Monday 12 October 2020

#Confinement : Fazrina Postnatal Care Review

I knew from the get-go that I wanted a Confinement Lady (CL) to take care of me during confinement. Since I'm living in an apartment (and because I value my privacy) I chose daily visit package instead of having the CL to stay in my house. 

Among the CL services I shortlisted was;

  • Fazrina Postanatal Care
  • Inai Confinement 
  • Natalis Mother Care and Beauty (only stay in packages are available)
  • Lavender Confinement  Care (only stay in packages are available)
  • Elvira Postnatal Care (only stay in packages are available)
In the end, I chose Fazrina Postnatal Care because some of my friends spoke very highly of them.
I've also visited their Spa in Bangi during my 6th and 9th month of pregnancy for the prenatal massage and it was great. 

They basically offered 4 packages for daily visit.



The first 2 packages; 'A' Full Day and 'A' Half Day.

The full-day package is from 9am to 4.30pm (7.5 hours) while for half-day you can choose either from 9am to 12.30pm or 1pm to 4.30pm (3.5 hours).

Since the most important treatment for me is the daily body massage, package A doesn't meet my needs. So I chose Package B instead. 



In the end, I chose Package B Full Day. And the package already included transportation charges depending on where you live. Some other providers charged as much as RM40 daily for transportation. 

One thing for sure, please liaise with them early as their slots may be full. I contacted them when I was 6 months pregnant and I was lucky there were a few slots left. To book, just Whatsapp their number and make a RM500 deposit payment. And do tell them when you're going to the hospital to deliver as they have to manage their logistics as well.

So, my review.

My CL was Kak Atikah, from Bandung. [Apparently, the company has near to 160 CLs, all Indonesian]. After 8 days, we felt like we've had enough and asked the owner if we could change to another CL. Oh by the way, N was working from home during the entire duration of the CL's service. So the issues we had includes;
  • Communication issue - the CL could barely understand BM so it was difficult for us to communicate
  • Headstrong - She was quite old and will not follow 'our' way of doing things (despite being told repeatedly)
  • Poor time management - did not do everything that she's supposed to do even though there were a lot of spare time
  • Did not even informed us when she destroyed our stuff (broken hanger / burnt Tupperware / candle stain on carpets) 
  • On the phone / video call while on the job
  • Took my baby's picture without asking for consent ๐Ÿ˜‘
Upon informing the owner, she graciously apologized and sent a new CL the following day. Alhamdulillah. The second CL I got, Kak Mala was wayyy better. 


So the CL's routine is as follows;
  • She'll come in at 9ish (sometimes earlier / later depending on the traffic) and boiled the herbal concoction for baby's and my bath
  • She'll bath, massage and use the warm compress (tuam) on the baby
  • Apply body scrub on me (twice weekly)
  • Set up the sauna (three times weekly)
  • I'll take my bath
  • Full traditional body massage and hot stone therapy (bertungku)
  • Belly binding (bengkung) 
  • CL will prepare lunch/dinner for me and hubs
  • Do the laundry
  • Bath the baby again at around 4
  • Prepare herbal bath for me before heading back at 4.30
Here are some of the #pantangfood prepared by the CL. 







I may opt for the half-day daily visit package the next time though insyaAllah as I felt that the CL has too many free time (2 hours plus) in the evening. Hahaha

Would I recommend Fazrina Postnatal Care?
Yes (if you really want a traditional confinement experience)
I couldn't care less about the so-called pantang diet; no eggs, no chicken ๐Ÿ˜. I ate them all as long as they're healthy food (source of protein) and I had no allergies. But to each their own. 
The CL could be a bit controlling and will enforce their beliefs and what-not. 
Just turn a blind eye on that ๐Ÿ˜…

PS - I personally felt the body massage and hot stone therapy helps a lot in my recovery. Such a pity that my time with the CL was cut short due to the MCO. Will share my experience with another post-natal masseuse in the next post!

Read More

Wednesday 7 October 2020

Aqiqah with AqiqahCentre.com

Knowing me and N, we prefer simple things. So for our baby's Aqiqah, we don't want the fuss of actually organizing a whole shenanigan, inviting people, thinking about the venue, caterer etc. So we decided to do only what's needed. 

We engaged with Aqiqahcentre.com for the following reasons;

  • It's 100% online
  • The aqiqah is carried out in Mecca
  • Video evidence of the aqiqah
  • Affordable price - RM499
After I gave birth, I immediately asked N to complete the registration form online here
You'll need to key in details of one of the parents, address, the baby's name and the date preferred for the Aqiqah (The best is when the baby turned 7 days old). Then you'll be directed to the payment page and you've officially registered!

