As I approached my third trimester, I wondered if I should do a maternity shoot with my growing bump. After all, this is probably the only time I’ll ever sport a bump as we fully intend to stop at one. The next question then was who’s going to do the shoot? Should my hubby be in it too? He actually offered to take my maternity shots but thank goodness Hong Ray Photography came into the picture and the rest was history.

I generally have the impression that maternity shoots are a little cheesy (you cannot imagine the number of people who asked me if my hubby did a heart shape with his hands in front of my bump). Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against such poses. I just can’t imagine us doing it that’s all, which is why I can’t stress enough the importance of chemistry with your photographer. I was already in my 35th week when we agreed on the shoot and I couldn’t be happier that we could just cut to the chase since we shared similar ideas on the photography concept (no time to lose and I was paranoid that the baby will be early!).  We really liked Hong Ray’s affable personality and from his portfolio (he does mainly wedding photography), you can easily tell that aside from his passion for photography, he has a keen eye for aesthetics too. From our interactions with him, we could also tell he truly enjoys what he does. That probably explains why many of his works have been featured in Singapore Tatler Weddings as well.

We decided to go for a more timeless and artistic studio shoot to capture our most intimate moments.

I personally feel that styling for a shoot is just as crucial as the shoot itself and it was great that Hong Ray’s studio had a wide range of props and fairy lights for us to experiment with as well. If you were wondering, yes, he provides props and styling for outdoor shoots too. How creative! Props aside, Hong Ray’s efferverscent and easy-going personality put us at ease instantly and injected a dose of fun into the shoot. There was never an awkward or dull moment.

It was a breeze working with Hong Ray and we couldn’t be more pleased with the photos we received. Thank you for creating these wonderful memories with us as we embark on the next chapter of our lives.

Here’s also a special shoutout to my makeup artist and friend, Clara for my gorgeous hair and makeup.

For more of Hong Ray’s works, check out his website here and IG account (@hongrayphotography).

For enquiries, feel free to drop him an email at enquiry@hongrayphotography.com too.

Wanna relieve common problems such as fatigue, constipation and backache during pregnancy? Perhaps Tian Yuan Xiang Chicken Essence (滴鸡精) will come in handy! A popular brand in Taiwan, I couldn’t be happier when they finally set up shop in Singapore during my second trimester! One of my girlfriends couldn’t stop waxing lyrical about the benefits of this tasty chicken essence hence I’ve been taking Tian Yuan Xiang’s chicken essence as a dietary supplement ever since I could get my hands on them here.

Why Tian Yuan Xiang?

Their chicken essence tastes different from what you usually get off the shelves. It tastes just like freshly brewed chicken broth. In fact, it’s so delicious, I look forward to drinking it every morning.

Their chicken essence is as pure as it can possibly get and there aren’t any added preservatives or water at all. What’s even more interesting is that they rear their own free-range, hormone-free chickens so preggy ladies like us can have absolute peace of mind.

The best way to ensure optimal absorption is to consume the chicken essence on an empty stomach every morning. Alternatively, you can have it with or after your meals, preferably before 4pm to prevent insomnia at night. All you have to do is to thaw a packet in the microwave or by boiling it over the stove and you’ll get to savour a piping hot bowl of natural chicken essence. How very convenient.

While I never had backache (thankfully!), I was plagued by fatigue and constipation, particularly at the start of my third trimester. I was so tired most of the time and my energy level was at an all-time low. I used to drink their Pure Chicken Essence (no herbs at all) once to twice a week in my second trimester but I  decided it was time to up my game with their Original Chicken Essence and Chicken Essence with Eucommia.  These two flavours include pregnancy-safe herbs and are suitable not only for pregnant ladies but for postpartum care and breastfeeding ladies too. You can also share these flavours with the rest of your family as teenagers, adults and the elderly can take them too!

Original Chicken Essence

The original flavour includes wolfberries and red dates to boost vital energy and Qi, astragalus to strengthen your lungs and black dates to relieve constipation. Sure enough, constipation became a problem of the past for me once I started taking this. Quite miraculous if you ask me, and believe me, I tried eating bananas, vegetables, drinking more water etc. Nothing worked for me till this came along.

Chicken Essence with Eucommia

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly thirsty during pregnancy. My mouth feels dry all the time and skin breakouts are now as regular as my visits to the toilet. I swear I spot new spots emerging at different times of the day. Well, according to TCM, this is linked to the body’s heatiness and Tian Yuan Xiang’s Chicken Essence with Eucommia contains several Chinese herbs to dispel heatiness, aid with insomnia (yup that’s me at 2am) and constipation, and nourish blood. The star ingredient here, Eucommia, helps to relieve backaches too. After taking this, I feel less thirsty and my skin doesn’t look as bad as it did before, plus I do sleep much better now. Not preggy? That’s fine. If you’re used to pulling all nighters, you can try this too!

