Program Pembangunan Kepimpinan Tunas Akademia di AKEPT

Saya baru je balik dari menghadiri Program Pembangunan Kepimpinan Akademia anjuran AKEPT-UPNM..Kali ni UPNM jadi penyelaras so ramai la tutor dan pensyarah dari UPNM yg datang..Lokasinya di Bangunan AKEPT, Bandar Enstek Negeri Sembilan. Program started from 21st - 23rd Dec 2011...Walaupun tempat tu memang ulu dan ditengah2 hutan tapi once dah masuk AKEPT, cantik rupanya tempat tu..bilik macam hotel..ada fridge, air-cond..nasib baik ada fridge so boleh la pam susu untuk stok Nazhan..stok EBM sekarang dah tersangat la kurang..

Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian Tinggi (AKEPT) yang ditubuhkan pada Januari 2008 merupakan sebuah organisasi di bawah Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi bertujuan selaras dengan objektif Pelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi untuk mentransformasikan sistem pengajian yang sedia ada terutamanya dalam pembinaan modal insan.


Sesi ini lebih berkisar tentang penyampaian informasi berkaitan program 1Malaysia, Program Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP), Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP) dan Rancangan Malaysia ke-10 (RMK10). Hal in bertujuan agar peserta memahami usaha-usaha kerajaan dan mendapat gambaran bagaimana peserta sebenarnya mampu untuk menyumbang ke arah pembangunan tanah air. Selain itu, ada juga talk on Pelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi Nagara, Journal writing and publication dan Leadership in Teaching..on the last day tu ada group discussion dan presentation from each group..

ini adalah blok penginapan..lelaki dan perempuan di blok berbeza

besar tempat ni

ni la bilik dia..macam hotel kan? kami duduk twin sharing

You know you're a biologist when.....

(Inspired by the chemistry blog...(a few borrowed)

You know you're a lab rat when:

You open the toothpaste with one hand.
You wash your hands before and after going to the washroom.
When you hear tween, you think of the surfactant not the age group.
For you, media is something which increases your culture.
You can identify organs on roadkills.
You have a callus on your thumb.
You use the word "aliquot" in regular sentences.- this is so true..me and hubby always use this word..
Sometimes you momentarily vanish from social activities because of a timepoint.
You've never worn a clean lab coat. - spot on!
You don't fear rodents, rodents fear you. - i still afraid of a rodent, black mice that is, not white mice
You say "orders of magnitude" in regular sentences.
You flinch when you hear the word "significant". - totally!
Showing up at 10AM and having a coffee is a productive day.
You can't stand god-like physicians, while secretly wishing you had their job.
You're very good at diluting things.
You're also very good at transferring small amounts of liquid between containers.
You are fed up of people saying alcohol, when they mean ethanol.
You hear the word ‘Molar’ and teeth are the last thing on your mind. - haha, so true..
You say “conjugation” instead of “sex”, and "pili" sounds dirty.
SOB is not an insult, it's what you grow your bugs in.
You say "mills" and "megs".
No-one in your family has any idea what you do. - yup, that's right
You can make a short film in power point.
You consider a green laser pointer to be science bling.
A falcon is not a bird....- hahaha
And you have 5 of them with different types of water.
When your fruits go bad and you get fruit flies, you can't help but check their eye colour - mutant?
You own invitrogen t-shirts and actually wear them.
You think that drosophila geneticists have a good sense of humour.
You refer to your children as the F1. - this one is the the funniest..lol
You've suffered carpal tunnel from the pipetman.
You've used kimwipes as kleenex.
A timer clipped to the hip is not only practical, but dead sexy.
You've played Battleship using tip boxes.
The front pages of Science is your light reading.
You think the following is a quality insult: "I've seen cells more competent than you!".
The scent of latex reminds you of work, not play. - get it? lol
You're looking for a cooking book by maniatis.
You've used, "I'd like to get into your genes" as a pickup line.
You've made dry ice grenades.
You've lost many friends to ice grenades...
The stains on your lab coat have become hard-set patterns that welcome new additions every year
Your computer is worth more than your car.
You like to think of computer parts as "subunits".
You check the meniscus when measuring liquids in the kitchen - couldn't help doing this
You want to use a magnetic stirrer in your kitchen!
You have to turn off shows like CSI in disgust when they pipet bubbles or get HPLC results in 30 seconds!
When discussing beer at a party, you are able to detail the biochemistry involved in the fermentation process.
You are really pissed that this thread is issued to biologists, not molecular biologists
When a large shipment of tips, eppis, etc. arrives and it feels to you like Christmas.
 When you get super happy your lab is getting a nanodrop.
 You feel yourself very badly when in the CSI series the "scientist" does not put a balance tube into the
centrifuge.
 and finally...you read this list to see how many applied to you.

