Believing that parents armed with the knowledge on nutrition, exercise, prenatal tests and financial budgeting can have a smoother pregnancy journey, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s will be hosting a public forum to prepare mothers- and fathers-to-be for their transition into parenthood.  
 
The following experts will be speaking at the forum:

• Professor George Yeo Seow Heong – Chief of Obstetrics, Head and Emeritus consultant, Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KKH
• Ms Christina Choi – Principal Genetic Counsellor, Antenatal Diagnostic Centre, KKH
• Ms Ang Bixia – Senior Dietitian, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, KKH
• Ms Catherine Chua – Head, Physiotherapy Department and Senior Principal Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation Centre, KKH
• Ms Jasmine Lim – Senior Medical Social Worker, Medical Social Work, KKH
• Ms Peggy Chan – Financial Literacy Trainer, Institute for Financial Literacy, Singapore Polytechnic

 
 
Event details
Date: Saturday, 20 May 2017
Time: 2.00pm to 5.00pm (Registration begins at 1.30pm)
Venue: Bras Basah Room, Level 4, Raffles City Convention Centre
Registration Fee: $10 per participant, $15 per couple (includes light tea refreshment)
 
For more details on how to register as well as topic that will be covered at the forum, please click on this link.
 
Pre-registration is required. Seats are based on first-come, first-served basis.

I was asked before - why must we have deep relaxation at the end of our yoga class? Maybe she was thinking, "Why does Vanda make us lie here in the dark? Why not just let us go home earlier?"
There is a purpose to the darkness. Deep relaxation at the end of a yoga session helps us to regulate our breathing and enjoy the benefits of all the poses we just did. In addition, we learn to observe our body and breathing and be aware of any imbalances in our bodies.
Additional benefits for mothers-to-be in our prenatal yoga classes are learning an abilty to unwind upon demand and need for rest.
So let go and enjoy that few minutes of darkness after class!

Whenever someone mentions the word detox, we tend to think of some boring regimen in which you have to give up all flavour from your diet.  But, it’s not true!  Some of the most flavourful and tasty and natural! spices are actually great for digestion and can help the body clear itself of unwanted toxins. 

These are the best spices we’ve found that naturally detox the body when eaten regularly:

-Garlic:  both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory

-Lemons: great for cleansing the liver and Vitamin C clears out cell damage

-Turmeric: clears out the liver and digestive tract

-Flaxseed:  contains high amounts of fibre to flush digestive system

-Cayenne: encourages digestion and gives your food a nice, spicy kick!

-Ginger:  both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and great to clear up a sore throat

If you want to add a little detox power to your everyday eats, try to incorporate a few or more of these into each meal for a healthier, cleaner diet, without losing any of the flavour!

Pelvic training, or pelvic floor muscle exercise,was discovered by Dr.Arnold Kegel in 1948 and has been proven to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and improve urethral and rectal sphincter function. By doing so, it directly treats incontinence, tones your pelvic floor muscle as well as increases your sensitivity during sexual intercourse. Pelvic exercise help improve muscles tone by strengthening the pubococcygeus muscles of the pelvic floor.                                  
Who needs pelvic training?                          
Pelvic training is recommended for:            
1.First time mothers preparing for pregnancy and childbirth. It is best to strengthen the pelvic floor before pregnancy, so that the pelvic floor can handle the stress that pregnancy brings. It is even more crucial for mothers to continue pelvic training after delivery in order to heal and strengthen their pelvic floor from the strain of pregnancy.
2. Mothers with multiple children. With each pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscle is increasingly strained, and focused rehabilitation is necessary to rejuvenate it to its optimal health.                
3. Women who have experienced any of the following symptoms:                      
- One or more episodes of involuntary leaking.        
- Decline in quality of sex life.                            
- Perpetual back pain

The most common causes of strain to the pelvic floor muscle are:                                  
- Pregnancy & childbirth                          
Pregnancy is the number one cause for pelvic floor muscle weakening in women, regardless of the method of delivery. During pregnancy, the weight of the baby is fully supported by the pelvic floor muscle for 9 consecutive months, causing a huge strain on the pelvic floor and is the main reason mothers experience a decline in sexual satisfaction and episodes of urinary incontinence during/after pregnancy, which continues into the later stages of their lives.                                 
- Frequent coughing,Long term sneezing                          
- Heavy lifting                  
- Physically active lifestyle                           
- Aging & genetics                

The pelvic floor muscle can only be strengthened by pelvic training.Just like all the other muscles in our body, they become stronger with pelvic exercise. The more we train them, the stronger they become.

Start planning your music track for the labour room now ladies!
Listening to music or a recorded meditation during treatment may reduce related pain, anxiety, and fatigue, according to Scientists with the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina. 121 women undergoing breast-cancer biopsies listened to music (with their choice of instrumental jazz, piano, harp, nature sounds or world music.) or a recorded meditation (which focused on creating positive emotions), versus other women who received standard care (health care workers offering casual conversation and support.) The study revealed that the women who listened to music or meditation had greater reductions in anxiety and fatigue compared to those in the standard care group. Furthermore, those who listed to the recorded meditation had much less pain during the biopsy than those who listened to music.
 

Stay fit and keep active, for one. Obesity - especially a big belly - puts stress on the spine. To make things worse, weak back and abdominal muscles are unable to support the spine properly. Ageing plays a role, of course, and we do tend to experience more back problems as we grow older. However, studies show that the less physically fit tend to be more susceptible to back pain at any age. That is not to say you should go out and exercise strenuously, especially if you've been sedentary for a while. To prevent exercise related injury, it's important to ease yourself gently into exercise; we advocate moderate exercise done on a daily basis.                And, of course, don't smoke. Smoking increases the risk of both low back pain and sciatica. What's more, it slows down the pace of healing, because it blocks the delivery of nutrients to the spinal discs.
Yoga is also a highly suitable form of exercise for back pain and strengthening of the back.

There are mums-to-be who believe they should eat for two and rest as often as they can during pregnancy. Recent studies suggest otherwise. Researchers from the University of Alberta analyses 28 studies that looked into the relation between maternal exercise and the influences it had on babies. It was found that women who exercised during pregnancy were 31 per cent less likely to have a large baby, without increasing the odds of having a small or premature baby. The probability of having a Cesarean birth also dropped by 20 per cent.      Gaining too much weight and not engaging in physical activity during gestation has been linked to obesity in children. Researchers say that engaging in moderate exercise has been found to reduce the chances of the baby becoming obese in childhood significantly.        
What are you waiting for? Book a prenatal yoga class with us or start strolling with your partner or just get moving!
Source: Mail Online