Received an unfortunate news some time last week that our gynae would only do elective c-sect procedures at Mount Elizabeth Novena, so we're stuck with Gleneagles now since I'm opting for a natural delivery. :( Not that Gleneagles is a bad choice, but we really really really x infinity loved the new hospital... Sigh. Oh well.

To find out more about how my future hospital stay would be like, we signed up for a maternity tour last Friday afternoon. For the benefit of those who are interested in a maternity tour here as well, the tours are conducted at 1pm from Mondays to Fridays. For Saturdays, tours will be conducted at 11am and 1pm. They usually need you to book a month in advance for weekend tours, and that's kind of a bummer because we needed to do our pre-registration really soon.

Anyways.

Gleneagles is one of the more atas hospitals in Singapore, so it must be good, right? :) 

*positive vibes* ohmmm.

This is the lobby that greeted us when we reached the hospital yesterday. 

It was pretty crowded as 11am to 1pm is usually the busiest period of the day. Patients are usually discharged during this timing so it was pretty rowdy. It's quiet for the rest of the time though (I've been here a couple of times before for my gynae check-ups). 

While waiting for the guide to start the tour, I took a peek at the admissions area. Hopefully it's like this most of the time... I cringe at the thought of having to queue (yikes!) while being in labour. O_O

We were greeted by the guide, Christabel, at about 1pm together with a few other mothers-to-be. A couple came with their mothers, and a couple of us came with husbands. 

Unfortunately, photo-taking wasn't allowed so the rest of the post will be accompanied by their official website's photos.

First, we were led to Level 5 where the delivery suite was located. It's to the right after you step out of the lift lobby (there's a sign that you won't miss anyway). If it's during the office hours, the staff accompanying me will need to tap in with a staff card for entry. If not, I would have to ring a doorbell thingy. 

The Delivery Suite

Upon stepping in, you would see a cozy lounge area (waiting area?) with sofas and all. Further up, we saw the four-bedded observation "first stage" ward where they strap you up to CTGs if you're not yet ready for labour. The husband will not be allowed in the four-bedded ward so he'll be waiting at the lounge. 

The delivery room itself was rather huge (slightly bigger than the one I saw at Mount Elizabeth Novena, in fact) with a black squishy sofa for the father-to-be to lepak in, while the mother-to-be screams away on the bed. The delivery suite houses 9 delivery rooms, all with similar facilities. Each room will have an attached bathroom, power points for charging whatever and a wireless connection... maybe I can watch anime in between contractions. ._.

You're allowed to bring your own essential oils/diffuser, and your own CDs to play during labour if that's what comforts you. If necessary, they also provide gym balls for you to bouncesit on.

They highly encourage skin-to-skin contact with babies, so they'll be placing baby on mother's chest immediately after being cleaned up. After about an hour of rest, mummy will be transported to the maternity ward.

As with most hospitals (I think), videography won't be allowed, but photography is okay before and after baby birth. 

Maternity Wards

The maternity wards take up Levels 5 and 6 at the hospital, the same levels as the nurseries. For the single rooms, baby can room in with you 24 hours. But for the two-bedders 

We were first shown the single room which was a corner room, so it's slightly bigger than the other single rooms. 

The actual room looks significantly nicer than their official photograph, to be honest. The one we toured in overlooked the roof garden and had nice parquet flooring. 

Daddies can only stay with mummies for all the single rooms and suites for an additional $90 per day, which will cover 5 meals. The sofa will be converted into a sofa bed at night. In the rare instance where no more single rooms are available, mummies will be transported to the two-bedded rooms and have the whole room to themselves - meaning, daddy will be able to sleep on a proper bed.

Next, we went to view a two-bedded room at Level 6. Level 6 is fully carpeted instead of parquet flooring, and a little dimmer. Not sure if I can indicate my preference for Level 5 as I prefer brighter rooms... Quoting the husband, "Siao ah, got difference meh?" :x

The husband won't be able to stay overnight with me for the two-bedded room, and will only be able to stay there during normal visiting hours. 

