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ProudMommy, Singapore

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Which hospital did we choose for delivery and why?#firstbaby

There will be numerous hospitals in your city of residence which support maternity and childcare. Picking one among those varied options is quite challenging and very important decision to make in the journey of pregnancy. For better clarity and understanding, do read my post on "How to choose a maternity hospital - in my experience " if you haven't seen it yet. My gynae was affiliated only to three of the maternity hospitals in Singapore, namely Mount Elizabeth, Mount Alvernia and Thomson Medical Centre. We had to look into the different criteria as mentioned in my earlier post, to pick the most suitable one for us. We chose Mount Alvernia from among the three. Below are the key pointers that helped us to arrive at a clear and quick decision. - Mount Elizabeth was never in the picture as we felt it was quite expensive compared to all other hospitals, although it had one of the best facilities, care & attention and provided sophisticated accommodation. - The debate was between Mt.A or TMC. The second wave was going on that time so the hospitals no longer had any personal maternity tours. There were only virtual sessions. Mt.A had a free zoom session for which you can register in advance and you will get the meeting invite to your email. Thomson Medical only had a detailed video online and for doubts/clarifications we had a helpline number to contact. - We attended the Mt.A's zoom session and it was quite helpful, the host was very polite and patient in answering all our queries. They shared a video showing the delivery suite, different types of maternity rooms (double sharing, single, suite, etc). They also shared a detailed package matrix which gave a clear picture of the pricing for each type of room for each type of delivery (normal, normal with epidural, C-sec, C-sec with epidural etc). We were also briefed on the allied facilities like delivery counselling, lactation consultation, parenting counselling, etc. - We saw TMC's detailed video and called up the helpline to clarify our doubts. Their replies were polite and clear too. Package and pricing was available online. - One of the key differentiators were the location, proximity to our residence, availability of other specialists and facilities within the same hospital, permission to bring home cooked or ordered food and finally my gynae's preference. - TMC was slightly better in terms of price but not much of a difference. Mt.A offered ladies card to be purchased for $60 which meant 10% discount on final bill and discounts in their pharmacies and other shops in the premises. We even got free AVIVA accidental insurance covered for a year for baby and mother, complimentary prenatal massage, free Medela single breast pump upon availing the Ladies card. - TMC back then didnt allow home cooked food or ordered food from outside while Mt.A was open about that. Since we preferred vegetarian food we wanted to consider this factor just in case hospital food doesn't suit we can always order from outside - Mount Alvernia is a multi speciality hospital so in case of emergency during delivery, the other specialists will be available for immediate assistance. My gynae preferred Mt.A for this major reason. In fact in my experience they managed to arrange for the epidural immediately after I requested for it. The anesthetist came in no time although I didn't choose epidural in advance. - The rooms and delivery suite also looked better in Mount Alvernia after comparing the videos shared. - Another important reason was that there was construction going on near TMC during that time for the TEL I suppose, because of which there was traffic jam while heading to the hospital. And there will be noise too. So we decided on Mt.A, although some internal construction was going on we didn't hear much of a sound during our stay or in the delivery suite. Mt.A is positioned in a locality where there is no much of a traffic jam or rush to head to the hospital. There was a shuttle bus from Bishan MRT to Mt.A every 30 mins (if I am correct). With all these factors and criteria in mind, we decided on Mount Alvernia and we are quite sure that we made a wise decision as the delivery went smooth and the stay was very very comfortable. I received good care and attention during labour and during the hospital stay as well. I will definitely write a detailed post on our experience in Mount Alvernia which will give you sufficient information to supplement. Best wishes to all expecting mommies out there to have a safe smooth delivery and happy parenting henceforth.

