motherhood feb 2015 preview
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Motherhood Magazine is Singapore’s No. 1 Choice for Mothers! It is a valuable and trusted information resource for parents with children from 0 to eight years of age. See more at www.motherhood.com.sg!TRANSCRIPT
LOVE– A VALENTINE’S
SPECIAL
FEEL THE
The No. 1 Choice for Mothers!February 2015
www.motherhood.com.sg
D I G I T A L E D I T I O N
HANDLING SECONDARY INFERTILITY
TACKLING THE TERRIBLE TWOS
LEARNING A SECOND
LANGUAGE
HOW
2DEAL DON’T
LEAVE, MUMMY!
WHEN SEPARATION
ANXIETY HITS
PLAN ME A ROOMWHAT’S YOUR BEST COLOUR FOR THE YEAR
LOVE ISIN THE
AIRWHY DATE
NIGHTSMATTER
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
14 37
CONTENTS February 2015
the zone■ Fab Finds ■ Watch This Space ■ Step Out
■ Know ■ The Shelf ■ Tech Mums
bump + beyond13 Diary
14 Get Into Position When it comes to baby-making, are some positions better than others?
18 Try and Try AgainIt can come as a shock when getting pregnant this time around is proving to be a bit more difficult but secondary infertility is more common than you think.
22 Babies After 40With more and more women completing higher education, climbing the corporate ladder or even waiting till they have their finances in order, many are waiting until later in life to have a child. And while many go on to have successful pregnancies into their early forties, it no doubt comes with increased risks.
26 An SG50 Special
new mum's buyers guide27 Feelin’ PumpedFinding the perfect breast pump is crucial whether you are a stay-at-home mum or a working mum. Let MH help you in choosing the perfect breast pump to milk out the most of your dollar.
early years34 Colour My Cosy HavenPlanning a nursery? Or looking to give your child’s room a complete makeover? MH shares some ideas to create that special space your child will be proud to call his own.
37 Tackling the Terrible TwosTantrums, cries and yells are dreaded by every parent whose child is experiencing the terrible twos. Find out what is going on with your child during this stage and learn how to tame the terrible twos.
40 Separation AnxietyMH explores what separation anxiety is, its causes, and how it can be resolved.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
14 37
CONTENTS February 2015
the zone■ Fab Finds ■ Watch This Space ■ Step Out
■ Know ■ The Shelf ■ Tech Mums
bump + beyond13 Diary
14 Get Into Position When it comes to baby-making, are some positions better than others?
18 Try and Try AgainIt can come as a shock when getting pregnant this time around is proving to be a bit more difficult but secondary infertility is more common than you think.
22 Babies After 40With more and more women completing higher education, climbing the corporate ladder or even waiting till they have their finances in order, many are waiting until later in life to have a child. And while many go on to have successful pregnancies into their early forties, it no doubt comes with increased risks.
26 An SG50 Special
new mum's buyers guide27 Feelin’ PumpedFinding the perfect breast pump is crucial whether you are a stay-at-home mum or a working mum. Let MH help you in choosing the perfect breast pump to milk out the most of your dollar.
early years34 Colour My Cosy HavenPlanning a nursery? Or looking to give your child’s room a complete makeover? MH shares some ideas to create that special space your child will be proud to call his own.
37 Tackling the Terrible TwosTantrums, cries and yells are dreaded by every parent whose child is experiencing the terrible twos. Find out what is going on with your child during this stage and learn how to tame the terrible twos.
40 Separation AnxietyMH explores what separation anxiety is, its causes, and how it can be resolved.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
66 Pretty Me Up for the Season of Love and Celebration Pretty yourself up this Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year with these pampering treatments.
70 Valentine’s Day Dining Guide
72 We Love…Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
experts say25 40 Weeks
44 Health Matters
45 Mind your Manners
49 First Classroom
in every issue6 Ed Says
74 Babes & Bubs
76 Subscription
juniors52 We Try, You Try: Come, Let’s Play On!