We weren't shown the other rooms as there were VVIPs visiting the hospital (drats!). We saw the nursery (quite standard actually) and there were a few babies inside... One was clasping his hand like he/she was waving to us! SO CUTE LA. :D

Parentcraft Centre
We were given a talk about how breastfeeding is awesome by the Parentcraft coordinator (who is also a midwife!). I vaguely remember anything because I was so tired, heh. Basically she talked about what Parentcraft classes will teach, what's covered during the antenatal course (I'm too late for this anyway) and answered some questions about breastfeeding from the floor.

Post-Event Reception
Hmm the food was pretty good! I didn't eat much because I felt abit paiseh... most of the people left after the Parentcraft Centre talk, so it was only down to two couples (including us). I anticipate the good food during my stay at Gleneagles, heh.

Yummilicious scallop + bacon... thingie. :D

Other Random Pointers

1. Parentcraft classes are conducted daily at 1pm on Level 6, and they will teach you basic infant care and breastfeeding.
2. Lactation consultants make their rounds everyday - you'll see at least one during your stay, if you have any breastfeeding problems.
3. They do not rent breast pumps. I was pretty surprised since they're like super pro-breastfeeding. o_O ...Maybe pro-latching as well?
4. Formula and milk bottles will be chargeable. The guide doesn't seem to be very sure about the costs. 
5. If you bring your own breast pump, they will help you to sterilise it during your stay.
6. Check-out timing is officially 11am, but they will let you nua until 1pm. 
7. Valet service is $10, but if you're rushing to deliver you can just tell the concierge and they'll waive it for you.
8. Office hours is 8.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays and half day on weekends. In the event that you're in labour during non-office hours, just proceed to Level 5 labour ward directly.
9. Lifts only available from the lobby level after office hours.
10. Ambulance service is available at $125/$150.

Can't remember anything else offhand... ._.

Conclusion

My heart tells me to take the two-bedder instead, as the whooping $1,000 difference in the package can be of better use. Anyways, it's only a two nights' stay after all. My only peeve is that... I would have to share the toilet. :( And I'm anti-social, so I won't like talking to my neighbour... It'll be a nightmare if she's the chatty type, lol.

Anyway I've already done the pre-registration. :D

Getting Here

The nearest MRT station is at Orchard, where a shuttle bus service is available from Monday to Saturdays (excluding Public Holidays). You may view the shuttle bus schedule here (for the benefit of those who... erm, wanna visit me or something...). 

As for the parking, it's crazy expensive at the hospital where they charge $3.60 per hour and $3.20 for subsequent hours... there won't be concessionary rates for us patients either (why liddat?!). If daddy is parking, it'll be a flat rate of $22 per day.

Alternatively, you can park at Botanic Gardens instead and walk over. It'll work out to be about $1.20 per hour and since they count by the minute, you'll save a lot.

You'll be able to find their latest maternity packages here.

Though it's not our first choice, looking around the hospital made us really excited! Approximately 9 more weeks away to cuddling our little one. :) 

Sponsored Review

I've been really sickly these couple of weeks due to my on and off flu symptoms, migraine and aching tooth infection - most of which I can do nothing about. :( I'm still coughing and coughing makes my tummy crampy, ugh. I'm surviving on 琵琶膏 sweets and honey lemon water as of now... 

But that's not going to stop my first product review for mooncakes! Heh. I can still taste, thank goodness. Have you ordered your mooncakes for Mid-Autumn's yet? :) If not, do consider getting healthy mooncakes from Delcie's Desserts and Cakes (currently located near Boon Keng MRT, a stone's throw away from Boon Tong Kee lol).

The mooncakes came in very atas, angmoh-style packaging in elegant colours of brown and gold. 

It was an explosion of nutty flavours - there were almonds, walnuts, olive seeds, macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, melon seeds and mandarin orange (陈皮?) in the filling. The crust was really thin and not "flour-ish/cakey" like some of the mooncakes I've tasted before. Despite being "Low Sugar", it tasted pretty sweet which is awesome for those who love sweet stuff, but personally I'm not a fan of sweet foods. The fragrance was pretty awesome though!