Which hospital did we choose for delivery and why?#firstbaby

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How to choose an OBGYN - In my opinion

Choosing a good OBGYN is like half the work done in the journey of pregnancy as he/she plays a major role right from pre-pregnancy planning, routine checkups during pregnancy, advise/guidance throughout pregnancy and most importantly delivering the baby with the mother being healthy and safe as well. When I was looking for an OBGYN, the factors that I kept in mind were the following: 1. Race - Singapore is a multiracial country and doctors are from different races, so i felt it will be better to pick one from my race so that he/she can advise on the traditional food, traditional practices followed in our country etc. 2. Gender - Times are changing and there are many male OBGYNs everywhere however some women might be comfortable to have a female OBGYN especially during pregnancy and for delivery. I personally felt that a female OBGYN would be helpful due to fact that she would not only have the knowledge but also experienced and understood everything right from menses till labor and postpartum. 3. Proximity to your house - In some emergency cases you may have to rush immediately to her clinic to see her, so it is better if she is atleast within 15-20 mins from your house by road. 4. Affordability - Everybody can't afford any OBGYN. Lot of money is involved in the whole process right from consultation charges, scan, tests till delivery charges, so it is always good to find out in advance whether we can afford the gynae. 5. Referrals - If you got a good circle of friends or relatives, you can check and get the names of those that they had visited for their pregnancy and how their journey with the OBGYN was. 6. Hospital affiliation - Some of us must be particular about the hospital where we like to deliver the baby due to a number of reasons so in that case it is better to see an OBGYN who is affiliated to that hospital so that she will the point of care starting from pre-pregnancy till delivery. 7. Reviews - It is important to see the online reviews and consider them to an extent if you got no other source to find out from.

How to choose an OBGYN - In my opinion

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How was the last month of my pregnancy - a roller coaster ride indeed

The final days of pregnancy are supposed to be tiring and filled with anxiety especially for first time moms who are waiting to experience delivery, labour pain and motherhood for the first time. Throughout my pregnancy I kept myself active by doing most of the household work but the last month is when I planned to take complete rest and get help from my in laws (as I couldn't go to my parents' place due to covid travel restrictions). But the first day of that last month came an unexpected news and my in laws had to travel overseas on an emergency. It was peak covid time with many travel restrictions no country allowed visitors without pre departure test and respective entry/arrival forms. Air tickets were very expensive. But somehow my husband and I arranged for the express pre departure test and helped them book tickets to travel. We gave them the assurance that we can manage the situation here. The following week was the labour talk with my gynae where she explained about the signs or indicators of labor , when to contact the doctor, when to rush to hospital directly, possible side effects of vaginal delivery and C-sec, pain relief methods and got our agreement to proceed with emergency C-sec if situation demands. After that, we felt like packing the hospital bag immediately and keep it ready because we were alone and no elders at home, so in case of emergency we wanted to keep everything ready. Meanwhile, we were able to get permit for my mother to come and help us, by applying through the Vaccinated Travel Pass. My in-laws completed the work they went for and returned back after a couple of weeks but they had to serve home quarantine for 10 days. My mother arrived a week after my in laws and she had to serve home quarantine for 7 days as the rule changed by then. My husband and I followed the quarantine rules very strictly, we never allowed my in laws or my mother outside the room except for using the washroom. We used to pack food in bento box and keep it outside their respective rooms and throw the trash in a box kept outside the room. We used to wear glouse and clear the trash end of each day. Contrary to my plan of taking a break from cooking and rest in the last month, I ended up cooking for all of us. My husband was my only pillar of support. He was working at the same time he was there by my side and helped in all ways possible. When the home quarantine of my in laws was about to end, we had a doctor checkup and she confirmed that my cervix dilated by 1-2 cm. She told me anytime I might get into labor and explained how to identify real contractions. If not she told to come back in 3 days for another checkup. This made us more tensed because all the elders are at home but under quarantine, couldn't help us really. Fortunately I didn't get any pain my in laws' quarantine ended and we went to see the gynae again this time the cervix dilated around 2-3 cm. The doctor said we will wait for 1 more day or induce labor. We wanted to wait for the natural labor to kick in instead of inducing so we requested the doctor to wait for 3 more days but I never got the pain. So we went and saw the doctor again, it was my last checkup she explained what are the consequences of waiting further and there is nothing to worry as I was already in my 40th week and she fixed the next day for induction and the clinic staff guided us about the hospital admission with all documents needed. I took few pictures with my husband with the baby bump as we didn't do any formal maternity photoshoot on the last day before leaving for my last checkup. It was those last 2 days that I got to spend time with my mother after her quarantine ended and it was the last 4days that I got to rest completely. Thankfully it was normal delivery and it was smooth, maybe because I stayed active at the same time was vigilant and cautious following all doctor's instructions. My best wishes to all mommies out there to have a smooth healthy delivery and enjoy parenting. There is in a strong will power and determination within all mothers which drive us through the pregnancy till delivery and even after that. So stay strong and positive.

