Confinement…

Mum cooking!!


Chicken with sesame oil, ginger and rice wine. Yummy!!


Freezer filled with lots & lots of meat (for the very 1st time! :))


6 herbs for my daily drink!


Herbs for bath.


Some people may dread the confinement period, while others enjoy every moment of it. Thank God I fall under the latter category! Hohoho!

God has truly been blessing me. I’m so glad to have Mum around to take care of me during this period. She’s a real blessing. She took care of me like I’m a baby myself!

Just a sharing about confinement for the Chinese, taken from http://www.anmum.com/ :

The Chinese have a confinement period of 1 month. But they are also advised to restrain from sexual activities for 100 days. During this 1 month confinement period, a confinement lady is normally employed for a month to live with the family and take care of the new mother and baby. There are 5 definite taboos during the Chinese confinement period.

1. The new mother is not allowed to wash her hair during the entire period. The reason generally given for this is that washing your hair after delivery is believed to affect the discharge of "unclean matter" from the womb, and to cause various physical irregularities like slackened internal organs, waist pains, poor blood circulation and dark pigmentation. For this reason, many Chinese women prefer to cut their hair short before delivery. Dry shampoos are a common alternative. These are available at all leading pharmacies. Bathing is only done with Chinese herb infused hot water only. These special herbs are available at all Chinese Medical Halls.

2. Another big no-no is excessive sweating and coming into contact with wind. The thinking behind this is that sweating further expands the pores allowing wind to enter the weakened body. Therefore, new mothers are advised not to consume foods that are too hot, and to wipe away sweat immediately.

3. Reading books and watching TV are also not recommended for more than 15 minutes because the eyes are thought to age first. Similarly, crying is also not encouraged.

4. For up to 6 months after delivery, new Chinese mothers are advised not to carry heavy loads to avoid the further slackening of internal organs and to prevent backaches. The right way to carry your baby is to sit, carry, then stand.

5. Water and cold drinks are not consumed for 21 days after delivery because they are thought to have a bad effect on the metabolism, causing among other things, rheumatism. Chinese women generally drink rice wine with the alcohol evaporated and the red date water.

Currently, being a “modernized” Chinese, we don’t really follow the above said taboos. However, we do follow taboo nos. 1, 2 & 5, except that we modify them (of course) to suit our lifestyle. I’m bathing with Chinese herbs – not sure what they are really for but I just follow what seems good for me. Well, there’s nothing to lose!

I’ve already started washing my hair on the 4th day of my confinement, but not sure whether it was due to that that I got a headache the following day! In fact I felt slightly hot and exposed myself to the cool breeze that was coming in to our 7th floor apartment. (yikes!) I got myself into further trouble then! My feet, arms and hands were literally aching and I was suffering from headache as well. I couldn’t do the “night shift” then. Hubby had to take full time night shift that night as I was totally knocked out. Thank God for hubby and my speedy recovery. After that, I took a little bit more initiative to listen and follow the advises of my beloved mum, mum-in-law and all who have gone through this before me!

Mum has been boiling Chinese herbs (6 in 1) for me every morning for my consumption from day to night – mum says it’s good for the body systems, including the eyes, kidney, blood circulation, etc. It tastes good so I don’t mind consuming them! Hehe…

Honestly, the drinks and all the confinement food prepared by mum are super-licious! I enjoyed every bit of it. Mum’s been cooking for me chicken cooked with sesame oil, ginger and rice wine and I didn’t get bored of it. It’s super yummy and I finally get to eat home-cooked food for at least a month! What a great blessing to have mum and mum-in-law (MIL) around! MIL will do the weekly buying of all the meat and vegetables, etc and mum will do the cooking. Mum also helps me in doing all the house chores as well as teaching me about taking care of baby Sarah. My house looks more like a family house now and my kitchen looks more like a “real” kitchen with lots of food in the fridge and an oily floor :)

Thank God for MUMS during confinement!!

In Britannia with sisters - thank U! :)

Midwife - Sister Rajes (day shift) & me















Midwife - Sister Thila (night shift) & me















Meals are not included in, but the staff nurses there did care to make me drink and bread whenever i'm hungry. :)















Some pretty nice “gifts” from Britannia + sponsored items.

