You've had 'that' gut feeling for a while now. So you make your way down to your local pharmacy and pick up a box of pregnancy test kit. There's been some cases where a particular brand may not give you an accurate result so grab a few more just in case. You quickly rush home and take the test. It confirms your suspecions, YOU ARE PREGNANT!!! You jump around with much joy panting away thinking of all the great things to look forward to. Is it a boy or a girl, how will the baby look like, what will be the name, baby clothes, pram...the list goes on.

And then, the sudden pause. Now, how do you share this exciting news to your family, husband/boyfriend, friends etc. (Some people say you should only start telling the 'world' once you passed 3 months.)

But after all that is done, NOW WHAT?

The first step, creating a PRE-BIRTH PLAN. :) Ask yourself,

• What kind of Doctor would you like?
• Private or Government?
• Which hospital would be great?
• What kind of birth would you like?

After finding out that i was pregnant, i immediately went to google on OB/GYN's. I got friends and family members who have had kids to advice me. Out of everyone i spoke to, half of them went to private clinics, while the rest, government hospital. I understand why some choose government hospital. Usually cost being the main factor. But then again, Singapore also have one of the best medical facilities in the region. So I guess some people don't see the fuss on who they rather see.

As for myself, I chose private. Only because I wanted a specialist who will be by my side, every step of the way. Someone i could get to know on a personal level.

(photo taken from http://www.healthcommunities.com)

It wasn't easy finding an OB that I can feel comfortable with. After all, this is my first pregnancy. I'm begining to sounds like I'm searching for a soulmate isn't it? :p

Well that 'Soul searching' eventually lead me to  DR HENG TUNG LAN. I've read in so many forums on how cheerful and pleasant she was. She has helped put many women's minds at ease. After my first appointment with her, I knew I had made the right choice.

She was a joy to be around with during my pregnancy. One must always take note, that it is equally important to find an OB who will share the same thinking as you. Especially if you want a natural birth, not all doctors will share the same views as you.

Also keep in mind you might want to find a hospital that is close to your home. (Unless of course, you wouldn't mind the travelling even in labour) Trust me, when you finally feel the first few contractions, you don't want to be spending 30 minutes on the road.

With the help of our Medisave , we can use a certain amount to pay for hospital bills while the remainder of the amount is to be paid in cash. I don't exactly know how much it costs to deliver in a government hospital but from speaking to some friends, some of them managed to pay fully with medisave!

Where as for me, i could only use $1000 by Medisave and the rest cash. A normal delivery, including some painkillers (not epidurals), doctors fees and a 2 bedded room cost us about a whopping $3,171.80! So minus the amount taken from medisave, and the amount that we paid in cash was $2,171.80! My doctors fees alone for the delivery was $1,284 and the fees for Kiara's pediatrician was $235.40!

Now, i did not know fully that it could come up to that amount when i first chose to go private. (Can you imagine if i had to do a cesarean?!) DO i regret it thoug? No. The hospital took care of every one of my needs, was fully attentive to me and my baby. And you're paying for comfort, good food, quietness etc. I'm not saying that a government hospital would be any less, but there would be a difference i'm sure. I've gone visiting friends in KKH and i must say, its so very noisy! I don't know how anyone can fall asleep there.

So you really ought to do your research on how and where you would like to have your baby. Yeah, everyone says money is not a factor. But it is. Not everyone would want to spend that extra thousand over dollars on a hospital, they would rather spend it on the baby when he/she comes.

I hope i helped some of you understand a little more on how the costing goes and all. Thank you for taking the time to read! 

PS: Christmas is in 2 days! HO! HO! HO! :D