(2011/09) Sep 2011

I think $500 - 600 for nanny is reasonable. A few of the IFC I checked, charge between $1100 -$ 1500. So even with subsidy, is still about $600/ $700 min each month.

 


#2, so u just insert the breast pads in the bra?



btw do u get special nursing bras, or just go for normal bras?

 
Those IFC tt charge ard $600 a mth are usually by non-profit organisations. And due to their relatively cheap price, most of them have looooooong waiting lists.



My ex-colleague's boy is at IFC near his daddy's workplace at Raffles MRT, they are paying $1300 per month after subsidy! But she claims it's good cos they do flashcards and reading, etc.

 
Bunnz, it's adhesive (like sanitary pads), so just insert in bra [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



I hate nursing bras. Ugly and difficult to use. I bought some during first pregnancy but chucked them aside. Still prefer my non-wired bras, just need to buy bigger size.

 
Bunnz is correct. Be prepared that you will need to take leave to look after baby if send to IFC. So I know many mummies actually keep 1mth of ML for such emergencies...

 
Daddysbao... leak as in like water tap that cannot close properly... will drip drip drip... then will soil your bra and shirt!!! Mine was like fountain flowing... then when i went back to work and couldn't pump at fixed schedule, my breasts were spraying milk until my shirt was always wet with milk.... then my male colleagues keep luffing at me some more...

 
i am totally not prepared for this! -.-"

my gawd... so if this is my #1 bb, it will also leak ah? never knew there was hole there for milk to leak out :p



always tot it's cuz bb bite till milk can flow out de :s

 
[IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] so breast pads are like silicone pads i guess tat i use to cover my tits as they show up and i dun like t shirt bras since my breasts are big so i use silicon pads

Bunnz: yes of course hb will nt allow especially now

i feel so sick tdy but dun wana loose the discussion forum as its quite knowledgeable

Btw in straits times tdy in "Mind ur body" there is an article on water birth good read

 
Daddysbao, er... leaking during pregnancy is good news... cos it means you definitely can produce milk :D

There are many many tiny holes in the nipples for milk to leak :D Quite fun to see milk spraying out :p



Also, must start to keep your nipples clean cos any dirt/dead skin may block the ducts. Use cleansing oil to clean (I use normal cooking olive oil for now cos haven go and buy my organic olive oil yet).

 
prenra : i was playing with the thought of water birth.. but most likely stick to trad way. see how.



#2 : can start to use cleansing oil now? cos i do see some dead skin

 
Prenra, there are silicon pads to prevent leaking called LilyPads but I find them uncomfortable cos they will cause engorgement (it leaks cos it's full, but the silicon pads prevent them from coming out, so the boobs are like balloons).



Bunnz, can start gentle cleansing already. What I normally do is use cotton pad, soak with oil, then gently rub away the dead skin...



RE: Water Birth

Not popular in SG and only some hospitals have it. Also, if someone else is using it, then you can't use it.

SG gynaes usually don't encourage because of the risk of infection/drowning in the newborn.

If I remember correctly, TMC has it but they only you to use it during contractions... once labour start and going to delivery, must get out...

 
Kelly, it's really fun!! Imagine my mum and sis were so amused they sat beside me and watch me bf (my boy suck on one side and the other side was spraying milk like no one's business). Then will spray all over my boy!! And my boy quite cute, he will use his hand to cover and block the spraying milk!

 
bunnz (bunnz) : yea i noe but cant sleep durin day time my body nt tuned to it anyway jus finsihed downloadin movie from torrent will sit n watch tat its a hindi movie [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] "Anjana Anjani"

#2- i think wif the amount of knowledge(meticulous as well) u hv i suggest u write a book or start a blog tat will get u sum cash out of this knowledge [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] jus a suggestion

 
wow, #2 u'r really open leh. can do it with ur mum n sis watching. it all feels so weird to me, i guess i'm too conservative liao. haha

 
Prenra, I'm in the midst of writing a novel [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] But it's more for leisure and a way to pen down my thoughts [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

I'm actually trained in Nutrition and Health [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Bunnz, I latch for 12 mths, then pump until he was 18mths.

Wanted to go on longer but my boss at tt time was piling me with so much work, I couldn't afford to take breaks during work to pump... Plus there were no proper pumping facilities at my workplace at tt time...

