(2008/06) June 2008

To All Mommies

FYI

Subject: Fw: Bird's nest - use of bleaching agent for processing

Birds' nests which are just taken down are very dirty and smelly. Nobody will think of consuming them if they see the condition. See how the birds' nests are processed so that they are edible. The workers are getting rid of the fine feathers, grass and dirt. After getting rid of the feathers and grass, the birds' nests are cut
into smaller pieces for further cleaning.
Then they are soaked in water for other smaller particles to float to the top. Then they are soaked in a kind of bleaching agent for them to turn white. The bleaching agent becomes cloudy after reacting. After bleaching, hot boiling water is used to get rid of the smell of bleaching agent. The parts of the birds' nests which cannot be bleached will be taken out. Now it's the time to mould them into shapes
After moulding them into shapes, they are dried.
After drying them for one day and one night, the birds' nests are ready. Malaysia and Indonesia produce at least 800-2000kg of Cao Yan and Mao Yan. In these birds' nests, only a small amount is edible ( the saliva of the bird ), but they are very dirty and almost black in colour. No one would want to consume it. So should we just waste it like that? No, there is of course a way of turning them into attractive products, which is bleaching. Some suppliers use H2O2 to get rid of the smell of second class birds nest. H2O2 is a rather poisonous chemical, and it might cause cancer. Only some food contain small amount of SO2 and SO3 ( not more than 0.00000002%). In Japan the amount of SO2 and SO3 in all sorts of food must not exceed 0.00000001.

After bleaching
Before this, the nutritional value in Cao Yan and Mao Yan is already very low. After processing using chemicals, the nutrient in the birds' nests is totally destroyed. Therefore, the nutritional value can be said to be lower than Pek Bok Nee... have you eaten before? The birds' nests which are bleached have lost its original shape. So, businessmen turn these birds' nests into different kinds of shape. The most common shapes are leaf-shaped, strips and round shape. There are also those who dye the birds nest into yellow/ red colour, and cheat
the unknown consumers by selling these birds' nests to them as Xue Yan/Jin Si Yan. The nutritional value of these birds' nest is gone and totally worthless after processing them with lots of chemical.
Do you think that people will still be selling them ?

Don't Be NAIVE!!
To be frank, some of the Chinese medical hall owners do not even know what are they selling.
What more the consumers? You may ask,' Aren't they afraid of being sued by the consumers?'Of course not, because they are just the agents, not the manufacturers, they do not have to bear the consequences. Now, Do you still dare to buy birds' nests which are cheap and big ?
 


Ellysia, I think only specialists can determine the cause of joint pain. Cos O&G doctors deal with pregnant women but when it comes to joint pain,no doubt, they know a bit, but the actual specialists are the ortheopedics/rhuematologists cos they see joint issues day in day out... at least, that's what I feel lah.
 
Felicia, Cactus
Same, see needle, knees go weak. Tat why dun wnt to take GD blood test just cos of family history unless detected in urine. :p

Mrswrx
Rest more, dun walk too much. Lie wif your legs up see if better tho nt cure.
 
TF, sometimes, fear is the thing that kills us hor.. not the pain.
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Cactus, ha..ha.. u use the right word!! Actually when the needle in action, nt pain. B4 action, the fear of looking at needle create the mental pain. Tat y I hope natural w/o epi or anything as best possible. Else when i see all the equipments, i lagi stress than my threshold for natural pain.
 
Good morning ladies

very long never post here cos can never catch up on the reading.

Going for my 32 weeks checkup tonight. Have been experiencing contractions all day yday, at least i think they are cos i dun think my girl will be moving so actively inside ALL day. I can't really tell the difference between contraction and bb movements.

I see some of you are already very advance in your pregnancy i guess very soon we will be hearing popping news already.

Re: hormones
I have my share of unbalance also haha my hubby say i am crazy

Re: family commitments
I dun think the eldest child necessary has a responsibility towards the younger ones. Cos eventually everyone will be married and have their own homes. Then does that mean that the younger siblings should be fillial to the oldest one and give them an allowance every month? Just like they give their parents an allowance? And I do think that if the younger siblings are also working adults it should be their responsibility to contribute towards the family as well. By the way I am speaking as a youngest sibling.
 
