Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Singapore Mother and Child Insurance Plan Comparison

Oh well.. I have been really anxious about my first pregnancy and have done a quick research of all the insurance available in the market for Mother and Baby. Personally, I think most of them covered more or less the same. But as almost all of them requires ILP (Investment Linked Plan), which none of them gave a guaranteed returns, thus I already have a couple of plans for myself so I do need see how it is important to add on ILP. The good thing is ILP can be transferred to the baby without any underwriting and provides a "savings" even before the child is born. I bought Grest Eastern, which gave pretty much all the coverage I need with no addition ILP that bind me up for a year at least..

Here's a quick comparison that you may find it useful for your own decision.
(Downloadable pdf here:)

AIA First Baby AXA's Mum's Advantage with Mum's Care AXA's Mum's Advantage with Mum's Care Plus Great Eastern Flexi Maternity with Essential Plan Great Eastern Flexi Maternity with Enhanced Plan PRUfirst gift
General Premium S$448.92 ($37.41/mth) S$455.80 S$1,491.45 S$561 S$1005 S320
  Coverage Criteria: • Mother of 18 - 45 yo
• 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy
• Mother of 18 - 45 yo
• 16 and 36 weeks of pregnancy
• Mother of 18 - 45 yo
• 16 and 36 weeks of pregnancy
• Mother of 18 - 45 yo
• 13 weeks till 30 days after child birth
• Mother of 18 - 45 yo
• 13 weeks till 30 days after child birth
• Mother of 19 - 45 yo
• 18  till 32 weeks
Mum's Coverage Conception through IVF Y Y,
with extra premium loading
Y,
with extra premium loading
N N N
  Pregnancy Complications Coverage S$5,000 for the following 8: S$5,000 for the following 10: S$12,000 for the following 10: S$5,000 for the following 8: S$10,000 for the following 8: S$5,000 for the following 7:
  Still Birth (after the 28 week gestation) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Pre-Eclampsia or Eclampsia (high blood pressure) (after 20 weeks of pregnancy) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Abruptio Placentae (premature separation of the placenta from the uterus) (after 20 weeks of pregnancy) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Postpartum Haemorrhage requiring Hysterectomy (loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood within the first 24 hours following childbirth, requiring the removal or uterus) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Amniotic Fluid Embolism (rare emergency in which amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair, or other debris enters the mother's blood stream via the placental bed of the uterus and triggers an allergic-like reaction.) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Fatty Liver of Pregnancy Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (widespread activation of the clotting cascade that results in the formation of blood clots in the small blood vessels) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Placenta Increta/Percreta (Placenta Increta occurs when the placenta attaches even deeper into the uterine wall and does penetrate into the uterine muscle; Placenta Percreta occurs when the placenta penetrates through the entire uterine wall and attaches to another organ such as the bladder) Y Y Y Y Y  
  Uterine Rupture   Y Y      
  HELLP Syndrome (Haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count)   Y Y      
  Hospital Care Benefit S$100 per day (max 30 days)
up to a limit of S$3,000
S$100 per day (max 30 days)
up to a limit of S$3,000
S$200 per day (max 30 days)
up to a limit of S$6,000
S$100 per day (max 30 days)
up to a limit of S$3,000
S$200 per day (max 30 days)
up to a limit of S$6,000
S$100 per day (max 25 days) up to a limit of S$2,500
  Death  S$5,000 S$5,000 S$15,000 S$5,000 S$10,000 S$5,000
  TPD With rider NA NA Yes,
Shared amount of S$5,000
Yes,
Shared amount of S$5,000
NA
Child's Coverage Congenital Illness Coverage: S$5,000 payment for the following 18: S$5,000 payment for the following 18: S$12,000 payment for the following 18: S$5,000 payment for the following 18: S$10,000 payment for the following 18: S$5,000 payment for the following 17:
  Anal Atresia (The anus is either not present or it is in the wrong place) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Congenital Cataract (clouding of the lens of the eye) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Congenital Deafness  Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move into the chest) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Infantile Hydrocephalus (abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Tetralogy Fallot (4 heart malformation that present together, 1 of which is SUPER RARE) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Transposition of great vessel (Congenital heart diseases involving only the primary arteries) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Retinopathy pf Prematurity (abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Atrial Septal Defect (congenital heart defect in which blood flows between the atria (upper chambers) of the heart) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Ventricular Septal Defect (is a hole in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles of the heart) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Down's Syndrome Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Spina Bifida (incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Absence of two limbs Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Cleft Palate/ Cleft Lip Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Cerebral Palsy (a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement, muscle coordination, and balance) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Club Foot (deformed foot which is twisted so that the sole cannot be placed flat on the ground) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Congenital Dislocation of Hip (formation of the hip joint is abnormal) Y Y Y Y Y Y
  Truncus Arteriosus (rare type of heart disease that occurs at birth (Rare congenital heart disease, in which a single blood vessel (truncus arteriosus) comes out of the right and left ventricles) Y Y Y Y Y  
  Death due to Congenitial Illness ? ? ? S$5,000 S$10,000 ?
  Hospital Care Benefit of the following conditions: S$100 per day (max 30 days) or up to a limit of S$3,000 for: S$100 per day (max 30 days) or up to a limit of S$3,000 for: S$200 per day (max 30 days) or up to a limit of S$6,000 for: S$100 per day (max 30 days) or up to a limit of S$3,000 for: S$200 per day (max 30 days) or up to a limit of S$6,000 for: S$100 per day (max 25 days) or up to a limit of S$2,500 for:
  • Incubation of a newborn child for more than 3 consecutive days immediately following birth; Y Y Y Y Y y
  • Premature birth requiring care in neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU)/ High Dependency Unit (HDU); Y Y Y Y Y y
  • Inpatient hospitalisation due to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease; or Y Y Y Y, (admission to ICU only) Y, (admission to ICU only) y
  • Admission into ICU/HDU Y Y Y Y Y  
  • Dengue Fever       Y, (admission to ICU only) Y, (admission to ICU only)  
  • Pneumonia       Y, (admission to ICU only) Y, (admission to ICU only)  
  Bronchitis       Y, (admission to ICU only) Y, (admission to ICU only)  
Misc Others:            
  Option to transfer to policy cover from mother to child without medical underwriting (60 day written notification from parents from date of birth) Y Y,
(opt to transfer INSPIRETM FlexiProtector/ INSPIRETM FlexiSaver to the child up to the sum assured of $200,000 with no further underwriting.)
Y,
(opt to transfer INSPIRETM FlexiProtector/ INSPIRETM FlexiSaver to the child up to the sum assured of $200,000 with no further underwriting.)
Y,
S$108 premium voucher given, which can be used to purchase Smart Life Advantage
or TotalShield plan for your newborn as early as 15 days after your child is born.
Y,
S$108 premium voucher given, which can be used to purchase Smart Life Advantage
or TotalShield plan for your newborn as early as 15 days after your child is born.
Y
    Must add ILP:
Regular premium: $130/mth
Must add ILP:
Regular premium: $110/mth
Must add ILP:
Regular premium: $110/mth
    Must add ILP:
Regular premium: $100 and above

