Dr Kristal Lau: A Real Life DAME (Doctor, Author, Mother, Entrepreneur)

What began as an interview session with our alumna to highlight her current endeavors turned into a delightful afternoon of shared experiences and stories. It’s always inspiring to hear firsthand about the journeys our alumni have taken and the wisdom they’ve gained along the way.

Dr Kristal Lau’s journey with IMU began when she enrolled in the Medicine programme (the ME108 batch). Her academic excellence and dedication saw her graduate with an MBBS from a partner school in Australia with a double degree of Biomedical Sciences (Honors) from IMU.

Dr Kristal continued her medical career in Australia, where she not only advanced professionally but also met her future husband, an American Army Aviation Service Members. While one might envision their meeting as a dramatic, cinematic moment akin to a scene from “Top Gun,” Dr Kristal humorously shares that their true “meet cute” happened in the tranquil setting of a yoga class. Dr Kristal’s story is a testament to the unexpected paths life can take and the delightful surprises along the way.

With the change of social status from Miss to Mrs, Dr Kristal embarked on a new adventure: homemaker land. After tying the knot, she settled in Alabama, USA, due to her husband’s job posting—a place she would call home for the next three years. The transition was a significant one, as she went from being a natural go-getter with a strong interest in geriatric medicine, offered a path to specialise in that branch of medicine during her Basic Physician Training in Australia, to taking on the role of Home Minister.

Dr Kristal admits it was a jarring shift (emotional, mental, and identity shifts), adjusting to life as a homemaker while dealing with old-fashioned preconceived notions about being an Asian female married to a Caucasian male. However, she faced these challenges mostly with resilience and grace (it got very difficult some moments where meltdowns did occur), embracing her new role and the cultural adjustments it entailed.

First marriage, then a baby: Dr Kristal and her husband welcomed their eldest daughter, navigating the uncharted waters of parenthood. Many of our readers can relate to this perilous yet rewarding journey, appreciating the joy, growth, and trials that come with raising a child.

Dr Kristal had already started her Master of Public Health in Alabama before this good news, so she continued her programme until it was time for the baby to come. She changed her class frequency to one class per semester to juggle first-time motherhood with military family life. She also managed to follow the confinement practice after giving birth and Dr Kristal and her husband invited her mother over to the States to help during this time.

Alas, Dr Kristal’s journey into first-time motherhood wasn’t all peachy. She developed deep postpartum depression sometime after her 4th Trimester while having to navigate the daily discomforts of having Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) every time she nursed her baby. But with treatment and support from a psychiatric nurse at the Army base clinic (whom Dr Kristal credits with saving her from the worst outcomes of PPD), Dr Kristal slowly recovered and continued in her classes and daily life.

Soon, it was time to head to a new place to call home—Germany. Dr. Kristal reflects on the grueling 30-hour journey she undertook with her 10-month-old baby and four massive pieces of luggage, all on her own, to reunite with her husband who had been posted to Germany earlier. This journey was not just a physical one but also an emotional and logistical challenge, demonstrating her strength and determination. She mused that her rigorous training as a doctor, with the long hours and the need to remain calm in the face of panic and chaos, mentally prepared her for this physically and emotionally challenging journey.

As she settled into her new home, Dr Kristal and her family were blessed with a second baby. This pregnancy also gave birth to a project that filled her time and passion. Dr Kristal set about creating a personal compilation of her postpartum journey from the lens of a Malaysian woman in a Western country. She intended to document the confinement rituals known to the Malaysian Chinese community and pass them along as an heirloom of sorts to her daughters for future reference.

What began as a whimsical idea turned into a determined personal project, one that Dr Kristal was resolved to complete and share with the world. Thankfully, she had completed and graduated from her MPH programme by then, allowing her to take up another big project.

While writing her book, Dr Kristal combined her medical knowledge and personal experiences with a vigorous interest in shedding light on Eastern confinement practices, specifically from the perspective of a Malaysian in a Western country. She found a significant gap in the literature and conversations about this topic, which fueled her determination to address it head-on.

The result was her book, Postpartum 30: Thirty Days to a Nurtured Fourth Trimester, published in 2023. This book aims to bridge cultural practices and provide valuable insights into postpartum care and has recently won the Winner for Women’s Health category in the NYC Big Book Award 2024 and was also recognised as a Distinguished Favorite in the Pregnancy and Childbirth category.

Despite society’s progress, many women still grapple with an overwhelming sense of guilt for wanting to pursue something solely for themselves. Dr Kristal’s journey and her book reaffirm that nothing can or should hold us back. From what we gathered, writing a book is not for the faint-hearted—it involves harsh (yet constructive) criticism, numerous rewrites, crafting the perfect title, incorporating thoughtful details into the cover, and the sheer effort to finish writing.

Despite these challenges, Dr Kristal is already considering writing a second book – which we wholeheartedly support and eagerly await. It was inspiring to hear from Dr Kristal that the journey of writing her book has led to many interesting conversations and meaningful and valuable connections with people from all walks of life. She is focused on being a ripple to create waves in the subject of postpartum health and we are here for it.

On top of her writing endeavors, Dr Kristal runs her company, Bridges in Health, which provides customised 360° Wellness Experiences for Individuals, Families, Businesses, and Organizations; Where Science & Medicine Meets Lifestyle & Business. This concept and business name was born from her book writing journey where just like she felt a call to bridge tradition with modernity, and East with West, she felt deep down that her future career lies in being a bridge and to build bridges between people, professionals, and industries to promote better health outcomes for the people. The first step in Bridges In Health’s long-term strategy is to address postpartum health and well-being for mothers, fathers, and families.

Dr Kristal is currently building a virtual Confinement and Postpartum Wellness hub called e-YueZi, partnering with TCM physicians and TCM pharmacies around the world, combining it with the European Lifestyle Medicine approach, to offer personalised Confinement and Postpartum Wellness care to Asian diaspora mothers and their families in the West. She’s also partnered with a midwife and nurse practitioner from the USA to support Asian diaspora women who choose to be confinement nannies in the West with a professional and personal development programme that helps them adapt their skills and experience to the Western world.

Dr Kristal also recognises and appreciates the immense support from her husband. “It’s not possible for anyone – man or woman – to pursue such heights in our careers without support. For married couples with children, our spouse is truly the biggest “make-or-break” piece in our journeys, both professional and personal growth ones. My husband has been true to his word, that he will support me in my career pivot and in me chasing my dreams. Especially now that he’s retired from the Army, he’s following me in my adventure and it’s his turn to be the primary parent in caring for our girls.”

There is no best time to start a family, and we need support from our society, employers, and policy makers to help families thrive during this time, especially women – given our reality of losing out professionally and economically once we become mothers in our modern world. Dr Kristal believes that supporting our mothers and their families is the crux of what makes a nation strong with enviable economic growth. Because they are the backbone of nations and economies.

Dr Kristal now lives in France with her husband, 2 girls, and 2 dogs and runs Bridges In Health from there. She’s also certified European Lifestyle Medicine Health Advisor from ELMO (European Lifestyle Medicine Organization) and is part of their certificate’s team running the self-care workshop for health professionals in each cohort.

Her journey from IMU student to a multi-talented professional and author is truly inspiring, Dr Kristal showcases the diverse and vibrant experiences of our alumni, and we look forward to celebrating her future endeavours.