Hassle-free!









After the baby was born, we immediately registered on the website and chose the preferred date for the aqiqah which was 7 days later. 

A couple of days after our anointed preferred date, we had received a Whatsapp video of the aqiqah, with our baby's name clearly mentioned. We also received the commemorative plaque a couple of weeks later. So, so easy and it was carried out smoothly. Would definitely recommend their service!


Read More

Sunday 4 October 2020

My Labour Experience at Andorra Hospital

I delivered my baby girl via Caesarian operation in September, a few days before my birthday. 

We went to the Emergency Department close to midnight, paid RM500 deposit (with GL from the insurance company) and got admitted. We chose the single room so that N could stay with me the whole time. Upon admission, my blood pressure and baby's heartbeat were monitored. Fast forward a few hours later, a nurse hooked me up with an IV drip and I was wheeled into the OT, with N beside me ๐Ÿ’“

The nurse, my doctor (Dr Rusina) and N all recited duรก before going into the OT. The anaesthetist, Dr Azilah arrived and injected me with the epidural. She was very warm and motherly. Told her that I had a history of prolapsed disc so she administered the injection a little bit higher on my spine. Soon after, I was numb waist-down. The injection itself, not as bad as I had imagined it. The urinary catheter was hooked up after I was numb, so I didn't feel a thing. Good call!

The OT was cold but I had a warm blower under my gown so I was comfortable the whole time. With Caesarian, you'll not feel any pain but you can still feel the tugging and whatnot. Not long after, I heard the baby's cry. Alhamdulillah. The anaesthetist helped recorded the birth video and took pictures of us. N was given the opportunity to clamp the cord, helped clean the baby, recite azan and tahnik the baby. They sewed me up and I was wheeled back into the ward. It all happened so fast. I think I was in the OT for less than an hour. 

Immediately after the operation, I had to abstain from eating for 6 hours but I could drink plain water. The side effects from epidural - itchiness (my face and nose especially were itchy for 2 straight days; the doctor gave me some meds for that) and vomiting (I vomited 3 times in the first 6 hours after surgery). The nurses and doctor came every 2 hours to check on my bleeding and changed my maternity pad (I was in and out of sleep due to the painkillers) besides giving me more meds.

After 6 hours, I had my first meal and believe me, the food they served were very good! A server will come with the menu set for you to choose from and for the 3 days I were there, I love every single meal! 

Western breakfast



Japanese Meal Set (my favorite!!)

The nurses will care for the baby at the nursery. Should you want to breastfeed or meet your baby, you can always call them to bring the baby to your room. This way, the parents will get ample sleep and the mother will have the opportunity to focus on her recovery. 


I was more awake on my second day post-op. The pain? It only hurts a little bit when I try to sleep on my side. The nurse came to take away the urinary catheter as I had a session with the physiotherapist later. We walked a bit, around the maternity floor and I was taught the exercise to strengthen my muscle. The lactation counsellor also did frequent visits to my room. 

The third day, Dr Rusina gave me the green light to be discharged. I had a nurse that bathed me (she insisted) and a personal masseuse, too.

Frankly speaking, I had a wonderful labour experience. It was not painful or traumatic ๐Ÿ˜† I could walk on my own, no issue. Alhamdulillah! Everyone was surprised by how well I was coping, as this is only my first baby. It may be due to the meds, or the Dr's skills in stitching me up. But I had always pray for my labour experience to be easy, with minimal pain ๐Ÿ˜

So about the hospital itself; Quran recitation was played throughout the night, there's Netflix in the single room, the husband / a visitor can sleep on the makeshift bed beside you and the staffs were very courteous. There's also a restaurant just beside the hospital and many stalls selling food (for your husband / visitor). I just had a small issue with billing as they're trying to charge us an extra day of stay since we came to register at the Emergency Department at around 11.40pm. So for the 20 minutes we're registering, the system charged us an extra day. No way! Haha Plus I only got into the ward past midnight. Other than that little snafu, everything was great! I've also gotten a diaper bag full of freebies and a flower from the hospital. 

My final verdict: I will definitely want to deliver here again InsyaAllah, kalau ada rezeki.


The total hospital bill: Approximately RM13,300 (Mom's charges - RM11,500 & baby's charges - RM1,800) including baby's circumcision, phototherapy (for jaundice), meds and consultation.

Read More

Copyright © Travel. Eat. Love Made with ❤ by azhafizah.com