Nourish Your Family

Do you feel that you’ve been neglecting your hubby ever since you got preggy?  Now, you can treat the man to some Tian Yuan Xiang Chicken Essence. There are many flavors to choose from and I personally think that the American Ginseng flavor is suitable for my hubby. American Ginseng can help to replenish his energy level  and lessen the effects of fatigue(especially if he has been staying up late due to work and nursery planning :P). Worried about your kids during the exam period? Or are you feeling drained and weak after your menstrual cycle? You can drink this to boost energy levels too! However, do note that American Ginseng is not suitable for pregnant ladies, breastfeeding mummies or ladies during their menstrual periods.

There’s only so much that I can say, and nothing beats experiencing it for yourself. Go ahead, try their chicken essence. There’s complimentary sampling at their store at United Square. No time to head down? You can also order online here and they’ll deliver the products right to your doorstep. Psst…I found out recently that HK and Taiwanese celebrities such as Linda Chung, Sharon Chan, Barbie Hsu and Ruby Lin are fans. In Singapore, they count Tay Kewei and Leelian Chua as fans too.

No wonder all the products were completely wiped out when I visited their shop in Singapore a few weeks after their opening.

*****

Tian Yuan Xiang

Address:

101 Thomson Road

#B1-24A United Square

S307591

Opening Hours:

10.30am – 9pm

Contact No.:

6200 6789

Click on the links below for more details:

Official Website

Facebook

Instagram

It may come as a shock to some that I lived alone during the whole of my second trimester. My hubby had a 3-month overseas stint and since I embrace solitude, being home alone didn’t bother me at all.

What if there was an emergency and I had to go to the hospital? I would probably have just called for the ambulance. That said, directing my focus towards leading a healthy lifestyle served as a distraction from any negativity.

 
Home-cooked meals & Gestational Diabetes
I failed my  gestational diabetes test when I was in my 29th week. Well, my dad has type 2 diabetes so it didn’t exactly come as a surprise. This meant that I had to watch my diet carefully and test my sugar level on a daily basis.

Simple carbs were out of the question and I took mainly brown rice or low GI breads with meat and vegetables. To break the monotony, I also slipped in my favourite Raffles Hotel mooncake on cheat days. Surprisingly, my sugar level didn’t shoot up.

On the other hand, I tried taking simple carbs for all 3 meals one day and omg my sugar level 2 hours after dinner shot up. What a stark reminder that moderation is key.

Of course, having a mother-in-law who cooks well helped. I had my fair share of delicious yet healthy home-cooked meals delivered to my doorstep. Whenever I had time at home, I would also whip up some western meals that are high in protein and low in carbs.

Sufficient sleep
I don’t have a habit of sleeping early, but I made sure I had sufficient rest. At least 8 hours of quality sleep on average.

These days, I’ve to admit it’s getting harder to get up in the mornings.

Exercise
I took up prenatal pilates (after friends told me it’ll be easier to get back into shape after delivery) but I came to realise I really enjoy this sport, even more so than my first love yoga. I started pilates from the beginning of my second trimester and I think it’s very effective in preventing backaches.

For the record, I sit on backless bar stools at Foxhole Cafe all the time and I don’t use any form of back support. I’m 35 weeks now and nope, I haven’t experienced any backaches (I hope I don’t jinx this *touchwood*).

Supplements
In addition to supplements prescribed by my gynae, I also take chicken essence and occasioinally bird’s nest. My mother-in-law buys black chicken from the market and makes chicken essence from scratch  for me once a week. I supplement that with chicken essence from Tian Yuan Xiang, a popular Taiwanese brand favoured by Hong Kong and Taiwanese celebs, on alternate days or daily (if my pregnant brain remembers). I’ll be writing a review on their products soon, so if this is of interest to you, do keep a lookout for my upcoming post.

Natural remedies
I caught a cold towards the end of my second trimester due to the sudden dip in temperature islandwide. Runny nose, scratchy throat, you get the drift…I mean, can you believe it was 26 degrees in Singapore during the day? It wasn’t even the monsoon period.

I wasn’t keen on taking medication so I relied mainly on my best friend Google who told me that Manuka honey and lemon water as well as a salt gurgle would help to ease my symptoms. These worked like a charm, but it still took me about two weeks to fully recover. Fortunately, I felt well enough to head to Foxhole Cafe for my shifts.

Bad news. I think my nose is extra sensitive during pregnancy as I am nursing another cold right now.

Staying positive
I know it can be tough when pregnancy hormones are wrecking havoc. It helped that I had the support of likeminded mummy and non-mummy friends/clients who empathised with me. Two of my best friends even came to do a massive clean up of my house before my helper arrived! I also indulged in hair treatments (thanks to ToliV salon) and antenatal massages to keep stress levels down and basically just unwind.

And now that the hubby is back, I’ve happily passed on the responsibility of setting up the nursery and grocery shopping to him while I kick back and relax by shopping on Pupsik, Redmart and Mothercare.😆