This round, I hope can bf for at least 2yrs since I'm working from home :D Really can save a lot of $$$!



Hubs and I worked out:

Newborns usually drink ard 1 tin per week. Newborn formula is damn exp, ard $50/tin. That means $200 a month.

I paid $800 for my breastpump so I promised myself must make it worth it and bf for at least 4 months to break even. hehehe!

 
CL --

Bunnz, so nice that your mum is willing to help. I havent checked with my mum/mil yet but hb warned me that his mum will get pek-chek. MIL did for my SIL years back and hb recalled her grumbling whenever the baby cried nonstop and the SIL was too tired to help. My mum has no confinement experience as I'm the eldest child and my younger sis just got married 9mths ago.



I saw the link on TMC's recommended CL yesterday. The CL will only commit day-time and fees range from $1,900, that's abit steep since a stay-in CL charges on average $2K. Groceries are not included. I have heard of friends who gave CL marketing money, get husbands to go marketing with CL or have mum/MIL bring weekly groceries over. As for angbao, I'm not sure of the rates too. Will ask friends for details when I'm able to share more with them.





FOOD INTAKE --

Prena, try not to skip meals. I did as I really cant cook and was abit depressed back then due to the instability. In the end, I suffered from low sugar level and woke up shivering one afternoon. Called my doctor frantically and got a scolding. Asked me to down Coke immediately :p Now I'm eating okay, especially after returning to work. But the food might be too rich..haha..just went for long lunch with my team @ Ichiban. We loh-hei (again) and I finished whole set of Hotstone Wagyu Beef Rice =X





SHOPPING & PREP WORKS --

Simbaobao, thanks for the list on baby fairs. Will come in handy for all of us [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] I havent bought a single item. Also wondering when is it ok to start buying. Some said 3rd trimester! Will that be too late? I was thinking if I can shop during babymoon in May and during GSS in June.



My intended nursery is looking more like a store-room now. Hb and I are considering shifting the stuff into the study-room/bomb-shelter and give it a fresh coat of paint.



I downloaded the iphone app on What To Expect but they remind us more on pregnancy milestones, not the What-to-do/buy. I was hoping to get some lists on what to buy or do by which month, shopping lists, hospital bag lists etc. I honestly feel this is worst than wedding preps.





NAMES --

Actually I have always wanted to name my son Kyle and daughter Kyra. Haha! But this was since years ago when I started using this nick. Now there are too many Kyles and Kyras that I think I will reconsider. Chinese name wise, we need to follow some generation syllabus from my hb's side. Will probably engage a geomancer to give recommendations.





WINE --

One of my friend's mother makes this for her confinement and subsequently for sale. Will probably be ordering from her towards the end of 2nd trimester.

 
Kelly, at first dunno can collect mah... then later realised that Avent has this milk collection shell that can wash and sterilise and use to collect leaking milk!



Daddysbao... sad to say... your breasts will become public property... at first I damn shy... but after a while, CAN'T BE BOTHERED ALREADY...

I even pump in the living room with my bro and dad at home...

During baby full month, while I was bfing in the room, my cousins & aunts also walk in and out to see...

I even took breastfeeding pics with a professional photographer [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
#2>> you are blessed with lotsa milk! i wish this would happen to me this time round! I bought a few boxes of breastpads, end up only use one box during my confinement and the rest sell away..



resting, eating and drinking well is very impt to ensure your milk supply comes in! so i guess its gg to be a CL for me this time round.. gonna ask my other thread mates for recommendations after i hit the 2nd trimester..



kyra>> not sure if you are pantang.. but the old folks says cannot paint the house you are staying in when you're preggy..

 
#2 : oh yeah it does help in saving $$$ not to buy baby milk powder. I have started looking at baby stuff, just to get an idea of their prices.

now when i see see diapers n milk powder, i just see $$$ :p



Kyra : kyra is a nice name [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

Maybe can share the contact for your friend's mother's wine next time. mum was also saying about buying herbs to prepare for bath. do they have ready packed such herbs in the market?

My mum also has no experience in cl. i'm the eldest and sis ter still studying..hehe



oh yeah #2: how does your mum handle bathin the baby? mum was saying abt bathing but cant touch the bb's placenta or something..must let it drop by itself . she's not sure how to not let it touch water.