54 Valentine’s Crafts: Just for Mums and DadsMums, get your little ones to make these oh-so-sweet Valentine’s Day crafts for Dad, or dads, if you’re reading this, why not get messy making one for Mum. Don’t forget about Granny and Gramps too!
56 Learning a Second LanguageIs it important that you raise your child to be bilingual? And if you decide to, when do you begin and how should you do it?
modern mums60 Mums@Work: Best-Dressed MumMother of two, Alicia Cho, 31, tells MH all about setting up her first business and how her family keeps her going.
62 Mum and Dad Date Night Keeping a relationship strong can sometimes be pretty difficult. Throw kids into the mix and it can get all the more challenging. But a regular "date night" is always important in keeping the chemistry alive.
56
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
46special feature
BUMP+BEYOND
When it comes to baby-making, do positions matter and are some better than others? MH finds out.
WORDS SHERRY YONG
Get Into Position
T rying to conceive and
wondering if positions during
sex actually matter? Chances
are, you might have heard of stories
where keeping your hips raised or legs
up in the air can enhance your efforts
at baby making. After all, gravity might
just help ease the challenging journey
that the sperm embarks on to the egg.
Survival of the FittestDarwinism states that humankind
is only where it is now after years of
evolution, where the weak is weeded
out and only the toughest survive. It is
then, perhaps unsurprising to note that
the fertilisation process bears a similar
resemblance, where only the fastest
and strongest sperm survives.
According to Dr Rajesh
Hemashree, consultant, Department of
Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Singapore
General Hospital, “A man normally
deposits around a 100 million sperm
into the vagina of a woman at the time
of ejaculation. Contractions of the
womb and the tube propel the sperm
up, but ultimately only 50 to 100 of
these sperm actually reach the broader
part of the tube called the ampulla,
where fertilisation normally occurs.”
And this is only the beginning.
As the sperm carries on its journey,
it undergoes a special reaction in the
womb that will accord it with greater
energy, maturity and mobility. However,
not all sperm are equal and only
some achieve this. Following this,
Dr Hemashree explains that the sperm
then has to penetrate through several
layers of the cells surrounding the egg
before they can reach it.
BUMP+BEYOND
14 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
When a sperm has finally
succeeded in penetration, the egg
coat immediately hardens so that
no other sperm can penetrate it
further. Only then does the sperm
nucleus fuse with the nucleus of
the egg to create an embryo, which
eventually develops into a foetus and
is delivered as a baby. As she aptly
sums up: “Every child is a creation of
a victorious sperm.”
Going DeepWith the journey to the egg being
such an arduous affair, you might
wonder, are there specific positions
— in other words, shortcuts — that
you can engage in to give those
determined swimmers a headstart?
Well, the short answer is no.
“Positions have no influence on
the fertilisation of the eggs. Many
women think that remaining supine for
an interval after intercourse facilitates
sperm transport and prevents leakage
of semen from the vagina. However it
is the liquid component of the semen
that flows out and usually the motile
sperm swims forward into the female
genital tract,” says Dr Hermashree.
What this means is that if
you were planning to get into an
awkward position rivaling that of a
yoga pose to boost your chances of
conception, you might want to hold
that thought. Scientific evidence, or
the lack of it, says you don’t have to.
Rather than specific positions
per se, what matters more is the
level of depth achieved. Taking
it all the way could help sperm
migrate faster to the favourable
environement of the cervix. “The
vagina is quite acidic and we want
the sperm to be deposited quite
high up so that they can quickly
swim into the more favourable pH
of the womb,” she says.
This is because the vagina’s
acidic nature make it a generally
hostile place for sperm to exist in.
In Sperm Competition in Humans:
Classic and Contemporary
Readings, editors Todd Shackelford
and Nicholas Pound revealed that
the average pH level in the vagina
ranges from 5.8 to 3.5, but sperm
is immobilised at pH levels 6.5 and
below. Even at the neutral pH level of
7, the sperm’s ability to penetrate the
cervical mucus is minimal.