Letter for my son, Nazhan Alfarisi

A letter to my son for his 1 year old birthday:

Dear Nazhan Alfarisi,

It’s 18^th November 2011. You are 1 year old now. This has been a wonderful journey indeed.

No words can describe just how much mama and abi love you. You have brought us so much joy, even before you were born. I can still vividly remember the day you were born a year ago. You were such a cutie pie every one who sees you couldn’t help falling in love with you. You were so alert and agile even the Doctor was surprised to see you eyeing your surrounding with wide open eyes. From the day onwards, you make our days become more meaningful. You were an active baby and you always cheer us up with your giggles and laughter. At two and a half month you can already lying on your tummy and not too long after that you have started to crawl. You are full with determination that you begun walking at 9 months and three weeks. We hope that you continue to be a person with strong willpower and determination in everything that you do. We will always be there to guide you and support your dreams (as long as it doesn’t involve being a singer or an actor). We will listen, give guidance and do what’s necessary to make you a good man and a good servant of Allah. When it comes to our religion, we will be strict with you but we will explain to you of why we should follow Al-Quran and Sunnah. You were named after a great warrior of Islam, Salman Al-farisi and therefore we hope you’ll be as courageous and brilliant as he was.

Life has change since you arrived, but in a good way of course. There were no longer 6 hours of sleeping for us especially for mama as I’m still breastfeed you. Nap time hardly exist in mama’s world. Breastfeeding was never an easy thing. There’s a whole different story on that chapter. Money was tight now that we have more responsibilities but the sacrifices couldn’t measure up to the bliss of having you in our life. We’ve decided long ago that we want to teach you to appreciate the value of money and we don’t want to spoil you with lavish things. Remember to be a humble and responsible man, son. No matter how high you reach up for the sky, always keep your feet firmly grounded. I hope that one day when you grow up you will read this letter 

Eternal love,

MAMA & ABI

frame tu abi yang lukis..siap ada cap jari (tapak kaki) nazhan lagi..

 

Happy 1st Birthday to my baby boy

18th Nov 2011 marks 1 year for my baby Nazhan Alfarisi...

Untuk birthday Nazhan yg first ni mama buat sendiri kek special untuk Nazhan..

ini resepi for Chocolate Fudge Cake:

Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake

Deliciously addictive and chocolatey, yet a triumph with its beautifully light texture, this is comprised of four layers with a glossy elegant chocolate icing -- truly making a beautiful centerpiece and treat for any special occasion.

Ingredients:

 

3 1/2 ounces dark (70% cocoa solids) chocolate, broken into pieces		1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour		1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder		3 extra-large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder		1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda		7 ounces dark (70% cocoa solids) chocolate, broken into pieces (for icing)
Pinch of salt		7 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces (for icing)
2/3 cup ground almonds		18 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (for icing)
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing		Confectioners' sugar , for dusting (optional, for icing)

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8-inch pans with sides about 1 1/2 inches deep and line each with parchment paper.

 2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, then set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt, then stir in the ground almonds. Using an electric stand or hand-held mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract to the eggs. With the beaters running, very slowly add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar, adding 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture during the process to prevent curdling, then add the melted chocolate and buttermilk. 

4. Very gently fold in the remaining flour and divide the mixture between the pans. 

5. Bake on the center shelf for 30 to 35 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the pan before turning on to cooling racks. 

6. Once cold, remove the papers and slice each cake in half horizontally through the middle. 

7. To make the icing, melt the chocolate following the method above. Set aside to cool slightly, then beat together with the butter. Using an offset spatula, spread evenly to sandwich the layers together and cover the top of the cake. 

Then, cover the cake with buttercream frosting..