 
Sorry, long time didnt appear in the forum, was busy at work and also not feeling well for past weeks... always got nausea and gastric feeling but no appetite...



#2, that's terrible and sometimes we will be stuck in meeting for few hours... so can the breast pad stop it? Or need to change frequently as well?

 
hahahah! my family (except the males) has seen my boobs too, and that includes one of my close fren. its not that i wanna display my boobs to them, but hor some pple (my mum and sisters) just stand there and watch me breastfeed! wa lau.. i cannot stand it that they so buay zhidong. dunno wads there to see lo! they dun understand wad is privacy.



my fren who stays with her ILs, her FIL would just walk into their room without knocking and walked in and saw her latching her son! she is not allowed to lock the door coz of some stupid MIL rule! end up her decency all gone.



another incident of pple buay zhidong is my eldest sister. she wants to look at my daughter bathe. my daughter is now only 16months old. i told her to go out of the room coz i wanna bathe my girl. she say she wants to look, i told her cannot. She ask me why. I say then u bathe, you call me, i go over your house and watch you bathe lo, regardless how young, she is still a girl.

i want to instill the idea in my daughter and family that my girl, regardless how young, should be given that bit of privacy, she is not a pc of display lo.

 
BF -- I know I sound terrible this way but does anyone of you try to opt for the easy way out? Dunno why but perhaps I'm not maternal enough. I keep thinking about how to cut corners. Told hb that I would prefer c-sec so that I wont experience labour pain and that I prefer not to breastfeed. I really cannot imagine myself going through the pain/hassle [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif] But I know breastmilk is godsend to a growing baby and will save us alot of money. I know I'll come round to these soon.



Pinkiedot -- OMG! Why ah? Before CNY, I was at inlaws' place and they were painting the house. I saw in 1 corner as I found it quite intoxicating. My nursery-to-be is really quite messy now and the paint is already 3yrs old. I was hoping to give it a bright cherry colour...



Name -- But I know of alot of Kyles, Kyras, Aidans and Kaydens these days...not special le.



Wine -- Ok, checking with my friend if she's ok to share her blog URL online. If not, I can PM you and you can contact her directly [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Herbs -- I heard medical halls sell pre-packed herbal packs for bathing.

 
bunnz>> its not the placenta.. its the umbilical cord.. placenta will be delivered after you give birth to your baby.. just bathe the baby and dun tug or pull at the umbilical cord, make sure you dap it dry and keep it clean, it will dry off and drop by itself..



those herbs to be used for bathing during confinement can be easily found in those chinese medicinal halls.. its called "da feng ai", all packed in sachets, just need to pour hot water into a tub and then use that to bathe can liao.. i bathed everyday when i had my #1, washed my hair on alternate days coz i believe a mummy needs to keep herself clean then can look after the baby properly.. imagine your hair all oily and plastered to your head coz we are not allowed to wash our hair during confinement, will u feel good? eeks.. hahahaha i absolutely cannot take it lo.. so i cham siong with my mum and she allowed me to wash my hair on alternate days, and i just blow dry it immediately before i step out of the bathroom..

 
kyra>> actually i feel you should go for natural birth coz the recovery process is much faster than c-sect.. c-dun u find c-sect more scary than natural birth? i personally feel it is! hehe.. ive been through c-sect and my gynae doesnt encourage vbac, so i will not be able to experience natural birth and i am super sad about it..



the painting part hor, they say will have birthmarks.. no nailing and knocking at home also..

 
muffin>> you gg to deliver where? MAH will give a baby bathtub. i din buy one for myself, i just used those pails that we have at home lo.. those big red pails.. hahaha.. my mum din give me a lot of water to bathe (less than half a pail to be exact), i just topped it up with normal tap water so that the water wouldnt be so scorching hot.. she poured boiling water into the pail hor.. how to bathe! hahahahaha..

 
Natural or C-sec -- I will be sleeping due to GA right? Somehow I dont think I can go through a natural birth, it's too painful/bloody for me to imagine [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif] Actually we havent discussed with gynae too.



My mum went through 2 c-sec as we were in breech position. She told me natural will be better for recovery and warned me that if I take c-sec, I will have problem bending for my dogs too. Haiz, I really dont know how to clean up after my dogs during confinement.



Painting -- Goodness. When I was at inlaws place, I even told MIL which part didnt seem even out and told her to paint over it again! SHUCKS!!!



