I am sure many first time mum to be will be researching or at least asking around a typical hospital bag to pack. For me, i use my handcarry luggage that i will always bring whenever i travel but this time with covid, we couldn't travel anywhere so i only get to use this bag to pack for the essential items that i will need for my post delivery in the hospital.
I will be listing out the items that i actually packed to the hospital and the items that i think i do not actually need to pack. This is just for reference if you are like me, delivering via c section and not breastfeeding. I stayed total 3D2N in Thomson medical centre.
Initially i was told to bring all my receipts during admission as we can offset $900 under maternity package through deduction of medisave. However as i have submit the documents during my pre-admission, so i didn't have to bring any receipt on the day of actual admission.
For Singaporeans, there is an app call the LifeSG, so basically you can register your baby birth yourselves via the app, including baby bonus etc instead of having to get the hospital to register for you as there are additional admin charge.
Jeremy friend told us we could register at the ICA so that it cost only $18, but if we were to register at the hospital it will be at $45. Even though if you register yourselves at ICA, you will need to go down to their office to collect the birth certificate compare to if you register at the hospital, you can collect it at your convenience.
So for my hospital bag, i didn't bring my marriage certificate.
What i originally packed since this is my first time staying in the hospital at Thomson Medical Centre.
Actual hospital bag that i packed as follows :
1. My IC (identification ID)
2. Phone charger
3. Handphone
4. Wallet
5. Personal toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, facial foam
6. Face moisturizer, sunblock, minimal cosmetics
7. Contact lens and solutions
8.Wearing glasses
9. Maternity bras x3 set
10. Breast Pads x60 pieces
11. Haakaa Manual breast pump x1
12. Maternity sanitary pads (1 month supply)
13. Disposable panties x10 pieces
14. Socks x 3 pairs
15. Disposable hotel like slippers x 1 pair
16. laundry bag for soiled clothes
17. Adult wet wipes
18. A set of jacket
19. 1 outfit to wear upon discharge
20. 2 set of baby outfit, with mittens, hat,swaddle
21. baby diapers
So after my hospital stay i would revise my hospital bag as follows :
1. My IC (identification ID)
2. Phone charger
3. Handphone
4. Wallet
5. Personal toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, facial foam
6. Face moisturizer, sunblock
7. Contact lens and solutions
8.Wearing glasses
9. Maternity bras x2 set
10. Disposable panties x3 pieces
11. Maternity sanitary pads 10 pieces
12. Disposable hotel like slippers
13. laundry bag for soiled clothes
14. 1 outfit to wear upon discharge.
15. binder
This should be the most minimal items that i think would be necessary to pack, first thing of all the necessities, handphone, wallet and phone charger. I don't really get to spend anything but wallet is just in case if i need to spend. Thomson medical centre do provide the basic toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, comb except toothbrush, toothpaste, so for mum to be that would like to shower after birth, don't really need to bring your own shampoo/conditioner or body wash unless you prefer to use your own shampoo/conditioner.
These are the basic toiletries Thomson is providing as shown below.
If the husband is staying, Thomson medical centre will provide a male set toiletries too.
For me, i only shower until 1 week later from my delivery date so i don't really need those except toothbrush/toothpaste and facial foam to wash up my face. For contact lens, the only time you will need to wear it should be upon discharge. That is, if you still bother, since you can't put on contact lens during your operation and you need to rest most of the time. Upon discharge, you should be heading home, so it doesn't really matter if you are planning to wear just glasses.
For maternity bras, during the first day after the op, you will be wearing the operation gown and won't be able to get out of the bed, for c section mummies so basically you won't be wearing any bra even after the operation, you probably will only be able to get down the bed on the second day and that's when you will need 1 bra and 1 more on the last day of discharge.
I stayed in TMC for 3d2n for c section, so if you are opting for natural delivery, you might not even need to pack x2 set of maternity bras.
As i decided not to breastfeed, so the haakaa breast pump and breast pads is redundant for me since i took the medicine to stop breast milk production so i didn't use any of the items that i packed inside.
For disposable panties, they will help you to wear the maternity sanitary pads after the op and you won't need to change any panties because you won't be able to get down the bed so you won't have a chance to even check if you need to change the pads. The nurse will help you to wipe your body the next day, and i think time to time they will help to check if need to change the pad, then the nurse will help you to change.
For me, i thought it will be cold so i brought jacket and socks, but it turns out during my stay, even though the aircon has been adjusted to the lowest temperature but i was feeling hot all the time and was sweating, Jeremy had to wear a jacket in the room but not me. so i will think this is optional for anyone that is considering to bring. For baby outfits, i don't even need to bring anything because the hospital will provide the diapers and upon discharge they will dress the baby in the Thomson medical cute outfit, with swaddle, mittens and even the beanie, and if you are going home straight, there is really not a need to pack baby outfit. Unless again, you prefer to use your own for your baby.
On the day of my discharge, the nurse has shower the baby and dress him up nicely before handing me a bag with all the remaining diapers, baby wipes that they used during his stay and give me alot of other freebies including a pail that i can use to shower my baby back home. Hahaha.
During the second day in the hospital, Thomson will deliver a gift pack specially curated for mummy and baby.
I think there were quite alot of useful items, and every year their gift pack is different. This year gift pack includes the following items.
The nurse also give us this little pail for us to shower our baby, but he soon outgrow it. Haha
As we opt for express checkout, so we didnt have to clear our bills on the same day of discharge, the bill was send to us about 5 days later. If any mummy-to-be want to get a rough gauge of the estimation of the overall bill.
I will be stating the breakdown of the fees that you will incurred if you are the same case as me, doing a planned c section, not breastfeeding and booking the 1 bedded ward staying for 3d2n.
There are two type of bill, one is for the mummy and one is for the baby.
For mummy, the total bill for mine BEFORE medisave deduction was about $12k.
After the medisave deduction it was $8.1k.
The charges included the epidural spinal jab during the operation, accommodation charges, ,medications, operating theatre, daily treatment fees, companion charges, mothercare services, medical supplies, doctor fees.
For doctor fees, there are two doctor, one if my gynae for doing the operation for me, while the other doctor is the one that help me to administer the epidural jab before the op.
For baby bill, before medisave was $1.8k+
after medisave deduction it was about $986.
The charges indicate on the bill is, baby package, babycare services, medications, medical supplies, medical lab fee, procedure and doctor fees.
Yes there is another doctor to check on his well being upon birth and she will update us during my stay on baby overall health condition etc.
So in total our bill amount to about $9kplus below $10k. Do take note this is all paid in cash. I heard from my friends that if you opt for KKH which is the government public hospital, it will be cheaper, as most are claimable from medisave and no upfront cash needed, for KKH private, probably just need to top up abit, however because i prefer this gynae that have delivered for my baby so likely i will still choose him the next time when i decided to have my second kid! Especially because my overall experience was good so i think this $ is well spent. I heard more scary birth stories that happen in KKH, but i will think it depends on your luck, there are people who have good experience too in KKH while there are those who didn't have it. However i get to know from some friends if you have some complications during your pregnancy, it will be better to go to KKH since private hospital might still refer to KKH if they can't handle the rare cases. Hopefully this post will be useful to mummies that want to have a rough gauge of the bill.
Shall end this post for now.
Till then!
