Post VIVA Things

Continue from previous post, what you need to do after you have passed your VIVA session. So, after you have heard 

"Congratulations, you have passed/completed your Master/PhD study"

There you go! It's time for a correction thingy.

Correction ni depends on what status you got for your VIVA. If you pass with minor correction, UPM will give 3-months for you to do correction (during COVID19 period). If you pass with major correction, then you will get 6-months to do correction. You can check further on UPM's website.

So after you already finished with the corrections, there are a few documents that you need to submit along with the correction thesis.

- GS-16a form
- GS25 form
- GS17 form (for graduation, along with RM200 fee)
- 1 copy of Thesis (corrected)
- List of correction
- 1 copy of Abstract (in Malay & English)
- Manuscript (accepted or published)
- Text Similarity Report (under 20%)

During my time, I just sent through email to SGS. Masa tu still PKP and UPM is closed except for urgent matters. So I was told to send all the documents online.

I even got all the signatures online (by email). Mulanya risau juga, tapi fuh nasib baik UPM staffs efficient. So I got all forms signed and verified. After that, you will get email saying that all documents were received.

Actually, I have to submit hardcopy after PKP ends. But I didn't. So I went to Counter 4 SGS and told them about this (cause it was almost 1 year after I submitted the correction). So they just took GS25, GS17 and GS16a hardcopies form. I pergi sini lepas I dapat email from Senate that requires me to do one last step (which is hardbound).

So SGS terus suruh hantar B5 Thesis format. REMEMBER, you have to submit B5 format ok. They will not accept A4 format (I submitted A4 format and got rejected). So bila dah rejected tu, they asked to follow the format exactly as the guidelines.

You will get Approval Sheet to insert in your thesis during printing later.

Once you submit the B5 format, you have to wait for 2 working days. They will review and comment for further correction (this one correction after senate approval). Once you get your thesis, please do correction exactly as told. They will mark and write down any corrections there.

So, you will need to do the corrections again and send back to them for final check. SGS was very strict. They will check the margin and spacing as the guidelines. Once they are satisfied, then you are ready for hardbound printing.

For Masters, you can print 5 copies of hardbound. 2 copies are compulsory (1 for library and 1 for faculty). Another 2 copies for your supervisors and you can keep 1 for yourself.

Once your hardbound is ready, you need to get your supervisor committee's signatures and stamps before you can submit the thesis to Counter 4 SGS. Next, submit your hardbound along with GS16b form + 1 CD to SGS to obtain Dean's signature. Usually you may collect your hardbound after 2 working days.

But, I dapat my hardbounds on the spot. They signed it immediately there. They will take 1 copy of your thesis (so they can send to library). SGS baik hati untuk send the copy themselve to the library. Then they will give you a "Green form". You have to collect the signature from your faculty and submit 1 copy of your thesis. After you bagi 1 thesis copy to your faculty, then they will sign your Green form.

Ok, then you are almost there! After that you have to go to SGS Counter 3 to claim your transcript and Dean's letter (to clarify that you have completed your Master study). Then they will signed the "Green form" and keep it.

Masa I submit this Green form, the staff tiba-tiba asked for my GS17 form (which I already submitted all of the forms before). They asked if I have another copy. Of course I have but that one is my copy. Tapi I terpaksa la ambil my copy dalam kereta and gave to them sebab I don't want to delay the Transcript and Dean's letter. And then I heard one of them said "form tu mungkin dekat xxx". And immediately asked me if I have other copy. Adoi. I think they should clarify with their staff first before asking another copy from student. But what to do lah, I already gave them. Hmm. Hope there is no issue later.

They will give the transcript and Dean's letter in the envelope. And then, congratulations! You have completed your Master study :)

Boleh tunggu convocation, which UPM will inform you in the email later.

Phew, what a journey I had! I settled all the process above in 1 day, which took me 2 hours and a half. Tapi seriously penat gila drive ulang alik to 2 different places sebanyak 4 kali. Hahah. Dah lah my faculty and SGS consider quite far la jugak. So it was a bit renyah to those yang have no transportation. Tapi sebab I nak settle semua in 1 day, so I rush sangat-sangat ulang alik my faculty and SGS 4 kali. Lucky me that I successfully submitted all the forms above in 1 day.

