Choosing a hospital

We haven't made many major decisions since the start of the pregnancy.
We didn't even research (I understand some people do) on the ob-gyn we will visit.

I did the pregnancy test at the hubby's family doctor (Dr. Sim) to verify our pregnancy and asked him for recommendations for an ob-gyn. I was on traditional Chinese medicine then and we wanted an ob-gyn who was okay with it.

Dr. Sim recommended us Dr. Vincent Lee, an old friend of his.
"He's a very nice guy!" he said.
And so we went for an appointment for a dating scan (and to make sure we are really expecting) and somehow, we just signed a package and has been visiting him ever since.

Dr. Lee is really fatherly.
I appreciate that he goes through each scan carefully and he is very detailed. We didn't really have to do the OSCAR test because he has checked through everything, except the blood test. (We did in the end, anyway. For assurance.) We didn't really have to go through the detailed scan at the hospital too because he went through everything with us.

I like that he's always excited each time he does the ultrasound scan (which is basically every visit).
"Oh! I think you have a girl! But we will confirm again later."
"Baby is very relaxed. Hahaha... I'll need baby to curl up a little. Baby... curl up..."
"Baby is very active! Good!"
"Haha.. Baby just did a tumble!"
"Those are baby's hands. So cute!!!"

He puts me at ease.

Anyway, this post is about choosing hospitals and I just wanted to say how quickly we I made the decision.
The hubby basically leaves the decision to me because he's not picky about the rooms, the ambience, the food, etc.. He doesn't get why people have to go on tours and look at the delivery suites and rooms. Which is strange, because I have read of husbands who picked out the wards based on their comfort (usually the bigger wards, with comfy sofabeds..)

So, Dr Lee only delivers in Mount Elizabeth, Mount Alvernia and Thomson Medical Centre.

I didn't have a good impression of TMC the last time I went for a visit.
I have no idea why but I don't have good vibes about it.
It doesn't feel... warm.
It's just like how I didn't choose M Hotel for my wedding because it felt too cold and business-like. Something like that. I wanted somewhere that felt like Marriott, where we had our wedding.
(Sorry, I digressed.)

I'm left with Mount Elizabeth and Mount Alvernia.

During the OSCAR scan, Dr. Lee noticed that my placenta is on the low-lying side. If that continues, I'll probably require a Caesarean.
That makes choosing the hospital a whole lot easier.

Mount Elizabeth looks good. But the price for Caesarean and a single ward is waaaaay beyond my budget. And I really don't need the candlelight dinner and the 15-minute massage. Though I must say those are really nice touches.

I was ready to pick TMC if the charges turn out to be cheaper than Mount Alvernia.
It is not! In fact, TMC will cost us a couple hundred dollars more if I were to go for Caesarean. Interesting...

Mount Alvernia it should be then.
But not before the maternity tour.
I still need to visit the hospital to get a feel of it, and check out the room sizes.

Edit: This is a long-forgotten scheduled post. I've gone for the Mount Alvernia Maternity Tour last Friday (14 June). More about it later!