Maternity tour @ Mount Elizabeth Novena

Mt. E Novena tour is a bit harder to book, not sure whether it is because of only twice a week, or everyone is curious about how this new hospital looks.

I finally managed to book a slot for thurs, 31st July. Currently 25 weeks pregnant, and after touring this hospital, I can finally decide where to deliver 🙂 Also read my post on my unbaised comparison of the 4 private hospitals-mt alvernia, mt elizabeth orchard and novena, and gleneagles.

The new Mt E Novena is located at walking distance from Novena MRT. Unknowingly, there are suddenly so many medical centres in Novena, and various shopping malls like Velocity and Square 2. I have to admit that I seldom come to this part of Singapore.

2 shopping malls and a hotel opposite of Mt E. Novena.

My first impression was that it has a large drop-off area, like a hotel.

Even the reception area is like hotel check-in counter, haha.

Since I arrived early, we were directed to the waiting room, where drinks and crackers were served.

And given the welcome booklet to browse through. They basically only have 2 types of room, single and junior suite.

We started the tour at level 3, delivery suite. The nice waiting area outside the delivery room for family members, as only hubby is allowed in the delivery room.

The delivery suite. There is a sofa on the left side for hubby. Personally, I think that their delivery room pales in comparison to Gleneagles and Mt E. Orchard. Furthermore, there is no armchair for hubby to sit, and the sofa has no leaning cushion.

In cases for emergency c-section, the nurses will push your bed to the operating theater which is nearby and on the same floor.

After recovery from delivery, about 2 hours later, you will be moved to the maternity wards at level 9.

The maternity rooms look very private, and they boast that each room is soundproof and very quiet.

The single room. The package price, unlike the other hospitals, already includes the lodging fee for hubby, as well as free parking. The first round of minibar is also free.

Btw, they are very pro-breastfeeding. And if you want to supplement with formula, have to bring your own milk bottles.

The entire room. The toilet is really big, with provided toiletries from Crabtree and Evelyn.  I also like how there is a desk.

Only managed to capture a photo of the toilet from the junior suite, which is even bigger. It totally looks like some five-star hotel. The junior suite comes with a separate living room area, and an al fresco area, together with unlimited minibar.

We also visited the nursery. All babies will be wearing white. Babies are allowed to room in with mummies, except during bathing etc, where they will be brought back to the nursery.

We ended the tour with some cream puffs and Q&A session.

 

Goodie bag:

My verdict:

I feel that their hospital is no doubt the most luxurious of all in terms of the design of the hospital and wards, and everything is very new with a hotel-feel. I will definitely feel proud to give birth here, and having friends and family come visit. Given that it is priced similar to Mt E. Orchard, I may choose Novena over Orchard.

However, I feel that their staff is the least experienced and unsure about some details that we asked, making me doubt the accuracy of information given during the maternity tour. I have also seen many mummies who delivered there, about billing issues etc. Therefore, their system definitely needs to be improved. Furthermore, paperwork should be the last to worry about when you are having a baby. And if they screw up the billing, resulting in a delay in discharge, I will definitely be stressed and pissed. And I am also unsure of how experienced their midwife/nurses are, and they actually play a big role during early labor before the gynae comes in.

 

Read on more on my comparison between the private hospitals and which one is eventually my choice!

 

To make an appointment for the maternity tour:

Mount Elizabeth Novena: 68986898

Their tour schedules:

-Mount Elizabeth Novena – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm, Saturdays at 2.30pm

xoxo,

Maternity photoshoot ideas!

When browsing through the maternity photoshoot ideas, I am getting excited. I love taking photos and camwhoring, but when it comes to maternity photoshoot, it is a whole different league. You can only get that radiance and aura-the ‘mother’s glow’, when you are pregnant. Because pregnancy is the miracle of life and celebration. And there is only a small window during the pregnancy that you can take maternity photos-i.e. when your bump is prominent enough (around 32-36 weeks pregnant).

To remember this significant moment, I have already booked 2 photoshoots-one indoors and one outdoors, and I am totally looking forward to it! And of course, in the meantime, I am researching on what I want for the photoshoot-style of photography, outfit, poses etc! Here are some photos I find super sweet and adorable.

