Colon Cleansing while nursing baby?

I am thinking about doing colon cleansing because nowadays, every time I went to the toilet to do 'the business' I always felt not satisfied and it seems like 'it' won't go out any further and still stucked in my tummy. So, I googled in the internet about the safety of colon cleansing wile nursing baby Darwish but most answers don't approve of doing it because our body are releasing the toxins stuck in our colon back into our system by doing this cleansing. The toxins might get into our milk and harm our baby. Here's something to ponder and guide us about colon cleansing while nursing. As for me, I'll stay away from the thoughts about doing colon cleanse for the time being and might reconsider it maybe next year when Darwish weans fron the breasts.

Source:http://www.ehow.com/way_5318128_body-cleansing-nursing.html


Breastfeeding women are often interested in body cleansing programs, since many fear that unidentified toxins will contaminate breast milk. While it is important for nursing mothers to live a healthy lifestyle, many of the body-cleansing programs sold in health food stores are inappropriate for breastfeeding moms. The harsh laxatives and diuretics in these products can harm the mother and baby by drawing precious water and nutrients out of the body-- and nursing moms need as much nutrition as they can get. Fortunately, there are safe alternatives.

Liver Detox

1. Most body-cleansing programs include "liver detox" formulas, which contain liver-supporting herbs like andrographis and milk thistle. Lactation experts like Dr. Jack Newman note that herbs are very unlikely to have any effect on the baby, since only trace amounts can find their way into breast milk. Still, because these herbs have not been studied for use in breastfeeding mothers, it is wise to avoid them except under special circumstances. Breastfeeding women with diagnosed liver disease may choose to use these compounds under the guidance of a physician, but the potential benefits are not worth the risks for the majority of patients.
   
   A safer liver detox may also be the simplest (and cheapest). Consume a diet containing few foods that tax the liver. Eliminate organ meats and alcohol, which can severely tax the liver, and increase your intake of raw fruits and vegetables. Salads made with dandelion greens-- traditional liver-support herbs-- may also be useful.

Colon Cleansing

1. Colon cleansing is one of the most popular forms of body-cleansing, and it can also be one of the most dangerous. Most colon-cleanse programs use strong stimulant laxatives like cascara sagrada and senna, which can cause cramping, fluid loss, nutrient loss and diarrhea. The loss of nutrients and fluid can be dangerous for a nursing mother.
   
   While there is little evidence to support the routine use of laxatives for cleansing, there is no doubt that a high-fiber diet can help to detoxify the colon and support general well-being. Nursing moms can use fiber sources, like psyllium supplements and fresh vegetables, to provide cramp-free colon cleansing. Aloe vera, which lubricates bowel movements, can also be useful and is safe for nursing moms.

Urinary Health

2. Body cleansers often utilize strong herbal diuretics to flush fluid from the body. While this can enable temporary weight loss through dehydration, it does little to support the overall health of the kidneys-- and it may actually damage them in the long run. Because breastfeeding women have a high need for fluids, diuretic herbs are especially dangerous.
   
   Cranberries are a lactation-friendly supplement that actually will support the health of the urinary tract. Nursing mothers can safely consume cranberry extract in the form of a capsule or tablet, or they can enjoy a tall glasses of cranberry juice each day. Healthy food choices are the safest, most effective detox program for everyone-- especially nursing mothers.

Caramel Pudding

Here's a recipe that's been requested by one of my hubby's staff. Patience is very much needed in doing this caramel pudding or you'll burn the sugar (caramel). To get exact measurement, you will need to use measuring cup that can be buy for one set that consist of several measurements: 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/4 and 1/8. The other important thing that is needed in this recipe is a whisk. As for the ramekins, I bought mine from a low price store in Kuching and I think you can buy it from Supersave here in Miri. I reduce the caramel measurement because I'm not keen to serve sugary treats to my children. For my friends who requested recipes to be on bilingual language (BM and English), I'm so sorry because I don't have time to do it. If you  don't understand anything, please leave a comment, and I'll explain it in BM. Enjoy!

Whisk and ramekins

Measuring cups

                                                 Diva Caramel Pudding

Ready to be eaten by my hubby

Ingredients:
5 eggs
500 gm milk
1/3 cups sugar


For caramel : 1/3 cups sugar, 1/8 cups water.

