Erika recommends reading to baby regularly, twice a day, every day. Start with a short span of five to six minutes for each reading session and as your baby’s attention span increases, lengthen the reading time.

HOW TO READ

Read slowly and deliberately. Remember you are reading to your baby, not to yourself!

Make appropriate pauses, giving time for baby to look at the pictures.

Repeat key words; point out and elaborate on details, e.g., “This is a cat – a cat says. “meow” or “look at the spider – it is black and has eight legs.” Vary your volume and pace of reading according to the storyline, eg, a louder volume and faster pace for exciting lines in the story.

Talk about what is happening in the story, what happened earlier and what might happen next. These are important concepts for sequencing events and will help your child understand the concept of the beginning, middle and end of a story – prediction is a valuable comprehension skill. Try to make connections between the story you are reading and the world around your baby.

Your new baby will also alter your social life. “I hardly go out with my friends anymore, because I have to express my milk every three to four hours daily. Even when I do, I’m often too tired to enjoy the night out. A simple trip to the shops gets tiring when I have to bring along tons of my pumping equipment,” shares Bonny.

And even if you do venture out, your expeditions would most likely be limited to baby-friendly shopping centers with nursing rooms. Karen, 26, a mother of a eight-month-old baby, who even had to change her circle of friends as not everyone fou venues, such as nd “poo” comparisons and diaper brand debates stimulating.

Your life would now literally revolve around your child. Some mothers have found that they even have to cut back on their “me time” for manicures, facials and other little luxuries. “There’s no more sleeping in on weekends, and we no longer take any spontaneous holidays,” according to Karen.

However, it is important to set limits and put aside time for pampering yourself, or even just to get basic sleep and recreation. “The family should offer support, and encourage the new mother to take some personal time off,” advises doctor.

Reality Checking Your Marriage

And Baby does make three, permanently! Be careful riot to become indifferent towards your role as a wife as you pay more attention towards your new duties as a mother. “Asians often have newborns sleeping in the parents’ bed, sometimes even for years! As such, husbands begin to feel neglected,” warns by some doctor, who advises couples to discuss their changing roles and division of responsibilities.

On the other hand, for some mums like Karen, the baby can also create a stronger bond between the wife and husband. “We have more things to talk about, and more decisions to make together. Having a baby increased our sense of inter-dependence and brought us closer together.”

The first shocking realization comes when new mothers realize that they still look six months pregnant after being wheeled out of the delivery room! I remained quite plump for the first two months, and only started to regain my figure in the seventh month.

According to doctor research explains that the amount a mother loses immediately after delivery would depend on the weight of the baby (usually 3 to 3.2kg), placenta (1/7th of the baby’s weight) and amniotic fluid (1 to 1.54); on average, 7kg in all.

“How long she takes to lose all the weight from pregnancy will depend on how much she has gained. So, don’t put on too much weight; 10 to 12kg is just perfect,” says doctor, who recommends total breastfeeding, dieting and exercise after the first six weeks of birth as good ways to regain your svelte pre-birth figure.

Reality Checking Your Emotions

If you are a first-time mum, don’t be surprised if you feel “sad” when bringing your baby home. “Baby blues” is a common syndrome that affects 50 to 70 per cent of postnatal women.

“It usually lasts a few days, in which new mothers experience spells of irritability and gloominess, as well as episodes of crying. More commonly, this afflicts first-time mothers and those who previously had significant premenstrual fluctuations of mood associated with PMS. This is attributed to hormonal changes after delivery,” says doctor.

Some mother even found herself “weepy” during the first month. They worried constantly if their baby was drinking sufficiently or sleeping well, and also felt especially useless when they could not breastfeed their son directly.

Doctor explains that the hormonal changes, coupled with the need to cope with a newborn baby, problems with breastfeeding, and a change in lifestyle, can be very challenging to any new mother, especially if she does not have any support.

“The clash in ideas on how to bring up the baby, the husband going to work, a crying child, and simple issues such as whether to use the supplements that are encouraged by some confinement ladies and grandmothers – all add to the depression,” says doctor, who advises new mothers to read, attend antenatal classes, and seek support from breastfeeding advisers or other mothers from the same generation. However, she cautions that “nothing really prepares you for the real thing”.

Feet Fetish

Men’s Santa Cruz & Dekum
For the dad who loves chic, comfortable shoes, then Crocs Style, the all-new high fashion
footwear line, would be most ideal. And what’s more, it is made from the same Croslitetm material.

Seriously Stylish

Men’s Star Chronograph,

Surprise him with a whimsically but elegant and high fashion gift from Shanghai Tang…An exquisite timepiece that adds a touch of exclusivity and intricacy to an otherwise lackluster item. The strap of the Men’s Star Chronograph is 100 percent leather and comes in both red and black. A definite must-have!!

Modern Mature Man

D & G Aviator,

Drop-shape, 1970s-style model features a thin, elegant double bridge that makes it particularly current. The front frame is made entirely of metal while the arms are injection-molded acetate, an extremely lightweight and comfortable material. This model is available in black, Havana, beige, white and purple. The lenses are polycarbonate and in the gradient versions, brown and smoke, they are APX.

Vibrantly Versatile

Blackberry Storm

This is the perfect gift for dad who wants to stay connected at all times. Watch your icons dance across the screen under your fingertips. Ignite your senses with the BlackBerry Storm — a revolutionary Smartphone that features the world’s first “clickable” touch screen display, designed for accurate typing and fast navigation. An ideal status symbol for the style- conscious consumer, the BlackBerry Storm will make a great impression as you travel across town or to almost any corner of the world.