Note: these are not my photography works, I took them off the web.

1) Super cute/brilliant ideas

2) Pastel/sweet/romantic

3) Typical poses

 

4) Daring and stunning

Super love the curves here!

Hope its an inspiration to you ladies!

xoxo,

Bellies to babies Prenatal workshop 2014 by Mediacorp

Today, I went for a prenatal workshop conducted by Mediacorp. The workshop is from 12.30-4.30pm, at Concorde Hotel function room. I was enticed by the event because there will be a mass prenatal yoga session. I thought it will be fun, and I haven’t tried prenatal yoga or yoga whatsoever before. Somemore $10 only, and you get to walk away with goodie bag worth $40!

When I reached the location, I was pleasantly surprised by the event. It seems very well organised and also a baby bazaar going on. Definitely better than what I expect for what I paid for.

I did the registration and received a T-shirt (sponsored by SPRING maternity wear). And a voucher to redeem the goodie bag after the event.

The room was already prep with chairs next to yoga mats.

 

We started out with breathing exercises. Feeling zen already.

And did alot of opening hip and stretching exercises, endurance exercises and some balancing poses. And also yoga dancing. I have to say I had fun and did pretty well for a first-timer! Do not that is important to get a certified pregnancy yoga instructor, instead of the normal yoga teachers. And during pregnancy, avoid crunches or jumping or too strenuous poses. It is about listening to your own body, and it is not a competition to get into certain advanced poses. And also I noticed is that pregnancy yoga incorporates pelvic muscles training into breathing exercises. Apparently, it will help during delivery.

And there was a tea session prepared for us by StemCord and AIA. Starving already la!

The Bee Hoon is good. I had 3 servings! And assorted danish/croissants and fruit platter. Tea/coffee etc. All not bad!

While eating, Stemcord and AIA staff will come approach you. There is no free food in the world ya. But they were not pushy or anything so it’s fine.

You can mingle with other mummies during the tea session, or go and visit the booths. Vendors include like Enfagrow, Beauty Mums and Babies, B&G lifecasting etc. There is even a photoshoot studio setup to take a complimentary 5R photo, but collection at their studio in Boon Lay. So I skipped that.

Then, we proceeded to a small room for the talks on cord blood banking, and baby first aid tips.

But kinda boring towards the end. Cos mummies-to-be don’t really have the same attention span as before haha.

The goodie bag consist of the yoga mat, and sponsored items (and tons of brochures):

 

I would like to compliment the organizers for a great line-up of the events, and I am definitely interested to sign-up for more of such workshops. 

 

xoxo,

Best hair treatment during pregnancy @ Botaniq Hair Care (Gui Ren Tang)

*Services were purchased by myself

I would like to share with you guys this gem I found for hair and scalp rejuvenation!

I know that chemicals, like rebonding, hair dyes and chemical hair treatments, are not suitable during pregnancy and best to avoid. At the same time, because I recklessly chopped off my hair from super long to shoulder length during the first trimester, my hair is now so thick and unkempt! I have been wanting to do something to my hair for like a few weeks now. Since I can’t do rebonding, I was contemplating doing hair treatment, but don’t know where to do it. Apparently, exposure to fumes when others are doing chemical treatments, especially in an enclosed salon, is also bad for the baby.

I came across this hair care salon at Serangoon Gardens, MyVillage level 2, where I saw this offer for hair treatments.

6-in-1 premium botanical hair&follicles nourishing therapy @ $29

8-in-1 premium botanical scalp deep clensing&hair rejuvenation therapy @ $49

10-in-1 premium botanical follicles, hair, scalp complete restoration therapy @ $59

Btw, they also do hair problems like hair loss and white hair.

Since I saw that they use only natural ingredients, so I checked with their therapist, who say this treatment is safe during pregnancy. So, I went ahead for the 8-in-1 treatment, which lasts for about 1 hr 15 mins.

Their minimalist salon:

I was offered a special blend of green tea, which is mild and has health benefits. But I just tried a little, as I am trying to reduce caffeine intake today.