Instead, normal rates of
penetration occur at pH level 7.5,
and tend to improve considerably
at pH level 8.25 and beyond. This
is mostly made possible by the
presence of semen, which acts as a
buffer between sperm and the acidic
environment with its pH level of 7
to 7.8.
Bearing in mind that sperm
can only live for a maximum of
10 to 12 hours within the acidic
environment of the vagina, it is
therefore reasonable to surmise
that by reducing the exposure of
sperm to such acidity through full
penile penetration, sperm motility
will be maintained and chances of
conception will eventually be higher.
Hitting the Right SpotAt this point, you might be a little
overwhelmed by the amount of detail
that goes into successful baby-making.
But fret not, for the most important
part of the process is simply having
a good time.
Sperm is found in the female genital tract within a few minutes of ejaculation, regardless of the position adopted during intercourse.
Likewise, Dr Kelly Loi, obstetrician
and gynaecologist, and fertility and
IVF specialist at the Health & Fertility
Centre for Women, believes that
choice of position does not make a
significant difference, mainly because
healthy sperm should be motile and
be able to swim well through the
reproductive tract anyway.
“The most important thing
about sex is that it is not painful or
uncomfortable, that it is enjoyable, and
that it is done often – ideally two to
DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015 • 15
Rather than being overly conscious of whether you’re in the best position for baby making, Dr Hermashree recommends that you pick the position that brings you and your partner the most convenience and comfort.
BUMP+BEYOND
When it comes to baby-making, do positions matter and are some better than others? MH finds out.
WORDS SHERRY YONG
Get Into Position
T rying to conceive and
wondering if positions during
sex actually matter? Chances
are, you might have heard of stories
where keeping your hips raised or legs
up in the air can enhance your efforts
at baby making. After all, gravity might
just help ease the challenging journey
that the sperm embarks on to the egg.
Survival of the FittestDarwinism states that humankind
is only where it is now after years of
evolution, where the weak is weeded
out and only the toughest survive. It is
then, perhaps unsurprising to note that
the fertilisation process bears a similar
resemblance, where only the fastest
and strongest sperm survives.
According to Dr Rajesh
Hemashree, consultant, Department of
Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Singapore
General Hospital, “A man normally
deposits around a 100 million sperm
into the vagina of a woman at the time
of ejaculation. Contractions of the
womb and the tube propel the sperm
up, but ultimately only 50 to 100 of
these sperm actually reach the broader
part of the tube called the ampulla,
where fertilisation normally occurs.”
And this is only the beginning.
As the sperm carries on its journey,
it undergoes a special reaction in the
womb that will accord it with greater
energy, maturity and mobility. However,
not all sperm are equal and only
some achieve this. Following this,
Dr Hemashree explains that the sperm
then has to penetrate through several
layers of the cells surrounding the egg
before they can reach it.
BUMP+BEYOND
14 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015Click here to read more!
My Cosy HavenColour
EARLY YEARS
34 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Planning a nursery? Or looking to give your child’s room a complete makeover? MH shares some ideas to create that special space your child will be proud to call his own.
WORDS RACHEL KWEK
My Cosy HavenColour
EARLY YEARS
34 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Planning a nursery? Or looking to give your child’s room a complete makeover? MH shares some ideas to create that special space your child will be proud to call his own.
WORDS RACHEL KWEK
Besides spring cleaning the
house, have you always
wanted to give your child’s
bedroom a new look? Whether you
are going to embark on decorating the
nursery for your newborn or looking
to give your child’s current bedroom a
makeover, here are some ideas, with
a dash of Feng Shui philosophy, to get
you started.
