Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

Her daily AFFIRMATIONS of staying optimistic especially when she's (upside) down.

Archive for the ‘Ninie Ahmad’s baby’ tag

I am happy, strong, informed, confident, brave and compassionate therefore my child is one.

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WHAT?!
It’s already October?
Where did 2013 go?

It felt like it was only yesterday I celebrated my 3oth birthday last October and I gave birth to the sweetest baby ever.

I still can’t believe my bundle of blessings has already been climbing up the stairs, drinking from a straw and READING?

My sweet angel baby, please don’t grow up so fast..

Written by Ninie

October 2nd, 2013 at 10:50 pm

Posted in Natural Parenting, PJ

Tagged with

‘You’re just like an angel, your skin makes me cry, you float like a feather..’

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I don’t know what’s gone into me but I have another song reworded :)
But first, watch our YouTube uploaded yesterday!

“But this is my crib!
My Mommy chose to ‘tido’,
What the heck is she doing here?
She doesn’t belong here!”

We practice Attachment Parenting but we do not co-sleep anymore since PJ was only 5-weeks old.

Evidently we are too noisy for her at night and the first night we put her in her own crib in March, she slept from 8pm and only woke up 6 in the morning (we did install a noise-sensitive and night vision video monitor in her room hence we would know if she woke up but she just doesn’t)!

My husband and I were surprised and beyond grateful yet wondered why she sleeps so much better in her room. First we thought it was the yoga music I have been playing during my classes in Upward but then I lost Upward’s iPod so I just played some mellow Radiohead and Coldplay songs on my iPhone (before I found out and bought babies version of Radiohead and Coldplay) and she still STTN!

Now I am pretty convinced it’s the darkness and quietness in her room as she did not sleep as well when we had our little Mother’s Day trip to Pangkor Laut Resort and when she slept together with us in our not-so-dark room in Canada last June.

Before I put PJ to bed every night, I also whisper to her ears this “Good night, my angel. When the sun no longer shines, you need sleep more than you need play, milk and Mommy. Come in my dream and let’s do together things you wish to do soon. The longer you sleep, the faster you’ll grow and we can do more things together. You wake me up when the sun starts to rise ya? Good night, my angel.”

Err, no wonder she doesn’t sleep 8 to 6 in Canada, the sun sets at 10pm and rises at 4am in the summer! My ’spell’ seems to only work near the equator, tsk tsk..

Since she’s (ahem.. 20 metres) away from me at night for almost 10 hours, I miss her so much it hurts so I try to nap IN her creep crib at noons like in YouTube above, even if 10 minutes sleep is all I’ve got.

That and - now that she’s got standing figured out, I can’t really leave her on her own outside of her crib especially when I’m napping (nap is required since my 4am Ashtanga practice has resumed, woot woot)!

All hail yoga rock bands Coldplay, Radiohead and 90’s rockabyes!

I recognize your sacredness.

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I’ve been hearing Petrovsky counting PJ’s toes and singing this highly Muslims-and-vegetarians-unfriendly nursery rhyme:

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee” all the way home.

and I am determined to sing to PJ my version..

This little yogi went to Farmer’s Market,
This little yogi stayed at home,
This little yogi had raw salad,
This little yogi had none.
And this little yogi went..
“Ujjayi” and OM OM OM.

Do we likey, my angel yogi baby?

Written by Ninie

August 19th, 2013 at 11:52 pm

ARTICLE: ‘Blogging about the importance of physical yoga poses is slowly being replaced with how compassion and patience are more yoga than any yoga poses.’ (HELLO! Malaysia, August 2013)

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Interview by Jessica Liew

Revelling in her new role, Ninie Ahmad takes us on a poignant journey of motherhood with her first child, Pincha Jamilaa.

It’s hard to believe that the extremely toned and trim Ninie Ahmad had only given birth to her first child. At just five feet tall, the yoga instructor looks just as beautiful as before she was pregnant, and continually stirs admiring comments from our HELLO! team throughout the photoshoot.

