Off & On Air

At the risk of exposing some embarrassing moments, this entry is about the TV auditions I've gone for. Airing my dirty laundry? Nahhhh. They've all been aired on national television anyway. (Bragging much?)

Although legally trained, I've always had a passion for the world of broadcasting. Going for these auditions was a stepping stone for me to fulfill this love of mine.

Alhamdulillah, the result can be seen today -- the opportunity to read the national news.

But first, the auditions.

8TV QUICKIE
What :: An urban 15-minute nightly programme
Target Audience :: Teenagers & Young Adults

What's needed for a programme like this?

Charm
...or what we call the X-Factor.

Wit
You must be of interesting character, full of colour.

Sponteneity
Shows like this are guided by a pre-written script but with an young audience (who most often have a short attention span), viewers will go on a snooze fest if you stick to the script in verbatim. Sponteneity is needed when it comes to responding to something or cracking a joke, for instance.

Creativity
"Hello there, you're watching 8TV and today we're gonna talk about..."
*Boringggg* 
This is the conventional way of greeting your viewers. With creativity, you can make it more interesting.

Confidence
Obviously. No one wants to watch a stuttering or stammering host.

Common Knowledge
To help add value to the content brought forward.

Although a show like this only carries light topics/soft news, it's not always easy to stray away from babbling utter nonsense. A host for a show like this must know how to grab the attention of the audience, even if it's just for a menial topic.

About three years ago, I found out about the Quickie Search auditions they were having through a friend. We were required to submit a video to be shortlisted; I did just that and got a callback to come to the studio for an audition!

The audition was pretty straight to the point. At the time, I was not an active blogger and did not document my Quickie audition experience, but it was somewhere along the line of being given a simple topic to create an introduction to.

But long behold, after a quick search on Google, I found out that the series is slated to be back [still on online TV] for a second half in April!!!

*Nadia does the dance*

It's one of my favourite TV shows -- sparked by a fusion of Mindy's wit and spontaneity; humourous script; charming characters and cool storyline.

It's also apt and timely that Mindy and Danny just had a baby.

Does the guy (Danny) look familiar? He was featured in a Sam Smith music video!

I can't wait for the new episodes. Can't wait to see how big baby Leo has grown, too!

One week post-partum. First check-up with baby's paediatrician.

Imagine walking in a mall and you see a father calmly pushing a baby in a stroller while the mother walks by his side, browsing at the latest trends of clothes displayed in the glass windows of Dorothy Perkins. The baby is wide-eyed but relatively quiet and in a jovial mood.

The baby is wearing an exceptionally adorable onesie with printed polka dots all over, melting the hearts of anyone whose eyes fall on her. She has a headband with a flower and matching socks.

This paints the perfect family picture, luring other couples to join the club and also bear children.

Indeed, that was the impression I had before getting married and giving birth to a child. The above depiction is just one of the scenes portrayed by parenthood -- apart from the hundreds of others. It's not always how the people on the outside see it to be.

Don't get me wrong, motherhood is absolutely rewarding and beats any form of exhaustion. But there's more to than just happily pushing a baby in a stroller at the mall. I'm not saying it ain't a perfect family picture, but a lot of hard work, patience and perseverance is needed to get through in taking care of another human being.

Behind that family 'portrait', there are endless cries of the baby, sleepless nights, constant diaper-changing and...that constant worry whether your baby is alright.

Not to mention the worry of whether you're doing everything you can to be the best parent.

For the mother and father, their lives have changed drastically from being single, to just a couple, to being parents. It's not a game anymore; priorities have changed. No more spontaneous outings with the girls, no more lepaking til the wee hours of the morning with the boys and embarking on holidays will never be the same. No more activities at the parents' whims and fancies like how it used to be.

It's also important to be physically and mentally prepared to take care of a child.

Don't be fooled for behind every happy picture, there is a combination of sweat, tears and inevitably splashes of joy. Nothing good comes easy. ;-)

All in all, we are thankful for this gift from God.

After nine months of carrying a baby in your uterus - which had multiplied in terms of size so many more times than its original state - and after giving birth...it's now time to REST, RECOVER and REGAIN ENERGY!

That's what the pantang period or confinement period is all about. We should not overlook the importance of the pantang period by perceiving it as full of untrustworthy tales of dos and don'ts made up by the traditional midwife or tukang urut. They were thought up for a reason - maybe not all - but there is some logic to it.

Like I've mentioned in an earlier entry, don't deny your right to heal internally and externally. :-)

I have to admit that I found out about Natalis Beauty after stumbling upon Liyana Jasmay's Instagram account. This local celeb had also recently given birth and engaged with Natalis Beauty for confinement care. This, after my originally scheduled confinement lady could not make it in time due to unforeseen circumstances.