To those who are continuing your Master degree in UPM, I wish you goodluck and all the best. It was a bitter sweet memories to further my Master degree in UPM. Thank you UPM :)

Viva Preparation (What You Need to Do Before You Are Ready for A VIVA)

I have completed my Viva presentation 1 year ago, but I just wanted to share my experiences to help everyone out there who are struggling on what's the next step to take if you are ready for Viva presentation.

I takut I lupa lupa je ni. Sebab dah lama sangat dah haha. Ok hope it helps! If you guys are ready for VIVA presentation, first thing first, you have to submit GS-14a form. Ini baru form taw, belum lagi thesis submission. This form is a notice of submission, macam kira nak bagitahu you are ready for VIVA la.

P/S: For UPM students, there are TWO submission(s) for THESIS taw. I will explain later.

Make sure you fit the criteria above. Then, only you can submit 14a form. If possible, submit this form 3-months in advance. Along this form, you have to prepare i) Table of Content of your thesis & ii) Abstract.

Once you dah submit this form, then boleh la start complete your chapters in your thesis. Mind you that proses untuk tunggu VIVA memang sangat lama, that's why advisable to submit 3-months in advance. University have to appoint Examination Committee.

For Master students, you will have 1 external examiner. From other university which will be your examiner during your VIVA. They also will review your thesis and correct anything they want. Berdebar kan? Haha

So I submitted mine on January 2020. Lama dah sebenarnya, then due to COVID19, I have to wait for almost 1-year k. Really, lama gila.

Then, once University has nominated your Examination Committee, you need to prepare GS-15a form and please bring along what they asked. For Masters student, you have to prepare THREE(s) hard copies of your thesis and Turnitin report. Plus, 1 CD of PDF version & Turnitin report in it.

This process pun kena get few signatures before you can send them. Memang kena kesana kesini sikit part ni.

Submit 15a form with these

Ini belum hardbound taw. Just submission of thesis before VIVA. Your thesis will be sent to your Examination Committee for them to check and review.

Then, you have to wait again. This process also quite long. Sebab your Examiners will check your thesis taw. I tunggu 6-bulan (also due to COVID19 too). Then, last-last I rasa cam lama sangat, I terus contact UPM and inform them about this. Terus they asked me which date you want to do the VIVA. So after I talked with my SV about this, I agreed to do VIVA 1-month after. That time I was still working, so it was my busy month. After long thinking, I think 1-month after is ok (because I can't wait to settle this once and for all).

So I pilih tarikh 9/3/2021 for my VIVA presentation. Tak fikir apa dah ni. Nak nervous pun takleh sebab dah setahun lebih dok tunggu. Ingat-ingat lupa je semua content. So 2-weeks before, I read my thesis everyday. Fahamkan about my research (padahal taktau dah nak baca apa).

And I also request for VIVA online (that time I was pregnant, and I was concerned about COVID19 too). Luckily, they approved. So I did my VIVA online at 9am.

If you want to see the details, please log in your student portal. You will find all the informations there. It is important to keep up to date with your portal okay.

Phew, it was tough haha. Got so many questions, and I also didn't know if my answers satisfied them. Haha. But Alhamdulillah, I passed. Phew.

Then, the hardest part was corrections. Omg, really, it was tough. Because I was so eager to settle the correction as soon as I can (I was afraid I terberanak before submit the corrections lol). So I bersengkang mata siapkan corrections in 48 DAYS je. One week before I terberanak haha. Nasib baik sempat submit.

Ok I will continue the next part in the next post. Please stay tune on what you need to do next. Really, so many things to do...

Eczema

Dua bulan yang lepas Adellia ada sikit eczema dekat tepi mulut. Mulanya kering je and dia tak garu. So I keep on sapu cream Cetaphil Advanced Protection Cream Baby tu. The irritation will come and go. Lepastu, suddenly ada satu malam tu dia garu masa tengah tidur (she suddenly know how to scratch). Bangun pagi esoknya I terkejut dah berdarah and habis kena comforter semua.

