Dun think we had ever flipped the IKEA booklet so thoroughly, even when we are renovating the house. Our focus is on three areas: replacement for the bookshelfs that we would be clearing for Mummy’s parents, additional storage at the TV console, and shelvings for the storeroom. So after numerous trips to IKEA (and the restaurant for chicken wings), we finally decided to get the following: BESTA drawers and console, Expedit bookshelf and Grom wooden shelf for the storeroom. We weren’t sure how the new furniture will fit in our home when we bought them, but turned out that they fitted quite well! Think we could consider home interior design for a sideline If I ever took pictures, I would post them here, but I would probably be too lazy to do so

The past few weekends had been very busy for us. Beside the prenantal classes with TMC, we also signed up for breastfeeding courses with the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group at SCWO. The former consists of 5 lessons on Sundays leading to a doctor’s talk on a Tuesday at Singapore Chinese Girls School. Come to think of it, we had never been punctual for most of the Sunday class, no thanks to the long carpark queue at Ang Mo Kio Hub (Why do everyone want to go there at that time anyway??) Despite the trouble in getting there, we did learn much from Mrs Wong Boi Boi’s lessons, and reading her books subsequently helped to reinforce these lessons. We learn more about the childbirth process, some basic exercises, how to bathe the baby, and messages etc. In particular, we are given baby dolls to make the training more realistic.

The doctor’s talk was not so useful, partly because of a last minute change in programme to have a doctor talk about Cordlife in stead of traditional chinese medicine. We had learnt what we need about Cordlife when we signed up so the information shared was somewhat redundant to us. The other doctor presented lots of medical terms that doesn’t make much sense to us. But the visual aids did what the words couldn’t. Not that the pictures of meconium, forceps marks, a bump on the head due to the use of vacuum were pleasing to the eye, but yeah, we get the point. Took the opportunity to drop by Evan’s Lodge nearby after that to try the roti prata that I had always wanted to try. Nice

The breastfeeding course at SCWO was conducted by this (overly) bubbly lady who had actually breastfed her three kids for eight years! Really had to give it to her for being able to persist for so long. But it was great to see someone who had successfully breastfed, and so keen to share her experiences with mothers-to-be. There was so much info being shared at the sessions that it took awhile to absorb. Subsequently, when I read Wong Boi Boi’s Guide to Breastfeeding, I realised that most of the info are the same. If nothing, it helped to make me more confident that breastfeeding is the way to go for Aidan, barring any issues which makes it difficult for Mummy to do so.

By now, we had completed all the courses (except for the weaning course, which we will attend after Aidan is a few months old). So once again, weekends belongs to us. There are not many left though, as Mummy is into the 34th week already. Before we know it, weekends will belong to three of us – Daddy, Mummy and baby Aidan. Hope to see you soon Aidan!

We spent a bomb at a baby fair some time back. Organised by Motherhood magazine, it is the largest baby fair of all and also the last major baby fair before Aidan comes along. So we stocked up on diapers, got our steriliser set, creams and basically almost anything else that we think we would need for the baby. Spent nearly $700 in the five hours that we were there. And filled up the entire car with the purchase   But I think it was a good buy, and I think we saved quite abit.

Another major thing which happened was the switching of hospital. Our gynae, Dr Benjamin Tham, had gone over to Thomson Medical Centre to start his private practice and so we went along with him as we are quite comfortable with him. So far, we had gone for two consultations with him at TMC and we also went on a tour of the hospital. Walking in the wards, and looking at the mothers who just gave birth made me think about what will happen on the actual day when Aidan arrives. Will I be the father who takes videos and photos of his new born while the nurses clean him? Or that gentleman who is sitting on the couch and reading papers and magazine? Or the eager father who looks at his baby in the nursery? No matter what, I know I will be the one holding mummy’s hand when Aidan is coming, and giving her all the support she needs to bring him into this world.

Aidan, daddy and mummy will be waiting for you. Be healthy, grow well, and see you soon!

But before that, we have to get through the discomforts Mommy is having now, including indigestion, heartburn, lack of appetite etc. When the medicine from a GP she visited was not effective, we had to make a trip down to the 24hr Woman’s Clinic at the KK Hospital, where we spent the next 3 hours putting Mommy on drip and having milo and sandwich for dinner. Luckily, the doctor said she was alright except for some dehydration and indigestion. The next few days was still kinda bad for her but happy to see her appetite recover slowly.

myBenie, if you ever see this, you must remember that your Mommy had to endure all this to bring you into the world okie? Must be filial to her alright?

I am talking about buying stuff for the baby.

Thanks to advice from friends who are parents, we are introduced to the must-go events/locations in Singapore for baby stuff, namely the Expo baby sales (March), Taka baby sales (March and August), Baby Kingdom and Baby Hypermart in Kaki Bukit etc. Additional tips include looking out for good deals during the Great Singapore Sales at Robinsons.

So, all of a sudden, we become familiar with brands such as Pigeon, Medela, Tollyjoy, Avent, Combi, Graco, Aprica, Peg Perago, Fisherprice and the list goes on. Our eyes will inevitably scan the streets when we go out, to see what other parents are using and thinking whether we should get this or that. I can feel my paternal instincts (and her even stronger maternal instincts) starting to shape our behaviour and thinking. Which I guess can’t be a bad thing since it will probably mean myBeanie will be getting whatever he/she needs when born.