Boy, am I soooo grateful I found out about Natalis Beauty!

I contacted the person-in-charge, Pn. Suzie and Alhamdulillah she was able to slot me in even on short notice and in her company's already hectic schedule. They have various confinement care packages, whether they are half day or full day sessions, or have the confinement lady (CL) stay in with you for your chosen length of time. They can cook for you, too. They even do ad-hoc berurut sessions upon booking for those not in pantang.

With Pn. Suzie of Natalis Beauty

I took the half day package; the price for one session in this package is within the acceptable market range. Transportation fee is also included.

I never knew confinement care was like having the spa being brought to your home.

Before I go on to tell you about my CL's daily routine, I must really hand it to her for making the sessions wonderful and stress-free. She was friendly, hardworking, well-trained, resourceful and made me feel comfortable - apart from being totally hands-on with the baby. Not to mention also, one of the best tukang urut's I've had.

This was her daily routine (with the help of an assistant):

For the Baby

1. Bathing
For someone who had never bathed a newborn before, this was really helpful. My baby loved the water! Thanks to a skilful CL, there was never even a squeak from my baby.

2. Bertungku
The CL will apply small dabs of ointment (minyak urut) on the baby's body before bertungku. A super mini tungku is used and it's so cute!

For those who are not familiar with bertungku, it's basically all these herbs compressed tightly and wrapped into a ball-like shape. You can consider it as your traditional heating pad. The tungku is heated up real hot (using a stove usually) before its usage. Tungku's for babies are heated lightly using an iron.

How a tungku looks like

The tungku is then pressed against various parts of your body to provide relief. For us women in the post-partum pantang period, this practice can be quite vigorous for the abdominal area. This is to get your womb back into its original place. Make sure this is conducted by only those who are 'certified' and competent enough!

For the Mother

1. Sauna - The CL will bring her portable sauna to your home. You will sit in it with only your head popping out, to sweat out the toxins in your body.

That's not me (taken from Google) but my CL did bring in a PINK portable sauna!

2. Tangas - This is an external treatment where you will be asked to stand above some pre-heated stones placed in a small pot. While crotching a little, the CL will pour a special herbal mixture onto the 'hot' stones which will then emit steam (apart from the sounds of something being fried), providing relief to your uterine muscles.

3. Herbal Bath 

4. Traditional Massage Therapy (berurut) - Provides absolute relief to the body. Even if it did get vigorous, it was pretty relaxing in which the outcome was a pain-free and re-energised body!

5. Body Scrub (lulur) - There will be days the CL will opt to apply body scrub on you instead of the massage therapy. It will leave your skin cleansed and baby-smooth, no kidding. I loved it so much I bought several bottles from Pn. Suzie for future self-use.

6. Bertungku - (As described above)

7. Application of homemade herbal paste:

Param - applied on the body;
Pilis - applied on the forehead (a classic pantang trademark!); and
Tapel - applied on the stomach.

The function of the tapel is to get your stomach into its original look and color. (The area tends to get blackish after being stretched during pregnancy - it works!) People say the application of this paste will make your body itch, but I did not experience any of that with the paste concocted by Natalis Beauty.

8. Wearing of the bengkung (traditional waistband) - To help you get back in shape, especially in the abdominal area. To me, it works better than the modern strap-on waistband.

9. Jamu - Confinement's version of a healthy juice to boost energy and help recover. Not my cup of tea, but they say it's good for you!

The jamu comes at an extra one-off charge, as well as the bengkung (unless you have your own). All other items are provided for and included in the main package.

To wrap up confinement care, you can opt for an add-on -- mandi bunga and totok (facial massage). This is probably leaning more towards being a beauty regiment rather than a healing treatment. But it was fun!

Natalis Beauty is definitely in my recommendation list for confinement care. I'm so tempted to book a berurut session now.......

If you're looking for confinement care or knows someone who is, here are the details:

Photo by The Photolicious

It's been a little over a month since I gave birth. The past month has brought about many changes in my baby. It's been a wonderful journey witnessing those changes, thus far...

💗 Demand for Milk & Breastfeeding

My baby wasn't as demanding for milk immediately after birth, while still in the hospital. But she was fed on-demand as opposed to the every-four-hour rule. (Baby's preference, can't change that!)

However, coming home after several days in the hospital, her demand for milk increased and yes, it was tiring as I was exclusively breastfeeding my little one. But as I've reiterated time and time again when people ask, exhaustion and sleep deprivation are two of the most prominent features of becoming parents (to a baby especially). It's a universal experience; everyone feels the same thing, and it's absolutely normal. It's comforting to know that. That's why I think these things should be talked about and shared.