How was the last month of my pregnancy - a roller coaster ride indeed

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How to choose a maternity hospital - in my experience

One of the major choices that you have to make in terms of pregnancy and delivery is the selection of hospital, the place where you will meet your baby for the first time. There are physical and virtual hospital tours that guide you through the labour ward, maternity wards, facilities available etc. Here are a few pointers you can consider while you are confused about choosing the maternity hospital from a varied list of options. 1. Facilities - You can check how comfortable and updated are the delivery/labor suites and the maternity wards where you have to stay for 2-3 days depending on vaginal birth/ C-sec. The delivery suite should be well equipped to handle any situation in the course of labor. 2. OBGYN's affiliation - If you are specific on your obstetrician/gynaecologist, then you have to find out which hospital he/she is affiliated to because not all doctors can perform their duties in all hospitals. 3. Proximity to your residence - As far as pregnancy and delivery are concerned, you can expect the unexpected anytime. For most mothers, the onset of labor might be sooner than edd (estimated delivery date) while for some who have opted for elective C-sec or induced delivery, labor might kick off before the scheduled date/time. And scenarios like spotting/bleeding/water break etc cannot be omitted. So in such cases, you may have to rush to the hospital immediately and by road only via can or your own car. So keep in mind the road traffic and distance between your house and hospital. 4. Pain reduction methods - There are several pain reduction methods available like laughing gas, natural ones like playing music etc along with most common epidural. You may have to find out what are the options available in different hospitals because this is something you can decide at the time of labor too as you never know the intensity of labor until you experience it. But it is good to have varied options. 5. Responsiveness - This is not only based on how your queries get addressed but in case of an emergency when you rush to a hospital how fast and responsive they are in handling the mother and immediately giving the right care and attention to her. For instance, you cannot keep a mother whose water broke, waiting in the reception for hours together. 6. Insurance and payment - For those who have purchased maternity insurance or covered by your employer, you have to find out whether the hospital is in network 7. Number of experienced midwives - this can be very important because in some emergency circumstance, when your obgyn is rushing to attend to you, it is the midwives who will be taking care of you and helping you 8. Confinement food options available - If you got specific conditions about food and you are dependent on hospital food, then it is better you check in advance whether the hospital caters to your needs, for instance vegetarian food option, Indian food etc 9. Maternity only/Multi speciality hospital - this is one point that my gynae suggested to me, as there are multiple unforeseen scenarios that can occur during labour it is always better to choose a maternity cum multi speciality hospital so that the other specialists/surgeons will be at your need immediately as compared to the maternity only hospital where the specialist has to come from some other clinic or hospital 10. Birthing options available - Some choose water birth method etc which are available only in few hospitals. 11. Pricing and packages - Last but not the least you have to compare the pricing and packages available to decide which one suits your needs and financial position 12. Ambience - You can check whether any construction is going on at the site or adjacent which might cause hindrance during the labour or your post delivery stay.

How to choose a maternity hospital - in my experience

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How to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy

Stretch marks generally show up when skin stretches beyond usual and again comes back to its normal state. Sometimes this might happen during weight gain or weight loss. It is very common in pregnancy. But we can try to minimize them or avoid them by following certain practices. However there is a chance for stretch marks to appear even after following the best practices, a woman should feel proud about it as these are signs of motherhood. Here are some tips to reduce/avoid stretch marks. 1. Lubrication is absolutely essential for the skin. So apply oil (coconut/almond) on your tummy from your first trimester itself. You can do this before bath. 2. Apply moisturizer or stretch marks cream after bath 3. Apply stretch marks cream before bedtime and gently massage your tummy 4. There are belly masks available to put it on the tummy and stay for 15 minutes and then remove 5. Keep your skin moisturized Please check the pictures of the stretch mark lotion/cream/tummy butter that I used and recommend. My best wishes to all mommies-to-be to have a smooth pregnancy and boastfully feel proud of stretch marks even if you get any.

How to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy

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Super comfortable and light. Excellent for SG weather. Keeps you cool outside and from within.

Very good pants, found them online and was very happy with the product, although initially I was doubtful about the quality. Ended up to be very comfortable and one of my go to maternity wears during pregnancy. Highly recommended.