The founder of Upward Yoga, a New York City-inspired yoga practice space located in the Saujana Resort, is all smiles as we step into the home she has shared with her French-Canadian husband since they got married in December 2010. Like a multitasking pro, Ninie manages to greet each of us in between dashing off to check on her new daughter, Pincha Jamilaa Forget, and preparing for us organc iced lemonade.

Ninie’s diminutive size belies an inner greatness. Her big personality and remarkable yoga story of self-discovery through optimistic postings on her website earned her the Malaysia’s Best Health and Wellbeing Blog 2012 award. Her energentic life was put on hold on 3 February 2013, when Pincha entered the world, and since then, Ninie’s attentions have shifted to enjoying every moment with her daughter.

The first thing we notice about Pincha is how peaceful and alert she is for a baby. “She was such a calm baby that she did not even cry in the first minute she was born,” says her mum. Throughout the photoshoot, Ninie continually chirps words of endearment to her adorable daughter, who responds with big expressive eyes.

As a devout yogi and wellness advocate, getting pregnant was a decision Ninie approached in all seriousness. “I was at my fittest and healthiest by choice before I tried getting pregnant because I was wanted to be responsible for nurturing the life I was carrying, ” she says.

Drawing on a mother’s faith, a yogi’s strength, and a woman’s instincts, Ninie tells us all about her pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

Congratulations on your first-born baby! How is motherhood treating you so far?
Motherhood is thus far the most interesting chapter in my life. I used to think if I’ve mastered handstands in yoga, I’ve got life figured out but burping a baby is harder than yoga inversions!

How did you and your husband react when you first discovered you were pregnant?
I tried not to get pregnant for a year after we got married as I wanted to focus and build Upward Yoga, which was a wedding gift from my husband. When I was finally ready, I started taking folic acid in January last year, which is recommended for women to promote a healthy spine development in their babies. We finally tried in April, and in early May, I found out I was about four-weeks pregnant. We were immensely happy but not surprised.

Did you wish for a boy or a girl?
I have always wanted a girl and I kind of applied what I learned during my Preconception, Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training on increasing our chance in getting a girl. I don’t know if it really worked or if it was purely coincidental but I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl. I kind of knew before the obstetrician/gynaecologist confirmed that I was going to have a girl because the day before I found out I was pregnant, I ended up buying 15 new dresses in one afternoon!

How was your pregnancy?
My pregnancy was a breeze. I only experienced morning sickness during my first trimester, and I escaped common pregnancy ailments such as swelling, bloatedness and back pain. I was still wearing my XS Herve Leger dress at my seventh month to celebrate my 30th birthday!

Did your experience as a yoga expert help with the progress of your pregnancy?
I believe that a woman should be at her best physical shape and mental health before she enters pregnancy. Having had practiced yoga every day for 13 years made me not only very healthy and calm, but also strong and flexible inside and out. Pregnant mothers are often also recommended to take up yoga for its relaxing, strengthening and healing benefits. I was still teaching headstands and handstands when I was 36-weeks pregnant!

How did your husband support you throughout?
My husband is beyond amazing. He bent over backwards providing me with organic prenatal supplements not available locally and made sure that I was fed with healthy organic whole food whenever possible. We have been staunch advocates of plant-based diets and organic eating so nothing really had to change.

You chose a home Lotus Birth for your daughter. Why did you make this decision and how, as a wellness advocate, did you prepare for the birth?
I did plan for a Lotus Birth (the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut after childbirth so that the baby is left attached to its placenta until the cord naturally separates) at home because I do not know of any OB/GYN in Kuala Lumpur who would allow Lotus Birth in hospitals. I sat for Preconception, Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training twice and even attended a gentle birth course with Ibu Robin Lim in Bali.