After settling down in my seat, they asked me to proceed to the dark room behind, where there are beds attached to hair wash tub. And I got the shock of my life. Almost the entire procedure was done lying down, as in like a massage or facial! Damn relax and shiock ok. Even have lemongrass aromatherapy.

They covered me with blanket, making sure I’m super comfy. There is only a 5 minutes leave-on ginger conditioner. And almost a full hour of scrubbing my hair with a special comb, massaging and what not. I almost fell asleep. Then, we went out to dry my hair, and I thought is coming to an end. After blowing half-dry, another round of shoulder and head massage WOW. My therapist the service really thumbs up!

After the treatment, I felt super relaxed. The tightness and headaches were gone. Definitely well-spent money and a pampering well-deserved. And disclaimer, I was not paid to rave about their service.

 

Holistic botanical hair care

1 Maju Ave, MyVillage, 02-14
Tel: 6636 7877

They have another outlet in Holland village:

211 Holland Ave, Holland Road Shopping Centre, 03-37
Tel:  6468 6007

xoxo,

Unboxing the Philips Avent 3-in-1 electric sterilizer

*Items were purchased by myself

A sterilizer is essential for every mummy. and can be used to sterilize bottles/pacifiers/breast pumps initially or food jars when they start to wean, so it is really a good investment to get a good one that last.

A sterilizer is essential because milk actually contains alot of nutrients, and bacteria can grow in that environment. Especially when newborns have not build up their immune system, these bacteria can cause them to be really sick. In the past, people used to sterilize the old-fashion way, which is to sterilize bottles in boiling water. You will have to monitor it, and also the hot steam may scald your hand *Ouch

Now the electric sterilizers really make this process hassle-free. Plug in, switch on and they will sterilize within minutes and auto switch off. And remain sterilized for up to 24 hours. Amazing!

After much deliberation between the Avent 3-in-1 and Pigeon Rapid steam sterilizer, I decided to get the Avent one for several reasons:

1) Avent sterilizer is smaller and flat in shape, and thus more space-saving. And it can fit 6 bottles, which will be more than sufficient for me. The Pigeon one is round and can fit 7-9 bottles, which will be useful if there are more kids.

2) Avent sterilizer can keep bottles sterile for up to 24hrs, while 6hrs for Pigeon. I am planning to sterilize twice a day, once before going to bed, so I can use the bottles in the morning. So I will need the bottles to remain sterilize throughout the night before I use them in the morning.

3) Sterilization time needed for both is 6mins, so they are on par.

I was also considering the Pigeon multi-function sterilizer, which is a sterilizer, bottle and food warmer in 1. The pros will be that space-saving and cost-saving, but the cons are that if the base is spoilt, all 3 functions will be gone and also when I am sterilizing, I cannot warm a bottle at the same time.

The Avent box comes in a carrier for easy transport.

The box exterior:

Quick guide on how to use:

Freebies that comes with it:

Avent 125mL bottle

Pacifier

What I believe is used to remove the hot items from sterilizer

Contents:

Top left: ‘Lid’

Bottom left: ‘Base’

Top right: ‘Body’ (for taller items)

Bottom right: ‘Tray’ ( for smaller items and accessories)

How to assemble for your different needs:

1) Assemble all the 4 parts if you need to sterilize bottles: Put bottles in the ‘body’. Put teats in the ‘tray’.

2) Assemble all except ‘tray’ to sterilize breast pumps

3) Assemble all except ‘body’ to sterilize pacifiers and small items

Hope you enjoy this review 🙂

xoxo,

Maternity tour @ Mount Elizabeth Orchard

14/7/14- 22 weeks+ pregnant

This is the third maternity tour that we went for (Read my detailed reviews on the rest). For me, it is important to tour all the hospitals that I’m considering to deliver in, as each hospital has their own policies and delivery/maternity wards. Somemore this is my first child, and the birth experience means alot to me, so abit kiasu over here haha.

We started the tour on level three delivery suite.

 

This is where you report for natural delivery. The operating theater for c-section births is also at level 3, and the registration at level 2 business center.