Danryan
Read those articles b4. Tat's why those gd quality n nt breach ones are those tat whn cooked, u can find the slightest taste/smell of egg. Dun buy those which is white and nicely shaped into a nest. Those are broken pieces aft bleaching n commercially shape to oval. A nest is a deep concave when natural, nt a flat oval.
 
ND's girl, good luck for your 32 week check up! It's good that your gal is moving so much inside!!
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Re: family commitments, I think every family is different...there are some families where the oldest sibling pampers the younger ones like give allowance when he starts to work, and the younger sister relies in this way on the brother. and the younger sister may be pampered by her own parents.. so there you have it.. the recipe for diasaster. I'm just sharing what I see happen to my friends.. I'm an only child.
 
Mog,
I am always feeling delimma now. On one hand, want to see my bb. On the other hand, I always get bad news. Haiz.. All I can take comfort in is that science is very advanced now and many medical problems can be resolved.

Ellysia,
Duno how to put it. Maybe bcos he is an elder bro bah. Since my dad is not around, he has to take over? Seriously speaking, if he doesnt want to take care of my mum & sis now, I would. I will oso feel a sense of responsibility towards them loh. Cannot expect them to fend on their own mah. Although my sis is already 25 and working lah. Maybe we would be happier if my parents didnt sell the flat. If given a choice, I dun think my sis & I wanted to shift in with my bro. We were quite young then. I just started working & my sis was still in uni. My parents want to sell the flat, we must follow mah, else sleep under the bridge meh. So, to an extend, we will feel that he itchy backside then, then have to honor his decision lor. Cannot bcos he need th $$ then, then bring us along. Now he no need the $$, then chase us out..
 
ladies,
thks for concern. doc says not due to preggy becos onli swollen at 1 knee n not other parts.
was refer to dr ngian at mt a.

i heard e drawin of fluid frm knee i nearly fainted. i was like: 'huh! r u serious ur goin to draw frm my knee!!' i dunno e process n i hope i wun be goin thru it. thurs review cos dr ngian wil be in gleneagles these 2 days bah.

i was given topical cream to apply, but dare not apply too much cos scare it might affect bb lor.

e drawin of blood left my right hand vein bruise n swollen nw. i was like waitin so long for e blood to fill e 4tubes. ask e indian lady y need so many tubes, she replied me: 'becos need alot for e tests lor'. wah! steady ans lor. *roll eyes* hahaha
 
mrswrx, I hope you don't need to have fluid drawn from your knee... but dun worry, as I underestand it, it's not going to be as bad as it looks or sounds. Local anaesthetic will be injected under the skin to numb it, then a bigger needle will be passed through to draw the fluid. Think it's called joint aspiration. you may want to google that. I think if your gynae says the topical cream is safe to apply, it should be safe to apply. so far, I only know cannot apply anything with salicycate or anything similar to that.. cos will be absorbed through skin to bb.
 
Danryan
sounds scary and i just had my bird's nest this morning

TF
same as u i think i rather take the pain than take the needle so scared of needles!

cactus
hehe thanks!!

mrswrx
oh no...sounds really scary. But u braved thru the 4 tubes! I think nothing gonna scare u anymore
 
danryan,
Faint, my mummy just made bird nest for me yday. I hate bird nest. To me, they taste like fake plastic. I always feel like I am taking medicine when drinking bird nest. Haha.. But I doubt your article will do any help in changing my mummy's mind about the goodness of bird nest. Heng, only a few more weeks to go niah. ;p
 
ND girl
Tat y if i can go hospital as late as possible (aft 3cm dilation) then i check-in.. so nurses have lesser chances of using needles on me, go in pop liao is the best.
 
TF, one needle we cannot avoid I think is setting the IV plug. I had it done last time.. painful like anything!! Tears just streamed down my cheeks. Had to use hand to cover my mouth in case I screamed. much much worse than taking blood.
 