So I was really concerned. Terus I cuci and sapu cream Cetaphil lagi. And disebabkan dah berair and berdarah, cream tu macam tak sempat nak act upon the cut, she already scratch back. I was shocked kot and I gotta find one cream yang kena soothe the wounds and dry it as soon as possible. Sebab I taknak dia garu lagi.

I made quite a lot of survey untuk cream for eczema yang boleh soothe the wounds as soon as possible. One of it I found Honey & Olive brand. So I terus made order untuk Rescue Cream and Restore Salve dulu. I wanna try this two first before consider to buy others.

Masa I placed order tu luka Adellia masih kering. And it turned out she scratch the wounds at the same day I placed order. Lepastu luka tu dah jadi infection cause she keeps scratching taw. And I tak fikir panjang dah, terus bawak dia ke klinik and consult Doctor. So Doctor gave cream untuk sooth the infection and also for moisture. And she also got antibiotic untuk makan sekali for 3 days. After sapu the cream, the infection is soothed. And I stop of using it after the wound cuma tinggal dry je. Cause the Doctor said, cream tu ada steroid, just sapu nipis je.

Then, a friend suggested cream named Aquaphor. Mulanya I nak try Honey & Olive tu dulu, but it seems like the cream did not really help with the wound after third time of application. Mungkin jugak faktor Adellia keep scratching. Basically, her eczema is the degil one taw. Very hard to soothe.

So I bought la Aquaphor pulak untuk try. The texture is same as Vaseline. Very moisture and thick. You just need to use a little je, because, really, it is so THICK. I bought 50g first because I wanna try. Tapi I rasa macam lambat habis because memang sikit sangat guna tapi dah boleh apply to most area. And I think I like la the cream, cause Adellia likes to touch her face, so most cream yang I guna memang akan hilang after application if she touches her face. This Aquaphor's texture is thick. So macam lambat la nak hilang if she touches her face.

After been using this cream for few weeks, I think I like it! Adellia memang ada masalah menggaru sikit. She always scratches especially masa tidur. Macam-macam cara la nak prevent she scratches tapi itu lah, susah jugak.

So far, I think this cream act fast. Sebab if sampai luka dia garu, I just apply this cream, and soon nampak macam dah sooth sikit luka tu. Which is THE POINT! I memang tengah cari cream yang sooth cepat to prevent infections.

I brought this cream everywhere I go. Including masa travel raya itu hari. Nightime sleep I kena balut tangan dia to prevent she scratches. Itu pun kadang dia pandai buka balutan tu.

Thank you to a friend yang suggested this cream for eczema problems. Can see the difference la. I want to share the after pictures tapi tak ada lagi cause the wound is still there (she still scratching) and susah nak dapat clean skin macam dulu cause the cycle keeps repeating haha. Bila dah elok, dia garu lagi. So tak sempat nak licin, dah jadi balik. I will update when I found ways to prevent her from scratching haha!

Aquaphor Advanced Therapy - RM29.90
Honey & Olive - Up to RM34.90

Preparation for Labor

Disclaimer: What is written on this page is what I did as a preparation for my labor. Different people have different ways and experiences. Thank you.

Every mother must experience anxiety and nervousness when thinking about the day of labor, right? Well, I certainly did! The anxiety kicks in around 37 weeks, prompting you to prepare both mentally and physically as the anticipation of entering the labor room at any moment looms large!

So, I did a lot of reading and made a lot of Doa' that Allah will make it easy for me. Alhamdulillah, it turned out to be ok although I'm still traumatizing of childbirth haha!

At the end of my pregnancy, I did few things that will help to ease the delivery (according to the readings). Here is the things I did:

WALKING

Yes, I moved and walked A LOT. Start from 36-weeks I dah start brisk walking everyday for 2-3km. Usually I will ensure I reached 3km, but it depends. Sometimes pregnant moms can get really tired. Hence, dapat 2-3km pun dah consider ok for me. If I macam malas, husband akan remind and teman I buat everyday setiap petang. Kadang tak sempat keluar, I akan buat dekat treadmill. Yup, I went to that level! Haha

If you feel alone and malas, please get your partner's help ok. It really helps! Partner's involvement at the end of pregnancy is really helpful. Sebab masa akhir pregnant la, all the problems started to appear. Like, the backache, can't sleep, always wanted to pee, sudden anxiousness, the overthinking part... and many more!

