My Pregnancy Diary 4 - Review: Maternity Tour @ Thomson Medical Centre

Hi All,

Yes, I am now in my 29th week of pregnancy. 

Last week on 20th May, I went to my 28th week prenatal consultation to check how's my Aedan doing and had also done a glucose test and another blood test to check my haemoglobin level. According to my gynae, he is currently weighing 1.3kg and is very active! :)
Based on this growth rate, he is projected to weigh about 3.1-3.2 kg at due date which is good for natural birth.

After the checkout, my hubby and I went for lunch buffet at Shin Minori, a movie and a good time hangout together to celebrate his birthday. :) 

Sharing photos of my little Aedan at 26 & 28 weeks.

Week 26

@week 26 practicing punching & kicking

Week 28

@week 28 practicing touching his forehead with his feet. Hehe

______________________________________________________

In the last post, I have done a review on my maternity tour at Mount Alvernia Hospital. Today, I'll like to review on my maternity tour at Thomson Medical Centre (TMC).

When my hubby and I visited TMC for the tour, our first impression: the place was really crowded and confined.

We made our registration at the counter where we were given a goodies bag and a tour number. I understand from them that they have several tours a day so we need to get a number tag to know which tour to follow.

At the start of the tour, we were first guided on the pre-admission/ admission procedure. We were advised that the registration for admission is to be done at the 24-hr Patient Service Centre located at the hospital lobby. At the day of delivery, mommy may take Lift A straight to the birth room/delivery suite located at level 2 while daddy can register at Patient Service Centre located near the lobby.

What to bring for registration?
1. Admission Letter from gynae
2.  NRIC or Passport (for non-Singaporeans) for both daddy & mummy
3. Letter of Guarantee from insurance company/employer (applicable to companies which have credit arrangements with the hospital)

An admission deposit is required upon admission or pre-admission. The amount varies in accordance to the choice of room and whether Medisave is used.

We were briefed that they have 12 birth rooms and 6 operation rooms. The guide told us that mommy needs to bring her own clothes for changing as TMC do not provide clothes for mommy.

The tour guide also brought us to level 6 to show us the maternity bed rooms. TMC has a range of bedrooms: premier single, super deluxe/premier deluxe, premier suites, single-bedded room, 2-bedded room and 4-bedded room.
TMC has 40 single bedded room, 6 suites and 3 deluxe which means that there is a high chance that mommy can guarantee their single room. If maternity patient has booked a single room prior to admission at TMC, in the event that the preferred single room type is unavailable at the time of admission, TMC will provide a complimentary upgrade or a waiver of S$100 off the room stay per day if mommy is lodged temporarily in a 2-bedded room.

There will be an additional charge of approx. S$90/day for companion (meal inclusive)

Maternity packages include the following:

• Lodging, inclusive of meals 
• Labour ward charges (up to 8 hrs and S$100/hr for subsequent hrs) or operating theatre charges (60 mins) and 15 mins use of recovery room. 
• Daily treatment fee for nursing services 
• Baby’s immunisations (BCG, 1st doze of Hep B and Vitamin E)
• 7 hours CTG monitoring for Normal/Assisted Vaginal Delivery (S$33.5/hr for subsequent hrs)
• Babies and mummy required toiletries and diapers during the stay  

• One time complimentary lactation consultation 

•  Package commence from the time of admission (meaning if mummy admin at 11pm, it will be considered as one day)

Items not included in the package price: 

Accommodation for companion (single room only), specific consumables and medications (e.g. abdominal binder, antibiotics, etc), new-born hearing screening, phototherapy, OT surcharge for horoscopic LSCS, use of OT, recovery, general anaesthetic in excess of the stipulaed time, OT Assistance, Call-back (8pm to 7am daily), ECG, treadmill test, radiological contrasts, diagnostic services (CT, MRI, Ultrasound, X-ray, etc), laboratory tests including blood transfusion products and services, histopathology, genetic studies, FNA, referred laboratory services, rehabilitation services, out-patient service, discharge medication, non-medical items/ services (extra meals, parent craft service, etc), pre-admission investigations, doctors' fees, administration fees, for emergency caesarean delivery (use of forceps/vacuum pump, use of labour ward delivery facility, CTG monitoring, etc.)