This is how it looks like after it's done:

 

We went to my mom's house to celebrate Nazhan's birthday..mamatok dan tokwan dah decorate the living area and prepare present for Nazhan..walau pun majlis ni sangat simple dan hanya di kalangan close family je tapi ia sangat bermakna because we all surrounded by the people that we love the most..

Semoga anak mama membesar dengan sihat dan cergas serta menjadi anak yang soleh dan berjaya dunia akhirat..dapat berbakti pada keluarga dan bangsa..aminn...

Red Velvet Cupcake

Ni I yang buat sendiri

Yang ini pula diambil daripada internet..blog curlybabe

Red Velvet Cupcake (drpd internet):

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins or silicone pans with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a smaller bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Be careful as it will fizz so don't do it in a shallow bowl. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter until they are a little under 3/4 full. I ended up with 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins in your preheated oven. Bake for approximately 20, rotating pans halfway through. The cupcakes are done when you are able to pat the tops and the cake springs back up. If it sinks down they are not yet complete. Or you can insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake in the center of the tin and if it comes out clean they are done!

5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

6. Enjoy!


For the cream cheese frosting:
•        1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
•        1 pound butter, room temperature
•        2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
•        1 tablespoon vanilla extract


Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

HAPPY BAKING!

Program Transformasi Pegawai Biro TataNegara

Alhamdulillah selesai sudah program transformasi pegawai ke luar negara di bawah BTN. Menghadiri kursus BTN merupakan salah satu syarat untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ke luar negara. Program ni berlangsung pada 20-24 Oktober 2011 bertempat di Akademi Kenegaraan Jalan Bellamy Kuala Lumpur. Nasib baik la dekat je. First time tinggal anak dan suami.

Walau pun tak tido sekali dengan anak, tapi penyusuan susu ibu tetap diteruskan. Ada je masa terluang saya akan pam. Nasib baik ada fridge walau pun kecik. Ada 3 orang lagi peserta BTN yg juga menyusu. Weekend hubby datang untuk bawa balik susu EBM dan dapat jumpa Nazhan. Nampak sangat dia rindu mama dia.

Ok, cerita pasal BTN pulak..di sana kami diberi wacana minda tentang Gagasan 1 Malaysia, sejarah tanah air kita, Perlembagaan Malaysia dan cabaran2 ke arah negara maju. Ada jugak LDK di mana kami mendapat lebih pemahaman tentang sejarah negara dan kepentingan memahami apa yg terkandung dalam Perlembagaan. Memang sangat berinformasi. Yang pasti, bila balik saya jadi lebih sayangkan tanah air ini dan berdoa semoga Malaysia akan sentiasa menjadi aman makmur. Amin..

New Job, New Beginning

Now that I have become a Tutor and soon-to-be a Lecturer at National Defence University of Malaysia, life is getting hectic but in a beautiful way. Why? Because I love my job. I love teaching. I've been a researcher for almost two years and I didn't like it. Orang kata, tak kena dengan jiwa la.. When I was a researcher, I had to drag myself off the bed in the morning just to go to work. But now, I don't mind waking up early to go to work.

Aside from teaching students and marking papers and so on, I have to find a place for PhD within 1 year. and since I had both my 1st degree and Masters in Malaysia, it is compulsory to do PhD abroad. So right now I'm busy with reading journals, writing proposal, studying English for IELTS, and so on..I really hope that everything will be smooth sailing. Pray for me ya..

Here are some pics @ UPNM:

Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah adalah lecturer UPNM

Pro Canselor UPNM, Bragedier Jen. Tengku Syafinaz

Dinner @ Palace of the Golden Horses

persembahan daripada students..semua ladies tau

Eid 2011 - first time as parents

30 Aug 2011 (1 Syawal 1432H) was the day where Muslims celebrates Eidulfitri here in Malaysia..This is the time when we celebrated our victory after a month of fasting. This is the time when we visited our family, relatives and friends. And this is also the time when we gobble our faces with so many foods...lemang, ketupat, rendang, nasi himpit and kuah kacang, all the biskut raya, and the list goes on and on...

This year hubby and I celebrated Raya as parents for the first time. I'm utterly happy that I can celebrate raya with hubby and our baby..you know, the experience of searching and buying his first baju melayu and all..