For new Mums - Freebies - Diapers, Milk & Others

As a 1st time preggy, there are too many brands of products out there and of course, like myself I doubt you will want to spend too much money trying all the brands by buying the lot. Hence, it is such a beauty to know that most of these brands do offer trials sample for you and your little baby to try before committing to whichever brand that you/your baby prefers. Here's the links collected to date...

Free diaper Samples

Bosom Singaporehttp://www.bosomi.sg/freesample.htm

Drypers Singaporehttps://www.facebook.com/DrypersSingapore/app/389433474547389/

Goo.N Singaporehttp://www.diapers.com.sg/register.php

Huggies Singaporehttps://www.huggies.com.sg/request-sample.aspx

Kao Merries Singaporehttps://sampleform.kao.com/form/33101-10

MamyPokohttps://www.facebook.com/MamyPokoSingapore/
For Mamy Poko, you will need to PM them on their Facebook.

Merries Tape Diaperhttps://sampleform.kao.com/form/33101-10

Merries Walker Pants*https://sampleform.kao.com/form/33101-17


Free Formula Milk Samples

Abbott Similac Mum/ Formula Milk*http://abbottfamily.com.sg/campaigns/free-samples
This is for both mother and baby, but you can only choose one.. Note that if you want baby milk like myself, they will only send you the sample after your child is 6 months. So u can only register for it after your child is born

Anmum Maternal/ Lactahttps://anmum.com.sg/home/request-for-sample/
Eehhh.. this is mother's milk, not for baby

Dumex Mamil Mama/ Mamil Goldhttp://www.dumex.com.sg/requestsample
Not too complicated...

Enfamama A+/ Enfagrow A+*http://www.enfagrow.com.sg/register/sample
Oh.. website is a flop.. anyways, you join the club and receive samples after your child is born and at least 6 months of age.. 

Karihome Formula Milkhttp://www.karihome.com.sg/req-sample.html
Short, sweet and easy form to enter.

Friso Mum Gold/ Friso Gold Formula Milkhttps://shop.friso.com.sg/english/sampleproduct/sampleproduct/view
Simple and straight-forward

Nestle Nan Pro/ HA Baby Weaning Packhttps://www.nestlebaby.com.sg/sg/user/register
Oh, everything was fine till their password... there was no indication of having at least a capital letter and a symbol for password, and will just keep prompting you password error.

Wyeth S26 mama/ Baby Formula Milkhttps://www.wyethnutrition.com.sg/en/web/guest/free-samples
Oh.. another short sweet and easy form to enter

Others

Bepanthen Nappy Cream: http://bepanthen.com.sg/

CDA Saving from MSFhttp://www.babybonus.msf.gov.sg/parent/web/home?_afrLoop=3993071874315955&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=null#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3Dnull%26_afrLoop%3D3993071874315955%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dudxkx6j0m_4

For those staying in Southwest of Singaporehttps://www.facebook.com/southwestcdc/app/156970457689987/

For those babies to be born in Thomsom Medical Hospitalhttp://www.thomsonmedical.com/mummys-pampering-luggage/
This is shared by a friend of mine...



hmm... please ignore the asterisks, it is a reminder for myself to revisit/subscript after baby is born..


Thursday, April 28, 2016

I wanna get pregnant!!

"What is wrong with me?", "Why it seems so easy on other but not me?", "I'm ready but it just doesn't happen…", "I'd been trying for so long, but it just…" I understand how you feel, trust me... I do. So here I am sharing you some tips that I'd gathered and I hope this will help you too!

Build Up Your Foundation

This seems to be the easiest, but not to all of us... Some of us struggled forever to get this right, like myself. I'm a foodie and love all kinds of food, for sure, not the healthy type. Hahaha!!! Having a solid foundation will go a long way, and it is not a one-day process:


  1. Have a Balanced diet
I'm not asking you to whopper down all the healthy food in huge proportion, just to cut down on fatty food and fast food. You still have your cheat day, once or twice a week. Start off by reducing oil, fats, sugar and salt intake. You can refer to this link for a guideline: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/balanced-diet-women if you want go on a strict healthy diet. Or alternatively, here's a rough guide I gave myself:

  1. Drop those bad habits
If you smoke, quit! If you drink, cut down! Try to have at least 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep.  I'm as guilty as you are, so cut it down….

  1. Top up with Supplements
Hmm… I have to emphasize again that I'm neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, but these are the set of supplements I took after long research and study. It does not harm but doesn’t mean you should eat in huge quantity.

    1. Vitex
Vitex, also known to many as Chasteberry is said to correct hormonal imbalances in women and resulting in a regular menstrual cycle and increase of level of progesterone[i]. Although there is insufficient evidence to proof that Vitex alone can cure infertility, it does have great results in improving the probability of fertility in woman[ii].

Dose: One tablet per day
Where to get it: You can buy this herb easily over the counter. I got mine from GNC in case you cannot find them.
NOTE: STOP TAKING THEM ONCE YOU ARE PREGNANT!

    1. Royal Jelly
Although there is no documented evidence in human of RJ's increase in fertility rates, but there are evidence that it may be effective in improving pregnancy rates in ewes[iii].