Bunnz - This is my friend's blog, you may wish to contact her directly if you are keen in the rice wine: http://blogaaholic.com/2009/06/01/homemade-rice-wine/

 
Bunzz, milk and diapers really exp! Thankfully, my boy’s butt is not made of gold. He was allergic to expensive brands like Pampers!



My mum just fill those baby tub with around 10cm of warm water. Then holding baby with 1 hand and allow baby’s bum to rest in the tub, she use her other hand to use the baby towel to wipe baby, avoiding the navel. Start with face (eyes, nose, mouth), then head, then neck and move downwards 



PS, need to change depending how much you leak :p I remember mine will leak within 1.5hours. So sometimes halfway through meeting, I need to excuse myself to change :p Else my male colleagues will make fun of me again!



Kyra, after learning about the benefits of breastfeeding during my studies and of cos COST SAVINGS, I’m quite determined on bf  Long term: Your baby will spend less time at clinics/hospitals cos their immune system is strong. Not only are visits to PD exp, when they fall sick and look so helpless, my heart aches! Plus hv to force meds down their throat is no fun at all….

BTW, natural pain is less painful than C section…. Dun think C section is easy… imagine I cut open your tummy, how long to recover? Natural is just a small cut or maybe no cut at all if you don’t need it….



Muffin, I used the bathtub from my wedding. You know the guo da li?

 
Kyra, GA during C section... but when you wake up... the pain will not go away easily... For natural birth, I did not feel any pain after delivery, just a little sore... and did not need pain killers... I see my couz, take pain killers non-stop and her first 2 were natural, so she kept saying that c section is the worst way to give birth!

 
BTW, any of you strictly follow the 'no pineapple during pregnancy' thing?

Cos my maid sliced up a lot of pineapple to go with the Penang Laksa and she stared at me when I did not take any (which I usually do)...

I haven told her I'm pregnant la :p She tot my nausea is cos I ate too much during CNY :p

 
i am not taking any pineapple. gave up on pineapple tarts, and sticking to it, cuz my gynae warned me against pineapple and tea on my 1st visit, so i guess it's impt?

 
kyra>> you know diana personally?!!!



i was on epidural when i had my c-sect coz i was on epidural before that and would want my hubby to be there to witness the 'birth' of our daughter.. i had a c-sect coz i couldn't dilate after 12 hours of labour.. scary hor.. but ya, after 12 hours i was only 5 cm open..



#2>> yes i do agree tht breastfeeding kids immunity is a lot higher, BUT only when the mummies eat healthily.. i have some frens who breastfeed to save money but she doesnt eat healthily, end up her girl always sick, and once sick is sick for a whole month kind.. so its impt to eat healthily too! [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
pinkie -- Yup! You know Di too? I knew her long ago, from dog forums. We have the same breed of doggie [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

I love her blog, in fact when I found out about my pregnancy, I re-read all her preggy posts :p

But I havent told her about this news =X

 
yep am gg to deliever at mah [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] hoopie! no need buy and i will use the red pail .. hehe can save save!!!!!!

 
i will love the confinement food like the "zhu jiao cu", the spicier and more sour, the better! :p



can't wait for the food only. hehe, am not gonna think of the pain and the bringing up tears later.

 
so many posts while I'm gone.



Between IFC and nanny, will just go for IFC. I'm reserving my last 4 weeks of maternity leave for this purpose. Thought of working half day for a whole month, to slowly acclimatize the baby and myself.



#2 - I think you are power! 1st time heard of people had BM spraying out. And yes, no pineapple for me! No tea, no coffee, no caffeine, no cold drink. I'm abstaining from 101 things.

 


kyra>> her son and my daughter are born 3 days apart.. we are both from Oct 2009 forum! we even wanted to give birth on the same day that time.. hahahaha.. she doesnt know of my news yet too.. hehe

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
When to choose ward class in public hospital?
Replies
0
Views
479
jjcch
J
F
taking sick leave during probation due to threatened miscarriage.
Replies
3
Views
606
meixxx
M
R
Ttc HSG
Replies
0
Views
508
rosara0518
R
J
First Appt at KKH
Replies
0
Views
852
jjcch
J
R
Clearblue ovulation kits
Replies
0
Views
472
Rainbow111
R

Back
Top