The use of Feng Shui aims to
create the right balance of ‘yin’ and
‘yang’ energy in our spaces and to
balance our energy with that of our
spaces. This can be done in many
ways such as arranging furniture in
particular ways or using colours to
moderate energy and mood. For
bedroom walls, it is recommended that
soothing colours that are neither too
light nor too dark are used. Pastels
such as lilac, sky blue and cream
are excellent choices whereas bright
primary colours, especially red, should
be avoided as they are considered too
stimulating. It is hard for anyone to rest
in a space where there is too much
energy. Steer clear of neons for the
same reason.
Feng Shui Master Jet Lee from
Way OnNet Group shares that the
2015 Year of the Goat is represented
by the elements Wood (Yi) and Earth
(Wei), translating to an overwhelming
presence of Wood. He says this
confrontation between the Wood
and Earth element can be softened
by introducing the Fire element –
expressed by the colours red and
orange. This makes them 2015’s
auspicious colours, which can be
incorporated into our lives by ways
such as wearing them or using them in
our home décor.
Besides painting the walls, ways
to add splashes of auspicious colours
to your child’s bedroom décor are
aplenty. Take note of the auspicious
colours of 2015 for your child (and
yourself) shown in the little sheep
RATDRAGONSNAKE
RATDRAGONSNAKE
figures scattered amidst the article and what we’ve put together to incorporate
these colours into his bedroom! Have fun picking out new bedroom colours to create
a space your little one will be proud to call his own.
White White is the colour of all colours of the visible spectrum
combined. Synonymous with purity, innocence and
cleanliness, this colour is often used to make spaces
look bright, clean and spacious. Although not considered
a stimulating colour, white is said to encourage imagination
and creativity. White is also the colour of reflection and independence.
Being in a space with lots of white can encourage the purifying of one’s thoughts
and emotions and invigorate his spirits. If your child is prone to emotional upsets,
consider painting walls in shades of white, which promotes the feeling of security
and peace. It also brings about a sense of order and efficiency, so having white
furniture may just give your child the little push to keep his personal space organised.
The colour to use if you’re looking to declutter your space, it’s also easy-to-work-
with and goes well with any other colour you may want to have in the décor.
GoldGold evokes images of opulence, success and affluence;
think gold medals, gold cards and lavish interiors. A colour
that represents compassion, abundance and prosperity,
gold has long been associated with royalty. This optimistic
and warm colour can be used to introduce masculine
(“yang”) energy into your child’s bedroom. It is also said to be the colour of wisdom
& enlightenment. Gold can be used to create earthy or lavish looks with its range of
brilliant and muted shades. It goes particularly well with earthy shades of orange,
yellow, green and brown.
If you are keen to go bold with gold, choose a muted gold colour for the walls.
For a subtler approach, go for accents in brilliant shades of gold to illuminate the
bedroom. Muted shades of gold complement earthy oranges, greens and browns
for a cosy, rustic look. Whatever your choice, we say glow with gold!
Yellow Yellow is the colour of happiness. It embodies hope, optimism and liveliness. Also
associated with the intellect, yellow is thought to enhance mental processing
and stimulate creativity. However, the high-energy nature of this primary colour
can induce anxiety if used excessively. Painting walls in lighter shades of yellow
instantly gives the bedroom an uplifting vibe without creating an overly stimulating
environment for rest. Yellow goes well with shades of
brown, white and green. Yellow is the most visible
colour in the colour spectrum, which is why it is often
used in cautionary signs. You can make use of brighter
shades of this attention grabber to highlight focal points
in the bedroom interior.
BrownThe colour of earth, brown, denotes stability and structure. While many consider
this to be an uninteresting colour, brown is actually a versatile neutral that goes well
DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015 • 35
RATMONKEYROOSTER
Click here to read more!
JUNIORS
Mums, get your little ones to make these oh-so-sweet Valentine’s Day crafts for Dad, or dads, if you’re reading this, why not get messy making one for Mum. Don’t forget about Granny and Gramps too!
