Dear Singapore government,
The government has no idea what it means to help mothers ease into their pregnancy. There are so many initiatives that can be done to help expecting mothers. 1) For every train, reserve one cabin for expecting mothers. People just no longer look up to check their surroundings nor have the heart to give up their seats for you. 2) Provide subsidy for mothers to take grab/gojek especially for those in the first and last trimester when you're either so nauseous or so big. 3) Have pregnancy centres near the neighbourhood where mothers can go for prenatal massages or seek help/advice regarding their pregnancy/post-partum. 4) Maybe consider lengthening our maternity leave. We go through pregnancy for 40 weeks only to get 16 weeks of leave and this period is not even a break, it's for us to assimilate to our new roles as mothers. It's a job away from office if you think about it. 5) I wish there was a pool for us. The public pools are fine but it would be nice to have a dedicated pool where I don't feel watched by the public, with my belly. I feel bitter at times during this pregnancy thinking about this. I want to have more than one kid but Singapore really does not make it easy. Not to mention how people don't even give up their seats on the train. I am in my third trimester and I still have to fight for a seat. It does feel like every man for himself here.
