Costs of giving birth in Singapore

[snowqueen]

I take it these stupid comments are coming from men!!

[batgirl_cdn]

If you trust yourself its absolutely free if you take out the whole hospital ordeal.
People think hospitals are the safest place to give birth but they are not. Not only are they infested with germs but people are more likely to have a Cesarean Section which is considered major surgery.

If you are interested in natural birth then I can point you in the right direction. I encourage you to read some books and do some research to empower yourself about the whole thing.

This is a very valid option, and no it doesn't have to be completely without medical professionals there unless you really want an unassisted homebirth.

There are doulas you can hire from ParentLink http://www.parentlink.org. A Doula support package costs $1300. Also, there are two doctors that I know of in Singapore who attend homebirths. Dr. Paul Tseng http://www.thomsonmedical.com/doc.htm and Dr. Lai Fon-Min http://www.acompanyforwomen.com.sg . The fees for homebirth are higher than if the doc attends a typical hospital birth, but that is because they need to spend a longer time at your home, not just turn up when the baby is almost out (or already out!) like what can happen in the hospital. I know that Dr. Lai's fees are over $3000 for a natural, waterbirth, twins or homebirth. Other than the medical supplies you need for a homebirth (don't know the cost of that yet, will post when I know) - there are no hospital fees. If you need to transfer to hospital then you obviously need to pay the hospital fees which start at about $3500 and go upwards from there.

The mortality rate for babies born at home and hospital is equal when I last checked existing research. Contrary to what some biased people think - women want the best for their babies and don't give birth at home if there have been complications in the run-up to the birth. If you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy, are young and healthy - then why not consider giving birth at home with medical professional care (or without)? Do some reading and you will find more info on why we all hear so many stories of "complications" with hospital births. I have heard far too many bad birth stories about hospital personnel creating fear when there was no need, and causing use of procedures that weren't needed "just in case". The c-section rate is crazy these days! I also have one acquaintance whose newborn picked up a bacterial infection at the hospital and died after 11 days.

Other practical tips on saving costs is to reduce the number of scans you have if your pregnancy is going well. There is no need to have a scan every month of your pregnancy. In public health care systems in many countries women have only 2 scans. Also, don't do all the blood tests if you think you don't need it. Private clinics will offer you all the tests and they cost a lot of money, so ask your doctor about what is essential in your case and what isn't.

[Thaiclan]

Yes giving birth at home would be a "free" option but only if you decided not have any professional support - not really ideal in this day and age when we all run to the pharmacy for the slightest of ailments such as headaches. We simply are not able to "do it alone" like our ancestors.
I had a home birth here in Singapore, and the cost of support (Doctor, Midwife, materials etc) amounted to a little under $7k, so it definitely wasn't a "free" option, albeit very satisfying.

[batgirl_cdn]

Wow, so glad to hear about a satisfying home birth! I'm going to pm you with more questions if you don't mind.

I'm not sure that anyone was suggesting that homebirth was free, but it does save the hospital fees. Again though, I don't know the exact costs for the homebirth kit that the doc/doulas like you to have there for the birth.

[smayrhofer]

homebirth - i shudder at the thought!

I admire you women who are willing to consider it. For me, I think I'll be more comfortable knowing that there is an epidural nearby in case I can't take the pain! Weak as that sounds...

[batgirl_cdn]

smayrhofer, you can't beat yourself up if you do want an epidural. Some women have very long labour, like 2 days, so it makes sense for them to have one in order to be able to continue and hopefully have a vaginal birth instead of c-section. I think that practicing relaxation techniques will really help you cope with the discomfort - gives great mental preparation. Seriously, I didn't find giving birth bad at all! There is so much drama in people's stories and what you see in movies. Relax and give yourself over to the process, take each contraction as it comes and think positively... every contraction brings you closer to meeting your baby!

[mrdodge]

The home birth option needs to be really carefully explored. In our latest birth, a home birth would have ended up with a significant risk to both mother and child, potentially a fatality. As said above if you trust yourself and know that like likelihood of complications is low, it might be viable. In our case, it was not and i am grateful that both mother and child are healthy and well, irrespective of the cost.

[batgirl_cdn]

Definitely, homebirth is not for everyone, but people should still consider the option and not think only of the hospital as default.

a) You have a homebirth if your doc is fully supportive and has found extremely low risk of complication based on your check-ups
b) You book a hospital in the event of necessary transfer
c) You have transport ready in the event of necessary transfer
d) You have medical professionals there who will say whether a transfer to hospital is needed or not
e) Said medical professionals can also provide medical support before and during transfer if necessary
f) Medical professionals have a birth kit handy at the homebirth which includes oxygen etc. if resuscitating the baby is necessary
g) If mother has a stroke, umbilical cord has a true knot, or the placenta comes away from the uterine wall too soon - there can be death of mother or baby at home or hospital, doesn't matter where you are when it happens! (The only difference is if it happens at hospital, people will be sympathetic, if it happens at home people will be angry and say it was her fault for trying to give birth outside of a hospital.)

Homebirth is not common in Singapore. My doctor says he does about one homebirth a month, and so far he has transferred one woman but that was because she had a long labour and wanted to go to hospital for an epidural. If birth is so dangerous, why hasn't he had to transfer more of his mothers to hospital? Of course, that still doesn't mean that bad things can't happen. Lot's of bad things happen in hospitals too. (Serious infection for mother or baby, brain damage, death.)

Where do you think our parents and grandparents etc. came from? My husband's dad, 3 uncles and 1 aunt were born at home in the sauna! They were all healthy and so was his grandmother. My friend gave birth to her 3 children at home and they were all fine too. My first birth could have been a homebirth if it was legally allowed where I was living. Baby and I would have been just fine. There are many women who planned a hospital birth but didn't make it there, instead giving birth at home or elsewhere. The vast majority of them are fine too... This is why I ask myself, is birth really that dangerous for the majority of women and their babies?

In the Western world where mothers are well nourished and receive excellent pre-natal care, the infant mortality rate is pretty much equal for home or hospital births. For every bad story about a homebirth gone wrong there is a bad story about hospital birth gone wrong. Just look into your birth options and make your own decisions based on your own pregnancy and where you feel safest giving birth.

I don't think that people are choosing to give birth at home purely for financial reasons, but yes, it can be cheaper to do so.

Don't worry people, I've said my piece on homebirth now.