Baby Sarah was born... 15th March 2008

Princess Sarah has turned 7 days old today… hehehe…

On her birthday, she was weighing 2.95kg (6.5 pounds), having 50cm body length and 31cm head circumference. She’s a healthy and beautiful baby :)

Thank God for a beautiful girl such as her. Every time I see her, I would not cease giving praise to Her Maker, because she seemed so perfect in every way as was promised by Her Maker that she is fearfully and wonderfully made. She’s such a darling in our lives.

She’s a very good girl from the beginning, even when she was in my womb.
Two Saturdays ago (8th March 08) – at 38th week of my pregnancy, our gynae, Dr Tan, says that delivery will be anytime in the coming week – latest would be on Saturday (his prediction!) He gave me one week MC since my office is not near the hospital. I took that time to stay in my in-laws house so that there’ll be people with me (in case) anything happen during the week. Day after day, nothing seemed to take place. No contraction, no pain, no activity, no drama (kekeke)… However, during this time, I spent much of my time praying, worship and also reading some pregnancy materials, and not forgetting sms-ing friends! I prayed that baby will not be out until later during weekend, or at least when hubby is at home by night. I did not want to go through this without him by my side. I told the Lord, I do not want him to miss a single thing.

Baby has been obedient. Hehe… She seems comfortable inside me during that one week of “rest” – well, more like a mixed feeling of excitement, fear and anxiety. My family in Melaka asked me, “When? When?” Well, I wished I knew! Haha! My brother had just gone through a busy week during the election period. He became sick during the time, and so did my sis-in-law and nephew. My sister had just booked a car which was promised to be ready by mid-February, but sadly, the car dealer did not present it as promised. Mum was also praying that baby Sarah will only be out after the election period and best is on weekend. Things were busy back at home – taking care of the family, the house chores, etc. We just prayed for a timely delivery.

Finally, the weekend arrived! I was on the phone with mum in the morning, and I told her we’re seeing the doctor that morning to tell him that his prediction’s wrong! Haha! And so we headed to the hospital for a checkup, took a number and lo and behold, it was no. 5 at that time, and ours was no. 22! What a long wait! It was about 11+ am then. To kill time, we went out to the town nearby to do some shopping. But then, the drama began…. (time is just an approximate)

1.40pm Felt a leak!

1.45pm Water bag burst (while shopping), rush back to hospital.

2.00pm Admit to labor ward to monitor baby’s heartbeat and contraction – JUMPED QUEUE! Kakaka! Dilation was about 3-4cm. Midwife asked to rest in my room. She said it’s not time yet.

3.00pm Resting in room, walking about, drink a glass of milo + biscuits, waiting for contraction pain.

4.20pm Dr Tan came in to check me out! No signs of pain but dilation was about 4-5cm. He said, “OK, it’s time!”

4.30pm Admit to labor ward (again). Put me on drips to encourage contraction. Still no pain. Hallelujah! Waiting… waiting…

5.30pm Dr Tan came in to check me out (again). He asked if there is pain. I said no pain, just feeling a bit uncomfortable at my lower back. Dilation about 6-7cm, increased drip dosage.

6.00pm Contraction pain started. Dilation about 8cm.

6.45pm Urged to push.

7.00pm Baby Sarah is born!!!! :)

Thank God for a speedy process! All that I asked for in prayer, He has granted. God is so good to me. I prayed for a smooth, fast and painless delivery. I know that I can’t ask for painless but at least a bearable pain, and truly, He has granted it to me.

Daddy, Mummy and baby Sarah made a great team as I’ve always talked to her before she was born to work together during labor. She’s such an obedient girl. Good girl! You did that for us. Mummy didn’t feel so much pain and YES! We did it!

To my family and all my friends, we couldn’t have done it without your prayers and support. Thank you ALL for praying and for being there for me… for us. I could really sense all the love surrounding me in the room.

To Dr Tan, midwives Sister Thila & Sister Rajes, and nurses Rekha and Liza, thank you for all the guidance and encouragements. We could never have done it without your expertise and great help. Dr Tan, your "prediction" was right! (Free advertisement for Britannia Women & Children Specialist Centre, Kajang… kakaka!) You guys are great!

God is so good, Amen?!