One thing I like about Mount Elizabeth is that there is no observation ward. When you come in with actual contractions, you will be whisk off directly to the individual delivery suites. You will change into their gowns, and hooked onto a CTG monitor. You can see the machine in the room, and the figures are also fed to the nursing station outside. The delivery suite is actually spacious with an attached bathroom. Note that only one of them comes with a bath tub, and is on first-come-first serve basis.

There are laughing gas provided that mummies can use. And also an injection for pain relief. And if you are taking epidural, best to inform nurse beforehand.

 After delivery, baby will be weighed and tagged in room. You will be able to recover/interact with baby for about 2 hours before going to the maternity wards. Photo-taking are allowed after delivery, no video recording allowed.

The maternity wards are on level 4. We only managed to view the single room, and suites.

Single rooms:

For single wards, there is a same lodger fee of $80++ which includes pillows/blankets and 3 meals a day.

Baby can be in room 24/7.

Amenities include TV, fridge, free wifi.

There is a celebratory dinner: you can choose for 2 pax (romantic dinner), or 6 pax (family celebration). There will be a butler serving food in the room. Niceeee..

Toiletries are provided in the bathrooms.

15 minutes head and shoulder massage.

Overall, the feel is like hotel.

Suites:

For the suites, there is the extra sitting area. The room is bigger as well. But in my opinion, not worth triple the price haha. If really want something luxurious, go for Gleneagles private suites (Read on review on that).

You will have your own nurse and butler for the suite to serve you.

There is also mani/pedi and hair spa. Wow, tai tai life.

We went to see the nursery, which is also on the same level 4. Look at those cute little angels!

We ended the tour at the parentcraft center, where we got to try 3 confinement soups: Papaya fish soup, black bean soup and chicken tonic soup. Tastes pretty good! And also some sandwiches/juices.

You can get free breastfeeding lessons in the morning, or baby bathing lessons in the evenings here during your stay.

 

Btw, there is complimentary parking with unlimited entry/exit during the stay for daddies. Really can save alot, since parking at hospitals/orchard area is expensive!

And their free goodie bag:

Motherhood blooming beauties, and a maternity shawl (by Stemcord)

And inside the motherhood package, free samples and magazines:

Kodomo bag has the following inside:

To make an appointment for the maternity tour: 67312000

Their tour schedules: Mondays to Fridays at 4pm, Saturdays at 11am

xoxo,

Pregnancy week 22: Body soreness/aches, ‘nesting’ syndrome, hubby feeling baby kick, carving for durian

This week, I started getting aches on my lower back. I am in need of a good prenatal massage. There are a few that I shortlisted based on reviews and interested to try out:) Hubby has been helping me massage my lower back every night, but he does not do a good job. And he demanded to be tipped for his services blah. Haha. I am also looking for maternity belts as I read they can help support the growing belly as well as the back.

I also notice a funny behaviour of mine. I have to say I am not neatest or cleanest person you will come across, but nowadays, i cannot stand dirt. I have the urge to bleach and clean all parts of my house, and also pack my wardrobe/cupboards etc.  I goggled this eccentric behavior of mine, and to my surprise, this is actually a condition called ‘nesting syndrome’ OMG

Google:

“Mother hamsters do it. Mama cats and dogs do it. Expectant birds do it. And, if you’re like many human moms-to-be, you’re doing it, too, these days: preparing your “nest” for your soon-to-arrive baby. ”

“You might wake up one morning feeling energetic and wanting to clean and organize your entire house. This urge to clean and organize is known as nesting. Nesting during pregnancy is the over whelming desire to get your home ready for your new baby. ”

From about 17-18 weeks, I can surely feel my baby movement. But every time my hubby places his hand on my tummy, the little one stopped moving haha. And 22 weeks is the first time my hubby felt baby kick. It was random because she was really moving and kicking alot when I go to bed, and I was telling my hubby about it. Then my hubby place his hand on my belly, and wala, our baby girl kicked his hand a few times. I can sense my hubby feeling more and more attach to our little one already. 