We were also briefed by the guide that TMC discharge time is at 11am. Additional half day's room rate will be charged for discharges after 11am, and a full day's rate will be levied for discharges after 6pm. 

Here's some photos we took during our maternity tour. For more photos, you may check out their website at: http://www.thomsonmedical.com/virtualtour/index.html

Photo of their delivery suite.
It has a nice sofa beside the bed.
They also have a gym ball and bathe tub near to the bed, however, usage of the gym ball and bathe tub during delivery is chargeable. 

Photo of their one-bedded room.

My verdict:

My impression of the hospital is good after the maternity tour. They have well furnished single bedded rooms and their delivery suite looks comfortable too. The only downside which we discovered during the visit is that their lobby was really crowded and the nurses all looked really busy. 

After I went home to look into the details of the maternity package and also to check with other friends who had delivered at TMC, I discovered that there are many hidden costs. 
Firstly, unlike Mount Alvernia and Mount Elizabeth where their maternity package includes 12 hrs use of delivery suite and use of facilities, TMC only allow up to 8 hrs use of delivery suite and charge S$100/hr for subsequent hrs and charge $33.5/hr on CTG monitoring after 7 hrs. I understood from many mothers that it is common for delivery to last more than 12 hrs. Hence, as compared to Mount A and Mount E, it will cost additional S$567.5 (excluding GST) if my delivery last for 12 hrs. 

Moreover, my friends mentioned that their bills include many other costs such as use of additional pillow and stuff. 

Though TMC provides good facilities and guarantee single bedded room, there are concerns over the hidden costs. With similar budget, we may opt for Mount Elizabeth Novena which provides better facilities.  

I'm having headache trying to decide on the hospital for my delivery. 

I shall review Mount Elizabeth Novena maternity tour in the next blog post.

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Cheers,
TwentySixOctober 

My Pregnancy Diary 3 - Review: Maternity Tour @ Mount Alvernia Hospital

Hi all,

I'm currently in my 26th week! I have been really busy for the past weekends checking my new house defects, preparing for renovation, baby stuff and visiting maternity tours.

I am trying to decide on the place for my delivery and have so far visited 2 maternity tours at Mount Alvernia and Thomson Medical Centre.

Today, I’ll like to share with you my maternity tour experience at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

At the start of the tour, each couple was given a goodie bag with information booklet, brochures and some free samples.

The tour guide went through the admission procedures and things to note before she brought us to see the delivery suite, maternity rooms and baby rooms.

Things to note:

• Mount Alvernia has a range of room types – suite, super deluxe, single delux, single, 2-bed, 4-bed.
• Only one companion is allowed to to stay over and only in single room. A companion fee of $80.25 (including GST) is chargeable (meal inclusive).
• Maternity Package only commence from the day of surgery/delivery which means if mother is admitted into hospital at night and delivered after 12am, additional charge of S$442 will be billed for the use of delivery facilities and room
• Maternity packages include the following:

a. Lodging, inclusive of meals (normal delivery – 3 days, 2 night, Caesarean section – 4 days, 3 nights)

b. Labour ward charges (up to 12 hrs) or operating theatre charges (depending on type of delivery)

c. Daily treatment fee for nursing services 

d. Baby’s immunisations (BCG, 1st doze of Hep B and Vitamin E).

e. Baby's blood tests for G6PD, TSH, Blood type

f. 1 complimentary group parent craft session – mon (10am to 11am), wed & fri (2pm to 3pm)

g. Maternity loop pad (1 packet)

h. Baby wipes (1 packet)

i. Baby’s bathtubj. Maternity discharge bagk. Basic toiletries (comb, shampoo, shower gel, shower cap, toothbrush, toothpaste, face towel, pen)

j. One time complimentary lactation consultation

Items not included in the package price: 
histology, X-Rays, blood cultures, haemoglucotest, blood transfusion, OT assistant fee, surcharges, baby hearing test,
metabolic test, abdominal binder, CTG monitoring and use of labour ward facility before emergency caesarean, use of peasant for induction of labour, antibiotics, blood test and phototherapy for babies with Jaundice, and drugs that are not commonly used are not included in the package price.