The taste reminds me of 明糖, one of the traditional Teochew biscuits used for weddings (part of the 伍色糖 - can still be found at traditional bakeries like Gin Thye!), prayers, etc. This might not be accurate because it has been a zillion years since I tasted this, but 明糖 totally came to mind. 

Next up, the Sugar Free White Lotus paste with Black Sesame filling mooncake.

The first thing I noticed: OMG the filling looks translucent! I don't know how they did it, but the texture was so smooth and consistent - I swear it could melt in your mouth. I would say that it's almost creamy? White lotus is the standard flavour for traditional mooncakes, but I swear I've never eaten anything like it. If there's a salted egg yolk, it would be perfect lol! Too bad it's high in cholesterol or something. XD This is sweet, but not that sweet - perfect for my taste buds. :)

And next, the much anticipated Sugar Free Pandan paste with Salted Mung Bean filling mooncake!

In a nutshell, it lived up to my expectations! I'm a lover of the Pandan flavour (but I don't like Pandan Chiffon... another story for another day!) and like the White Lotus, the texture was smooth until omg. The salted mung bean filling complimented the pandan fragrance perfectly. Being a healthy mooncake, this is sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty lol. There is a beauty in the lightness of the flavours that make you long for more, because it's not too overpowering. Most importantly, it doesn't taste sinful at all! This is my favourite amongst all the mooncakes sampled. :D

And lastly, the Low Sugar Sweet Potato paste with Taro filling mooncake.

Being *cough* very Teochew, I'm a big fan of yam and was really looking forward to this flavour as well! I kind of preferred it the other way round - taro with sweet potato filling or something, lol. As compared to the Pandan and White Lotus samples, the sweet potato paste tasted a little thicker and more robust... very slightly sweeter than its Sugar-Free sisters but still acceptable for my tastes. It was good, like solidified "orh nee" (if that makes sense haha) but it would be interesting if there's a contrasting flavour for the filling. 

Of course, as with all mooncakes, these would go best with Chinese tea, a full moon, and best eaten with a group of friends or family. :) 

I'm especially pleased that there are healthy alternatives when it comes to festive favourites like these, so that our elderly family members or friends who have special dietary requirements (due to health, religion or such) don't need to miss out. 

Click here to pre-order from Delcie's Desserts and Cakes! :) 

Mooncakes are already available for sale in-store.

For the latest updates on what's happening at Delcie's, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

I'm currently working on a few other advertorials/reviews, so stay tuned! :)

A lady puked on me today, on the MRT on the way to work. She erupted Merlion-style without warning... >_< Okay, somehow my reflexes were astonishingly fast enough to siam the worst of the episode, but... let's just say I'll have to throw away my shoes. I can still smell a little of the puke now. -_- Sigh. After I stood up, the lady next to me gave up her seat, and I was thinking "uhhhhh I don't wanna sit near the foul-smelling puke!" but I took the seat anyway... not nice to reject people's kind gestures, yes? :/ 

Back to the puking woman. I suspected she's probably also pregnant and in her first trimester where morning sickness is the worst. While I was lucky enough not to have morning sickness during mine, it was really tiresome to take public transport... The headaches/giddiness and crazy fatigue! I'm probably even more fit to take the MRT now, as compared to the first trimester. ._. 

SMRT implemented Care Stickers last month, which is kind of redundant actually (I mean, you don't need a sticker to see if someone is handicapped or elderly right?)... but it could be useful for pregnant women in the first trimester who really, really need the extra care. 

Don't be paiseh, just take!

In other news, I'm 29 weeks preggers today! One more week to the Big 3. Baby is moving alot more violently nowadays... He almost stuck a hand out to give his daddy a high five last night, omg! ._.

We didn't book the maternity tour at Mount Elizabeth Novena in advance actually, because I thought it would be okay to just go up and take a look. :/ So we gave them a call. The tour at 2.30pm (the usual timing) was fully booked, but they decided to accommodate us for a one-to-one maternity tour! Service ish good. :D 

After the uber long wait, we went back to the clinic and the nurse took the second blood sample. I thought the results would be immediate, but it was not... we had to wait for a couple of days. But that's alright. 