Mog,
Luckily my hb is coming along later. He will give me moral support.. I had been telling my bb to eat more and grow well. Hopefully she listens to me.
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Zu En,

Dunno.. just speaking from an eldest opinion. Many a time i feel eldest v xin ku. My bro from young quite dependent on me and mum. Anything new also i find out for them, help my parents financially and emotional etc.

from young my mum keep telling me must always help brother as it is eldest responsibility. bro dunno how to do homework, i have to give up my own study time to coach him. When he dunno how to do project, even when i am studying for exam i also have to give up my study time to help him.

When our house pc spoil, i am the one to take to repair.. anything not sure, parents always consult me..

then now i still have to pay my brother handphone bills, pay my parents handphone bills and their household bills.

Sometimes i tink such doting dunno will make sibling more dependent or not.. actually not v healthy i tink. certain things eldest does, younger siblings dun understand how much sacrifices made.. even think it is a must?

If younger sibling is studying and not able to earn then bo piang have to take care lah.. just like my bro now depression so i also no choice have to take care of him too.
 
TF/ND girl
ya the best is u spent in the labour ward 3 to 4hrs only after dat can rest already....hope mine will be the same as my previous deliveries...
 
ZuEn,i hope things go well for you and bb later.. I understand that eating food rich in protein will help bb grow. not sure if it will work for you.
 
mrswrx,

did u feel fainting after drawing blood?

The last time i just draw 2 tubes for sugar test, i ored feel faintish tat afternoon.

dun worry abt the details, just let the doc do the test and dun tink of anything, it be over v soon.

cactus,

i read yr posting explain so much details, read also feel scared liao! :p
 
Dan,

yrs is 3rd delivery shd be v fast ba..

cactus,

tink so.. protein really help in growth v fast. at least in my case it is.
 
bird nest : actually i think the bird nest we brought in spore is quite safe to consume. I think jus yesterday i saw in newspaper, not sure is Today or My paper, AVA dept just declare all bird nest sold (legally one lah) in spore is safe to consume and no bleach. They said they are very concern on the safeness of the food and QA check is very tight.
 
Cactus
IV plug is the one for the drip issit? Huh, really cant avoid even if i go in as late as possible? Siao liao lah, n u still can tell me the most painful.. i feel like crying nw...
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body go soft already. Ya i always see people wif the drip needle at back of hand n i cant stand it permanently stick there. Is there a needle inside tat they stick? Wat if press on it..yo, dun describe anymore.. oooh ouch
 
cactus,
bigger needle sounds more scary wo.. anyway, i went thru MIMS to check e drug doc precribe. apparently e drug/cream shld has no controlled studies in women/ animal wo... so its under Cat C/D leh... tats y i dare not use so much eventhou its apply on knee onli. mayb im jus scare myself la, KS abit is safer. heehee.
 
Ellysia,
I guessed every family is different bah. I am closer to my sis and she earns much lesser than me. So I dun mind treating her to dinner and buying her stuff now and then so long as she doesnt take me for granted. I hate it when people take it for granted. When she does that, I will complain to my hb. But they are family afterall.
As for my elder bro, to me, he only provide a roof over our heads niah. He never give us pocket $$, dun take his time to give us tuition, etc. My sis & I are very much independent. Even then, solving the issue of having a roof over our head is a big problem. So even if we are not happie with our bro or SIL, we can only kip quiet at home niah.
Like I say, my mum dotes on my bro alot. He used to get the best of everything, from his own room, to computer to own telephone line and even treat the family car as his private car (paid by my dad). It is oso the case now, such that my mum will treat my SIL like a queen bcos she dun want my bro to be in a difficult position. Then we will heartache when we see our mum kena bullied. Aiyo, it is a vicious cycle lah. That's why, I wun want to stay with PIL or hb's family until such a time where we bo bian. I still believe that we cannot run away from taking care of aging parents (staying with them, etc), but I hope to put that off to as far as possible.
 
I tink i may not buy extra NB diapers liao.

cos yest gynae said if bb come out on week 40, he be approx 3.2KG or so. and if bones is heavy like me and hb, his actual weight can be even more. plus i am tall also.

