Wow, it's now like <font color="ff0000">Oscar Fever</font> in this thread! I'm not doing it so I got nothing to contribute hehe
Talking about <font color="ff0000">breast pumps,</font> mine is Ameda Truly Yours which I bought directly from the US. But yes, like some mummies have pointed out, it's a bit troublesome cos the plugs are not compatible. And because I didnt buy a transformer, I opted for rechargeable batteries. That means I'm more mobile and can pump even wihtout a power point but I had the extra step of charging my batteries every day lor.
<font color="ff0000">My two cents' worth on Confinement</font>
The origins are from China where the weather is cooler. According to Chinese belief, after a woman has given birth, her body is totally YIN (meaning very liang) and she's an empty vessel to absorb what she eats or is exposed. So the point of confinement is to eat as much "bu" and warm stuff as possible to build up the body's strength and immunity again. And to avoid direct breezes (fan) which can get into your body through the open pores in your skin, and this can lead to rheumatism and achey joints in future - old age or earlier.
And the good news is, if you take really good care of yourself during your confinement, you can actually "undo" all the damage you've done to your body/health in the past XX years of your life and be healthier than before.
Well, I dont know if that's the 100% truth but I try to err on the side of caution. I dont want to end up weak and with rheumatism when I'm older. I think it's a total bummer to not be able to walk, run, travel because of that. And it's a chronic illness with no cure. No fun at all. So I try my best to adhere to the rules of bathing only with herbal water, drinking only warm red date tea, eating all the sesame oil/ginger food and wearing long sleeves if i really need to go out of the house (which I did for #1! Hubby whisked me out for a date cos the atmostphere at home was too stifling - imagine two grandmothers, plus the grandfathers on some days, plus the new maid, plus the baby. Gosh I had no space of my own, was feeling so horrible and blue - but that's another story.). Small price to pay for possible good health for the rest of my life. Hehe.