Jom Belajar Make up

To be honest, I don't really know how to wear make up..I think I'm not confident enough to play with colors and experimenting with make up..but since I will be a tutor tak lama lagi at UPNM so I have to look vibrant and fresh..most importantly, I need to conceal my ugly dark circle that have been caused by my sweet little baby..
So here's a video on how to look natural with make up by Bobbi Brown..

make up tutorial

Macaroon oh macaroon

Oh I wish my macaroon looks like this

Colorful

Tempting, aren't they?

Now that I have been baking for a while, I have clear vision on the direction I am heading for. The impression of macaroon has been stubbornly stuck in my mind recently and I cannot help but want to think of opportunities to get my hands working on them. With that in mind, I will be planning macaroon projects at least once every month so as to gain some practice and experience.

After weeks of hesitating (takut nak buat sebab takut tak jadi) finally Cuti Nuzul Quran hari tu saya try buat macaroon..this is my first time ever..I made chocolate macaroon with chocolate ganache as the filling. Bahan-bahannya tak banyak tapi tekniknya agak susah. Saya follow resepi ini drpd internet:

Chocolate Macaroon:

The shells:

- 140 g almond powder

- 250 g powdered sugar

- 25 g cocoa powder

- 100 g egg whites (aged)

11

The filling, Chocolate Cream Ganache:

- 230 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped

- 250 g heavy cream

- 60 g unsalted butter, room temperature

METHOD:

1. Sift almond meal and icing sugar through fine sieve and set aside.    

2.  Whip the egg white until it become really frothy. While beating the egg white, gradually add caster sugar (fine sugar) one tablespoon by one tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping the egg white until it almost reaches its peak. The egg white should be stiff and glossy. Put the food coloring in and mix just to combine.    

      3. Put the almond meal & icing sugar mixture into the whipped egg white. Stir vigorously for the first 10 stokes or so. Then continue to mix the mixture until fully combined. At this point, you might wonder if you have deflated your meringue. Don't worry, we're not after the air and texture of meringue. It's more important that the batter is totally blend-in and combined. The batter should have the consistency of thick cake batter and have the ribbon-like consistency...or many website described it as "magma-like consistency". 

      4. The mixture can be left at this stage for about 10 mins. So, I use this 10 mins to get organise with my trays and piping bag. Line the baking trays (you might need about 2 large trays for this recipe) with silpat or non-stick baking paper.

      5. Spoon the mixture into the piping bag, using 1cm piping tip (plain round tip, size 11). Pipe into 3cm round size. Leave 3 cms space between each shell

      6. Don’t worry if the piped macarons don’t look flat and smooth. This is actually a good thing. It means you didn’t overmix the batter. You can tap the tray on the bench several times to help flattening macarons. 

7.      Leave the tray out in the room temp for about 1-2 hrs until you can touch the top of the shell without it sticks to your finger (this can also take 30 mins depending on the temperature and humidity). 

      8. Preheat the oven to 160c (convection oven), just before you put the trays in, reduce the temp to 140c (convection) and bake for 15-18 mins. Baking time will depend on the size of macarons and oven. So, I usually keep a close eye on them after 15 mins. The cookie should be dry and crisp but not colour.

      9. Remove the shells from the oven, leave them cool on tray for few minutes. Gently remove them onto the cooling rack.

"Trick: if you spray water onto the tray under the baking paper, this will tremendously help releasing macarons from the paper. "

      10. Spread or pipe chilled lemon curd (below recipe)  into the shell and sandwich them together.

      11. You can taste the fruit of your labour straight away. But I find that macaron tastes better and achieve its chewy texture after it's been in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Put the macarons in an air-tight container and put them in the fridge. I believe that they keep well in the fridge for about a week. 

********

I’ve followed the recipe closely, however to my disappointment, the foot doesn't come out.. I end up getting flat macaroon..I don’t know what went wrong..maybe telur putih tu tak cukup kembang kot..or the temperature of the oven and the timing..tapi rasanya agak sedap..looks like I have to try again.. Practice makes perfect right?? 

Wish me luck * finger crossed*

Love,

Peraduan Dunia Susu Ibu 2011

Kategori: Bersalin secara normal

Nama anak: Nazhan Alfarisi bin Mohd Firdaus
Tarikh lahir anak: 18 November 2010

Sebenarnya saya tak sempat pun masuk pertandingan ni tapi saya rakamkan juga pengalaman saya di blog ni untuk sekadar berkongsi pengalaman. Susah rasanya nak menang sebab banyak ibu-ibu hebat yang tabah menghadapi kesukaran menyusu badan.