As it was, we went to the baby sales fairs, and even made a trip to Malaysia’s City Square and Pelangi Square to check out the baby stuff there (some of the brands and the maternity wear at F.O.S were indeed cheaper there, but you will have to buy quite a fair bit to make the trip worthwhile). The prices differs from place to place, and we ended up buying baby stuff from all over the place. Big tickets items were purchased just yesterday, at the Taka fair.

Oh, talking about the big tickets items, we got these:

Picking a stroller was really like selecting a car, as a recent article in the Straits Time also mentioned. Initially, we were undecided between lightweight but slightly flimsy strollers (like Combi and Aprica) and sturdier but more  cumbersome ones (like Peg Perago). In the end, (perceived) durability won out and we got ourselves the Peg Perago Pliko P3. Hopefully it is as sturdy as it looks, as we want to use it for more than one kid. For the cot, we got a good deal from Rocio, which comes with a baby mobile and full bedding set.

With the stroller and cot out of the way, its time to to look at other stuff, namely the essentials like bottles, toys, bathing stuff and electronics like the steriliser. Guess we still have lotsa shopping to go

Last Wednesday, we had a appointment to do a ultrasound scan as part the test to determine if the baby has a high chance of having Down Syndrome (DS). After an early taxi ride to avoid the traffic, and a not-so-palatable breakfast at the foodcourt at the corner of the Woman’s Tower, we arrive just in time at the ADC for our appointment at 830am.  Processing was fast, and before we knew in, Mommy was lying comfortably (I think) on the bed with a blob of jelly on her increasingly round tummy. The doctor (which I later got to know that the proper title to call her is sonographer) is a pleasant lady who patiently explain to us what are the areas they are looking out in this test.

I think myBeanie will be a very obedient baby. As if being cooperative, the sonographer was able to capture all the required scans as myBeanie was in all the right positions for her to take the scans. Prior to the visit, we had read stories of mothers-to-be lying for hours on the bed just waiting for the baby to be in position for the shot. We are happy that it took only half an hour for us to complete the test. But we are even more thrilled, when we can see clearly myBeanie’s head, arms, legs and his/her small pumping heart. Another doctor came in soon after, and explain that the chances of myBeanie having DS is 1 in more than 13000, which is a very low chance And so we left happily soon after and we look forward to the next consultation with our friendly gynae.

So much for a myth.

Anw, we went for our consultation with another gynae at KK Hospital, and this trip turned quite to be quite pleasant. We opted to go to the Private Suite, where the counter staff are very friendly and patiently answer all our queries (forgive us, Daddy and Mommy are first timers to the hospital ) We arrived slightly earlier than the appointment and was promptly attended to and Mommy did her routine test soon after. Although we did wait for about 30 mins before we meet the gynae, the wait was quite alright given the comfy waiting area. It probably helped that we just borrowed books on pregnancy and used that time to start reading up. No prizes for guessing who’s reading what.

The appointment was with Dr Benjamin Tham, who cuts a very fatherly figure and is very approachable. We think he had a new ultrasound scan machine in his room which he is not familiar with and it was kinda amusing when a lady had to guide him along as he scanned Mommy’s tummy for myBeanie. And for the first time, we ‘saw’ myBeanie! We can see the head, arms and legs very clearly, and interestingly we even get to see a video of the blood pumping from myBeanie’s heart We get to keep a soft copy of the scan and the video, and till now, I guessed we had watched the video umpteen times and yet we are still fascinated by it. myBeanie is growing up strong!

Immediately following the consultation, Mommy had to go for a blood test at another part of the hospital, which is a two-part test for Down Syndrome. While the test is optional, we still went for it, albeit the safer though less accurate one, just to have peace of mind. The next part of the test will be an ultrasound scan, which will take place next Wednesday. With the two tests, there will be a 90% accuracy of determining whether the kid has DS.

On our next visit, we probably would need to ask Dr Tham whether we still can engage his as our gynae. Saw from his website that he is leaving KK Hospital to start his own private clinic from May 2010. Hopefully we still can have him deliver myBeanie.

We sent her an email, with some questions to give us some assurance on why is it that the experience we had is so different from the other mothers. I must say that we were totally unprepared for her response. Not that she was annoyed and reprimanded us for doubting her professionalism, but still, she was very blunt and told Mommy that if we had so many questions from the start, it meant that there won’t be a good gynae-patient relationship. It might be better if we get another gynae instead. After all, she said, she specialised in IVF, and so may not be the most suitable gynae for us. If that was the case, surely she would have advised us from the start, rather than going through the consultation and even arranged for an ultrasound scan? We think that we had wasted our time with this gynae, and burned $200 just for the consultation and the first scan. We didn’t get any folic acid or vitamins either. In fact, she said she don’t provide these and that she always asked her patient to get them over the counter at pharmacies.

We decided that we definitely won’t be going back to her clinic. The appointment with another gynae in KK is this Tuesday. This time round, Mommy did her own homework instead of just depending on friend’s recommendations. It seemed that this gynae is very popular and have great reviews. Hopefully, we will be comfortable with this one and be depended on through the entire pregnancy.

Totally felt unprepared for the baby. I need to work out my schedule to spend some time to read up and learn more on how to prepare for the baby.

• have blood test
• have an overview of the consultation for the entire pregnancy
• get to hear about the packages available

Feeling unsure, we took up their advice and arrange for a consultation with another gynae in KK. Meanwhile, we emailed the gynae that we first went to, but we have yet to hear from her. Starting to think if we should carry on with this one. We would probably come to a conclusion after the visit to KK next week.