I was physically and mentally prepared to birth a child naturally. My husband and I hired an Italian midwife to stay with us a month before my labour date to ensure I was fit for a home birth. A doula (professional trained in emotional, physical and informational labour coaching)  was also present in the case of a hospital transfer. I endured a 40-hour labour at home without knowing that I encountered Neurapraxia, a disorder of the peripheral nervous system that resulted in Foot Drop. I was well-read on most birth complications but not this one as Neurapraxia is only common among professional athletes!

Fearing the safety of my baby and I, my midwife advised for a hospital transfer, and there, I was pressured into a Caesarean, but I stood firmly on my choice. I had to sign many release forms and state my reasons of not following ’standard’ hospital protocols, especially on the Lotus Birth. We reached the hospital at 5pm and at 10.50pm; I defied medical logic by delivering my 3.51kg baby through natural birth. We also had our dream Lotus Birth, which was also the hospital’s first.

How did it feel when you first laid eyes on your baby?
It was magical! A tiny creature grew inside of me for 41 weeks and three days and I would be curious of how she would look and move like. She was more beautiful than I ever envisioned. I kept ‘talking’ to her during my meditation when I was pregnant, that she does not have to cry if she is happy, healthy and not in pain. Until today, she still does not favour crying. I am so blessed!

How did you choose the name Pincha Jamilaa for your daughter?
I have always wanted a Sanskrit first name for our baby since my husband and I met through yoga, and I would love a Malay middle name for her and keep my husband’s French last name. ‘Pincha’ means feathers in Sanskrit and the Arabic ‘Jamilaa’ means beautiful. And then there was my favourite yoga inversion ‘Pincha Mayurasana’ that was easier to hold when I was pregnant so I figured my baby chose the name herself.

What would you say your baby’s personality is like?
My baby is a bigger yogi than I am. She is very calm and strong compared to many babies of her age. She started sleeping through the night from 8pm to 7am like clockwork since she was five-weeks old so I never had sleeping problems. She also started flipping over at 13 weeks and at 102-days old, she started laughing loudly, which I managed to record a good half a minute on my iPhone!

I believe that the yoga and meditation I practiced and good nutrients throughout my pregnancy contributed to the healthy, happy and contented baby she is today. I also think the Lotus Birth contributed to many of these amazing developments. I have come across many stories of Lotus Birth babies who possess almost superhuman strength.

How would you describe the parenting styles of yourself and your husband?
My husband and I are pro-choice individuals and parents. It is too early to say for now but natural parenting, Attachment Parenting and Glenn Doman’s early learning methods resonate the most with us right now.

What are your hopes for your baby?
I love Khalil Gibran’s “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.” Until Pincha can speak and decide for herself, I will provide her the best brain food she can get and a clean healthy environment to grow in and find herself.

What are some of the things that you have learned from being a mother?
Watching and taking care of Pincha every day brings me back to one of yoga’s biggest principles: non-attachment. Babies are pure souls who do not need unnecessary luxury. They are blessed with primate survival instincts and that keeps me humbled. Just enjoy, learn and experiment with what we already have – two hands, two feet, five senses, just like babies.

How will Pincha’s arrival change your old routine as a full-time yoga instructor/ blogger?
I have to dust cobwebs off my blog! Blogging about the importance of physical yoga poses is slowly being replaced with how compassion and patience are more yoga than any yoga poses. As for teaching, I promised friends of Upward that I will open the studio again in April but I extended my maternity leave to ensure complete recovery of my Neurapraxia. I hope to resume teaching at Upward in July 2013 but let’s get back to non-attachment, shall we?

From Page 48 - 51 of HELLO! Malaysia, August 2013

‘It takes someone really brave to be a mother, someone strong to raise a child and someone special to love someone more than herself.’

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It was a weekend of firsts.

It was my first time celebrating Mother’s Day first hand

and PJ was at the beach for the very first time.

Although I haven’t been to my hair salon for almost a year now and
I don’t know when will I have the time for full blown 2-hours Ashtanga practice again,

this butter ball..

makes it all worth it.

With all my heart,
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers on this earth.

Written by Ninie

May 13th, 2013 at 8:16 pm

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