Just forMum and Dad
T his Valentine’s Day let your kiddies get crafty and show those close to them just
how important they are. Get inspired by these ideas (just as we did) or give it
your special touch, it’s all up to you! Here are two of our favourite crafts that
we came across, which are simple enough for the little one but mums; Junior might
need your help along the way.
Message in a Bottle
What you’ll need:Glass bottles
Drawing equipment
Paper in different colours
Heart Shaped Hole Puncher
Craft glue
Ribbons
String
Getting started:1. With the coloured paper, punch a whole bunch of hearts.
2. Get junior to draw or paint a picture for their Valentine, just like Javan and Jalen
Tan did for their Mummy and Daddy, or write a secret message. Tie it up with a
ribbon and place it into the bottle.
3. Pour in the hearts.
4. Decorate the bottle as you please. That’s it!
54 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Click here to read more!
Understated GlamourWear it in two ways: simple and
elegant with a single heart, or attached to three other hearts
to form a lucky four-leaf clover.Carol Pendant $255 Swarovski
Express your love for that special someone in your life with these sexy pieces.
Exclusively YoursFeaturing a majestic rose meticulously sculpted into the white mother-of-pearl dial, this limited edition timepiece comes in a collection of only 14 pieces. How can it not melt your heart?Saint Valentin’s Day 2015 piece $69,890 Blancpain
72 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
MODERNMUMS
Paint the Town Red and GoldSteal the limelight with this striking timepiece that is bold and elegant. Henry Skeleton $350 Marc by Marc Jacobs
Love BirdsThis unique bangle has cute and classy all rolled into one.
Lovebirds $2,288 Goldheart
Whispers of Sweet NothingsConvey your infinite love with these earrings- featuring diamonds set in the elegant symbol of infinity - from the Perfect Love diamond collection.Eternal Love Earrings From $348 Citigems
Click here to read more!
JUNIORS
Mums, get your little ones to make these oh-so-sweet Valentine’s Day crafts for Dad, or dads, if you’re reading this, why not get messy making one for Mum. Don’t forget about Granny and Gramps too!
Just forMum and Dad
T his Valentine’s Day let your kiddies get crafty and show those close to them just
how important they are. Get inspired by these ideas (just as we did) or give it
your special touch, it’s all up to you! Here are two of our favourite crafts that
we came across, which are simple enough for the little one but mums; Junior might
need your help along the way.
Message in a Bottle
What you’ll need:Glass bottles
Drawing equipment
Paper in different colours
Heart Shaped Hole Puncher
Craft glue
Ribbons
String
Getting started:1. With the coloured paper, punch a whole bunch of hearts.
2. Get junior to draw or paint a picture for their Valentine, just like Javan and Jalen
Tan did for their Mummy and Daddy, or write a secret message. Tie it up with a
ribbon and place it into the bottle.
3. Pour in the hearts.
4. Decorate the bottle as you please. That’s it!
54 • DIGITAL EDITION • FEBRUARY 2015
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
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LOVE– A VALENTINE’S
SPECIAL
FEEL THE
The No. 1 Choice for Mothers!February 2015
www.motherhood.com.sg
D I G I T A L E D I T I O N
HANDLING SECONDARY INFERTILITY
TACKLING THE TERRIBLE TWOS
LEARNING A SECOND
LANGUAGE
HOW
2DEAL DON’T
LEAVE, MUMMY!
WHEN SEPARATION
ANXIETY HITS
PLAN ME A ROOMWHAT’S YOUR BEST COLOUR FOR THE YEAR
LOVE ISIN THE
AIRWHY DATE
NIGHTSMATTER
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
READ OUR EXCLUSIVE STORIES WRITTEN JUST FOR YOU!
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Want a of pack Babylove Growpants? Simply count how many cupids appear in this issue and send us your answer together with your name and IC to [email protected] correct entries will get a pack of these diapers. Contest ends: 23 Feb 2015.
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