2 weeks ago my bb is 1.9KG and now he is ored 2.3KG. I tink at this rate, can really grow big.
gynae said can cut down on food if dun want bb to be too big..
haiz i dunno whether want to cut down or not, i dun like to feel hungry le.

yest nite v jiat lat, i eat mac around 4plus hor, i eat 1 x 9pcs macnuggets, 1 fillet o fish, 1 mcwings (all no meal). Then around 11plus, hb said he is hungry and we order mac again. i share a 20piece macnuggets with hb.

scary hor.
 
TF, confirm cannot avoid IV plug. Yes.. it's in case we need fluids in our bodies or if we need blood...

It is not a needle stuck in there. actually it's just a very thin plastic tube which is in our vein.

We will have a needle placed in our vein, then a plastic tube will be inserted into our vein through the needle (the plastic tube is threaded over the metal needle). once the tube is in our vein, the needle will be removed. Once the tube is there, no pain at all, even if we press on it. The pain is when the tube is threaded over the metal needle.. really very painful. But that's just me lah... oh.. my IV plug was set on the inside opf my elbow cos my veins at the back of my hand too thin and fine. The doctor told me in elbow is more painful than at the back of the hand, so maybe that's why...
 
ellysia,
giddy no la.. tink i got too much blood liao. but e blue black is there lor.

tf,
i stil got e scar left over on my left hand frm e IV plug wo.. more than 3mths liao.
 
Ellysia, wah! Your appetitie really good leh.. maybe instead of eating oily food, you can drink soy milk or fresh milk.. these can cause us to feel full too... I dun know how big my bb is ... will only know on Monday.. at 32 weeks... but last check at 28 weeks, was at 50th percentile... 1kg.
 
Zu En,

oic.. ya eldest tend to have certain privileges too.
like i have my own bedroom to myself and my parents used up most of their money to pay for my education.

sometimes i quarrel quarrel with my mum but sometimes i tink she is also the one who support my education, even though financially my parents can't help much but they didn't force me to work early and give up my teritary education for family. cos tat time our finanical v bad, my relatives all tell my parents to send me to work and ignore teritary education though my results are good.
 
cactus,

yes i used to eat nutrisoy as it make me less hungry.

But recently, nutrisoy dun work as effectively. U know, last weekend i drank the whole big bottle of nutrisoy, it only make me full for 1 hour. after 1 hour, i am hungry again
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Cactus
oh, needle remove. Ya, i was just thinking my back of hands so boney n skin so thin, sure pain if needle stick there. So next time dun opt for the elbow lah? Or u still going to opt the elbow?
 
Hi ladies..

ZuEn,
Jiayou ya...do keep us updated of ur checkup later =)..

mrswrx,
oh dear, sounds really scary leh...nvm lor, wait for the blood test results 1st, maybe no need to draw out the fluid leh..

Ellysia,
Can understand lor cos I am also e eldest...And I come from a single parent family, so all the responsibility falls onto me also..But glad i married liao and have an understanding hb =D..

All,
anyone started buy confinements herbs for bathing, tonic soups etc? Me intending to get some ruyi oil also...But pls take note that there are 2 types of Ru yi oil, 1 is milder, the other one is stronger...
 
cactus,
Oh no, the IVF drip sounds scary! *_*

Ellysia,
Me also same as u, got to watch my food intake but then I still find myself reaching for ice-cream after dinner some times :p I'm also worried that bb will become too big.
 
wah ellysia,
u really like macdonalds leh..seems a lot lor..hehe..i think if hungry hor..must eat lah..dun end up like me..nowadays hv terrible gastric pain..somemore happen in the middle of the nite @ around 3plus..wah lau..the pain is pain until i cant turn @ all..got to stay still @ a position..drink warm water the burp out then feel much better...i asked my gynae why like dat..he said cos the uterus grow bigger now..so everything push up inside our body..dat's y can get gastric easily..
 
mrswrx,

blue black is bo piang. i also got it when i take sugar test, need around 1 mth to disappear. v ugly cos its expose when wear short sleeve.

actually the more stress, the more pain feel during needle poking. so looking away helps, can reduce stress heee.