I used to be a sickly child and had been taking RJ since the age of 20. It does helps to boost up my immunity and health[iv]. Hence, I think there's no harm since it also contains antioxidants, and helps beautify your skin.

Dose: One tablet, alternate day (alternate this with Coenzyme), you can get your hubby to take them too (same dose). How much to take per day depends on dosage recommended for the brand you buy, but I don't take it every day since I'm taking RJ.
Where to get it: Easily available over the counter. No preferred brand, Mine is originated from Australia.
NOTE: STOP TAKING THEM ONCE YOU ARE PREGNANT!

    1. Coenzyme Q10
We all know that one of the main requirements for a healthy pregnancy is "egg quality", especially for 'mature' woman like us. It is an antioxidant and known mitochondrial nutrients, which may help in our eggs performance[v].

Even if it doesn’t have evidence showing that it'll help, it’s not going to hurt to take it as a supplement since it is not expensive and have positive skin benefits to help you stay young and beautiful[vi]!

Dose: One tablet, alternate day (alternate this with Royal Jelly), you can get your hubby to take them too (same dose). How much to take per day depends on dosage recommended for the brand you buy, but I don't take it every day since I'm taking RJ.
Where to get it: Easily available over the counter. For me, I got Blackmores as I trust the brand (there's no need for you to go for high dose).
NOTE: STOP TAKING THEM ONCE YOU ARE PREGNANT!

    1. Folic Acid
If you are planning to get pregnant, please start taking folic acid, or at least have diet with a good yield of folate. Evidence shows that birth defects occur within the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. So it's important to start early when your baby's brain and spinal cord are developing. Well, I'm not asking you to take 5mg as prescribe by gynae, just have it in your system rather to totally omit.
Dose: 2 tablets of 500 mcg per day
Where to get it: Easily available over the counter. For me, I got Blackmores Folate, as I trust the brand (there's no need for you to go for high dose).
NOTE: Has to continue even after you are pregnant. It vital for 1st trimester.

    1. Zinc
This mineral helps to keep your immune system strong, strengthen your health. It does not help in infertility, but we all know that we need a healthy body to begin this journey isn't it?
Dose: One tablet per day (depending on the dose suggested for the brand you purchase)
Where to get it: You can buy this mineral easily over the counter.
NOTE: You can continue this after pregnancy, to boost your immune system. Take it with Vitamin C for better results.

    1. Vitamin C
Boost your immune system and beautiful skin!
Dose: One tablet (500mg) per day
Where to get it: You can buy this herb easily over the counter.
NOTE: If you are taking enough of the daily dose of vegetables and fruits, you can skip the tablet, like I always do. I have this in the list as I sometimes do not have enough of vegetables in my diet.

Other tips… Try avoid cold drinks, your body will conceive better with warm body. This is an advice given by most Chinese physician. So, start drinking warm water, tea, coffee, malt drink, etc. BUT, PLEASE STOP ALL CAFFEINE DRINKS ONCE YOU ARE PREGNANT, i.e. no coffee, tea or even chocolate products. If you must, limit to 1 small cup per day…


Start an Exercise Regimen

Whether you are above or below your ideal BMI, you still need to do some workout. If you are below, eat more and gain some weight. If you are above, then you may consider work-out more, instead of the minimum of 30-minutes. You can check you BMI via this link here: http://tunza.com.au/ThePlanet/templates/theplanet-00/BMICalculator-Index.htm

Well, I'm not asking you to be a triathlon champion or participant. Haha! I'm asking you to do a minimum of 30-minutes exercise per day, as it helps you to improve you stamina, boost your health, strengthens and tones your body, improve your quality of life and as a form of weight management.


Go for a Simple Check

I'm not saying that's something wrong with you, but just to make sure you are in perfect condition to have a healthy baby! At the very least, go for a fallopian tubes blockage scan, especially if you are in your mid or late 30s. This is a very common phenomenon and I can assure you, there's nothing for you to be ashamed of. You may be surprise to know that THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP REASONS FOR INFERTILITY (top 3 in some countries)!