            Pada hari raya Aidil Adha (17-11-2010) jam 7 pagi, saya mula rasa kontraksi yang agak kerap. Lepas tu ada darah keluar dan saya memang dah tahu itu tanda-tanda nak bersalin (melalui pembacaan). Saya dan suami terus kemas barang dan balik ke rumah mak saya di Ampang (40 minit perjalanan je). Disebabkan hari tu hari raya, sempat lagi saya makan ketupat dan rendang. Sempat lagi keluar lunch di luar dengan family. Jam 12 tengah malam tu baru la saya masuk labor room di Ampang Putri. Tapi masa tu bukaan cuma 4 cm. Saya dan suami disuruh bermalam di bilik bersalin tu. Mama, ayah dan adik-adik saya tunggu di ruang menunggu di luar wad bersalin. Mereka pun bermalam di hospital jugak. Walaupun tak boleh tidur tapi saya paksa juga tidur sekejap supaya ada tenaga untuk 'push'. Lebih kurang jam 4-5 pagi, jururawat datang bagitau yang Dr Zalina tak ada dan Dr Arun yang akan ganti. Dr Arun datang dan suruh jururawat 'induce' saya dengan pitocin dan pecahkan air ketuban. Sejurus selepas itu, sakit kontraksi semakin kerap dan kuat.  Saya hanya menggenggam tangan suami sambil berzikir dan berdoa. Dapat juga la saya tidur sekejap. Saya masih dapat tahan rasa sakit tu. Sepanjang berada di wad bersalin saya hanya menjamah sekeping biskut dan separuh kurma. Tak selera nak makan sebab takut dan sakit. Jam 7.50 pagi saya terjaga dan sakit kontraksi semakin kuat. Bila kontraksi berlaku selang seminit, cepat-cepat saya suruh suami panggil jururawat. 2-3 orang jururawat pun mula buat persedian untuk saya bersalin. Saya disuruh meneran bila-bila rasa nak teran. Semakin lama semakin sakit kontraksi. Kontraksi sangat kuat dan kerap. Sampai ke tulang belakang.Suami sentiasa menemani disisi sambil berzikir di telinga saya. Lebih kurang jam 8.30 agaknya, tiba-tiba nurse cakap Dr Zalina dah sampai. Alhamdulillah lega sikit rasanya. Selepas beberapa kali 'push' (tak tau berapa kali) akhirnya jam 9.14 am lahirlah putera sulung saya dengan bantuan kiwi vacuum sebab degupan jantung bayi menurun. Dalam bilik bersalin itu jugalah saya memulakan penyusuan. Nurse memeriksa sama ada cara bayi melekap betul atau tidak. Bermula lah episod saya sebagai ibu yang menyusu. Memang sejak mengandung lagi saya telah menanam niat untuk menyusu anak sehingga berumur 2 tahun.

Sejurus selepas dilahirkan

           Hari pertama Nazhan dilahirkan, dia kelihatan cergas. Matanya sentiasa memerhati keadaan sekeliling. Saya kerap menyusukan Nazhan namun saya rasakan yang dia tak cukup kenyang. Tapi bila tanya nurse, nurse cakap teruskan saja menyusu. Hari kedua, susu matang masih belum keluar. Saya cuba pam susu menggunakan Medela Swing yang dibeli semasa mengandung lagi, tapi susu yang keluar hanya di paras bawah botol sahaja. Saya sedih dan stress. Boleh katakan setiap nurse yang masuk ke bilik saya tanyakan betul tak cara saya menyusu sebab saya rasa bayi macam tak kenyang. Lewat petang hari kedua itu Nazhan nampak macam tak bermaya. Asyik tidur saja. Menyusu pun sekejap saja terus tidur. Saya dan suami risau. Malam tu nurse bagi susu formula sebanyak 1 oz pada Nazhan. Esoknya, nurse beritahu kami yang Nazhan kena jaundice. Kami mengambil keputusan untuk bermalam di hospital supaya saya dapat menyusukan Nazhan dengan kerap. Saya meminta supaya nurse telefon kami setiap kali Nazhan terjaga dan menangis. Tak kira jam berapa pun, 2 pagi, 3 pagi, 5 pagi, kami tetap pergi ke nursery tempat Nazhan diberi rawatan. Susu yang dipam masih terlalu sedikit namun saya kumpulkan juga sikit demi sikit. Nazhan sangat lemah masa tu, menyusu pun dah tak larat. Sudahnya, nurse bagi susu formula lagi. Sedih kerana hajat untuk menyusu badan secara eksklusif tak tercapai. Namun, azam saya untuk menyusu badan selama yang mungkin masih belum terpadam. Hari ketiga Nazhan berada di nursery tersebut, saya dan suami pulang ke rumah mak saya di Ampang. Hanya 1 hari saya tak menyusukan Nazhan dan Nazhan diberi susu formula. Hari keempat Nazhan di hospital, kami diberi kebenaran untuk membawa Nazhan pulang. Alhamdulillah.

