How to Stop Hunching

I have had the habit of hunching as far back as I can remember.. I recall making it one of my New Year resolutions when I was 12 years old. I'll be turning 31 this coming Friday (yay! It's my birthday!) and I am still hunching..even more so actually.. Well, so much for New Year resolutions huh.. Talk about lifetime ones..'I shall stop hunching by the time this lifetime of mine is over'..ha,ha what if it ends soon though...

Now, according to my best bud Google, how you sit, stand and walk determines the health of your neck, back and shoulders. I constantly have lower backaches. I've had these for a long time and now after the birth of my second child, it has gotten worse. The constant breastfeeding doesn't help either. Wearing high heeled shoes most of the time can alter your body's alignment. No problem there as I usually opt for comfy shoes..One of the perks of being a SAHM. But I do wear my high heels for functions and certain occasions. I mean all girls love shoes and I'm just as bad. So, I'm going to zone in on the 'most of the time' part and let it go. 

Ever been told to, "Stand up straight?" Keep this mantra close. If left unattended, hunching can become permanent hunching. Stick post it notes, write it down or you can even set reminders that go off at different times of the day to remind you. Imagine.. "Are you bending over?" : )

Well, what else can be done? Calcium. Don't just give your kids milk, we need it too. Our body needs 1,000mg of calcium a day and 1,500mg if you are postmenopausal. Plus, I'm breastfeeding so I really need to focus on drinking milk. Of course, I can meet my daily requirements by eating cheese and yogurt or just taking Calcium tablets!

Sitting positions. Make sure your not hunched over while on the sofa watching your favorite drama. When driving, the best position for your seat is a 90-degree angle. If you spend a lot of time in the car purchase a lumbar roll (or you can roll a towel) and place it behind your back.

Different types of lumbar rolls

Yoga. I love yoga. That said, I do not do yoga. I think about, I look it up, I watch it on youtube, I imagine doing it... but I don't have the opportunity to do it. And when I do have the opportunity, I just don't do it. Hmm....wonder if I should make it a resolution... Anyway, checkout various yoga poses to stop hunching and rounded shoulders and those that strengthen your back. Make sure you read up on it as some poses aren't suitable for sensitive backs, especially without supervision. For me, supervision comes in two forms; my soon to be 3year old Cupcake and 15 month Munchkin!!

Lifting positions. It doesn't apply just for lifting but also for the million times you bend to pick up toys. What I do is I just get on all fours and move along picking up stuff with my kids trying to hitch a ride... When you lift stuff, grasp around the bottom and lift straight upward. Remember to put pressure on your legs and not your back.

Personally, I'm going to try all of these and let's see if I can finally stop hunching... 

MMRV Vaccination for Kids

My Cupcake and Munchkin took their MMRV shots last week.. My Munchkin was due for his first year MMR shot.. so we took the MMRV which adds the Varicella vaccination. Measles, Mumps, Rubella & Varicella (chicken pox) is what MMRV is.

These may appear as harmless illnesses in children but can lead to serious complications that may involve hospitalisation. According to a pamphlet, these viruses are highly contagious and mainly target children so it is vital to prevent them from harming your child. It goes on to say, 'An infection may spread to other family members plus burden parents who have to miss work to care for a sick child. Now, additional protection from the Varicella (chicken pox) virus alongside the compulsory MMR vaccinations is available. You can spare your child from the extra pain and injections by protecting against 4 threats at 1 go.'

The MMR is a must in our country (Malaysia) but the Varicella shot is optional. Some parents prefer their kids to get it when they are young and be done with it. I've heard of chicken pox parties overseas but do not know if we have that here in Malaysia. When Cupcake turned 1 and had her shots we opted for the compulsory MMR shot and did not take the Varicella shot. However, when Munchkin turned 1 it coincided with a friend getting the chicken pox (you can read about it here) and so we took the MMRV shot for him as well as for my daughter. Apparently, she will not have to take the compulsory MMR shot in Primary One (when she is 7years old) later as she has already been vaccinated. 

Since we are in Sandakan, Sabah we went to Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Chin. Details about this very good paediatrician and his clinic can be found here. 

Klinik Pakar Kanak- Kanak Chin Tshun Leong

Soon after my Cupcake and I had diarrhea..actually come to think about it, it was the next night..Hubby says one of his collegues who is also here in Sandakan for the project, has got chicken pox! Oh oh..Cupcake and Munchkin have not got it before although Hubby has.. Me? Many many years ago my mom and brother got it and I freaked out that I was next. I mean we all lived together but somehow I didn't get it My mother couldn't remember whether I'd ever gotten it before. One simple blood test could have cleared up the mystery but hey you don't really think of doing things like that unless you're in the situation.

