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updated 20 Apr 2014, 21:59
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Thu, Apr 17, 2014
The New Paper
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Blonde hair makes her ill
by Noor Ashikin Abdul Rahman

Like most first-time mothers-to-be, Malaysian actress-host Scha Al-Yahya cannot wait for the arrival of her first baby.

It has been two years since she married Malaysian actor-TV host Awal Ashaari, 32, and the couple have been looking forward to having a child together.

But little did she expect her first pregnancy to turn into such an ordeal.

During her first trimester, the 30-year-old who is now six months pregnant, could barely hold down food and ate only biscuits with Nutella or peanut butter.

Morning sickness aside, she was once hospitalised and put on an intravenous drip.

She would not leave home to meet anyone and was withdrawn.

Even showering became an effort. Scha was in town last Friday while Awal was recording two episodes of new Suria variety show Kita Gerek 2.

MOODY

She told The New Paper: "I was moody and I thought I was going through depression. I couldn't do anything and cancelled all the jobs I had lined up.

"I was really counting down to the start of the second trimester."

On top of that, Scha became sensitive to the sight of platinum blonde hair and the sound of mobile phone ring tones.

Citing reality TV modelling series Asia's Next Top Model 2's recent winner Sheena Liam as an example, she tried to explain her bizarre aversion.

"I felt 'geli' (Malay for grossed out) and wondered why they must have blonde hair like that," she recalled with a shudder.

"I know this was due to hormonal changes, but I just couldn't help myself."

She added that her mobile phone was - and still is - on silent mode because she found the ring tone "too noisy".

Calls and messages would go unanswered for days until her friends had to resort to "ambushing" her at her home in Kuala Lumpur.

Even Awal had to keep his mobile phone on silent mode whenever he was with her during those three months.

Their marriage also took a hit.

Awal said in a separate interview: "She didn't talk to me for two to three months. We live under the same roof, but it was almost like a hi-bye relationship.

"She became a different person, like I was married to someone else."

But he remained supportive and stood by Scha's side.

"I wasn't sad - I have so much respect for her and felt for her," he said.

"She didn't want any of this. I learnt through this experience and remained patient.

"Now that she is back to her old self, she tells me: 'Thank you for being there for me'."

For her second trimester, Scha has noted improvements in her mood and appetite but continues to avoid returning calls or answering messages immediately.

Looking back on her relationship with Awal then, she said: "Poor him. He would buy food I craved for but I wouldn't eat it. "Thankfully, he was away a lot on jobs so we were still okay."

Scha is due to deliver on the first day of Hari Raya Puasa on July 28, but SchAwal, as the couple are affectionately known to fans, still do not know the baby's gender.

"The past two times we went for a scan, we were unable to see. I hope we'll know soon because I don't want to be surprised - it'd be hard to buy things!" Scha said.

BABY NAMES

The petite star, who weighs 56kg after gaining a mere 6kg so far, has traditional names in mind for her baby - Aminah or Naimah for a girl and Ibrahim or Muzhafar for a boy.

When asked about their future parenting styles, Scha said she will be the "bad cop" while Awal will be the "good cop".

"I have warned him against pampering and told him to not spoil our child with material things. It's against my principles and that was not how my parents brought me up," said the second of four children.

Scha admitted that she has done nothing fanciful during her pregnancy other than reading and attending yoga classes to help her relax.

Her only concern? The resurgence of her nightmarish agony in the final trimester.

"I've been warned it might return later on," she said.

"I don't care if I balloon or bloat, but I would rather not suffer emotionally like that again."

This article was published on April 15 in The New Paper.

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