Dibawah sinaran 2 lampu UV

           Pada awal penyusuan memang sakit. Bengkak, melecet dan luka hingga berdarah, ditambah pula dengan luka jahitan perineum yang lambat sembuh. Tapi itu semua tak mematahkan semangat saya untuk terus menyusu. Sebaik Nazhan pulang ke rumah, saya dapati dia tak mahu menyusu badan. Puas dicuba banyak kali tapi dia menangis kuat-kuat. Mungkin kerana dia mengalami keliru puting. Cuma 1 hari saya tak menyusukan dia semasa dia di hospital tapi 1 hari tu sudah cukup untuk memberi masalah besar kepada kami. Seminggu saya cuba menyusukan dia tapi tak berjaya. Terpaksa lah kami memberinya susu formula. Setiap kali menyusu saya akan menangis. Bukan kerana sakit tapi kerana sedih Nazhan taknak menyusu. Saya teruskan juga mengepam susu yang sedikit. Suami beli beberapa jenis nipple puller untuk membantu tapi tak berjaya. Ibu mertua saya yang merupakan bekas bidan datang membantu. Jenuh paksa Nazhan menghisap sampai dia menangis sampai hilang suara. Saya tak sampai hati. Akhirnya, setelah 3, 4 hari berusaha, baru lah Nazhan nak menyusu secara terus. Tapi susu saya masih sedikit. Setiap kali pam saya cuma dapat tak sampai 1 oz. Mak saya agak tegas tentang berpantang, bertungku kena dua kali sehari sampai sejam lebih. Saya tak punya banyak masa untuk mengepam susu. Jadi saya tak dapat pam dengan kerap. Ditambah pula dengan stress sebab susu tak banyak. Suami sentiasa memberi galakan kerana melihatkan kesungguhan saya untuk menyusu badan. Dalam masa sebulan semasa berpantang saya mengajak suami berjumpa dengan pakar laktasi di SusuIbu.com di Bangi. Saya berjumpa dengan Puan Kamariah. Beliau mengajarkan posisi menyusu yang sesuai dan mencadangkan supaya saya menggunakan 'supplemental tube' yang disambung dengan susu perahan atau susu formula supaya bayi melekap lebih lama untuk merangsang pengeluaran susu. Setelah sebanyak 2 sesi saya berjumpa dengan beliau, saya semakin yakin untuk meneruskan penyusuan badan.

susu perahan semasa dalam pantang - sangat sikit

pam menggunakan medela swing

            Setelah habis berpantang, saya pulang ke rumah saya di Kajang. Di rumah sendiri, baru saya dapat pam susu sekerap mungkin. Saya banyak mencari ilmu penyusuan melalui pelbagai blog-blog ibu menyusu termasuk Dunia Susu Ibu. Daripada maklumat yang saya peroleh, barulah saya sedar yang sebenarnya terlalu banyak benda yang saya tak tahu walau pun saya telah banyak membaca mengenai penyusuan badan semasa mengandung. Saya mula membuat jadual pam. Walau pun letih dan tak cukup tidur saya gagahi juga mengepam dan menyusu secara terus. Stok susu saya waktu itu sangat sedikit. Mujur saya lambat masuk kerja semula kerana menunggu surat sambung kontrak. Masa yang ada itu saya gunakan untuk menambah stok susu badan. Lama kelamaan, hasil susu perahan saya semakin bertambah, walau pun tak lah sebanyak orang lain yang sekali pam dapat berbelas-belas oz. Tapi saya tetap bersyukur.