We waited for awhile to see our doc for my routine check-up. D is now 1.036kg at 27 weeks 5 days, and my gynae came up with the bright idea that we should buy 4D since baby crossed the 1kg milestone (and we did!). :P HUAT AH!

We then proceeded to Mount Elizabeth Novena for the unofficial maternity tour (means no goodie bag!). We arrived a little early, so we waited for awhile before a nice lady named Zana greeted us at the waiting area next to Reception.

If my admission on Labour Day is during office hours, here's where I check in. If it's after office hours, I'm supposed to go directly to A&E. And I don't need to call them in advance, just chiong walk in can liao. 

The corridors are generally very huge and spacious. Zana said that they have about 30 rooms reserved as maternity wards but the occupancy rate is usually about 50% - 99.99999% confirm got room, and you don't have to be stranded somewhere until a bed space is available. The environment is very nice, cosy and quiet... Sounds quite wonderful to me.

The family waiting area is HUGE. Looks comfy too. I was half expecting to see vending machines and a salad bar... but nope, don't have, lol. I'm not sure if the waiting areas at other hospitals' look like this too. 

The Birth Registration Counter is within the same space as the family waiting area. You can register your child's name here instead of heading to the queue-die-you ICA. There's an admin fee on top of the original $18 registration fee but... I don't want to queue lah, so it's okay.

Not to be confused with the maternity ward, the delivery suite is the room where you scream. I don't think most birthing-in-progress mothers will be able to appreciate the room by then, but at least the dad can. :P In case of (CHOY!) emergency c-sect, the operating theatre is a stone's throw away on the very same level.

All the rooms in the maternity ward are single-bedded. They come with a fully stocked mini-bar (not free-flow okay, free for first round only lol! A refill will be chargeable, of course...), free WI-FI, 46" Smart TV with in-room entertainment (heard got cable! woohoo), a tablet for mobile web surfing and Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries. There's also a safe inside the wardrobe (not captured in any of my pics) to store valuables.

Unlike other hospital packages, the package at Mount E Novena also includes daddy's lodging (sleep sofa bed!) and his 3 meals throughout the stay (song boh!). There will also be a multi-entry carpark coupon for the daddy, and a single complimentary carpark coupon for a visitor. Formula itself, if required, won't be chargeable, but they charge $1 per bottle. Breast pumps are also available for rental... I think it's either $32 or $38, and rental is for the whole duration of your stay.

Baby can also accompany me 24/7 in this room, but babies can also be placed in the nursery at night so that mummy can get ample rest. 

On the second day of the stay, there'll be a short Parentcraft class that teaches you about breastfeeding and how to bath your baby. This I need... *noob*

There's also a complimentary 15-minute massage, which is awesome because I'm a massage addict. 15 minutes better than nothing lah okay... considering that I'll have to wait another week for my Malay massage to begin. D:

I was already half-asleep by the time we got to the Junior Suite because I was tired from waking up early and the aircon was quite cold... can't remember a lot of the information from then on. D: 

I actually liked the single room slightly better, because it felt brighter and there's the work space area. But the living area of the Junior Suite is damn nice man! An additional family member can stay over if he/she wants to, and there'll be refreshments throughout the day for your visitors. Machiam can hold party liao. The mini-bar will be free-flow as well.

There's a connecting toilet between the living area and the room. The toilet bowl is very atas, automatic one okay. The toilet cover suddenly lifted up by itself, scare tio me. -_-

There's also a balcony area but it was locked, so no pictures unfortunately. :/ 

We've pretty much confirmed that this will be my choice hospital and thus we can do pre-registration to skip all the paperwork on Labour Day. :) As deposit, we'll have to pay the package price in full. The final bill (ugh) will be paid upon my discharge, after Medisave deduction.

Package prices as below. Yes, I'm going for normal delivery without epidural (but er, will keep my options open haha... must 加油!). 

If you want to take a look at the full package, feel free to email me to request and I'll send it to you! :) Mine should be accurate as of July/August 2014.

[Update]