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finding a good obgyn/midwife

Discuss the various Pediatrician, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist options here.
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batgirl_cdn
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Post by batgirl_cdn » Fri, 15 May 2009 5:00 pm

People have to be careful about telling women who had a bad birth experience that "at least their child was born healthy". So many women would have had healthy births anyway if they were not meddled with. We have to stop viewing birth as a purely medical event, and stop viewing the mother as merely the vessel for the baby who can suffer from whatever procedures medical staff do "just in case" there could be a problem with the baby.

The problem with recommending any doc is that they can conduct themselves well with some clients but not well with others. Some days they are relaxed when dealing with clients, other days they are rushed and want to do things their way. The doc I had with my first birth came highly recommended, as was the hospital, but then when the day came for my birth we fell through the cracks and the doc didn't turn out to be as respectful of our wishes, instead was more concerned about her schedule.

There is nothing wrong with sharing one's experience with a particular doc and leaving it to people reading to interview the docs themselves. It is unrealistic to think that one doc could receive only positive feedback or negative feedback over the course of their working life with clients.

cbavasi
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Post by cbavasi » Fri, 15 May 2009 5:52 pm

batgirl_cdn - Yes you are correct - everyone has a different experience and as a birth is a very personal and emotional thing I can see how this would be upsetting if it happened to me. And you are also right in not everyone has the same view or experience with a doctor - whether it be positive or negative.
playfulmom - Again I'm sorry for your unfortunate experience - I do hope if you have another child it is a more rewarding experience.

playfulmom
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Being condescending with moms

Post by playfulmom » Mon, 18 May 2009 10:05 am

Batgirl, Yes I am flabbergasted when people use the "she should be happy that she has a healthy baby" argument. It is downright condescending. Every women should have the right to have her body treated as per her wishes- not for the easiest/fastest way to get the baby out, which is what it feels like.

Also, it is amazing how often women are questioned or made to feel like THEY should have done more when their medical treatment does not go according to plan. There is obviously an information asymmetry and it's not the patient's job to become as well educated about the issues as their doctor! That's impossible.

Ladies, of course we should be as informed as possible and that is a good goal. However, also remember to trust your INSTINCT. e.g.if you catch your doctor make an unexpected snarky remark pay attention about other patients--- it could tell you that there is a passive/aggressive dynamic.

Razrock
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Post by Razrock » Wed, 03 Jun 2009 4:44 pm

Congratulations!!!

I would have to say Dr Shirin Jacob from A Company for Women @ Camden Medical- she is an absolute delight! She only delivers at Gleneagles.
There is a midwife/doula attached to Shirin Jacob as well called Sarah Das and she is just fabulous too - gives you lots of support.

Good Luck!

MCNB
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Natural birth experience?

Post by MCNB » Sat, 27 Feb 2010 2:28 am

My wife is going to give birth to our second child this summer, our first delivery in Singapore. Her hope is to have a natural child birth, as she did with our first child, unless there are medically necessary reasons for intervention.

Our doctor says that his rate for C-sections is about 30%, which is about the norm in Singapore (and the U.S.). Personally, we feel that sounds high but of course there are many factors influencing that. In any case, it seems to us that by the time the doctor arrives on the scene for delivery, most of the big decisions (inducing labor, epidurals, etc.) have already been made and sometimes it is those decisions that make having a c-section more likely. (Not always, of course!)

Soooo...what I am wondering is, for those of you who had the goal of a natural and drug-free childbirth -- and I am not denigrating those who chose differently -- did you find that the hospital staff respected your decisions and/or birth plan? We are likely to have our child at Mt. Elizabeth.

Obviously it depends on the individuals involved, but I'm curious to hear any responses. Our experience in the U.S. with our first child was mixed -- we had an amazing nurse and a good delivery doctor, but the (female) doctor in charge of the nurse was downright hostile to natural childbirth and without ANY medical reasons. She just didn't like that it was taking too long (and my wife had a relatively short labor!).

Thanks for any advice.

hbw65
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Post by hbw65 » Sat, 27 Feb 2010 5:00 pm

I am currently pregnant and my OB/GYN is Dr. LC Foong at Gleneagles - I love him! He is kind and has taken the time to answer all of concerns/questions even this is my 2nd pregnancy. I highly recommend him and his clinic at Gleneagles!

WL2
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Post by WL2 » Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:42 am

[quote="batgirl_cdn"][quote="mothbhai"]I can recommend Dr Lai Fon Min. He's at Camden Medical, right in the heart of Tanglin. He's a brilliant doctor, very pro-natural birth, highly regarded in medical circle for his skills, very up to date, spends good amount of time, and most importantly for me - very accessible on email and phone. I recently gave birth with him and would highly recommend him. U can reach his clinic at Tel : 6333 6181[/quote]

I'd like to recommend him, but if you are aiming for a natural unmedicated birth he will charge almost 60% more than other docs do for a normal vaginal birth (whether it was medicated or not). I have discussed with him the reasons for charging so much more when women have a natural unmedicated uncomplicated birth and unfortunately his answers were unsatisfactory and illogical in my view.[/quote]

I found Dr Lai very knowledgeable and detailed in explanations. I learnt things from him even though it is my third pregnancy. However I found him lacking in empathy and apart from professional medical explanations, he failed to make me feel like he cared - I suppose in a way you would wish for the doctor bringing your baby into the world would. His clinic is beautiful and smells like a spa. He charges for that I'm sure. His fees are easily double the price from your next gleneagles or mount e practitioner. And please don't be late. I was "punished" for being ten minutes late and fell down the queue by two patients which equated to about three hours from my original time of appt.
Not sure I will go back...

imogenben
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Post by imogenben » Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:48 am

Dr Lai Fon Min is one of the few obstetricians who offer quite a lot of non-conventional birthing options. And I think his clinic is not as crowded, say compared to Dr Irene Chua in Gleneagles or Dr Kek in Mount Elizabeth.

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