Shopping for the baby before giving birth could be a vague adventure for rookie to-be-parents as you're buying items with uncertainty. Many questions will pop up.

Do I need this? Will my baby like it? Will it be convenient for me?

Photo Courtesy of ShutterStock

When you've actually had the baby, the real game starts. This is when you figure out whether you've bought the right type of items and acquire the ability to distinguish between the essentials and what you can do without.

Based on my minimal experience so far, these are THE MUST HAVES or the essentials while caring for a newborn:
**List is non-exhaustive and excludes heavy-duty baby gear like the stroller, playpen, etc.

🚼 Sterilizer 

You will need to sterilise just about everything that affects what goes into your baby's mouth. The two main items that I've been sterilizing:

(i) Breast pump
(ii) Bottles

🚼 Breast Pump

Apart from breastfeeding, there will be times when you need to express milk. This, especially if you plan to go back to work when [the awesome] maternity leave ends so you can stock up milk to make up for the missed breastfeeding sessions.

Word has it that the two best brands in the market are Medela and Malish. Apparently, not all pumps work for everyone. There are places where you can try various pumps to find a compatible one. However, this will see the need to get out of the house during confinement which personally is not very ideal. For those who do not know -- you can't test out breast pumps during pregnancy (even if you've started lactating) as this could trigger contractions, so you have to wait until you've given birth.

Oh, and don't forget to buy milk storage bags!

🚼 Bottle Warmer

Whether you're feeding the baby with expressed milk or formula milk, you will essentially need a bottle warmer. This usually comes together with the sterilizer.

🚼 Nursing Bras

Very, very convenient. When you're out, you would still want to breastfeed your baby. Many places now provide rooms for this. And for places that are less private, a nursing cover will come in handy.

🚼 Bra Pads

Sometimes, milk literally spills out even when you're not breastfeeding.

🚼 Diapers

You will not know which is the most suitable diaper brand for the little until you have the chance to be fully hands-on with the baby. Based on several personal experiences of mothers that I've heard of, the two top brands are Pampers and Mamy Poko. They're slightly pricier than other brands, but for a reason I suppose.

I went out on a limb for this one. I had bought Huggies before my baby came along, not knowing whether she'll like it. After about a week of using Huggies, I did notice some rashes but it was nothing too serious. Eventually, I decided to change to Mamy Poko and it's been working well so far.

Although designed for newborns, bear in mind that different diaper brands come in different sizes.

(L) Mamy Poko :: (R) Huggies

🚼 Cotton Balls/Patches

This is to be used with water to clean your baby's bum during a diaper-change, rather than using wet wipes which could cause or aggravate rashes. Wet wipes are ideal when you're out of the house.

🚼 Pillows and Mattresses

Depending on where you plan to have the baby sleep, get those head pillows, bolsters and mattresses! You never know where else you might have the baby sleep at ---- or where the baby prefers to sleep, actually!

🚼 Newborn Attire 

You may think that you could keep the number of newborn clothes/onesies to a minimal, as the baby will outgrow them in no time.

True.

But...there will be many occasions where the baby's clothes will be dampened with a little milk spill or from a diaper mishap. You may have to get your baby changed into a new set of clothes a little more often than you would expect. There's no need to go overboard, but it's good to have a little extra. Washing baby clothes is another story, as they are more delicate (get the right detergent, too).

A little tip when buying newborn attire -- it may be a bit tricky slipping on those onesies or rompers, especially when the baby is crying and throwing a tantrum. I recommend getting onesies/rompers from H&M which have buttons on the front, making it so much easier for us to get the baby into. When it comes to baby tops, I prefer those with buttons rather than strings.

The same goes for receiving blankets to swaddle your newborn in. A little extra won't hurt.

When buying hats, I prefer a knitted hat that sort of is like a snow cap (see pic below) rather than a cotton hat. It stays better on my baby's head. Mittens and booties are essential, too!

(L) Crochet-type hat that hospitals use :: (R) Cotton hat

🚼 Bottles

Selecting the right bottle may not be easy. Different brands have different teats for the baby to latch on to, and this will inevitably determine whether it's a go or no-go for the little one. A harder teat may be less appealing, as what I've learnt with my baby when she tried to drink from a Pigeon bottle. I switched to using a Little Bean bottle, which came with the sterilizer I bought and voila, she latches on just well. The quest for the right bottle brand shall continue soon though!

🚼 Diaper-changing Mat

Whether you're changing your baby's diaper, swaddling the little one up or applying lotion/powder on his/her body, this mat will come in very handy!

As this list is non-exhaustive, I may revisit this entry to make some add-ons.

Til then, Happy Shopping!