24 Yoga Poses for Beginners

Yoga is a spiritual, mental and physical practice that’s been around for centuries. Today, there are several types of yoga that vary in difficulty and speed. While different yoga types feel different, they are all extremely beneficial for your mental and physical health.

The great thing about yoga is there are very few limitations to start. You just need a yoga map and simply pick a basic yoga routine (yoga poses for beginners) and follow along at home anytime you like.   

The benefits of practicing yoga are as below;
✔️ Better flexibility, posture, balance and sleep(try uttanasana, halasana or savasana)
✔️ More strength and energy(try utthita trikonasana, utkatasana and salabhasana)
✔️ Better circulation(try downward dog, chair and warrior poses), immunity(try bridge, shoulder stands and head stands), respiration(try cow, cobra and gate poses) and memory(try padahastasana)
✔️ Boost your metabolism, improve digestion and weight loss
✔️ Less stress and anxiety 
✔️ Provides an inner calmness 
✔️ Improves your outlook on life

Preeclampsia and Eclampsia

May is preeclampsia awareness month. So I would like to know more about what is preeclampsia and eclampsia. After reading so many preeclampsia related articles, now I am quite worried I might getting it. Below is the poster for your basic understanding of preeclampsia; 

You may also find the below link for your reading;
https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/health-awareness/preeclampsia-awareness-month.html


Prevention is better than cure. It is advice to do the below to prevent preeclampsia:

✔️ Consume less salt
✔️ Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
✔️ Don't eat a lot of fried foods and junk food
✔️ Get enough rest, lying on your left side to take the weight of the baby off your major blood vessels.
✔️ Include more protein, vegetables and fruits in your diet
✔️ Elevate your feet several times during the day
✔️ Avoid drinking alcohol and beverages containing caffeine 

Did you every feel like you were never going to get pregnant?

I thought I would be the girl that would never get pregnant, never get to enjoy life's greatest joy. I thought I would never see the day where there would actually be two lines on a pregnancy test, but I did and when I did I couldn't believe it. I'm 17 weeks pregnant now and it still hasn't settled in, I still can't imagine my baby in my arms. 

16 Weeks - Prenatal Check Up

2 days ago was my 16 weeks prenatal check up at Metro IVF Puchong branch. The first thing to do when reached the clinic was taking urine tests to test for glucose and protein in the urine. If the tester didn't change colour meaning you're safe from diabetes and preeclampsia. 


After that, I checked my weight, oh gosh, I have put on weight 1kg in three weeks. The total weight gain of 16 weeks of pregnancy was 2.5 kgs which I think is reasonable😅. I believe I'll put on more weights in my 2nd and 3rd trimester pregnancy.

Most of the times I don't have to wait for a long hours to see doctor. After waiting 15-20 mins, it's my turn to see doctor Tee. Doctor Tee is an experienced, professional and friendly doctor. You can speak any three languages English, Mandarin and Bahasa with him even dialect - Hokkien. First, doctor Tee did ultrasound scan to check baby's heart beating then baby's head circumference and cervix length. Everything was fine, baby's heart was beating, baby's head circumference and cervix length 4.02 cm and the cone was small. As informed by doctor, cervix length which is 2.5 cm or shorter than 2.5 cm would be a red flag and must admit to the hospital.

There is a 20-40% of chances of miscarriage before a baby's heart beating; a 5% of chances of miscarriage after hear a baby's heart beating and a 2% of chances of miscarriage after 3 months pregnant. Therefore, the antenatal check up for a pregnant lady is very important to ensure a healthy and smooth pregnancy.

After that, doctor Tee followed up with us again whether to do the Non-invasive chromosomes check (NICC) blood test as I'm 35 years old this year. It's totally up to your own decision but doctor Tee was encouraging us to do it for a peace of mind as it's 99% of accuracy to test for Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome. After due consideration, my husband decided to have the blood test. It costs RM 2k +++. The reason my husband decided to do it is because his friend's baby was die after 6 months birth due to heart problem which his friend only found out the problem later. 

Last but not least, doctor Tee took blood pressure for me and scheduled the next appointment in 2 weeks.

13 Weeks - First trimester screening (T1 Scan)

First trimester screening is a prenatal test that offers early information about a baby's risk of certain chromosomal conditions like Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome).

Typically, first trimester screening is done between weeks 11 and 13 of pregnancy. 

If results show that your risk level is moderate or high, you might choose to follow first trimester screening with another test that's more definitive.

As the nuchal translucency measurement increases, so does the risk of Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. The accuracy rate of the nuchal translucency screening is just 70-75%.

I have done my first trimester screening at week 13 in Metro IVF, Puchong branch. The result came out shows everything is fine. My baby's average heart beat rate is 154bpm, baby 's size is 6.89cm and the size of the clear space in the tissue at the back of baby's neck (nuchal translucency measurement) is 0.90mm.