If I Were to Offer Advice to Mothers, What Would Be the Most Valuable Advice I Could Share With Them?

If someone comes to me and ask,

"Ryna, do you have any advice you could share with me about becoming a mother?"

Answering this question might pose a bit of a challenge for me.

Kalau dapat soalan macam ni, I'd rather answer this question with ibu-ibu wajib sangat bersedia waktu emergency kalau anak sakit. There are many things that must be present in the house, especially during emergencies.

I rasa bila jadi mak ni kan, you have to get ready all the time for emergencies when your child is sick.

You need to know what to do when your child has symptoms like fever, cough, flu, and others. You kena alert what is the border temperature when your child is having a fever. You have to know how to detect a fast breathing rate for a baby. You have to know what to do when your baby is having a flu and how to clear the mucus to let baby sleeps in peace. You have to know how to loose the baby's phlegm and ensure their breathing is normal.

It's a lot, isn't it?

Believe me, when you become a mother, you're essentially becoming a student all over again.

You never cease to learn, and every day brings new insights about human beings (baby). It's during these times that we truly appreciate the sacrifices our mothers made in the past.

So sebenarnya, apa benda yang wajib ibu-ibu ada dirumah to monitor their child's symptoms?

I strongly recommend including these items in the ESSENTIAL list of things mothers should have at home.

1. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓

Sebelum Adellia lahir dulu, memang I dah beli siap-siap thermometer and letak dekat tempat yang senang kita capai. I memang include thermometer siap-siap dalam list barang-barang baby. We never know what happen in the future. If the child is unwell, we won't panic to rush to the clinic and can monitor them at home first.

Temperature > 37.5° = fever

2. 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒍

Ubat demam ni macam benda yang wajib ada dirumah. Detect je temperature more than 37.5° terus boleh administer PCM. Continue monitor your child's temperature. Every 4-6 hours boleh keep administer paracetamol if temperature spike again. In the meantime, tepek koolfever dekat tempat generate heat (ketiak, dahi, celah peha & lengan).

If the child continues to have a fever for more than three days, it's crucial to promptly go to the clinic.

3. 𝑵𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚

Bila anak flu, masa ni anak akan cranky because they are having a difficulty in breathing. Runny/blocked nose akan buat anak tak selesa. Masa ni memang kena ada ilmu guna nasal spray to clear the mucus.

As long as there's a lot of mucus in the child's nose, they will remain cranky and have difficulty sleeping. After you clear the mucus, it's a relief to see the child can sleep comfortably.

4. 𝑵𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆

If you have extra money, consider investing in a nebulizer machine. It can save you a significant amount of money in the long run.

Kenapa I cakap macam ni?

Because when a child has excessive phlegm, it can disrupt their breathing. If you notice rapid breathing during such times, it's crucial to promptly visit the clinic to have your child nebulized.

Usually one session of gas will costs you around RM40-RM80. If your child needs to be nebulized for a few sessions, it will cost you more money.

I memang standby nebulizer machine dekat rumah sebab sangat berguna waktu emergency kalau Adellia batuk. Liquid for nebulizer boleh je beli dekat pharmacy berdekatan. I akan standby liquid ni dalam kuantiti yang banyak. Sehari we can use up to 3 pumps to a child. Kalau teruk sangat, boleh on nebulize setiap 6 jam.

Dekat sini pun, you have to monitor your child. If lepas neb pun masih lagi tak improve their breathing, segeralah ke klinik/hospital berdekatan.

Before I bought nebulizer machine ni, everytime Adellia had rapid breathing je, memang I terus ke emergency di hospital untuk ambil gas. Sebab zaman COVID dulu dah tak provide neb dekat klinik biasa, so we had to go to hospital to get the neb. Kalau dah masuk hospital ni, memang Doctor akan monitor and decide whether boleh balik monitor dirumah atau needs to be admitted.

Sebab tu I rasa nebulizer machine ni antara alat yang patut ada dirumah everytime anak kecil batuk. We can do an emergency treatment at home while monitoring. If symptoms persist, then immediately go to the hospital.

5. 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆

For this one, not related to any items. It is solely the knowledge.

Knowledge of what? Of knowing how to handle a child.

Sejak I jadi ibu ni kan, I rasa banyak sangat ilmu baru yang I belajar. This is all coming back to above sentence yang I cakap, when you become a mother, you're essentially becoming a student all over again.

Banyak sangat ilmu yang kita kena tahu. You will never stop learning if you are a mother.

Knowledge masa anak sakit pun sangat-sangat lah penting how you handle it. It is crucial untuk tak berada dalam keadaan "terlambat". It is crucial untuk tahu nak kena buat apa kalau anak sakit macam ini atau itu. It is crucial untuk tahu how to manage their emotion when they are sick. Dan banyak lagi "it is crucial"...

We need to acquire knowledge in various areas to ensure that what we are doing is right.

It all comes back to this advice if someone comes to me and ask this question. Bagi I, sangat lah penting untuk get ready during emergency situation. Cara kita handle our emotion pun penting. Physical and mental being seorang ibu pun sangat lah penting. Ibu-ibu ni tak boleh sakit ye. Sebab kalau ibu sakit, siapa nak jaga anak yang sakit tu. Kita ni kena ready 24/7. Penat kan dengar? Hewhewe

I akan jawab soalan ini with all of the above information if ada orang tanya I soalan ni. Sebab I tahu the anxiety of not being prepared.

As time goes by, I've learned to always be prepared for the rain.

So, if someone comes up to you and asks this question, what would your response be?