•  Maternity Package prices do not include doctors’ fees
• The hospital discharge time is anytime before 12 noon. For discharge between12 noon to 6pm, a half day room charge will be levied. For discharge after 6pm, a full-day room charge will apply.
• For Medisave paying patients, a deposit equivalent to the full package price of the selected maternity package will be collected at point of admission (payment via cash, NETS or credit card). For non Medidave-paying patients, the full package price plus $800 is payable as deposit upon admission.
• We are allowed to claim additional $450 for antenatal care upon submission of original receipts to admission staff
• Maternity packages for different wards are as followed:

After all the informative talk, the guide directed us to the admission counter and showed us the path to their labour wards. At this point, you may want to note down the direction to labour wards as you definitely will not want to be panickingly searching for the admission counter and labour ward during the big day. 

A photo of their labour ward.

On the day of our visit, all the single bed rooms were occupied so she showed us the 2-bed and 4-bed rooms instead.

After which, we were directed to the baby nursery. 

The guide also showed us their parenting craft room and we were glad to hear that there’s one complimentary parenting craft lesson where mommy and daddy can attend during their stay.

Mount Alvernia promotes breast feeding so they provide Medela breast pump for renting. We were advised not to bring our own breast pump as they do not provide cleaning service for personal breast pump.

At the end of the tour, we were each given a drink coupon to redeem free drink at their café.

Click Here (https://www.mtalvernia-hospital.org/maternity-packages/) to book your maternity tour now and to read more about their maternity packages. 

My Verdict:

I was initially very keen to deliver at Mount Alvernia as it’s walking distance from my place. Moreover, I have received many positive feedback from friends for their services and food.
I have also heard from people that Mount Alvernia has experienced and motherly nurses who know how to handle various delivery situations. They are also known to be good at providing breastfeeding tips.

However, after the maternity tour, I feel that their facilities and wards are quite old and used. The most discouraging news - they have very limited single room (12 single rooms only). We were told they do not allow reservation of room type and the room is subjected to availability on the day of admission. So there's no guarantee of single room. Mother will be placed in a 2-bedded room if single room is fully occupied. If 2-bedded rooms are also fully occupied, then mother will be transferred to 4-bedded room.

The uncertainty of single room availability is one thing which I am not comfortable with.

Being a first time mother, it will be good if my hubby can stay through the night with me after delivery. 

Update: In July 15, I have checked with Mount Alvernia and understand that there will be 8 new single rooms available from August 2015 onwards. Hurray!!

Can read more about other maternity review here:
Mount Elizabeth Novena
Thomson Medical Centre

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I have recently went to the SuperMom Carnival :) There were many goodies and they provided free photo-taking session on the day.

So happy with the photos taken on the day. 

Like Twentysixoctober fb page to follow our stories as it's where we connect with our readers. :)

With Love,

TwentySixOctober

My Pregnancy Diary 2 - Prenatal Visits and Costs (Week 8 to Week 22)

Hi all,

Pregnancy has been a meaningful and wonderful journey where my hubby and I have so much to learn about.

Like all the different pregnancy symptoms at different weeks, the dos and don'ts during pregnancy, the things to buy for pregnancy, baby/ maternal insurance, deciding gynae, hospital and many more.

Luckily with technology and development of useful apps, we can find many information we need from Baby Apps and Internet.

The few very good apps which I have been using are:

1. What to Expect 

2. Baby Centre

Both which I think are really good

In What to Expect, after entering the expected due date into the app, there will be weekly update on the baby's development and also mummy's symptoms. Moreover, there are sharing of useful information and tips daily.

Beside sharing of the apps which I have been using during my pregnancy, I’ll share with you my experience during my prenatal visit and the costs of each visit. For those preparing to have baby, you can start saving because it seriously costs a lot!

My hubby and I agreed to find a gynae at Mount Alvernia where it’s very near out house (walking distance). We both prefer female gynae and have Googled a list of female gynae at Mount Alvernia.

We found the reviews of gynae from Internet and read many good reviews on Dr Kang Wee. Many said she is very motherly and experienced. We found her CV from Internet and read that she has practiced O&G for more than 20 years. Previously, she is a senior consultant in KK Women & Children Hospital and started her private practice in Aug 2011.