semakin lama susu perahan semakin banyak

Setelah saya kembali bekerja semula, sekali lagi saya tertekan kerana stok EBM saya tak banyak. Jadi saya terpaksa pam sekerap mungkin di pejabat. Saya cuba pam sebanyak 4 kali sehari, namun apabila kerja semakin bertambah, ditambah pula dengan 'usikan' rakan sekerja, saya kurangkan kepada dua atau tiga kali sehari. Oleh kerana saya menggunakan single pump (Medela Swing), saya mengambil masa lebih kurang 40 minit untuk menghabiskan sesi pengepaman kedua-dua belah payudara. Setiap kali mengepam saya akan melihat jam dan sentiasa gelisah kerana risaukan kerja dan cakap-cakap orang. Ini mengurangkan kuantiti EBM saya. Akhirnya saya dan suami mengambil keputusan untuk membeli Medela Freestyle. Sehingga sekarang saya tidak pernah menyesal membeli pam tersebut walau pun mahal kerana saya menganggap ia sebagai satu pelaburan jangka masa panjang. Dengan double pump, saya dapat jimatkan masa sesi pengepaman dan saya dapat mengepam di mana-mana pada bila-bila masa. Tambahan pula double pumping dapat meningkatkan hormon prolaktin untuk penghasilan susu. Saya pernah mengepam susu semasa memandu kereta kerana tak sempat pam di pejabat, di stesyen minyak dan banyak tempat lagi. Kalau saya terpaksa ke kursus saya akan membawa anak dan suami saya bersama untuk saya menyusu secara terus sambil mengepam susu.

Stok EBM semasa kursus di Pulau Jerejak selama 4 hari

Stok EBM di rumah - 3 bulan

freestyle kesayanganku..

            Saya juga kerap melakukan power pumping pada waktu malam dengan harapan penghasilan susu saya akan meningkat kerana saya tahu lebih banyak demand maka susu juga akan lebih banyak. Lama kelamaan alhamdulillah susu saya bertambah lebih daripada masa dalam pantang dahulu. Niat saya untuk meneruskan penyusuan badan selama yang boleh. 

Hasil perahan dengan Freestyle

Suami yang merupakan tulang belakang saya, sentiasa menyokong..sedang memberi EBM kpd Nazhan

Kenangan terindah

Menyusu di dalam Nursing Room di Alamanda..shopping tak menjadi halangan

             Sehingga kini saya masih menggali ilmu tentang penyusuan badan. Saya suka pergi ke Mom & Baby Expo, Parenthood Expo, dan sebagainya untuk mendengar seminar mengenai penyusuan di samping membeli belah ;).. Sekarang anak saya telah berumur 9 bulan dan masih menyusui. saya dapati Nazhan seorang yang bijak, aktif dan ceria. Perkembangannya pun agak cepat berbanding bayi lain. Alhamdulillah. Saya berdoa semoga Allah berikan lagi rezeki untuk anak saya. Amin..