EXERCISE

Exercise can mean a lot. Masa I hujung-hujung pregnancy dulu, I cuma exercise basuh tandas and turun tangga je. Cause I malas nak buat exercise for pregnant mothers tu. Haha.

But is is advisable for you guys to exercise end of pregnancy ok. Use that yoga ball and do every techniques that is good for labor.

PERINEUM MASSAGE

If you want to know more about perineal massage, CLICK HERE

During week 34-36, it is recommended to do perineal massage. I did perineal massage 2 times per week as suggested by my Doctor. My doctor said "Please learn perineal massage and do every week. It will help for normal birth"

So I just did according to her advice. Kindly learn the steps carefully and seek advice from your doctor first before you do it.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

I read a lot of tips to ease labor. One of them is to consume VCO at the end of pregnancy (or start 6-months above).

Well, actually, I do have trust issue with this one. But I tawakaltualAllah je. InshaAllah dengan izin Allah. So I consume VCO starting 7-months if I'm not mistaken. The pill is quite big haha it scared me! I consumed VCO from D'Aura Minyak Kelapa Dara.

DOA FOR EASE LABOR

When I was pregnant, I recite quite a few Doa' everyday. Once I found out I was pregnant, I bought this one book contain a lot of Doa' for pregnant mothers. And I really like the contents! Omg the book is really good and easy to understand. I never missed recite all the Doa's during pregnancy. Alhamdulillah.

Here is the link, Surah Dan Doa Pilihan untuk Ibu Mengandung

DID IT WORK?

To answer this question, I think it depends on one's experience and we should talk about qada' and qadr too. Everything is meant to be. But surely you can always work towards a better outcome.

As for me, yes, it worked! I am really thankful that I did quite a lot of walking back then. I gave birth to my baby girl exactly 2-weeks after I did 3km challenge everyday. To my surprise, it didn't take long for her to come out.

I noticed contractions around 6 pm, headed to the hospital around 10 pm, and by 11 pm, I was 2 cm dilated. Rapid progress ensued, reaching 6 cm by 1:30 am, and I was quickly rushed to the labor room. By 4:39 am, I had already welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world.

I felt the contraction not too long. Decided to go to the hospital after 10pm because I still can bear the pain. LOL no kidding, it was intense actually, but I said to my husband, let's wait first, but he already panicked seeing me 😳

But really, different people have different experience. We gotta do something and make a lot of Doa' so Allah will make it easy for us. Remember, mother's Doa' are really powerful. Tiada hijab.

To all pregnant mothers, good luck and may you have a smooth delivery soon. The joy of seeing your little one is really worth the sacrifices, trust me! 😉

Can Baby Learn to Fall Asleep on Their Own?

As how the topic suggest, can baby learn to fall asleep on their own? Do you think it is possible for babies to sleep on their own?

Well, YES. Babies can sleep on their own if you start to train them.

HOW? 

Alhamdulillah, now I feel so happy and reassured that Adellia is finally own her schedule and able to sort herself out as well as soothe herself. Mulanya I macam tak percaya sangat that I able to go through this phase. Every day I would search on google "CAN BABY SLEEP ON THEIR OWN?" "WHEN WOULD IT BE THE RIGHT TIME FOR BABIES TO FALL ASLEEP ON THEIR OWN?"

I read a lot and even join FB Group macam mana nak train anak tidur sendiri. I still can't believe that after almost 1 month, she's getting the momentum! Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah my prayer has been answered!

What I did to let Adellia sleeps on her own? Here it is!

1. Before sleep, usually I would let her play some toys (sometimes I do give her screen time, but not too much cause she gets bored easily!)