 

It’s the durian season again here in Singapore. I have been craving for it for days, until I got to eat it at my in-laws place haha. My gynae warns me of the high sugar content in durian, too ‘nourishing’ already. So, I only eat 4 pieces. *Pat on my shoulder

xoxo,

Maternity tour @ Gleneagles

7th July 2014- 21 weeks pregnant.

The second maternity tour I went to. I personally am leaning towards this hospital because of it’s atas reputation, and I would like a more luxurious first birthing experience.

Went for the 1pm scheduled tour, and similarly went to the hospital by public transport since hubby is overseas. Took the MRT to Dhoby Ghuat station, and change to buses 7, 77, 106 or 174 to Gleneagles. Alternatively, you can take the shuttle bus from Orchard (http://gleneagles.com.sg/en/Contact-Us/Gleneagles-Hospital-Shuttle-Bus-Service).

We started with a short briefing in the main lobby. Btw, during the labour day, you should also alight at the main lobby and take the lift to level 5. There is free valet during office hours if you inform the security that you are in labour. After office hours, inform the security.

If you happen to come in too early, you will be sent to the observation room instead, which are 4-bedders:

Afterwhich, you will be sent to the individual delivery suites, and nurses/trained midwives will check you as well as inform your gynae if you have not called your gynae yet. There will be CTG monitor to check the baby’s heart rate etc, and information is fed directly to the nursing station.

I personally think that the delivery suite looks nice. I will definitely want to labour in here heehee. There is an attached toilet (request if you want a shower), and a recliner seat for daddies-to-be. There is free Wifi in the delivery and maternity suites for you to connect to facebook/tweet/instagram etc. No videography is allowed here. After delivery, there will be 1 hour of bonding time/rest time with your newborn, before being transferred to the maternity wards.

*For c-section, admission is done at level 1, and level 4 is the operating theatre.

We proceed to tour the maternity wards. I love how the corridor looks at Gleneagles as compared to Mt. Alvernia. It is brighter, cleaner and newer here.

2-bedders (TV and DVD players available):

Single:

For single rooms, a lodger fee of $90 applies (includes all meals) for hubby.

For parking, it is at prevailing rates, or a daily cap at $22. There is free limo service on the day of discharge for all room types (woohoo!), so be sure to make use of the service.

Note that the maternity wards and nurseries are at levels 5 and 6, and there are slight differences between the furnishing.

For level 5: wooden flooring, brighter rooms

For level 6: carpet flooring, dimmer rooms

So be sure to indicate during registration if you have any preferences!

Level 10 are the VIP rooms (superior/executive/tanglin suite).

There are also free maternity pads, diapers and baby wipes included in the package for use during stay.

Feel free to loan their breast pumps (no charge) or bring your own (nurse will help sterilize)

Note that 11am is checkout time. And the day you admit is counted as day 1 regardless of whether you come in the day/afternoon/night.

And their confinement menu is awesome! No repeats during the stay.

If you can’t see the words, a sample dinner would include:

-Steamed egg with shredded mushroom and ginger

-Double boiled nourishing fish soup

-Black vinegar and dark soy braised chicken

-Rice/Plain congee

-Lemon grass jelly

Am already looking forward to confinement food heehee. But of course the general menu is also available for choosing.

 

We ended the tour at the parentcraft centre , where they invite you to join their antenatal classes, and information about cordblood banking.

Then, we had light refreshments as well as Q&A session to end off the tour.

The tour experience was good, and Gleneagles do live up to their standards in terms of the environment. However, I was a little disappointed with their goodie bag:

You can book their maternity tour by calling: 64705615

Tour schedules:

Mon-Fri 1pm

Sat 11am or 1pm

xoxo,

 

My facial treatment for pregnancy-Shakura Pigmentation Beauty facial review

This is NOT a sponsored post. I paid for the services.

My skin has become so awful since pregnancy! During the first trimester, because of my morning sickness, I am so lazy to care for my face and hair. Now, my face has breakouts and looks dull. My hair is thick and unkempt too! Now that I am feeling great during my second trimester, I want to look good and have my skin/hair back to its pre-pregnancy glamour!