Baby Sarah life journal – from Mummy with love

Name: Sarah Chong Huey Xin



Meaning of Sarah: Princess
Meaning of Chinese name (Huey Xin): Wisdom and Intelligence & Joy and Happiness

Why “Sarah”?

Silas & I were looking through some baby names website – looking for names for our baby girl and their meanings, knowing that it’ll be a girl, according to our gynae, Dr Tan – from Britannia Women & Children Specialist Centre, Kajang. We listed down a few nice names but yet, none of them really gave us any impression or conviction in the end.

Aunty Sri Anne prophesied to us on 2nd December, during the second trimester of my pregnancy, that our baby will bring glory to His name on high. We searched high and low for a name that represented God’s glory but none actually gave us the conviction that that will be the name of our newborn.

Months later, I had an impression of baby being a princess in our lives as well as the lives of many others around her. It happened one fine evening, as Silas parked our car at the roadside in Kajang town, he went down to look for something in a camera shop and I was then in the car praying for baby. Again the impression of a princess came to me, and as I was looking at my surroundings, I saw a shop right before my eyes named “Princess” – it was a shop selling ladies’ shoes and heels. At that time, I knew it was a confirmation of who our child will be named after. I went back and search in the net and found the name “Sarah” to have the meaning of a “Princess”. It was like another confirmation, as recalling 2-3 years ago, Silas and I were leisurely looking for names of our future babies. At that time, the name Sarah came to us because we liked it and it was in our top list of baby’s name. (However, we forgotten (how could we?! :p) all about that in recent months, until I saw that name again on the website!)

So, the name “Sarah” shall be it! God has a great plan for baby Sarah and that she will be like a princess so likable to many. As a princess, she shall bring glory to our Lord Almighty! Baby Sarah will have the joy of the Lord, the hope of the Lord, the glory of God, the love and peace that many will find when baby Sarah is born into this world.

The fruit of the spirit is LOVE, JOY and PEACE!

For the Lord, our God is a god of love, joy and peace. Baby Sarah will bring the presence of the Lord to wherever she goes. Amen!


Now… how about “Huey Xin”?

The meaning of “Huey” in Chinese is “wisdom” and “intelligent”
The meaning of “Xin” in Chinese is “joy” and “happiness”

Silas had an impression in his heart to have a “Wei” in our baby’s Chinese name (Since he has a ‘Wooi” in his name! In mandarin, it’s pronounced as “Wei”, and in Cantonese, it’s “Wai”) Being uncertain of how the characteristics will be or shall be, he was still sure that it will be a “Wei” – but then again, which “Wei”?

Being one who is not Chinese educated, it was quite difficult for him to choose the name. It took him a couple of months to really be sure of how he would want to name his precious little one. J

However, towards the end of the final term, the impression for the name got stronger and he decided in the end to name her “Huey Xin”. Looking through the Chinese dictionary and how to write the name in Chinese character had indeed shown how serious he was in looking for the right and best name to bestow upon our baby. We wanted the best for her and thus, choosing a name for baby is such a great responsibility as parents to be. It’s the beginning of an interesting journey!

So shall it be that our baby shall be called “Chong Huey Xin”. The wisdom of God shall be upon her and she will grow to be an intelligent woman. The joy of the Lord shall come upon her and bring forth joy and happiness to everyone around her.

Even from in her mother’s womb, she shall learn the first 2 commandments: She shall love her God with all her heart, with all her soul, and with all her mind… and she shall love her neighbor as herself.

She will inherit all the good genes from her daddy and mummy. She will grow to have a pure heart for “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” – Matthew 5:8. She shall be one who has a great heart, who will go all out for God and for His people. She shall be a mother to many nations and she will bring forth the wisdom and joy of the Lord to those nations. Our God reigns! Amen!

Prayer from baby to God, the Father

Ever since in the early days of pregnancy, I taught baby a prayer to God, the Father.

When Cho Hon, one of my church leaders, knew of how worried I was about losing a child during pregnancy, she gave me a word and told me to keep meditating on it on behalf of baby.

The verses are taken from Psalm 139: 13 – 18

For You have formed my inward parts;
You have covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!

God is so good to us to have blessed us with a perfect little being. Thank you, Jesus, for Your promises and love to us!