If you find your baby too hard to stay focus, you PLAY with them. Or simply just sit in front of them. Entertain them, talk with them, teach them.

Bila baby dah penat, around 1.5 - 2 hours, dah start nampak tanda-tanda nak tidur. Ok, this is a really important signs. You have to know their signals (gosok mata, menguap, cranky a bit, mulut macam mintak puting). It's time to get them to sleep!

2. Put baby to bed.

Dukung, and put baby to bed. Let them know it's their sleep time. JANGAN TERAGAK-AGAK. Masa ni kena YAKIN.

Kalau sebelum ni baby mengempeng sebelum tidur, jangan jadikan itu perkara terakhir baby ingat sebelum dia nak tidur. What should you do? Replace with other thing. For example, usap kepala baby, cium kepala baby, sing them a lullaby, say goodnight to them ataupun bedtime stories sekalipun.

If you want to stop the mengempeng session, never let the session be the last routine! So, the milk feeding session should be earlier.

I know how it feels for the mother who have baby that needs to mengempeng first before they can sleep. Cause Adellia dulu macam tu. And I slowly changed that.

Contohnya,

15 - 20 minit sebelum anak nak tidur, main dengan anak (peek a boo, talk with them etc) → bagi susu kepada baby → lepas habis susu, baby dah kenyang → bagi baby puting (if baby hisap puting) → kalau baby tak hisap puting, give something to let them soothe themselves → letak anak yang mamai ke atas katil → usap rambut anak, cium anak

Ini adalah contoh sahaja.

3. Let baby NESTING

After you put baby to bed, babies need to NESTING themselves.

Nesting, a way to relax themselves. Dalam erti kata lain, semua orang akan nesting sebelum tidur. Nak tahu apa?

Perasan tak sebelum tidur kita akan tengok phone, pusing kiri kanan, terkebil-kebil pandang siling, gosok mata atau hidung, berbual ringan. Perasan tak?

Babies are the same! They need to nesting first before they can let themselves fall asleep. For example,

- Hisap jari
- Gigit jari, peluk atau gosok anak patung
- Mumbling
- Goyang badan ke kiri dan kanan
- Garu kepala
- Main rambut

Berapa lama baby perlu nesting?
Depends. Tiada had masa. It took few minutes to 1 hour.

Macam Adellia, masa mula-mula I start, I letak atas katil, dia nesting dengan sangat lama! She mumbling and then goyang kaki sana sini, sekejap pusing sana sekejap pusing sini. A few minutes after she nesting, she still can't sleep. She will cry.

Baby menangis because they can't get themselves to sleep after nesting?
Dalam 20-30 saat baby menangis, angkat dan tenangkan. Dah tenang? Put them back on bed. Let them nesting again. Jangan buat your past routine untuk tidurkan baby (contoh, dodoi).

Macam Adellia, masa first day memang sangat kesian. I ulang step atas ni almost 6-7 kali untuk biar dia tidur sendiri. I didn't even proceed with dodoi (her past sleep way). I kentalkan hati and help her to sleep on her own. I redo all the steps again and again.

Everytime she cried because she can't sleep after nesting, I would angkat and tenangkan. Dah tenang, I akan letak atas katil semula untuk biar dia nesting. Masa ni dia dah menangis beriya, supposedly you have to stop the training. You have to get them to sleep using your past method. Continue the sleep training method for the next session. Tapi I masih nak try.

Sampai la yang last tu (after one hour), she finally able to sleep on her own after nesting (because she was so tired already). Masa ni memang kesian betul!

Perlu ke Ibu ada sekali sewaktu baby nesting?
TAK BOLEH. Ibu sepatutnya ada di bilik lain cause baby can smell their mother!

Tapi lain kes macam Adellia, I baring tepi dia. But I didn't do anything. I just baring and look at her. Sometimes I buat-buat tidur. Sometimes I membelakangkan dia and main phone. So when she nesting, she knows her mother is besides her.

2 minggu pertama I memang ada sebelah dia every sleep sessions. But now, I can leave her alone dah. Cuma kadang kadang ada masa dia akan merengek. If too loud, I will attend to her. If biasa-biasa, I just let it be. That's why, it is so important for you to know your child. Only you know your child!

