My IVF Miracle Self Care Isn't Selfish
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BANGKOK MOTHERS & BABIES INTERNATIONAL, A PROJECT OF CHILDBIRTH AND BREASTFEEDING FOUNDATION THAILAND JANUARY 2019 Self care isn’t selfish www.bambiweb.org Terminal cancer: January 2019 My IVF living with miracle my diagnosis CONTENTS 5 Message from our Patron 6 Chairwoman’s letter 8 Editor’s Corner On The Cover Welcome to BAMBI Self care isn’t selfish Bangkok Mothers & Babies International 20 30 My IVF miracle 32 Terminal cancer: living with my diagnosis “Support and Special Features friendship through 20 Self care isn’t selfish the common bond of 22 Two steps towards transformation 24 Switching on, to switch off parenthood” 25 Life as an expat mum Mel Habanananda 26 Play is for everyone 30 My IVF miracle 32 Terminal cancer: living with my diagnosis 36 Musings of a midwife: the birth of a mother 38 Travel Thailand: Chiang Mai 40 Pregnancy in BKK: a walk in the park Playgroups & Events We are a group offering support and companionship to each other through the 5 New Members Coffee Morning early years of parenting. 6 Me-Time: yoga surfing! 8 BAMBI volunteers appreciation Christmas We offer prenatal and postnatal support, 14 Sawatdi Playgroup regular playgroups, fundraising for charities and more. If you wish to join, come to our 15 Bearing Playgroup New Members’ Coffee Morning or any 16 Sukhumvit 31 Playgroup other regular BAMBI activity. To volunteer 16 Pop-Up Playgroup: Wellington to serve on the committee, contact any 34 BAMBI’S Family Christmas Party of the committee members listed in this A BAMBI Loy Krathong magazine. 35 44 WOMBLES dinner: a German Christmas 48 BAMBI Japanese moms support BAMBI is a project of the Childbirth & Breastfeeding Foundation of Thailand (CBFT). In Every Issue Mission Statement 10 [NEW] Kid’s Corner The CBFT is a non-profit networking and resource center [NEW] Words of Wisdom dedicated to ensuring the best possible start in life for our 12 babies. 42 Reader’s Corner We believe that this can best be achieved through: 46 BAMBI Needs You! n Encouraging the appropriate use of technology and 49 How to Become a BAMBI Member medication for all births. 50 January Birthdays n Promoting breastfeeding for every mother and baby in New members the community. 50 n Providing information and training to health 50 Language Coordinators professionals involved in maternity care. 52 Member discounts n Supporting parents through the pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. 56 Support groups 58 Playgroups and activities For more information on CBFT, contact: BAMBI team English speaking, Tel 05-310-4573; [email protected] 61 Hello! Thai speaking, Mobile: 081-776-9391; [email protected] or 62 Member profile: Jenny Rephaeli Can you find me [email protected]. Or in the magazine? visit: www.cbfthai.org and www.facebook.com/pages/ ChildbirthBreastfeeding-Foundation-of-Thailand Cover photographer: Mao Sano Cover subjects: Left (Bumps volunteer) Anfisa Grigorova (Boy) Duke Anthony Brookes, Follow BAMBI on Centre (Mom) Jenny Brown (Son) Bobby Brown, Facebook: Right (Mom) Teresa Tung (Son) Jack Stevenson facebook.com/BAMBIBangkok PATROn’s MESSAGE Dear Members, I seem to say this every year. Where did this year go to? Time seems to pass more quickly than ever - unless you are a five- year-old when a day was long and a Iweek was forever! I am constantly amazed when I hear and read of BAMBI’s activities and I wonder and admire how you all manage to do so much. So I found the October maga- zine’s focus on mental wellbeing a very appropriate reminder of how we can and sometimes need to ‘slow down’ and Look to this day be ‘mindful’. It is so easy to get caught For it is life My heartfelt thanks go to our wonder- up in a constant round of activity and The very life of life ful Committee, so ably led by Akiko and thoughts of ‘I should do this or I should In its brief course lie all Emma and to all our volunteers and sup- do that, I should, I should..... ‘Even now, The realities and truths of existence porters for the incredible amount of work in my retirement, the ‘shoulds’ still chase The joy of growth they do and the time they give to make me. So letting go of some of them should The splendour of action BAMBI such a dynamic and successful (sorry!) be one of our New Year resolu- The glory of power group.Thank you too, all of you, for your tions. For yesterday is but a memory continued support. And tomorrow only a vision Some time ago I came across a beautiful But today well lived I would like to wish you and your fami- verse (that some of you may be familiar Makes every yesterday a memory of lies the happiest year ahead. I hope that with) and I carry it with me as a reminder happiness you will all enjoy good health and many to drop the ‘shoulds’ and to help me be