Kids

HypnoBirthing in Penang

There are many expats in Penang who have had babies while they were living here. We’ve had one, and we’re about to have another. There is a Certified HypnoBirthing Practitioner who works in Penang. Her name is Jaye Chan. She agreed to an online interview to help us understand what HypnoBirthing is and where in Penang we can find her services.

It is a pleasure to get to know you, Jaye. Let’s get started.

1) What is HypnoBirthing ^® and how is it better than conventional birth practices?

HypnoBirthing ^® is as much a philosophy of birth as it is a technique for achieving a satisfying, relaxing, and stress-free birth. Unlike conventional birth practices, which often marginalize the mother by distrusting her natural birthing ability and usher her into an anxious and restless mode by being so highly dependent on machinery and drugs and relying on unnecessary protocols and practices that are less effective and less humane, in HypnoBirthing ^®, we see birth as natural, normal and healthy, with a natural rhythm and flow. When a healthy woman, carrying a healthy baby, experiencing a healthy labour, trusting birth, is free of fear, is undisturbed and is appropriately relaxed, her body will function normally without pain or incident. HypnoBirthing ^® teaches you to release all prior programming about birth, to free yourself of limiting thoughts and emotions, and embrace the amazing ability of your body to birth your baby naturally, easily and comfortably. The techniques you will learn allow you to stay in control and calm during labour and birth and works very effectively with all types of birth – natural or surgical.

2) Am I giving up control when I am under hypnosis?

Although there are many misconceptions and misinformation about hypnosis, you are definitely not unconscious during self-hypnosis. When giving birth with HypnoBirthing ^®, you will be conversant and in good spirits – deeply relaxed, but fully in control. You will be able to decide the extent to which you feel the sensation. You will experience your birthing calmly and relaxed, with your body’s natural anesthesia (endorphins) replacing the stress hormones that cause pain. When it is time for your baby to be born, you will be fully awake, aware and involved.

3) What is the process for having a HypnoBirthing ^® birth?  How far in advance do I need to prepare?

It is always better to prepare yourself as early as possible to ensure a positive outcome. When opting for a HypnoBirthing ^® birth experience, your body and mind need to be optimally conditioned, so that when the time comes, you can effectively enter into a deep relaxation state, which will bring your body into harmony with the birthing rhythm and the orchestration of your birthing hormones, making your birthing calmer, safer and easier. Hence, it is important to attend a HypnoBirthing ^® course to increase your chances of having a successful HypnoBirthing ^® birth. There are special breathing, relaxation and visualization techniques, meditative practice, attention to nutrition and positive body toning exercises that can be learned. Most importantly, it fosters an air of mutual respect for the birthing family, as well as the health-care provider in a conventional health-care system or an alternative setting. All this knowledge can help you in your preparation to have a beautiful HypnoBirthing ^® birth.

4) Where can I read more about HypnoBirthing ^®?

For more information on HypnoBirthing ^®, you can visit the official website www.hypnobirthing.com, or you can grab a book “Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method” authored by Marie F.Mongan.

5) How can I find you, Jaye, online to ask more questions and to hire you?

You can find me through my website www.gentlebirthmalaysia.com, or you can also contact me through my Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/jayechan, or through the Hypnobirthing in Malaysia Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/hypnobirthinginmalaysia.

List of International Schools around Kuala Lumpur

As a service to friends looking for information about International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, here’s the results of several hours of research. I am quite shocked at the number of schools I was able to find.  There are 45 on this list, and growing.  The largest list anywhere else on the web doesn’t even get to 30.  I want to keep this list as complete as possible, so if there are any schools not listed, please let me know by plugging your school in the comments below. I will be sure to add your listing to the main list as well.

The list of International schools in Penang can be found here as well.

Alice Smith International School

Alnoor International School

Kidland Penang Field Trip

We went to Kidland Penang with a large group of homeschoolers this week.  It was an incredible place for fun, adventure, learning, and fun.  Our community of homeschooling families has periodic opportunities like this.  Interested in joining us some time, like the Living in Penang Facebook page and let me know that you want to be included in the next outing.

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Field Trip: Serba Wangi Rice Mill in Kedah

I’ve mentioned it before that we are a homeschooling family.  Our kids aren’t enrolled in any of the (many) international schools in Penang.  We are hooked into the Distance Learning Resource Centre at Dalat International School which is a great opportunity for anyone who is homeschooling in Penang.  One of the big benefits to this program is the opportunity to connect with the other families that are registered with DLRC.  This past August one of the moms organized a field trip to Kedah and we were grateful to be part of it.

This post is being linked up to the Hip Homeschool Moms link up party.  They are collecting field trips around the world that homeschoolers can find.  Readers who have found this post through that website might also be interested in our field trips to

• A local organic goat farm
• A Batik Factory
• The Royal Selangor School of Hard Knocks – where we made our own pewter ice cream bowls
• and more to come

Read more…

31 days: After school activities at Dalat International School

I’ve mentioned before that we’re a home schooling family.  Our children are not enrolled in any of the schools here in Penang, local or.  We buy our school curriculum from the US and ship it here for the kids.  On average, we’re spending $600-$1000 USD per child for a year.  It does cost us, I mean, my wife time in that she has to do lesson planning and teaching and reading to them.  We’ve got multiple kids, so she has to plan and teach multiple levels.

