toddlers and constipation

looking at my son everytime he passes motion can be very hurtful. not only for him, but also for me. when he passes motion, he will have this classical constipated look; as if it is really painful and hard to pass those stools. at times i wonder if i have been feeding him enough fibre. or have i not.

his face goes all red and engorged, his eyes start to water and he keeps quiet for a moment. this episode can last from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. once he finishes, life resumes normally like nothing has happened. but the trauma sticks with me. it is indeed very painful to see him struggle just to pass his stools..

constipation is a vicious cycle for toddlers with poor fibre diet. once they find it painful to pass motion, the next time they have the urge to open their bowel, they will try not to. so the stool gets harder the next time. and the cycle continues.

95% of my patients (toddlers) who have constipation are usually caused by poor fibre intake. well, toddlers can't get their own food, so the blame is definitely on the parents. sometimes parents change their toddlers' milk on a monthly basis just to get the best milk for them with the hope that their constipation disappears. most of the time changing milk does not work.

most parents forget that milk is not fibre. whether their toddlers like it or not, it is vegetables and fruits that help ease constipation. sometimes if they really hate veggies, i suggest yogurt and drinks like vitagen instead. snacking on prunes and fruits is way better than crisps. so sometimes giving in to their terrible two tantrum is not always a good thing. coz once they are hit with constipation, it can last for years if the vicious cycle is not halted.

so many things to do

There are so many things that i want to do. I want to sell things and be filthy rich, i want to go to third world countries and do humanitarian work, i want to donate money to the needy and make them smile, i want to raise my son and make him successful, i want to read books during my free time, i want to buy a persian cat and feed it till it gets really fat and cute, i want to potty train my son, and i want to do so many things in my life.

What is stopping me? cant really answer that. probably laziness or too busy with other things.. or do we need more than 24 hours a day?

pregnancy and me

when women talk about the difficulties of being pregnant, they usually talk about the same thing.

1) contraction pain

2) weight gain

3) pimples

4) skin itch

5) overactive bladder

And the list goes on and on

The above list doesnt really bother me much

So now i am going to talk about MY experience during pregnancy that REALLY bothers me

1) nauseated all the time except when i am eating - hence the excessive weight gain

2) non stop urge to sit in front of the tv and watch as many movies as i can and do nothing - i stop cooking, washing the clothes, vacuuming... Basically keeping the house clean..

3) pain in my butt when i lift my legs; especially when putting on my trousers. Gosh it hurts so bad that it feels like my legs are falling apart and that my pelvis is splitting into two

4) inability to scrub my feet and cut my toe nails - hence my horrible looking feet throughout my pregnancy

5) no sleeping position seems comfortable

6) leg cramps at night that make me cry EVERY TIME - hence the need to wake my hubby up to massage my leg at 3 in the morning

And the list goes on and on..

Love your children. They are residents of heaven.

There are so many articles and talks emphasising on good communication between partners. The problem with the society in this country is that a lot of us are too used to speak in a higher than usual tone, or simply not used to saying thank you, please and sorry. Parents fight in front of their children using harsh language and they seem to be oblivious of the facts that their behaviour is being copied by their children. After all, how bad or rough their parents are, children will still look up to their own. They still yearn for their attention and love. Even when they are terribly hit and abused, they will still run towards their parents and not away from them.

If children are allowed to choose with whom they want to hug at times they are sick and in pain, they will still choose their parents regardless of how much their parents might not care about them. How sad.. If you have seen victims of abuse at a young age, you will cry to see how inhumane some people are and how unfair life is to these helpless kids.

Once they grow bigger and wiser, then they will start to distance themselves from their parents. By that time, it will be too late for parents to undo their mistakes. Adolescent angst will prevail and continue till they leave the house for good.

Be good to your partner. Be loving and gentle. Apologise when mistakes are done. Say thank you when it is due. Be attentive to your children. Show them that you care. Hug them when they cry. Tell them that they are special. Do not hit because you are angry. Coz when you do, you will hit harder than you should. Never teach something when even we do not do it. Coz children are always better at copying than rationalising.

Arrogant doctors part 2

Again i was disturbed by a facebook posting by a newly gazetted hospital specialist critiscizing and putting down their colleagues from the primary care. She mentioned something very demeaning that to me was an unfair generalisation that could easily offend many.

Posts that put people down especially other doctors invariably invite more demeaning comments from loyal friends that are intended to support the person. So the cycle goes on and on and more people will get hurt in the process.

I strongly support the health DG of malaysia to punish this lady doctor for being unprofessional and unethical. Her arrogant, conceited and cocky remarks are a reflection of her true self that does not abide by the professional ethics of doctors.

May doctors stop thinking that one is superior to the other as there will always be moments where we will all make mistakes and fall hard to the ground.

Having a bit of humility does not hurt. Instead, It makes you bigger.

senyum itu sedekah

Charity means giving without expecting anything in return. Giving without even realising that we are, is the epitome of a charitable act.

Smiling in itself is a form of charity. At least in my religion it is,

But when we smile and people dont smile back, we get terribly offended.

So where is the spirit of charity? Arent we supposed to smile at people and be ready of not getting anything in return? Including another smile?

Get our purpose right. Or we will never stop complaining,