38 weeks

Visited my gynae last weekend, and he told hubby and i that it's gonna be anytime this week! He said it's a "definite thing". No doubt about it!

Was i prepared? Hmmm... well, i told him, i hope it's not until end of the coming week. I've still got some work to finish up :p

Dr Tan: I can't tell exactly when except that Saturday would be the latest! Your body's ready... You have to listen to your body.

Me: But i think i need to get myself prepared mentally and emotionally! And especially to go through the pain!

Dr Tan: Aaahhh.... when the time comes, and when the baby is in your arms, you'll forget all the pains you went through...

I just smiled.... Feeling anxious all over!!!

He gave me a week MC, knowing that my office is far from the specialist centre and he said i cant be traveling in the jam (IF) i'm at work and that labor may start anytime! What scary thought!

So... it's waiting time for baby to arrive safely to see the world... :)
Pray for me for a safe delivery - FAST, SMOOTH & PAINLESS!
Pray for baby to be healthy and pretty!:)
Pray for hubby for continuous strength!

All in all, i thank my God for such blessings in advance! God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! All glory and honour be to Him! Amen!

ewww!!! House lizards!!

Walking up the stairs to my office, holding on to the trustable railing, i suddenly felt something soft at the tip of my fingers! i pressed upon it rather hard actually and just out of curiosity, i looked and wondered what's that softy stuff that i've just pressed, thinking it was an old rubber that's coming off the railing or something like that!

Unfortunately for my fingers, it was a lizard - quite large for a house lizard actually! ewww!! it was horrible!!! i didn't like the look of it, nor the feeling of it. In fact, i hate creepy crawly stuff or any insects that crawl or fly! That's just NOT my kind of "toy"! That's my hubby's kind of toy... well, he just loves playing with creepy crawly stuff! ewww!!!

Coincidentally, this morning, hubby and i were just talking and laughing about my experience on dissecting insects back in Form 6 days! I cant imagine the "trauma" i went through. hehe... How i went through it then was a question unanswered, but i did it anyway! Good ol me! :)

I've dissected my dreaded enemy - "the Roach!", some other bugs and every other flying and crawling creatures and of course - not an insect but a little mammal - the Rats - 2 of em! kekeke...

Restless sleep... *yawn*

Every morning routine is to wake up at 6, get prepared for work and head to office, which is about 30km drive and would take probably about 40-60 minutes to reach (depending on traffic and how early we leave the house)

It's been rather tiring to do this everyday, but since it has already become part of our daily routine, we kinda gotten the hang of it... but honestly, sometimes, i'll still be dragging my feet to wake up - blame it on the habit of sleeping so late almost every night!

Well, it's different these days... and more different for the past couple of months when it's becoming a routine for me to wake up every 2 hours or so to answer the call of nature or to re-position myself on my supposedly comfortable bed. Sleeping early may not be a solution for me for now, even though yes, it does help a lil... but every morning, i do struggle to keep awake and sometimes struggle throughout the day.

This is my life for now... and until after my baby's born. I guess this is just a preparation for more sleepless nights, as everyone claims after having their kids! *gosh*

Labour pains?!

I've been hearing lots of stories about labour... about the waiting times, the pains, the contractions, the false alarms, the different stages one have to go through during the last weeks of pregnancy - it could be for hours or even days!

I do hear people telling me of how painful it is and there is nothing else in this world that can be compared with this kind of pain. However, on the other hand, i also hear people telling me that it is "nothing". It's gonna be painful only for a short moment and after that, the joy of holding your baby in our arms and all the pains don't really matter anymore. A friend asked me last night, "So... are you ready for parenthood?" I said, "I guess i am, but i am not ready for labour! If only i could skip that part!!!" :p

I'm not sure what i've gotten myself into, as in... why am i feeding myself with so much fears and worries?! As I looked around, I've learned that so many mothers went through it - right from the beginning and since millions of years ago - and they've all survived! So why should I be afraid? *taking a deeeeeeep breath and trying to calm myself down* :)

"Still" by Hillsong United
Album: Hope (2003)

Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are king over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

I pray that together with Silas, we will go through this period with victory in our hands. Thank you, Lord for being there with us. Amen!