Zu En,

are u the one who say taking BP at clinic u always get more stress up and BP will be higher than normal?

Yest i find tat my BP is slightly lower than previous visit, cos the nurse is joking with me on something. maybe u try to chit chat with the nurse next time to relax.
 
feifei,
my mum in MIL bought all the confinement herbs for bathing n those herbs for making tonic soups for me liao..i also hv the ruyi oil..i like the smell..hehe..dunno y leh..
 
morning ladies...
just came back from my gynae visit. bb weighing 2kg @ 33rd week....doc says everything so far so gd...cos i post him few qns on the birth plans and bb engagement etc etc etc...he says too early to gauge...next visit is in 2 wks time!

din manage to see the bb face cos she's facing towards my back...sigh!
 
Tera, for me, it was very painful lah.. cos maybe my pain threshold not high and it was placed on the inside of my elbow.. deeper vein loh... don't stress k.
 
shycloud! Your bb is weighing great!! Most prob an average sized bb. Lucky gal!! I'm hoping my bb weighs okay too.. dun want him to be too big.. haha.
 
Ellyisa,
nowdays i also gets hungry easily...6pm eat dinner, 8pm I tell my hb i hungry again...hee

Cactus,
I can understand the IV plug lor..when i was admitted 3wks ago, the nurse hor, poke the long needle into my vein, tell u lor, tears can roll down, then after inserting there, they use a big transparent plaster to secure it, then with e plug, so inconvenient, sleep also cannot sleep properly and feel suan suan feeling...until when they remove it away, 2days later then e suan feeling goes away...hiaz...
 
bizzsnow,

ya i have gastric prob also.. if hungry i will get headache and gastric pain lah.. so die die must eat one..

got 1 time i also ren lor, i went to sleep then my tummy so pain, i can't sleep so must squeeze some food in.

then worst, morn wake up i am hungry again! piang!!!

Ya i like macdonalds since this pregnancy, even more ON lah. 1st trim i almost everyday fast food. 2nd trim onwards i cut down liao, so only once a mth. now 3rd trim more frequent but not as bad as 1st mth. bb will grow a lot whenever i go fastfood.
 
halowz feifei,
Good morning.
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Ellysia,
Tat's why I am always jealous of my bro. Regardless of wat I do, my mum will still dote on her son, even when she kena bullied. My sis & I ren ming liao.
As for my mum, on one hand, she choose to be bullied by bro & SIL, then she refused to listen to us when we tell her to react in a certain way, then she come and complain to us and tell us how oppressed she is. We can only listen with fustration niah.
Wow, Mac.. yummy.. I realised that I never eat much oso put on weight. However, it is already the case even before I preggy. Haiz.. Looks like I really need slimming salon after delivery. ;p
 
feifei,

weekend, i eat at lunch, 2-3 hrs hungry again. eat and eat.. scary.

so i try not to eat a lot during 1 meal, but still hungry. eat a lot during 1 meal, also hungry.

the IV plug have to put in at labour ward right??
 


Hi Gals, I am still on MC today, office not happy about it though. Been having twisted feeling of intestines and stomach area, nauseous, a bit of diarrhea, but today is much better although all above mentioned pains are still there. I guess I got something like food poisoning and not quite serious.

As Mog said, seems like I am also back to the horrible MS period liao, sensitive to some food and smell. Also, I lost slight more 2kg, but luckily baby not affected, she has grown to 2.2KG based on yesterday's scan.

Fennie, my gynae is to be this sat, and will still be. Yesterday I was a bit KS about my pains, thought it may also be contractions (I have not encountered contraction pains before) thus went to see your gynae as mine is on holiday. But seems like Dr Lim LS wasn't in such good mood as two patients before me were needing emergency operations at MAH yesterday afternoon and he sure was busy.

Zuen, I am sure your bb is growing well. As now we are in 3rd trim, babies in our body will absorb more nutrients. Eat more fish and protein food.

Roxy, I like this name of your baby, Isaiah. I heard of the name before and been seeking high and low for the spelling, now I know how to spell liao.
happy.gif
 

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