of cereal. I watch EVERYTHING I ate closely, caffeine and alcohol was a big No-No. With Lucas, my second child, I ate so much sushi and sashimi and then got terribly guilty at the final weeks, thinking I've given this child of mine Listeria. Now with my third, I don't know. Sometimes, I get so busy with the other two I forget I'm pregnant! I do eat sensibly though, but I'm not over the top with the do's and don'ts. Especially when there are so many versions of it.

Don't eat watermelon, it's too "cooling". Mangos will give your baby "bad skin". Bean curd and soft boiled egg will make baby's skin soft and smooth (When there could possibly be Listeria lurking in semi boiled egg). Caffeine slows growth of baby (Gaahh... I have massive 4kg babies anyways! A cup or two won't hurt!). Lamb might cause epilepsy in a newborn child (Have you even heard of that?????). And the best of all, do not renovate your house whilst pregnant, you'll have a baby with deformed limbs or even a miscarriage! O.o

Oh well, some of these old wive's tales are pretty harmless anyways. As long as common sense prevails!

To read the entire pregnancy diary, click here.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 7. Cravings

The thought of me being at the height of my first pregnancy makes me cringe with horror. I was massively overweight, my behind was just about the size of a momma whale and my legs were like two hot air balloons, except very much grounded. With my second pregnancy, I was a little more active, I didn't get as much water retention but I was still massive.

Now, with my third, I could sense that it's happening all over again! I eat and boy I mean I do EAT! Just 2 hours past lunch, I'm hungry again. I mean, my baby is now the size of a peanut. How much food does one need to consume to sustain a peanut?? Is it really hunger? I wake up and have a bowl of cereal, 2 hours later a cup of coffee and two slices of toast. Lunch time is whatever, and a couple of hours later, I'll have another serving! Dinner MUST be at six otherwise I might just be too sick. And in between all these, I eat fresh whole lemons like oranges, sour snake gummies or extreme sour straps in Apple flavour. Kid you not, I eat 5-6 lemons in a day! I also have a thing for balsamic vinegar, but at least I have that guilt free with a serving (or two or three) of rocket and pears. Yes, a bowl of salad eaten with a spoon! I'd rather not be caught drinking balsamic of modena from a wine glass.

My gym membership is on hold due to my all day sickness, I feel so sluggish and unfit and fat. I'm incapacitated to do the things I normally enjoy doing, like blogging, cooking, baking or just going out. It's really quite miserable. Wasn't I meant to feel blissful, feminine and on top of the world? It seems that with each of my pregnancies, I'm feeling more and more dreadful, sore, tired, moody and lousy, among other things.

Will somebody please remind me not to get pregnant again after this?

Pregnancy Diary: Week 6. Morning Sickness

I had morning sickness for ALL of my pregnancies and this one is no exception. In fact, this is the worst of the lot! I don't know, it's hard to describe. Unless you've been pregnant and had morning sickness, you might not know how it feels like. It's like feeling hungry ALL the time, and yet the sight and smell of some food can be off putting. And the moment I feel hungry, that's when I feel like throwing up. So it's a real tricky situation. Want to eat. Can't eat. Must eat all the time to avoid throwing up. Confused yet?

In my case, it is an ALL day sickness. It could strike at any time of the day. In fact it lingers on for most part of the day. Sometimes I get violently ill, a picture too ugly to paint. It's awful I know, and because of this, I'm now terrified of being pregnant all over again.

My boys distract me. I still roll about on the carpet with Lucas, despite the occasional stares I get from errr...relatives. I still take them swimming, to the park and all our usual activities. But I get so darn tired. I fall asleep ALL the time. I sleep when Lucas has his afternoon nap, on the floor by the cot, my darling Lachie plays or reads all by himself. In a flitting conscious moment, when all of a sudden I realised my responsibilities of my older child, I groggily drag my feet down and say "C'mon Lachie, let's go to bed" and fall asleep all over again, tucked into bed with him. I fall asleep folding the laundry on the couch... until Lucas crept up to me one day and gave my cheek a big bite with his chompers! Ouch!

I guess the upside to all these is that the little tadpole is healthy and progressing normally. That's important and knowing that is comforting.

Pregnancy Diary: Week 5. Oops, We Did It Again!

When is it a good time to reveal to the world that one is pregnant? This has got to be my worst kept secret, as half of you has probably known or guessed it. Yep, I'm pregnant AGAIN! 3 babies in 4 years, now do you think THAT deserves a standing ovation or do you think we're just plain crazy?

I wrote this a little while back, when everything else is impossible to blog about.

.....

I'm late. I'm never late. My menstrual cycle is as predictable as the modern day calendar. 28 days on the dot. The moment the unmistakably familiar wave of nausea hits me, I knew it. I'm pregnant. But if it's thaaaaat predictable, then how is it that I fell pregnant, I timed it "right" didn't I? *slap on forehead*. Alright, truth is it has been a cold winter... the rest is history.

I called it my pseudopregnancy for the first few days, as I was a little too busy to get it confirmed (C'mon, who has time for that?). But deep down inside I knew it. I was pregnant! Alas, Gary who could not withstand the suspense any longer, bought me a home diagnostic pregnancy kit. The positive sign was blinking even before I finished pee-ing!

Oh no! Oh great! This came a little sooner than we expected. We were planning baby no. 3 for end of 2010, not April/May again! A dear obstetrician friend told me my ovaries have been programmed for babies in the same month at interval years! O.o

Lachlan will turn 4 when the baby arrives, Lucas will be 2. I will be 31. We will have birthdays within a week of each other. Now, our birthdays are going to be BIGGER, better than ever!

Come to think of it, the timing can never be better. My parents and grandmother have booked their trip to Melbourne next year, the same time as when Baby No. 3 is due to arrive, coincidentally! I can just imagine how thrilled my grandmother will be when she gets the news!