Here's how it happens… During a normal menstrual cycle, the lining of your uterus will thicken and be ready for pregnancy. In cases if your egg is not fertilized, this lining will shed and the process will repeats itself. In the case of fallopian tube(s) blockage, for some reasons, tissue similar to the lining tissue (endometrium) may sometimes grow in the structures grow outside of the uterus, in various places that it shouldn't. I.e. in or on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the various structures that support the uterus, and the lining of the pelvic cavity[vii]. This results in blockage or scarring of the fallopian tube and prevents egg from being fertilized by the sperm. Or worst, partial blockage may end you with an ectopic pregnancy. Here's an illustration that may help you understand more…

The test sometimes helps to 'unblock' the tube and you may not even need any medication and will be able to conceive naturally, like me. Otherwise, the gynae will advice you further.

Some other test that you may be interested will be the transvaginal ultrasound – to see your supply of eggs, your pelvic health and your uterus wall conditions; blood test and semen analysis. Ask your gynae for more details.


Stay Happy and Relax

Stress is definitely not good. Different people react to stress differently. Some women stop ovulating due to stress and causing them unable to conceive[viii].

Keeping a positive mindset and a relax body will help you go further. I mean both you and your partner. Man will have more sex urges when they are not stress.


Kept this from your partner

We all know, man stressed easily. Do your ovulation cycle monitoring via thermometer and all of the above. So long both of you have consensus, there's no need for you to spell it out to him to have sex with you on the "peak dates". The moment you do, he will feel stress and will not have the urge to touch you. Girls… try to avoid urinating and washing up after sex, give the sperms a chance to move up to your Fallopian tubes.

Good luck and tell me if this helps!




[i] Westphal, L. M., M. L. Polan, and A. Sontag Trant. "Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Fertilityblend: a nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women." Clinical and experimental obstetrics & gynecology 33, no. 4 (2005): 205-208.
[ii] Westphal, Lynn M., Mary Lake Polan, Aileen Sontag Trant, and S. B. Mooney. "A nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women." J Reprod Med 49, no. 4 (2004): 289-93.
[iii] Kridli, R. T., and S. S. Al-Khetib. "Reproductive responses in ewes treated with eCG or increasing doses of royal jelly." Animal reproduction science 92, no. 1 (2006): 75-85.
[iv] Ramadan, Mohamed Fawzy, and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi. "Bioactive compounds and health-promoting properties of royal jelly: A review." Journal of Functional Foods 4, no. 1 (2012): 39-52.
[v] Bentov, Yaakov, Navid Esfandiari, Eliezer Burstein, and Robert F. Casper. "The use of mitochondrial nutrients to improve the outcome of infertility treatment in older patients." Fertility and sterility 93, no. 1 (2010): 272-275.
[vi] Prahl, S., T. Kueper, T. Biernoth, Y. Wöhrmann, A. Münster, M. Fürstenau, M. Schmidt et al. "Aging skin is functionally anaerobic: Importance of coenzyme Q_ {10} for anti aging skin care." Biofactors 32, no. 1-4 (2008): 245-255.
[vii] http://www.webmd.com/women/endometriosis/endometriosis-and-fallopian-tube-problems
[viii] Seibel, Machelle M., and Melvin L. Taymor. "Emotional aspects of infertility." Fertility and sterility 37, no. 2 (1982): 137.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

A short intro of myself...

Hmm.. I hate to write, hence the reason for not putting up a blog. But I'd decided to put one up to share the information that I'd researched and experienced.  First and foremost, a short intro of myself - I'm close to 40 years of age and had 2 miscarriages prior to the healthy lil' girl that I'm carrying right now. I had always thought I have an issue and went to KKH's infertility clinic. After all the checks, I gave up.. and each time I gave up, I'd a baby spontaneously. Sadly, for 2 consecutive years, the child was miscarried…

I understand many mother-wannabe may have tried for years like me, and I had gone through ample tests, checks before penning down a summary that I think is more important. Note that I'm not a doctor and am sharing with mine and a couple of friend's experience.

As a new mother-to-be... while waiting my little bundle of joy to be held in my arms, I'd done a couple of research on a couple of items which I will be sharing!


Let me know if you wanna add in your research as well!