* Motivated *

For first time mothers out there, this might help you to understand what your 0-3 months’ infants are trying to say. Scroll down and you’ll discover some interesting facts about the most adorable creatures on this planet earth. :))

OPRAH

I did spend some beautiful days & nights at a friend’s house a few weekends back. Ate so much & talked a lot! It’s nice when I got the chance to watch the Oprah Winfrey talk show, very much informative, persuasive, blah blah blah. As for me, I will say that she (Oprah) does have countless number of followers & fans from all over the world just because most of her issues are revolving around humanity, their welfares and charities, as well as their every moment’s feelings - love, hatred, sorrow, happiness, and so on so forth. The same thing goes to Shakespeare. Know why people are greatly devoting themselves to his poems? One thing for sure: because his poems’ concern much on the feelings within the living souls. (A lecturer told this.) Hopefully Allah will show her (Oprah) the right path thus influencing ‘the huge others’ to follow her new steps. Amin!

One reason that made me eager to watch the program is because of its inspiring true stories and how life-time motivations were slotted in the personalities of each series. I don’t have much opportunity to let my eye-balls to watch the talk show for there’s no Hallmark Channel (and other Astro’s channels) at home. Therefore, being given this once-in-a-while chance, I will definitely not let it gone with the wind to no avail.

MOTIVATIONAL CAMP vs INSPIRING MOVIES

Some friends did tell me (after a motivational seminar ended) that actually they have less ardent to take part in such seminar (to expand the inner self inspiration). As for them, they prefer another approach of enhancing motivation and that is; by watching inspiring (based on true stories) movies or reading about journeys of some ‘big’ figures, beginning from their first step up to the zenith of success. Those methods seem easier for them to become enthused as well as being someone with high sense of worth.

I sort of agree with them on the idea that those movies & reading materials are among the ways to help you stay motivated, but at the same time, I still love to participate in any motivational camp organized (for free, especially!). Till today, the seminars which I love the most are Iflah Camp and Motivational Camp by Dr. Shukri Abdullah. They were so so so superb and I don’t think I will feel bored if I got the chance to join the program again and again. (Talking about the seminars made me miss Uncle Marz’s flipcharts and Aunt Rozie’s zeal!)

DUNSTAN BABY LANGUAGE

Oh no, I’ve gone far from the actual topic. :) Indeed I’m trying to share with readers about the Oprah Winfrey Show featuring Priscilla Dunstan, a former mezzo-soprano. I’ll just copy and paste some points about what she had discovered:

Between 0-3 months, infants make what Dunstan calls sound reflexes. According to Dunstan, we all have reflexes, like sneezes, hiccups, and burps, that all have a recognizable pattern when sound is added to the reflex. There are other reflexes that all babies experience, and when sound is added to these, a distinct, preemptive "cry" will occur before the infant breaks into what Dunstan calls the hysterical cry. Dunstan claims that these preemptive cries can indicate what the infant requires (e.g., food, comfort, sleep, etc.), and they escalate to the hysterical cry if they are not answered. As the infant matures past 3 months in vocalization, the sound reflexes become replaced with more elaborate babbling.

Words (sound reflexes)

According to Dunstan, the five universal words (or sound reflexes) used by infants are:

1. Neh
I'm hungry - An infant uses the sound reflex "Neh" to communicate its hunger. The sound is produced when the sucking reflex is triggered, and the tongue is pushed up on the roof of the mouth.

2. Owh
I'm sleepy - An infant uses the sound reflex "Owh" to communicate that they are tired. The sound is produced much like an audible yawn.

3. Heh
I'm experiencing discomfort - An infant uses the sound reflex "Heh" to communicate stress, discomfort, or perhaps that it needs a fresh diaper. The sound is produced by a response to a skin reflex, such as feeling sweat or itchiness in the bum.

4. Eairh
I have lower gas - An infant uses the sound reflex "Eairh" to communicate they have flatulence or an upset stomach. The sound is produced when trapped air from a belch that is unable to release and travels to the stomach where the muscles of the intestine tighten to force the air bubble out. Often, this sound will indicate that a bowel movement is in progress, and the infant will bend its knees, bringing the legs toward the torso. This leg movement assists in the ongoing process.

5. Eh
I have gas - An infant uses the sound reflex "Eh" to communicate that it needs to be burped. The sound is produced when a large bubble of trapped air is caught in the chest, and the reflex is trying to release this out of the mouth.

Interesting, isn’t it? During the talk show, some movie-clips of cute babies ‘demonstrating’ the sounds were shown, which make the audience more impressed and overwhelmed. :p Okay, I think that’s all for now.

To read more, click here.

P.S: A list of some inspiring stories:
1. Homeless to Harvard
2. Front of the Class
3. Pursuit of Happiness
4. One liter of tears
5. Cool Runnings