We decided on Dr Kang Wee and called to make appointment.

27 Dec 14: Our 1^st Gynae Visit – Our little Peanut is 7 or 8 week old.

Before our 1^st visit, the nurse has advised us to drink at least 1.5 litre of water before the visit. Initially, I thought it’s for urine test purpose but later realized that it is to allow better viewing of the baby during the ultrasound. Because the baby is too small during 7 weeks and need more water to allow better viewing.

During our 1^st gynae visit, Dr Kang Wee asked whether we are 1^st time parents. After a few simple Q&A, she performed an ultrasound. This is the 1^st time we saw our baby. It looks like a peanut (so cute!) from the ultrasound and we have decided to call he/she "xiao peanut" . Doctor measured the length of the baby and derived that it’s about 7 weeks old and our expected due date is 13 Aug.

Our gynae also prescribed prenatal vitamins and calcium for mummy.

Our next visit was scheduled in another 3 weeks time.

16 Jan 15: xiao peanut is 11 weeks

On our next visit, the gynae again performed the routine ultrasound to see the baby.

When she scanned it, she exclaimed “It’s so big already!”

Apparently, our baby has grew faster than expected. The gynae measured the size and said it’s in its 11^th week and told us the expected due date will be 8 Aug instead. Haha. “发发” it’s an auspicious due date. And we may be even expecting a National Day baby! :))

The gynae also asked whether we will like to perform the down syndrome test which have to be tested before week 14 and cost about $300++.

We read about the test and it seems to be a common test where most parent-to-be will take. We thought about it and decided to opt out. Reason being we will not choose to give up the baby regardless of the result so we choose to not take.

 

13 Feb 15: 15 weeks. Maybe a boy?

In this visit, the baby looks more like a little baby where we can see the head and body. The doctor even spotted something between the legs but couldn't be sure. She said this may be a baby boy but normally it can only be more confirmed in the 4 – 5 month so will be the next visit.

I'm asked to perform a blood test which is supposed to be a routine test to check on blood counts and any other abnormality.

6 March 15: 18 week. Baby is hiding the gender. And we may have to change Gynae :(

In this visit, we are supposed to find out the gender of the baby.

During the ultrasound, we saw the baby moving and shaking his body. It’s so cute.

We are excited to see the baby’s gender. But I guess our baby wanna keep mummy and daddy in suspension. Our gynae cannot be sure of the gender because the umbilical cod was between the baby’s legs. So no choice, we have to wait till the next checkout.

She also went through my blood test results which showed that I have slightly low red blood count which may be due to either iron deficiency or an hereditary blood disorder called Thalassemia (read more by clicking). This is generally harmless with no symptom if we are just the carrier. However, if both father and mother are carriers of Thalassemia, the baby will be affected. So she said it’s better to for the father to take the blood test as well.

There's also a not so good news. When we consulted about the prenatal visit package, our gynae told us that she has stopped the package because she may stop her O&G practice due to a policy change that requires her to pay for insurance post-retirement. Dr Kang Wee was near retirement age and may not want to continue practising if this policy is implement. She mentioned she can only let us know by end April. So there’s a chance that we may change gynae. :(

27 March 2015 – Detailed ultrasound. It’s a boy! xiao peanut at his 21^st week.

We did the detailed ultra sound at KKH because typically gynae don't have the ability to do detail scanning at their clinic. We are able to see the skull, spine, heart, kidney, stomach, the main arteries in the heart, face and the full body... and the doctor has confirmed the gender of the baby is boy! :)) From the ultra sound picture, the gynae said the baby looks like daddy.

I have to admit there are similarities especially the big nose. Haha.

I felt so touched when I saw the baby moving during the ultrasound session.

The gynae said he is very active and kept moving, giving her a hard time to capture the image of the baby organs.

The results of all the scans are positive. The baby is growing well and healthy except that my placenta is a little low which it’s common during 5 months pregnancy. I have to avoid vigorous activities and it should be fine if there’s no spotting.

After we know the gender of our baby. My hubby starts to search for the baby's name.