Praise God there is a wonderful paediatrician here in Sandakan. Off we went early the next morning..they were already closed the night before when we heard about the chicken pox or I'd have gone then to get my kids vaccinated : )

We went to Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Chin (details at the end of this post) in Bandar Tyng, Sandakan. My munchkin was due for his 1 year shot and we wanted to get that as well. The clinic was packed okay.. But they have a wonderful play area for the kids..Lots of toys..I love the deco of the clinic..Cute colourful pictures in white frames adorn the walls.. I wanted to take photos but I didn't think it would go down well with the other parents..Like who is this weird person taking shots of a CLINIC! Who does that?? Bloggers and mummies do right (and daddies too) but I didn't wanna take the risk..

Even though the Dr Chin had so many patients and he had a seminar to rush off to later, he spent about 15minutes or more I tell you with us.. Awesome right.. A young Dr who studied in the UK, he was knowledgeable and patient and all you would want your paediatrician to be...

Not only did my Cupcake and Munchkin get vaccinated but so did I.. We'll be going back in 2 months for our booster shots.. We were a cute sight, mummy and kiddies all had a plaster on our left arm... Looking for a good paediatrician in Sandakan, Sabah? Look no further, head on to Chin Child Specialist Clinic...

Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Dr Chin Tshun Leong
Block A, Lot 5, Bandar Tyng, Mile 6, Jalan Utara, 90000, Sandakan, Sabah
089 672809

Mon to Fri : 8.30am - 12 pm
                   2.00pm - 5pm
                   6.30pm - 8pm
Saturday   :  8.30am - 12pm
                    2.00pm- 4pm
Sunday & Public Holidays : 8.30am - 12pm

About a Bout of Toddler Vomitting

Warning: Long post but worth the read : )

There is a reason why the police like to interrogate people right after a crime or incident. This is because as time goes you forget details and things seem a little fuzzy or you want to talk about it but you lack the strength or you just don't know where to start. Of course, I always knew this but what happened a few days ago reminded me of the fact.

On Tuesday, my soon to be 3 year old daughter had diarrhea. Her poop was extremely and I mean extremely watery. She had it twice and the next day in the evening her poop was normal. *sigh of relief. Then, suddenly at 10p.m. she vomitted. And after an hour she vomitted again. And after that she vomitted every half an hour. So, here we are in a first time situation of such a nature and we find ourselves not in a place where you can find a clinic or hospital at almost every end. We are in Sandakan, Sabah where there is only ONE hospital. A government hospital with a classy name; The Duchess of Kent. They do have a new building and children who are admitted are warded in the new building. The rest of the hospital is very much like other Malaysian government hospitals.

Right, so after the first time she vomitted we went to a clinic nearby (we know the Dr and his clinic is opened till 12pm), Klinik Dr Mahen.(See end of post for details) At that time she had just vomitted once and was still looking okay. Dr. Mahen gave us some medicine to be taken orally to help stop the vomitting. Alas, Cupcake couldn't even drink water so she also vomitted out the med.

So about 1.20a.m. we went to the only available hospital at that time; The Duchess of Kent Hospital Emergency Unit. First, you have to register your kid and pay RM1. Then, they give you a number. Ours was 232. The number on the screen was 162. ???? Huh? Okay so there must be a system of some sort that we were unaware of. One family brought in their elderly mom. She had already seen the Dr. There was another lady. That's it. A few minutes after taking our number, they called us to take Cupcake's weight, gave her ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) and asked us questions about her condition.

Once that was done we waited and waited and waited. There were 2 Medical Officers on duty. How long can it take, right. Maybe they were taking a break?

After about an hour, an ambulance arrived and 2 teenage girls were brought in. They had been in a minor car accident. I heard they rammed into a concrete pillar or wall or something. One had slight scratches on her arms and feet. The other had a wound under her right chin. Then, I noticed a board with a notice that said if your condition was critical you would have to wait erm..I can't remember how long and semi critical you have to wait..err I forgot again *smile sheepishly. Well, I do remember that if your condition is not critical you have to wait for 90minutes to 120minutes which was what we were doing. There was another mom who came in later with a child who had fever and she went in first.

Right, fast forward.....  My hubby prayed for our little girl. For the next half and hour thank God she took the ORS water and did not vomit.  Finally, we got to see the doctor. He wanted to put her on drips but we asked if it was possible to wait and see as she had seemed to have stopped vomitting. So, we hung around and Praise God our daughter was fine. What a relief..  The doctor checked her again (no other patients were around) and gave us the green light to go home. They gave us more ORS sachets.

When we reached the hotel room at 4.30 I started to feel queasy and 2 hours later my  diarrhea and vomitting started! Oh yes, earlier when I had asked the Dr if it could be food poisoning, he was adamant that that never happens in Sandakan. I asked him if it could be stomach flu and he laughed derogatively at me looking at me like I was speaking gibberish and said, "Stomach flu? Ha,ha,ha. What's that?" (Another laugh squezees through) and he says, " I've never heard of that. There's no such thing". Gives me a queer look.

Gosh...


Klinik Dr Mahen
Ground Floor, Lot 10, Block I, Prima Square, Mile 4, North Road, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah
Tel: 089 218273
Monday - Sunday including Public Holidays
8am - 12.30pm
2pm - 4pm
7pm - 12am