Fashionably Forward

Jesse James Dopp Kit

Kiehl’s will be launching a limited edition kit in June’09, specially designed by JESSE JAMES, a famous motorcycle builder from Long Beach, CA. James designed a men’s dopp kit for Kiehl’s filled with a selection of his favorites, including the Facial Fuel moisturizer, White Eagle Shave Cream, Ultimate Man Scrub Soap, Facial Fuel Face

Wash, Ult Strength Hand Salve deluxe.

He even helps me with my shopping bags without a single word of complaint! Every year on Father’s day, I make it a point to celebrate with my patient husband by being his personal chauffeur for the day. Whether it is to an S-League soccer match, or making a trip to Japan for his favorite seafood, I make sure that I do the driving, so my hubby can just sit back, relax and enjoy his special day.”

Yes, if you’re one of those women who prefer to let your husbands do the bustling around, then it might be a good idea to take the wheel and give your husband the day off instead. Start asking your beloved what he wants to do the day before Father’s day and make it a point to be as accommodating and easygoing as possible, even if he just wants to relax at home and do nothing the whole day.

In a way, I guess you could say that poor Matthias experienced my labor pains together with me, with his arm suffering from some major bruises after being clenched by my vice-like grip for a few hours as I cussed like a sailor at the intense labor pains!

Although I could see that he too was grimacing in discomfort at seeing me in such pain, he never once left my side or panicked. That’s my calm, unassuming husband Chris for you,” shares mother of two, Gwen. They say that behind every successful man, a stand a loyal and supportive wife, but the fact of the matter is that it really works both ways. A strong, caring husband and wife duo can carry each other through both the hard and wonderful times.

Just like there is a special day celebrating all mothers, Father’s day honors all the men out there who have to juggle their multiple roles as fathers, disciplinarians, husbands, role-models, family chauffeurs, and sometimes even personal shoppers! It sure isn’t easy work, so why not show them your appreciation for all that they have done for the family, and perhaps even try to refrain from nagging them for leaving the toilet seat down, just for a day! Just how can you thank your beloved on his special day? We talk to some loving wives who candidly share their Father’s day experiences.

“Five meters above ground?” Hmph, I swear my five-year-old daughter Elaine jumps that high when she watches Kung Fu Panda and re-enacts the fight scenes on the family bed! I have a concave mattress to prove it.

Swinging from tree to tree? I snorted at the computer screen. Most is a figure of speech, because photos show children wearing helmets and safety harnesses, instead swinging on vines ala Tarzan.

What I was most attracted to was the “2 hours of exhilarating fun”. Yes, Elaine will be occupied for 2 blissful hours while I sit down and enjoy my cappuccino. After all that exhilaration, she’ll probably need some rest, which gives me another 2 hours to do whatever I want. Sounds good, no?

In no time at all, I was on my way to London Reservoir Park with Elaine. It was rather easy to find, but what the guidebooks don’t tell you is that you need to walk another 100m from the nearest car park to the actual venue. Elaine and I enjoyed the walk nonetheless, thanks to the cool afternoon breeze.

When we finally reached the site, we saw an intricate suspension of boards, planks and rope connecting one tree to another. And although we were there on a weekday afternoon, we saw quite a few kids carefully negotiating their way from one tree to the next. My heart skipped a beat when I didn’t see any nets, but then each kid was wearing a harness and secured to a safety line.

Elaine’s eyes widened like saucers. “You mean I get to go up there?” She asked. “Yup!” I said. She promptly gave out several squeals of delight. “Quick! Quick! I wanna go! Now!”

My initial fears that Erin would back out of the course evaporated. “That’s my daughter all right.”

I thought proudly. A friendly instructor got Elaine suited up in a helmet and harness, and she was on her way, climbing up a ladder to her first challenge. Elaine was to move from one tree to the next by walking on suspended planks.

The first hint of trouble came when the instructor asked Elaine to stretch her arms repeatedly to touch the pulley. She’s supposed to be able to push the pulley in order to move from one challenge to the next. But Elaine’s arms were clearly just a tad too short to do so.

The instructor looked straight at me and said, “I’m afraid I’ve got to let her down. She needs to come back when she’s a bit older, say, in six months’ time.”

“But, but…” I stammered, as I saw Elaine’s face fall. To the instructor’s credit, he was really nice about it, and told me he understood how disappointed I was, having taken time off work specially to spend time with my daughter. He also offered to let Elaine down the zip line (what’s more commonly known as the Flying Fox) instead of having her climb down the ladder, so that the trip wouldn’t be a total waste. Finally, he offered to give me a voucher so that Elaine could come back in three months’ time for free.

I appreciated the fact that the instructor had Elaine’s safety in mind, but I was reluctant to let Elaine give up without giving the first challenge a try at least. The instructor agreed; so Elaine got to walk to the first tree, then return to the starting point. Elaine’s face showed slight nervousness but she overcame it by taking one step at a time. And she made it in the end! And when she came down the zip line, she was all smiles again!

When we went to collect the voucher, the instructor praised Elaine for not kicking up a fuss. Indeed, I was very proud that Elaine had taken the news quite calmly, and promised to reward her with an ice cream. Just as I was thinking these happy thoughts, I heard the instructor say, “So Elaine, you have to take more vegetables and take up skipping so that you can be taller and stronger okay?” Erin nodded enthusiastically, and started jumping in agreement. “Oh no!” I thought, “I got to buy her a new mattress!”

Father’s day is a beautiful day to celebrate the men in your life! Don’t be misled into thinking that you need to wait for this special day to show your appreciation; in fact, everyday can and should be a day of celebration!