Initially, I thought of calling him Weagan because it's the name we gave to our monkey soft toy which is a special gift my hubby bought for me during our 1^st month together. I thought it will be meaningful to call our baby Weagan. Haha. But my hubby disagreed. He think Weagan sounds a little too cute and hope for a more mature name for our baby. He suggest “Aedan” which is a Irish boy name that means “born of fire”. I agreed with him that Aedan sounds nicer and I do like the meaning of this name.

So after a short debate, we decided to call our little boy Aedan. We hope he will live his life with passion and fire.

I feel so much closer with him now when he has his name and I feel his movement in my tummy more frequently. :) It’s great joy thinking that Aedan is with me in my tummy all this time. 


09 April 2015 – Week 22. Baby is active and we finally decided on our new Gynae

We have finally decided on our new gynae, Dr Goh Shen Li. Again, we prefer female Gynae and have read reviews from forums to find a younger Gynae so as to ensure that she will not choose to stop practice after the new policy is implementation. 
I am after week 20 so I thought it's a good time to decide on my Gynae and to sign maternity package to reduce the consultation costs. 

I read many good review on Dr Goh Shen Li, Moreover, her package price is more reasonable than many other gynae at Mount Alvernia. She is charging S$880 (excluding GST) for 10 sessions which include consultation, ultrasound scan and routine test. Her package starts at 14 weeks unlike many other which starts after 20 week. It will be good if we have decided to visit her earlier.

Without package, her price will be as followed:

• 1st consultation: S$110 
• Follow up consultation: S$80
• 1st ultrasound scan: S$60
• Follow up ultrasound: S$40
• Routine test: S$5

We are quite satisfied with her service during our first consultation with her. She is more patient during the scan and she will try to capture more movements of the baby.  We saw the baby stretching and touching his face. We have brought along all our previous test reports which she has also went through thoroughly with us. We have obtained the father's blood test report and we are glad that daddy's blood is normal and is not Thalassemia carrier. :)
We told her that during our detailed ultrasound scan, the report shows that my placenta is slightly low. She assured us that this is normal during 20 weeks and the placenta will slowly move up during later stage.

I have done an excel sheet of the costs of my prenatal visits so far. We have signed up for the prenatal package for 10 session after 20 weeks and hope this will help save some money. 

Week	Clinic	Items	Amount
8	Kang Clinic For Women	1st consultation	$120.00
		Routine Test	$10.00
		Ultrasound	$60.00
		Metoclopramide - 20 tab	$4.00
		Gestacare multi vitamin - one box	$15.00
		Bonacal - one large bottle	$38.00
		Total + GST	$264.29
11	Kang Clinic For Women	Follow up constultation	$70.00
		Routine Test	$10.00
		Ultrasound	$60.00
		Gestacare multi vitamin - one box	$15.00
		Total + GST	$165.85
15	Kang Clinic For Women	Follow up consultation	$70.00
		Routine Test	$10.00
		Ultrasound	$60.00
		Antenatal profile - blood test on mother	$70.00
		Gestacare multi vitamin - one box	$15.00
		Qualibrain - fish oil	$65.00
		Total + GST	$310.30
18	Kang Clinic For Women	Follow up consultation	$70.00
		Routine Test	$10.00
		Ultrasound	$80.00
		HB Electrophoresis - blood test on father	$45.00
		Gestacare multi vitamin - one box	$15.00
		Qualibrain - fish oil	$65.00
		Bonacal - one large bottle	$38.00
		Sangobion - 30 tab	$9.00
		Total + GST	$355.24
20	KK's Women & Children	1st consultation at KK	$105.00
		FA/High risk obstetric scan - detail ultrascan	$141.00
		Total + GST	$263.22
22	SL Goh Women's Clinic	Top up for new case in package	$87.00
		Antenatal Package for 10 session	$880.00
		Package includes:
		Follow up consultation
		Ultrasound
		Routine Test
		Hemoplex capsules - 30 tab	$11.60
		Total + GST	$1,047.10
		Total prenatal cost	$2,406.00

Though we met a little hipcup  (as we have to change gynae). we are glad that at least our baby Aedan is growing healthily and everything is fine.

The money is worth it as long as baby is well. :)


With love,
Twentysixoctober

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