Pudding in a ramekin

1. For preparing the caramel, pour sugar and water into a pan and with a slow heat, gently swirl the pan until bubbles of foam created from the pan and turn off the heat when the color changes to a nice golden brown. DO NOT USE ANYTHING TO STIR THE CARAMEL, JUST SWIRL THE PAN! Pour into 4 or 5 ramekins, depending on how thick you want the caramel to be. You have to do it fast or else the caramel will harden.


2. Cook the milk and sugar until it dissolved but DO NOT BOIL it. Turn off the heat. It's better to use a whisk so that you'll know when the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool.


3. In a different bowl, gently beat the eggs with a whisk, just enough to break the yolks and the whites until they are well mixed. Pour the milk and sugar (after it's cool down) into the eggs mixture and gently whisk it til it's well blended. Strain the mixture so that you'll get a nice pudding without any bubble hole on the pudding.


4. Pour the mixture into the ramekins. Cover it with aluminium foils. Steam it for 30-40 minutes. Let it cool and chill it for at least 1 hour.


5. To serve, top it with chocolate syrup or whip cream or as it is.

The Help

Here's my review on this new novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I finished reading it last week and true to the comments and reviews from the book about the book, I pushed myself to read it up to 2 am in the morning because that is the only time I can read without any interruption from my children!

SO, here's a basic synopsis of The Help that I took from Wikipedia so that you will have an idea about the story line:

The novel is told from the perspective of three characters: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.


After reading it, I was so inspired by the black maids because they were really sincere on doing their jobs as maids or helper. Not like people nowadays, they are not doing their jobs to perfection, even though their jobs requires them to sit in a well air-cond room and work. Reading this novel always inflicts something in me because it seems like my daily chores really resembles the chores that had to be done by the black helpers and looking at my hand right now, you can see that it's not as soft as other woman's hand where it's hard and coarse by detergents, water and stuffs. But I do not regret my choice of being a full time housewife and mother to 5 children (and still counting) and I think of it as a blessing of my life. I secretly hope and think of opening The Help agency where I 'll teach local ladies to do house chores efficiently and cook nice foods. But that's just a dream. Who wants to work for other people, cleaning their houses, doing laundries, taking of their children and at the end of the day, coming back to their own family and tending her family's need. Hmm...  


Anyway, I give this novel the rating of 10 out of 10  because of its marvelous story and it didn't fail to inflict many emotions from me while reading it. A DEFINITE BUY and as the phrase on the cover of the novel says: IF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK, LET THIS BE IT! 


P.S:  I'm so excited to know that a movie based on this novel is due to be play next year! Hurrah!

Laksa Lobster Sarawak

I've made this meal a couple of weeks before but didn't manage to post an entry of it so enjoy eating this laksa version of mine.


                                                    Laksa Lobster Sarawak Diva

1 packet of bihun
1 packet of 450gm laksa sarawak paste (Cap Helang is the BEST)
50 cent taugeh
4 eggs
1 kg lobster - cleaned
1 packet of coconut powder / 250ml coconut milk
1 piece of chicken breast - boil and shred to pieces
Salt, sugar to taste
3 tbs of tarmarind juice (the thicker the better)
1 stalk of coriander leaves (daun ketumbar) - sliced into pieces


1. Boil the laksa sarawak paste per instruction on the packet. Add in the flavors and coconut milk to taste. When its boiled, add in the lobsters and turn off the heat as soon as the lobsters cooked. Do not overcook the lobster.
2. Beat all of the eggs and fry it. Then, cut into pieces. Put in a bowl.
3. Boil the taugeh til cook. Strain. Put in a bowl.
4. Boil the bihun. Strain and put aside.
5. Boil and shred the chicken into small pieces. Put in a bowl.
6. Get a big bowl and assemble it to fit one potion of meal that is enough for one person and add bihun, taugeh, chicken, eggs, the laksa soup, lobster and some coriander leaves.


Enjoy while it's hot!

Bingka Cheese

I always buy this Bingka Cheese from a lady at Pasar Malam and I noticed that ever since Bazaar Ramadhan, she's no longer selling it. I wonder why she stops selling kuih. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Lisa, for giving me this recipe that I treasure with love. Hahahahha.. Enjoy!

