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Living overseas

Moving to singapore and pregnant

9 replies

stitchinline · 24/04/2013 15:06

Well we are off to Singapore end of June and I?ve just found out I?m pregnant ? eek!

We had been planning another little one at some point but this was a bit sooner than we?d anticipated. So all going well I?ll be due end of December (very early days still).

So as part of the ?what to bring theme? any suggestions of what might be good to bring ? already have car seat, pram, crib etc from dd but are there any other items that are difficult / more expensive to buy in Singapore.

Have seen previous threads with doctor/hospital recs but as I have a slightly complicated medical history I imagine I will need an OB specialising in a particular field. If anyone in Singapore has antiphospholipid syndrome and has a good doctor rec (OB or haematologist) that would be appreciated? Will ask the doctors here but not sure how much luck I?ll have.

Any other pearls of wisdom also gratefully welcomed??.

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Saltedcaramellavacake · 24/04/2013 15:17

Congratulations! See if you can get health insurance for your pregnancy included in your package. We moved when I was 7 months pregnant and got it. Otherwise, you have to pay - no free NHS care here.
Everything baby related is expensive here. If you want a Tripp Trapp chair or anything higher end than plastic IKEA, bring one, ditto a new mattress for your cot, a lightweight MacLaren for getting about on the MRT etc and when you travel, Sudacream, everything you need for the birth (pads etc), baby gros, anything and everything you like the look of in Mothercare as, although there is one here, your eyes will bleed at the price. Ditto playmats, baby books and toys.
Good luck!

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blueshoes · 24/04/2013 16:20

Go suggestion from salted to get health insurance included in the package which covers maternity.

In Singapore, I believe from memory, it is obstetrician, rather than midwife-led care. You choose your OB and who will use certain hospitals and this in turn dictates which hospital you use. It is more pro-cs and medicalised than in the UK but I guess you could choose the OB accordingly. It will be the OB that sees you that who will be there for the birth (barring exigencies).

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Clueless2727 · 24/04/2013 21:43

Can't offer you any practical advice, but congratulations. We are moving to singapre same time 😃 few mumsnetters moving same time, have to all meet up when we all arrive. I don't know anyone there.

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butterfliesinmytummy · 24/04/2013 23:38

Congratulations! Good information here already. I moved to Singapore 6 months pregnant and had a great ob (lots and lots of web research before we arrived) but not aware of his specialisations. Do your research but rest assured, although Singapore likes to medicalise birth, its also a worldwide centre of excellence and many people travel here for medical care. Also pregnancy care and birth was included in our insurance - it's very expensive here!

Everything in Singapore is expensive so you are wise to bring the big stuff (buggy, trip trap, car seat etc) but Ikea prices are the same as UK (sometimes cheaper) so baby furniture is easy. Maternity clothes can be expensive too so load up with shorts and t shirts. You will find it very very hot with a bump - I spent most of my pregnancy in the pool.....

You can also join the new mothers support group which runs events for pregnant and new mums (with kids under 5 years old). They also have a facebook page where you can ask anything! and a buy and sell noticeboard where you can pick up loads of preloved baby things and maternity clothes etc.

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MasterOfTheYoniverse · 25/04/2013 08:08

Congratulations!
Honestly, you could not use your time better in the first year in Singapore.
You'll meet lots of expectant mum ( try yoga at mother and child tanglin mall for example).
You'll carry that over to a baby group and am sure a few will already have toddlers too.
Mother and child have good australian maternity nurses/midwives that run breastfeeding/well baby coffee mornings for a very reasonnable fee.

Yes, maternity is OB-GYN led. Very medicalised, you'll be well taken care of. I never felt it was very pushy in terms of C sections, but if you wish to go down that route, its very common and safe.
Natural births are ecouraged by the thompson medical centre ("the" expat maternity, which jow has a birthing pool i believe). The star doctor there is Paul Tseng. Well loved by his patient and very well connected in teaching hospitals if you need someone more specialed.

I highly recommend Dr Shirin Jacob at the camden hospital (delivery at leneagles hospital)
She taught for many years at the women and children's hospital, worked in nepal and India with traditional midwifes and is great with hormone related care. She is also well connected to redirect you towards a teaching hospital if need be. Her colleague is an echography specialist. He detected a heart anomaly very early on when i was pregnant with DD and we had a very thorough and re-assuring care thereafter from their mentor and professor at the children's hospital.

You should find a thorough list on anglo info singapore under the relevant section. Google the names, you'll find reviews online.

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MasterOfTheYoniverse · 25/04/2013 08:38

Re baby stuff, agree ship a first batch of essentials. Everything is readily available though albeit at a small premium.

Your main concern really is medical insurance to make sure you do not fall under the 6 months exclusion period for pg care.
Even if that was the case, rest assured any emergency medical care related to the pg should be covered anyway.

If you are really worried, you could chose a public hospital over a private hospital maternity so you know the round the clock care is all available in one place. Most OB-Gyn operate out of NUH & KK as well as the private big 4 ( mount elizabeth, alvernia, gleneagles, raffles). That said the care is ace everywhere. Just thinking of options if insurance is not adequate.

Hth

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MasterOfTheYoniverse · 25/04/2013 08:48

One last thing: a great doula network has emerged over the last few years. You can find them on the parentlink singapore website ( or PM me).

Most are trailing spouses and will be happy to give you lots of info on kids activities/schools and help you connect with other mums.

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stitchinline · 25/04/2013 10:07

Thanks for all the useful input, thankfully still have lots of things from DD so will be bringing that and some of the very early basics. Luckily all my little baby clothes were quite gender neutral??.
As we still don?t have a contract I have no idea what will be covered with the insurance (it is supposed to be a very comprehensive policy so hopefully I will be covered) ? scary thought but we could pay if we had to. Hopefully the baby would be auto covered when born?..something to check. My other option is I?m still covered by my private health insurance in Australia so I could always go there to have the baby, not ideal but an option nonetheless. Very confident that I?ll be able to find the right OB as have read lots of great things about Singapore in terms of medical care., just need to navigate the system. In terms of birth mine was very medicalised in the UK for DD and I can imagine it will be the same for any subsequent, in fact I?d be inclined to elect a CS as can?t be any worse than what I went through.
Good to know about the early support options too, I found my weekly NCT meetings here a lifesaver in the early days as being away from family and friends is hard ? that is partly why we are moving so we can be closer to family etc?.

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MasterOfTheYoniverse · 25/04/2013 12:33

Yes, baby usually covered from birth no worries about that.
You'll be safe in Sg. Worry not!

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