First Antenatal Class

I went for my first antenatal class on 8 May. The first half of the session touched on nutritional care for pregnant ladies, which probably can also be learnt from books or pregnancy websites. We were provided a nutrition guidebook which highlighted the key nutrients, food sources and quantities required to achieve a balanced diet. It’s interesting to note that there are some foods which are deemed as “taboo” for pregnant woman simply based on old wives’ tales. Whoever said that it’s a taboo to eat pineapple during pregnancy? There is no scientific evidence proving that pineapple is harmful to fetal development or may lead to miscarriage. Whoever said that we can’t eat sushi or sashimi? How can the Japanese women survive then during their pregnancy? We are advised that as long as the raw food is prepared in a hygiene and clean environment, they should be safe to consume. The key is to eat in moderation and not over indulge! By the way, I did not abstain from caffeine during my pregnancy. I take one to two cups of tea a day. The strange thing is I’ve lost interest in coffee, a beverage that I was insanely addicted to before my pregnancy and I even suffered tension headache if I skip it.

Pregnancy is also a time one has all the excuse to get pampered with delicacies or expensive tonics. I started having bird nests during my second trimester and had it nearly twice a month. All thanks to my mum who took great efforts to prepare. I also had ginseng chicken soup occasionally. To a person who hardly touched tonics and supplement products, the bird nests and ginseng must have doubled or tripled their effect on me as I felt energized and radiant throughout my pregnancy.

The second half was a practical session on postural care, body stretching and breathing techniques. It was fun doing it together with our spouses. The hubbies looked quite amused and probably thought it’s some form of yoga session. Well, it’s easy to learn the exercises in class, but it requires more discipline to carry out the exercises at home. I sure hope I make an effort to do them.