But what about social activities?  What about Physical Education?  First, those are usually not a concern for most homeschoolers.  Those are the questions non-home schoolers ask.  Most homeschoolers tend to be more physically active and more socially adjusted to the children their age range who are forced to sit at desks for hours at a time and interact with only children their own age for hours at a time.

DLRC

And besides the myriad kids programs and tuition programs that are out there, Dalat International School has a program call the Distance Learning Resource Centre which is for home educators, local in Penang, as well as around the region.

The benefits are huge!  We paid a small annual fee for the whole family.  And that gives us:

• full access to the Dalat library including online resources
• full access to the DLRC resource library
• option of enrolling in single classes taken on campus
• option of enrolling in online classes through Dalat (Sevenstar)
• option to participate in after-school clubs and athletic programs
• academic testing services
• homeschool/TCK consultation services at Dalat
• college/career counseling services at Dalat
• assistance with homeschool record keeping and transcripts

After school activities

I think the word is getting out, because this year there are now over 40 home school students who are participating in Dalat’s afterschool activities.  In the past year, our daughters have been part of gymnastics, soccer, art, choir, gardening, girls scouts, and dance.  There are loads more to choose from, although many of these after school clubs have limited space.

My kids have made some friends too.  It’s been a great opportunity for them to connect and interact with expat children.

That’s another slice of Living in Penang.  Keep coming back for more of our 31 days of living in Penang.

Book Giveaway Tiger Hunt by Christy Halsell

We are very excited to be participating in this year’s Best of Summer Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews. 

If this is your first time visiting us here at Living in Penang, welcome.  We’re an American family living in Penang, Malaysia.  We’ve got three girls and a baby boy who was born here in Malaysia.  This site is a repository of things we’ve learned from living here and the collected wisdom of those who have lived here longer than we have.  Some posts are about foods that we love here.  Some are bits of practical advice, like whether we should tip, or if we can drink the water.

Even if you don’t live in Penang, Malaysia, you might be interested in the cultural articles like overview of Nyonya culture or the Thaipusam festival.

Our kids are homeschooled so that gives us opportunities to go on more field trips in and around Penang.  We’ve been to Orang Utan Island, a local goat farm, and a local batik factory, just to name a few.

So to celebrate the end of a great summer in Penang, and the start of another school year, we’re going to participate in this book Giveaway Blog Hop.

Win a copy of Tiger Hunt!

The book we’re giving away is called Tiger Hunt!  We met the author, Christy Halsell, during our time in Bali, Indonesia.  We all really like this book.  My wife reviewed it on her blog, and my daughter reviewed it on the kids’ homeschool blog.  The Tiger Hunt book website can be found here.  Christy blogs at One Fun Mom.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is a blog hop, so you’ll definitely want to hop around and check out these other great giveaways! Be sure to check out the other giveaways we are hosting. One is at Mommy’s site, Mommynificent.com, where she is giving away 3 electronic copies of the book Katie Grace Makes a New Friend, written by our friend Julie Merrin. The other is at our kids’ showcase site, DesperateHomeschoolers.com, where we’ll be giving away 3 electronic copies of a book chosen by our eldest daughter.

IP wireless camera to monitor baby

In the last post, I talked about not being able to find a baby monitor anywhere in Penang.  I even considered doing a little travel, perhaps to Singapore, to find such a device.  But in the end, I found a technological solution in Tanjung Tokong.  I bought a little IP Wireless Camera that will sit in my baby’s crib and broadcast on our home wifi network.

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Field Trip: Happy Goat Farm in Balik Pulau

This summer we hope to get out an around Penang more, finding cheap, kid friendly activities.  We have some other families that want to get out there with us as well and so for this first time out, we found this goat farm out in Balik Pulau.   Read more…

Field Trip to Craft Batik in Teluk Bahang

2014 Update: The current price is now RM25 for tourists.  DLRC members can tell them they are connected to Dalat school and get a price of RM12 per painting.

After our successful outing to the Royal Selangor School of Hard Knocks, Our Travel Lifestyle and the Living in Penang kids decided to try another field trip together.  We wanted to do something distinctly Malaysian, and quickly, because we’re about to say goodbye to Our Travel Lifestyle as they travel on to New Zealand.  So the little one and I went on a scouting mission to Craft Batik in Teluk Bahang and arranged a tour and a chance to do some batik painting at Craft Batik in Teluk Bahang. Read more…

Paperwork for a US birth abroad

So the saga continues.  The baby is born.  We have a Malaysian birth certificate in hand.  We even got some passport pictures taken of our child. But before we make another trip to the US Embassy in KL to apply for a passport and a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, we need to gather the paperwork that we need to present to the American Embassy staff.  Fortunately, I read the KL embassy web page about registering a birth.  It says that we should call or email ahead and make an appointment.  And, I am glad I did.

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