And every tomorrow a vision of hope blessings. more aware of my day. I would like to Look well therefore to this day. share it with you as a message you may like to take with you into the New Year. Kālidāsa Mel Habanainanda, Patron New Members Coffee at IPC By Shoko Nakamura Photos by Tomoyo Okamoto Thank you all for coming to our New Members Coffee Morning, held at IPC International Kindergarten on Hallow- een! We were delighted to see many Tnew faces and make a special Hallow- een craft: orange Jack-o’-Lantern. Thank you IPC International Kindergarten for opening your school for BAMBI families. New Members Coffee is held on the last Wednesday of the month, 9:30-11am, at various venues. New and prospective members are welcome! For more info, contact: [email protected]. 最近入会された方・入会を検討されてる方の ために、毎月最後の水曜日午前9時半から1 1時に開催。お子さんもご一緒にどうぞ。入 場料無料、当日の入会も受け付けています。 www.bambiweb.org • 5 日本語でのお問い合わせもOKです。 CHAIRWOMAN’S LETTER Dear Members, want to make sure that BAMBI continues to be an organization that offers safe Happy New Year, 2019! and cozy spaces and fun activities for you and your littles ones almost every May this year be fulfilling and extraordi- day of the year. nary for you in all your endeavors; may it bring you good health, much happi- In order to do so, I need to ask all of you ness, and many new opportunities and to do us a favor. Please kindly provide possibilities! your feedback and suggestions on the M following: Akiko Cayne 2018 was another eventful year. We - Playgroups (regarding venues, food, enjoyed playgroups at new venues and activities etc.) me and for my child. I felt so warm, so new activities, we hosted Bumps and - Activities (what kind of activities, for comfortable and very safe. It definitely Babies at new venues, received a lot of what age group) changed my life in Bangkok. January is new members and held various activities - Me-Time (what kind of workshop) of course the month that many come up such as pop up playgroups, the splash - WOMBLES dinners (regarding venues) with a new year’s resolution. Mine is to party, halloween party, Christmas party, - Anything on BAMBI’s events, organi- remember the spirit I started BAMBI with yard sales, me-time events and WOM- zation and services and to try to make it just as comfortable BLES dinners! - Finally, please let me know if you for others. would like to volunteer! Thank you to all of the BAMBI volunteers 2019 will be another eventful year! We for making 2018 amazing! You can contact me directly with your will make sure we keep offering our ser- feedback, via email: chairwoman@ vices while introducing something new Our membership has been growing bambiweb.org to you! Please be sure to follow our faster than expected and the number Facebook page so not to miss any fun of volunteers is increasing rapidly. This Looking back...eight years ago, I joined events! would not have been possible without one of the BAMBI new members coffee the support and encouragement of our mornings. I still remember how happy Akiko Cayne members, so thank you! In return, we I was to be there, to make friends for Chairwoman Me-Time: yoga surfing! By Emi Owaki / Photos by Mao Sano On November 21, we were up for a new challenge at SURFSET Thailand to try yoga exercise on a surfboard! It was tough to keep our balance on a surfboard, but we Osure had a fun and exciting morning. Me-Time takes place twice a month, usually on Wednes- days during school hours. Prices vary; discounts for BAM- BI members. Registration required. Questions or ideas? Contact [email protected]. 6 • January 2019 EDITOR’S CORNER and ourselves. It hasn’t always been Ramsay family. Look out for it on page easy, but in the end we appear to have twelve. This new feature also serves to triumphed in our first year, and I have no underpin our new overarching theme for doubt that our success has been due the the year: we’re all in this together! support network of BAMBI and the fellow parents surrounding us. Many of whom I Talking of themes, this month we focus now consider close and trusted friends. on the importance of self care. Good friendships forged in a relatively short amount of time, through common Plus, we have a new section, designed Abby Wailes challenges. for children, called Kid’s Corner where children can send in their very own draw- Now, babies don’t come with an instruc- ings, paintings or letters. This month we Happy New Year! tion manual (if only) and of course, we feature drawings of Frankie and Macey try everything we can to prepare for their feeding themselves! Well, if there is one thing I have learned big arrival and beyond, like reading fa- this year, it is that the trials and tribula- mous books, listening to podcasts and I hope you enjoy our first issue of 2019 tions of parenthood are more often than anything else we can lay our hands on.