Berapa lama kena buat sleep train ni?
EVERY sleep sessions. Jangan stop ye. Everytime your baby wants to sleep, you have to introduce this method. Do not ever use the past method.

How long can see the results?
Depends on babies. Ada baby took 2 - 3 weeks to get used to it.

Adellia already can sleep on her own after 3 - 4 days (that's why I was so shocked that she gets along really well). On day third/fourth macam tu, she easily sleep on her own dah. Thank God! Alhamdulillah. Day by day, she nesting really quick. Sometimes after I bagi susu, she already sleep. Less than 5 minutes.

Practice makes perfect!

Can swaddled baby be trained to sleep on their own?
YES. If baby masih berbedung, lagi senang! Make sure bedung dengan kemas and put on bed/baby cot. Let them nesting.

Apa lagi benda yang perlu ada dalam training ni?
White noise machine, puting (if baby hisap puting) dan kain atau patung (if baby suka pegang/peluk something).

Anak akan merengek/bangun tak semasa sleep training ni?
Yes! Please expect they will wake up few times or even sleep short time.

They still want to get used to it. Please expect that they will wake up atau menangis dalam tidur (merengek).

Macam Adellia, awal-awal dia tidur sekejap sekejap. Sometimes merengek sikit dalam tidur. Tapi I biar je. She's good to go.

How long baby can stay asleep using this technique?
Depends. Every baby is different. You have to know your child.

Lepas I train Adellia, I perasan every nap time, dia akan tidur satu jam lebih atau dua jam. Which is considered really long? I macam terkejut jugak. I thought that kadang-kadang je tapi bukan ye. Everyday she will get at least one hour and a half nap in one sleep session. Sometimes, even two sleep sessions!

Do we need to continue the training when baby is sick?
YES. Ok this time I would advise for you to continue the routine. WHY? Because we want them to acknowledge and adapt the routine.

HOW?

Follow the steps above. They get cranky? Angkat and tenangkan.

Masa Adellia demam itu hari, she really really cranky and even had trouble sleeping. Tapi I still continue the training.

Put baby on bed → they get cranky and unable to nesting due to feeling sick → angkat dan tenangkan baby → "shhh" method → tepuk sikit belakang badan baby → put baby on bed when they are calm

Ini apa yang I buat masa Adellia demam dan batuk.

Boleh ke ada partner sekali masa training session?
NO. If possible, please let baby soothe themselves during the session. And avoid any interruptions that can cause them to lose focus.

I did not involve my husband during this training. I would ask my husband to leave the room (especially night time sleep). Baby will think that it is their play time if they see more than one person in the room. Yup!

Did Adellia wake up during midnight?
Ada someone tanya I soalan ni. My answer is, NO. She did not wake up unless for feeding session. Lepas bagi susu she sleeps back. No nesting or what, just continue to sleep.

HOW?

Ok untuk soalan ni, you guys can refer to my first post.

READ HERE

Always ensure that you create a routine for them. Adellia memang takde bangun malam dah. She usually sleep through the night sampai esok pagi and wake up at 9-10am in the morning.

This basic sleep training I dah ajar awal-awal dulu since she was 1-month plus. So now she is 8-months old, she is already adapted to it. Alhamdulillah!

What if baby overtired but still can't sleep?
STOP the training. Use your usual method to get them to sleep. Repeat the technique in the next sleep session.

I think that's all. I hope it would benefit mothers out there to train your child to sleep on their own. Goodluck mothers! Remember, don't stop and repeat the steps until your baby get their own schedule. You know your child. Oh I would like to remind, before you start all of this, don't forget to create the routine first. Then you proceed with this technique!

A happy mom will create a happy baby. I decided to sleep train Adellia because I want Adellia to learn to sleep on her own as fast as she can. I also know how disappointed would it feel if you are so tired, but your child demanding you to soothe and comfort her 4 to 5 times daily. I been there! Mom, you have to take care of your mental health. Then, your baby will stay happy and healthy! 😉