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Helped with my postpartum hairloss and frizzy hair. Used with Mama's Choice shampoo and saw significant improvement

I struggled from postpartum hairloss for about 5-6 months and it was worrying me so much. I searched online and found Mama's choice shampoo and conditioner. I even read the reviews from fellow mums and started to use both 1-2 times a week. I could notice significant results after a month itself. Been using it for more than 6 months already. Thank you Mama's Choice. Highly recommended.

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I had bad hairfall after delivery. I started to use this product weekly 2 times and my hairfall reduced significantly.

Soon after delivery I had very bad hairfall I was going through it for 5-6 months. It was worrying me on top of the other first mom duties and responsibilities. That's when I searched online for good shampoos specifically for postpartum hairloss and to my luck I found Mama's choice. I started using the shampoo 1-2 times a week and after a month itself I could see significant results. Highly recommended to mothers-to-be and mothers who are facing the same problem. Good to use with Mama's Choice conditioner

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How did I travel through my third trimester - my experience

Third trimester is when the real action comes in. I meant the baby's kicks and pushes from inside longing to see the outside world. Due to space crunch, the baby will accidentally hit, kick, push the belly while moving around because the baby is growing fast now. Mothers are supposed to stay safe and cautious during the third trimester as pre term or early labour can be expected for some. It is good to understand what are the signs to report to the doctor and what are the alarming signs to rush to the hospital immediately. It is important to monitor the baby's kicks. Roughly there should be 5-10 kicks within 30-45 mins after you eat every meal and here and there during the day. It is important to watch your weight, in total gaining about 7-8 kg from your first trimester is safe. Continue keeping a control on sugar and sweets. There will be a glucose tolerance test for all mommies, this is very important because high sugar might cause gestational diabetes in babies so the mothers will be asked to follow a strict diet. The doctor might also give vaccination for whooping cough, flu, Tetanus. Your gynae will start recording CTG during each of your visit in this final trimester to check for contractions, baby kicks and heart beat. Mothers with multiple pregnancy have to be extra cautious. You can start ordering the postpartum and baby essentials now and if you want to go in person better get it done in the start of the third trimester itself, as I mentioned in the previous post, the checklists and planning that you did in the second trimester will be of great help now. Drink lots of water as to keep the amniotic fluid level correct. Here is my journey through the third trimester. I continued the daily walks, exercises, took the vitamins, iron and aspirin prescribed by the doctor. I felt my digestion to be a bit poor as I got acid reflux after eating so I split my meals into 6. I drank 3.5 litres of water. As days passed, I felt like peeing now and then especially in the night. This is quite common because the growing uterus is pushing against the bladder. I also experienced hard stools now and then so I started to take iron tablet on alternate days for some time and also ate 2-3 prunes daily. I used to boil rice in water and after 3-4 mins when it turns frothy will turn off the flame and drink that water warm. You can add butter to it too. This will help to keep a good level of amniotic fluid and butter will help to keep the passages lubricated. Perineal massage is good too, although I started it only around week 37. You can get help from your partner too. Everyday, I used to apply coconut oil on my belly before bath and Cetaphil moisturiser before bedtime, to keep the skin moisturized and to prevent stretch marks. I used to take a nap of 30-45 mins most of the days. I also faced sleep disturbances in the night due to anxiety, frequent visits to washroom and sometimes for no reason. Fortunately my glucose levels were in normal limits (I will not forget how much I liked the sweet drink given during glucose tolerance test). My baby's movement was good, she used to kick my belly nicely when I sing, few minutes after my meal and every night when my husband applies Cetaphil on my belly. They were unforgettable memorable moments. We finalized the hospital and filled some forms at my gynae's clinic which were then forwarded to the hospital. We did the pre-registration in the hospital website and also visited the hospital once to check with them about the confinement meal options, admission a d payment related queries etc. There were virtual maternity tours done by the hospitals through videos or zoom sessions which helped to analyse and compare the facilities to finalize one. I will write in detail about our choice of hospital and whether we were right in making that decision, in the upcoming posts. My gynae had a detailed session with me and my husband to discuss about signs of labour, onset of labour, when to contact the clinic, when to rush to hospital immediately, pain reduction options available and also the complications that could happen last minute which could end up in emergency c-sec and also asked us to sign on the forms to get our consent for her to proceed with the appropriate treatment based on how labor progresses. She also explained about the post labour complications. It was very helpful as it kept us informed of all the possible things that could happen during delivery and how they will be managed. My best wishes to all mothers to be to have a safe smooth journey through the third trimester. Be positive stay hydrated be strong. Your baby will enter the world very soon.

