just realized this existed...

[MummaFug]

Hello - I am very happy to find this thread - i had no idea it existed until now..
I am an expat through and through - grew up in Hong Kong and lived there for 13 years and now am in Singapore (have been here 5 years).
Great to see that there are other expat women out there in the same position as me ... Look forward to hearing from some of you

[red crayon]

hi fugly! welcome to the thread. are you going to have your baby in singapore? how are you finding being pregnant o/s? i have a girlfriend now living in HK but previously lived in singapore - she didn't really like it. how do you find it?

[MummaFug]

So Far so good - i think.. I have nothing to compare it too really as this is my first child. The only thing i worry about is that i've heard they try to push you into having a c-section towards the end. I have made it clear that i want natural - so lets see how we go.
One of my closest friends gave birth at the hospital 3 months ago and know a few others who have delivered there and they all said it was great.. I chose it because it's near my favourite cafe and they will deliver me snacks and food while i'm in hospital
As for being pregnant and away from home - it can be a little difficult at times , not being able to share those moments - but i call my family ALL the time and fill them in. I just get sick of all the tiny little Asian women (not being racist - they are just very small compared to me) saying "oh you are so big" all the time - depresses me sometimes

[TammyB]

Hi all,

I probably should have posted in this section before now too.

I am an Aussie living in Japan but probably moving to Singapore before the end of the year. I am not looking forward to the heat and humidity again. I have lived in North Qld for alot of my school and uni years so know what to expect. I much prefer to have 4 seasons. Japan's seasons can be a little extreme though, really hot in summer and snow in Winter. Sydney was more my comfort zone which is where we lived for 8 years before coming here in July last year.

Fugly - I hear you on the diff in size btw Western and Asian women! I am only 18 weeks preg and have already put on 7 kgs (am now 170cm tall and 70kgs) You can imagine the looks I get against the waifs over here. I don't know where some of them store their internal organs! I gave up on buying any clothes here when any pants I tried on were half mast and the sleeves on tops look like 3/4 length. I stupidly thought maternity pants might be different but couldn't get an LL size over my thighs! How depressing Atleast I save money on clothes.

I will be trying for a VBAC in Singapore and am also worried about the scalpel happy doctors. I haven't booked a Dr yet but I hear there is no need to book early like Australia. Do you have any recommendations for a good OBGYN first or second hand? Are you going to have a Doula? I am thinking seriously about one to support both DH and I if we end up with a natural delivery. What hospital are you booked into? Sorry so many questions.

Cheers
Tammy

[MummaFug]

Hi Tammy

I know exactly what you are saying... I am 23 weeks and have put on
1 kg so far (i was overweight before) it was hard enough then.. Now, luckily, i have a very sweet sister in Oz who has guiven me her maternity clothes + sends me more.. I love photo text messages - she will send photos of clothes , i ok it, she buys it.. Really do love her.

As for a OBYGN here - I am seeing a lady called Anne Hagarty - very popular within the expat community and has been around for years. She delivers at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Other OBGYN i have been recommended were - LC FOOng who delivers at all private hospitals and TC Chang (????) at Thomson Medical - i hear thomson is great for giving birth but have not heard a bad story from anyone yet about any hospital here.

You may want to look into an OBGYN a few months before you come because some doctors may not take on someone later in their pregnancy )my sis had this problem in america) and February is also Chinese New Year and ALOT of people go away over this period - you want to make sure your doc is in town and/or the alternative is just as good...
Hope this helps!!!

[mamesmumma]

Ahhh Tammy you are in japan and you are leaving

I am stuck here. Im very worried about the weight issue - have you been told 9.5kgs is the max you should put on? I have quiet a few times already and I have actually lost weight due to m/s. But these Japanese ladies feel the need to tell me.

My Japanese friend's, friend got to 9.5kgs in the 7th month and her doctor put her on a diet coz she was at her max weight and still had those last few months of weight gain to go.

Im from North QLD too, so I know the humidity but I must say I much prefer it to the cold - so Im jealous of you in two ways

[TammyB]

Hi Mamesmumma,

There are worse places to be stuck. Japan is lovely! We have had an awesome year and a half here. It amazes me how clean and safe Tokyo is for such a big city. Where do you live in Japan? I see from some of your posts that you married a Japanese man. Mame is going to be a little spunk. All the half Jap/half western kids I have seen are adorable. Do you plan to take your family back to Australia to live in the future?

Wow 9.5kgs hey? What's my chances of only gaining another 1.5kgs in the last 20 weeks! Good thing my Dr doesn't seem to care or atleast she doesn't tell me if she does!

Next week we are heading to the Gold Coast for the Indy then to the Sunshine Coast for a few weeks Holiday to catch up with family. We can't wait. Haven't been home for a year now. Will be interesting to see how I handle the reverse culture shock. I expect the lax attitude of the sales assistants will get on my nerves compared to the awesome service you get here. Not looking forward to the road rage either! North Qld drivers are worse for that than Sydney drivers in my opinion. (Cns & Tvl atleast)

Hi to all the other expat Mums - hope things are good in your neck of the woods.

[Rachel&Emma]

Mamesmumma just ignore everyone regarding the weight gain. I stopped counting at 20kg. I live in Hong Kong and the Chinese are like the Japanese in regards to weight. They told me I would have a huge baby, couldn't deliver blah blah blah. None of it was true. In my opinion, 9kg sounds awfully scary. How's the baby supposed to survive? I lost over 10kg giving birth alone.

[red crayon]

hi ex pat mums and dads . good to hear everyone is well, especially the pregnant ones. it's been interesting reading your stories. i wasn't pregnant in vietnam so i've nothing to add. i've got a couple of friends pregnant here now so i'll have to ask them about the weight gain concerns.

well, we're getting ready to go back to oz for christmas. spencer and i are leaving at the start of nov and aren't coming back to hanoi til the start of february. i'm looking forward to 3 months of catching up with my family and friends. anyone else heading back for christmas?

[mrsmonkie]

[quote=fugly;667167]
As for a OBYGN here - I am seeing a lady called Anne Hagarty - very popular within the expat community and has been around for years. She delivers at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Other OBGYN i have been recommended were - LC FOOng who delivers at all private hospitals and TC Chang (????) at Thomson Medical - i hear thomson is great for giving birth but have not heard a bad story from anyone yet about any hospital here.
[quote]

Wow, thanks for the info! Hubbie and I are thinking of TTC in May of next year, but it's good to know places that are reccomended....plenty of planning for me!

We have been in Singapore (orignally from Sydney) for nearly 3 months so we are still settling in and getting our bearings before TTC.....i'm counting down the months though

G.xx