Talk on Breastfeeding in public by Pn Kamariah and Dynas, Mom & Baby Expo 2011

Tips untuk ibu menyusu di bulan Ramadhan

* sumber daripada http://duniasusuibu.com/category/ramadhan/

1. Perbaharui niat untuk menyusui anak kerana Allah.  YAKIN Allah yang beri susu. Bukan susu untuk ibu menyusu jenama ABC, XYZ atau sebarang produk lain.
2. Berdoa : “Ya Allah, aku ingin menyusu anakku kerana suruhanMu. Bantulah aku Ya Allah agar dapat menunaikan ibadah puasa di bulan Ramadhan. Bantulah aku untuk bersabar dan mudahkanlah aku menyusu anakku”.
3. Menyegerakan berbuka puasa dan melewatkan makan sahur. Nabi saw bersabda: “Umatku tetap berada di dalam kebaikan, selama mana mereka menyegerakan berbuka puasa dan melewatkan makan sahur”
4. Fokus pada KUALITI, bukan KUANTITI.
5. Berbuka puasa dan bersahur dengan makanan seimbang yang kaya dengan protein, glukos dan cecair.
6. Makan banyak kurma.
7. Minum cukup cecair. Elakkan minuman berkafein dan minuman gas.
8. Makan makanan berkarbohidrat dan kaya dengan serat.
9. Makan buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran.
10. Pastikan teknik penyusuan yang betul, kerapkan menyusui bayi.
11. Pastikan teknik mengepam dan menggunakan pam yang betul. 
12. Lebihkan sesi menyusu secara terus dan mengepam pada waktu malam. Pam dan menyusu terus secara serentak.
13. Pam susu sebelum sahur.
14. Sediakan kurma dan botol air di dalam beg tangan. Mungkin anda akan mengalami kesesakan jalan raya dan terpaksa berbuka puasa di dalam kenderaan. Setibanya di rumah, pastikan anda berbuka puasa dahulu sebelum menyusu bayi anda (jika keadaan mengizinkan).
15. Sediakan lebih stok perahan susu ibu (EBM) sebagai persediaan menghadapi Ramadhan.
16. Ambil milk booster jika perlu.
17. Elakkan terlalu penat.
18. Jauhi stress dengan sentiasa berfikiran positif dan sentiasa ceria
19. Berjumpa dengan mereka yang pakar dalam bidang penyusuan sekiranya menghadapi masalah.

Kelonggaran meninggalkan puasa bagi wanita menyusukan anak

• Daripada Anas bin Malik Al-Ka’bi, bahawa Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda: “Sesungguhnya Allah SWT telah meringankan bagi musafir dalam ibadat puasa dan separuh dari solat dan bagi wanita hamil dan menyusui (ia meringankan) puasa”.
• Sekiranya ibu berbuka puasa kerana takut berlaku kemudaratan pada dirinya disebabkan puasanya itu, maka wajib bagi ibu untuk qadha’ puasanya sahaja.
• Sekiranya ibu berbuka puasa kerana takut susunya akan berkurangan dan membahayakan anaknya, maka wajib bagi ibu untuk qadha’ puasanya dan dikenakan fidyah iaitu bersedekah satu cupak dari makanan asasi bagi hari yang dia berbuka.
• Firman Allah: “(Puasa yang diwajibkan itu ialah) beberapa hari yang tertentu; maka sesiapa di antara kamu yang sakit atau dalam musafir, (bolehlah dia berbuka), kemudian wajiblah dia berpuasa sebanyak (hari yang dibuka) itu pada hari-hari yang lain; dan wajib atas orang-orang yang tidak terdaya berpuasa (kerana tua dan sebagainya) membayar fidyah iaitu memberi makan orang miskin. Maka sesiapa yang dengan sukarela memberikan (bayaran fidyah) lebih dari yang ditentukan itu, maka itu adalah suatu kebaikan baginya dan (walaupun demikian) berpuasa itu lebih baik bagi kamu (daripada memberi fidyah), kalau kamu mengetahui.”  [Al-Baqarah : 184]

Rujukan:

1. Al-Quran al-Karim.
2. Hasnita Sawal. (Ogos 2009). Menyusu & Ramadhan. Majalah Pa&Ma, 107: 110-111. Selangor : Kumpulan Karangkraf Sdn. Bhd
3. Nur Hidayah Abdullah (1997). Puasa. Fardhu Ain Khusus Wanita. Kuala Lumpur: Darul Nu’man, hlm 164-166. 
4. Rita Rahayu Omar (2007). momslittleones.com. 1  September.
5. Imam Habib Abdullah Haddad (2003). Perihal Puasa. Nasihat Agama dan Wasiat Iman. Sngapura: Pustaka Nasional, hlm 177.

I Carry You In My Heart

This is one of my favorite poems. The author is e.e. cummings. I have to admit the first time I heard it was in the movie "In Her Shoes," which told a story of sisterly love. To me, it's a poem that can describe many types of love--that between sisters, lovers and mothers and children. It's that all or nothing love that is with you throughout life's trials and tribulations.  It's the love that makes your stomach hurt and your heart pound because you love someone so much....

 i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) i am never without it

(anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you... are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; 

 which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

* taken from: 

http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-carry-your-heart-in-my-heart.html

Cake Pop Tutorials from Bakerella.com

 I would love to try to bake cake pops..They are so cute and adorable..but I haven't find time to bake yet..but here are some pics of different kind of cake pops and useful tutorial from Bakerella.com. Enjoy!

Christmas cakepops

suitable for the loved ones

Cake Pop - Bakerella