How did I travel through my third trimester - my experience

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Is gender reveal necessary - in my opinion

In the recent years the moment you share the good news that you are pregnant, the first question that everyone asks is what is the gender of the baby - boy or girl. Although in some countries it is still an offence to reveal gender before delivery, in most developed countries, gender reveal is legal and is becoming very very common. But is this necessary? Here is my opinion on this question, and want to emphasize that I am not criticizing those who reveal gender and celebrate it. Back in the olden days, when technology was not so very advanced, getting an ultrasound done to know the baby's condition, was itself a big deal and not all clinics/labs/hospitals had sophisticated equipments to do that. However in the last few generations due to the advancements in science and technology, we are blessed to have techniques to even study at chromosome level to understand if there is any abnormality and perform detailed high resolution scans to study/analyze baby's development. We should be very grateful to all the scientists and doctors who were behind this marvelous achievement as millions of people are getting benefitted day to day. However, in addition to numerous significant parameters that play a crucial role in child birth, there are few trivial parameters like gender that can also be identified with the latest technology. In my opinion, there is nothing so significant about knowing the gender in advance. Not sure from where the concept of celebrating or hosting a party to reveal the gender originated, but gradually it is becoming a mandate to conduct such an event and let your near and dear know the baby's gender. During our parents' generation or grand parents' generation, this whole gender reveal taboo never existed and the entire family would be eagerly waiting until delivery to know whether the baby was a boy or girl. But before that, the first and most important thing everyone worried about was whether the baby was healthy. The couple would keep a list of both boy names and girl names ready so that based on the gender can decide from one. The curiosity till the time the baby is born is really a memorable experience in a couple's life which is something the present day couples are slowly losing on. What are the things that the present day couples, Kith and kin do upon knowing the gender? 1. Couples celebrate/host a grand party to reveal the baby's gender to the friends Nd relatives. Every couple gets creative in their own way about how they actually do the gender reveal. 2. Couples need not waste time preparing a list of names for the other gender. If the baby is a boy just preparing a list of boy names is sufficient. This could be one productive reason. 3. The hospital knows what colour towel the baby has to be wrapped in once he/she is out. Pink towel for girls and blue towel for boys. Some hospitals also decorate the maternity ward and baby cradle in the appropriate colour. 4. The parents-to-be, kith and kin know what colour onesies, mittens, booties, type of accessories are to be gifted for the baby so that one doesn't gift bowbies for a boy. Nobody understands gone are the days when girls used to be shy, blushing in pink; this is the age where girls punch your face pink if you mess with them. Gone are the days when we say boys like blue, cars, bikes and girls like pink, floral prints etc. Girls are now equally racing in bikes and cars and boys are ready to keep their attire subtle by going pink. During our pregnancy, we were very particular that we didn't want to know the gender in advance because no matter what the gender is we would welcome the baby into our family with full joy and happiness. Also, the question within each of us in the family whether it is a boy or girl was there till the baby entered the world and it was very enjoyable. But I had some intuition that it was a boy and I prepared long list of boy names and a short list of girl names, most of the onesies, mittens and booties we bought were in blue, like 3 onesies in blue 1 in pink rest neutral colours. Whenever we go for purchase we used to also comfort ourselves by asking won't girls wear blue dress or won't boys wear pink dress and reassure ourselves that there is nothing to worry much. But when the final moment came and the doctor pulled out the baby my husband saw it first and told it is a girl. It took me few seconds to take the fact in because very first moment itself she proved my intuitions wrong but after few second the responsible mother feeling of raising a bold and brave daughter started filling in, because even in today's world it is the women in the house who contribute a lot to the moral and educational development of the family. I have shared my opinion and experience of the entire gender reveal thing. Hope the other parents and parents-to-be don't take it so personally as criticism and just enjoy reading my experience and thoughts. My best wishes for all parents-to-be to be blessed with a healthy and happy baby.

Is gender reveal necessary - in my opinion

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