However as most of us know, not all facials are suitable now that we are pregnant. It is thus important to check with your beautician whether their facial is suitable for pregnant woman. Usually, those that do not use machines, dermal abrasion, chemical peels are fine, and I love to go for those that manually massage the essence into your face, so relaxing! Since we cannot use machines, the quality of products is thus very important.

I chanced upon this facial promotion with Shakura (at harbourfront), and they assured me that their facial treatment uses natural milk essence/enzymes and plant extracts, so it is completely safe for pregnant woman. The facial duration is about 1 hour, so I decided to book an appointment to have a look. The reception service is good I would say. Making an appointment is very easy, and I actually made a last minute change of time, and they nicely accommodate. I wanted to go to their kovan outlet as its nearer to my place, but they advise me to go to their harbourfront one which was the newest.

My first impression of the place is good. Everything is very bright and clean. I was ushered to the consultation room for registration/filling form, than a skin analysis before the actual treatment. Since I have pigmentation, dryness and uneven skin tone problem, they suggest I go for the skin renewal treatment (the treatment essence used is made on the spot and catered for different skin problems).

I like their staff. Good service, took extra care of me because I was pregnant, and their attention to detail.

Their bed is actually slightly elevated for the upper body, instead of totally flat. Which is better for me as I don’t feel too comfortable lying flat with my tummy.

For the 1 hour, the beautician did:

Cleanse my face-> put on a mask to soften my skin for extraction later (did some shoulder massage while waiting) -> basic extraction -> application of the essence/enzymes -> double mask

I have to say that I go for a lot of facials, usually for their trial at promotion prices first. Since I used up my previous facial microdermal abrasion package (at tanjong pagar), I have been looking for a new facial place. And over here, I am sold. I knew I would give in and sign a package later.

And yes I did. Signed up for the facial treatment of 6 sessions (plus free 1 session). Decided to pamper myself for the rest of my pregnancy 🙂 Asked for a free gift and got this facial wash+enzyme thingy:

Their website:

http://www.shakura.com.sg/index.php?id=about

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

My Tommee Tippee feeding bottles and tips on choosing bottles

*Items were purchased by myself

How can choosing a bottle be so complicated.. There are so many brands in the market. Top choices include philips Avent, tommee tippee (TT), Pigeon, Dr brown etc.. They come in different sizes, and have different teats to cater for different ages. Furthermore, it is not a matter of whether you get the best in the market, rather is whether your baby likes that bottle. If your baby has colic or stomach windy issues, it could also be due to the bottle. It seems much easier to raise a baby 20 years ago than now!

It was a close fight between Avent or TT for me. Initially, I wanted to skip the smallest-sized ones since I feel they will outgrow that volume sooner or later (125mL for avent and 150mL for TT). However, although newborns require very little milk, they need very frequent feeds every 2-3 hours, so I felt that investing in the smallest-sized bottles will make my life easier, and they will also be well-utilized.

So I bought 4 TT 150mL bottles that comes with  slow flow (0m+) teats to prepare for my newborn. If it works out well, we will continue to use TT bottles (the 260mL size) with different teats (medium and fast flow versions). Hopefully the 150mL bottles can last until 4-6 months. BTW, both TT or Avent bottles are ‘BPA free’. This is an important assurance for bottles made of plastic, to avoid any harmful chemicals after rounds of sterilization. For glass bottles, don’t need to worry about BPA.

Why I chose TT over Avent?

-TT is 150mL as compared to 125mL for Avent. Probably can use longer. Although the next size up is same at 260mL.

-Avent has more bottle parts than TT, so washing and sterilizing is a little more troublesome.

-Avent has leaking issues as commented by other mummies.

-TT has a unique design, stubby and super cute. The design has practical uses, it allows for better and more comfy grip.

-Super sensitive anti-colic valve to help colic problems? Not sure whether is good until I use it.

 

My tips on choosing bottles:

– If you are planning to transition from breast to bottle, better to use wide-neck bottles. Babies will put their mouth entirely over the teats to mimic drinking from breast

 

Will update this space with the review after my baby starts using the bottles.

Have a great day mummies!

xoxo,