                                  Bingka Cheese


Ingredients:


A: 
1 packet (13gm) agar-agar rose brand - plain flavor
1 ltr water
1 cup sugar


B:
250 gm cream cheese
250 butter
1 1/2 cups flour
3 large eggs
1/2 cup condensed milk (susu pekat manis)


1. Cook the agar-agar as per instruction on the packet.
2. Beat butter and sugar til fluffy.
3. Add in cream cheese. Beat again.
4. Add in eggs, one by one and beat again till well mix.
5. Add in condensed milk and flour and lastly add the agar-agar mixture. Mix well with a ladle.
6. Pour in 8x8 inches pan and bake at 180 degrees using water bath (the cake mixture's pan is put on top of a pan with water) for 40 to 50 minutes.
7. After it's done, let it cool and put in the fridge for about 1 hour.
8. Serve it with hot coffee or hot tea. Enjoy!

Nestum Milo Cake

My children loves snacking and usually after playing, they'll ask me to make something as their snacks. I usually buy-of-the-shelves-snacks such as ready made cakes, crackers and keropok (yes, it's WRONG but sometimes I pity them when they ask for keropok and they are on their best behavior). Yesterday, I was on a great mood to bake a simple yet nutritious cake after buying 6 tubes of 250gm Golden Churn butter at E-Mart at RM3.79 each! What a great deal! The color of the cake is a little bit ugly because I was rushing to take the chocolate coloring but I took the wrong bottle, it's pink color because baby Darwish was screaming on top of his lung! But the cake taste great and it's my own recipe. Enjoy!

                         Nestum Milo Cake


Ingredients:
250 gm butter (Golden Churn is the best)
1 cup brown sugar
6 large eggs
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 cup fresh milk
1/2 cup nestum
1 cup Milo
1 tsp baking powder


1. Beat butter and sugar til fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one by one and beat again til light.
3. Add in milk, nestum and Milo and mix well.
4. Add in plain flour, corn flour and baking powder and mix well again.
5. Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 40-50 minutes or til ready.
6. Enjoy with your children with a glass of warm milk. Enjoy!


             

Mommy Brain

Being Spaced Out, Forgetful Aren't the Only Changes That Come With Motherhood...

I came across this caption while I was searching about mummy brain. So, what is mummy brain?Mommy Brain used to describe that spacey-deprived state when new moms tend to forget things and act scatterbrained -- may not be the whole story on what happens to women's brains after giving birth. I realized that my memory seems so poor that I can forget things just in a blink of the eye. This is frightening me because after watching a Hindustan movie called U,Me Aur Hum where the movie revolves around the story of a doctor (husband) has to face the wife's illness; Alzheimer. And I'm pretty sure after delivering 5 babies in 7 years of marriage have taken its toll on my memory!

I've Googled everywhere to find out more about mommy brain and this is the best info that I've found and want to share with all mums out there. And to dads: Be more alert to your wife and love your wife dearly. Don't simple get angry on small matters especially when your wife seems so forgetful because that comes in the package of motherhood. Accept the fact that your wife is sacrificing her memory to become a mother to your children. I'm totally pissed off by husbands who doesn't care and appreciate their wives and never conscious about the wives' well being. Typical man's attitude.

SOURCE:simplemom.net/battling-mommy-brain-6-strategies-to-boost-brain-health/ 


While neuroscientists confirm it is a very real issue resulting from powerful endocrine and brain chemistry shifts, I suspect an equally likely culprit is how many things are vying for my time and attention. As we know, running a household, raising our children, and managing the needs of a typical family easily can send the sharpest of us into mental meltdown. Here are six realistic strategies to employ that will set us up for a smoother day and strengthen our mental muscle.

1. Keep connecting. There is a strong connection between maintaining healthy friendships and improved mental health, including memory and focus

2. Move the body, strengthen the mind.Being physically active is essential to keep our minds well oxygenated and our brain connections strong.

3. Use structure. A system for routine, everyday things can be a tremendous help for scattered minds.

4. Brain workouts. Brain teasers, word puzzles, and logic problems are fantastic for your mind.

5. Good night, sleep tight. The truth is, whether or not we get it, enough sleep is key for our health, both physical and mental.

6. Food for thought. There are many foods that are excellent for a healthy brain such as bluebery, healthy fats, cocoa beans.

My final thoughts: Just embrace motherhood and everything that comes with it, then you'll see the bright side of it and how beautiful your life is as a mother to your children.