![The Doctor Is [IN]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1263/1384310808_1c5e3cd3d5.jpg)
George is 6 weeks old today (31st March) and we've just measured him. He's clocking in at 61cm (which puts him at the 98% percentile?!) and his head circumference is 38/40 cm (which puts him at 50%). It sounds like if this continues, he'll be really tall, like his dad!! how exciting.
ok - gotta go sleep now.
night night!
p x
Monday, 31 March 2008
Spot George...!
We had a gathering of our NCT (http://www.nct.org/) antenatal classmates at our house yesterday - and it was a lot of fun. We invited our teacher along too as she'd not seen all the babies since we ended classes in mid-Dec (earliest baby was born 30th Dec) and G was the latest on 18th Feb.
There was alot of laughter, alot of food (we've got enough to feed us for the next week!), and crying (from babies, honest!). Here's a classic picture...:). The babies were placed in chronological age order, so from left (Ella Louise Kennett the oldest, Thomas Samuel Guest, Sienna Olivia Langiano, Oliver John Fleming, Pheobe Rose May Rowan, and George). Typical, my son decides to sleep through it all. He woke up about 10 minutes after all the photos were taken... hmph.
ok - going to brave it and wake the babe up...! Time for a nappy change and a feed! Such is life.
p x
Friday, 28 March 2008
He's smiling!!
I think this is such a cute picture... actually, no these are 2 very cute pictures...:)
The one of the right, taken about 3 weeks old (7th March), the one on the left, about 5 weeks old (25th March)! :)
p x
some cute photos!
Hi!
Taking the opportunity of a quiet moment (G's asleep...!), I thought I'd upload some photos which I think are quite cute (well, they all are cute - but to upload all I think would be rather too much!).
I do wonder what G was thinking in the last picture... perhaps he was rather upset about being removed from his warm and cosy habitat of the last 9 months...!!!
ok - he's twitching now...gotta go!
P x
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Baby is 36 days old!
Happy Man Yue for last saturday!!
Haven't had time to update the blog - looking after baby is really, a full-time 24 hour job. The only time off I get is when he's sleeping or not crying - right now, he's sitting in his little bouncing chair and that's keeping him occupied for a little while. Ordinarily I'd be rushing around doing the laundry (I've taken it out of the machine, just not hung it up yet!), and sterilising bottles etc, but thought my blog needed some attention!
We had him baptised when he was 4 weeks old, on 15th March 2008 (saturday). Photos are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31958&page=3&l=a7b84&id=575881955. Colin and Audra came over to the UK and made a little holiday before stopping at ours for 5 days for the baptism and for them to see the baby. Audra apparently cried/teared when she left our house for the airport - she was that attached to the G-master. So... Georgie Porgie made his first girl cry!! :)
There have been many near scares and frights... I still wake up in the night wondering if he's breathing and poking him to see if he moves. When we go out for an extended period of time, and he ends up sleeping in the buggy or the car, I worry that he's not eating enough. But, thankfully, at yesterday's health visitor's check, he's put on 1 pound and 1 oz and that brings him to a grand weight of 9 pounds 2 oz!! I'm really pleased. According to the measurements and growth charts, he's at 25% - but I think that's fine, as long as he's growing and developing. His height however is at 91%! We reckon that he's got a slim build (from both me and Dan - Dan's tall but he's not chunky)!
I get to drive from next week (6 weeks). I can't wait to have my independence and freedom again. But first, I'll need to master the collapsing of the buggy!
Till then...
Love
P and G (5 weeks 2 days!) xx
Haven't had time to update the blog - looking after baby is really, a full-time 24 hour job. The only time off I get is when he's sleeping or not crying - right now, he's sitting in his little bouncing chair and that's keeping him occupied for a little while. Ordinarily I'd be rushing around doing the laundry (I've taken it out of the machine, just not hung it up yet!), and sterilising bottles etc, but thought my blog needed some attention!
We had him baptised when he was 4 weeks old, on 15th March 2008 (saturday). Photos are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31958&page=3&l=a7b84&id=575881955. Colin and Audra came over to the UK and made a little holiday before stopping at ours for 5 days for the baptism and for them to see the baby. Audra apparently cried/teared when she left our house for the airport - she was that attached to the G-master. So... Georgie Porgie made his first girl cry!! :)
There have been many near scares and frights... I still wake up in the night wondering if he's breathing and poking him to see if he moves. When we go out for an extended period of time, and he ends up sleeping in the buggy or the car, I worry that he's not eating enough. But, thankfully, at yesterday's health visitor's check, he's put on 1 pound and 1 oz and that brings him to a grand weight of 9 pounds 2 oz!! I'm really pleased. According to the measurements and growth charts, he's at 25% - but I think that's fine, as long as he's growing and developing. His height however is at 91%! We reckon that he's got a slim build (from both me and Dan - Dan's tall but he's not chunky)!
I get to drive from next week (6 weeks). I can't wait to have my independence and freedom again. But first, I'll need to master the collapsing of the buggy!
Till then...
Love
P and G (5 weeks 2 days!) xx
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
George is 15 days old...
We are home from the hospital and George is 15 days old!! :) I can't believe how time has just flown past. Have not had time to update the blog (apologies) since we only got back from the hospital last weekend (23rd Feb) and George was born on the 18th. Let me start from the very beginning...
18th Feb 2008
We woke up at about 4.30am and started to get ready to go to the hospital. It's quite surreal to actually know the birthdate of your child before he's even born - and I think we were extremely lucky and blessed not to have had any emergencies before so that we actually made it to the date arranged by the consultant! We got to QEQM hospital (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in Margate - home of Tracey Emin!) at 7am and when we walked in, the midwife said that we were going to be the first c-section of the day! That was shock no. 1! We went in thinking that we were going to be second since apparently there was another woman booked in for a c-section and she was diabetic, and so we assumed (and we were told!) that she'd go first. Plus I had the added 'complications'. Oh well, maybe Mr Belgaumkar wanted to sort the complicated case out first!
So, we went into a room where we sort of got ready - I changed into my hospital gown (started to feel nervous about it) and Dan was given his hospital clothes to change into, including a hair net thing, and special wellie/boots to wear! Then all the people who were going to be in the operating theatre trooped in one by one to introduce themselves and tell me what was going to happen - which was really nice, because it helped me identify with them. Midwife, Aneastetists, Surgeons, their assistants, operating theatre staff...
9am - I walked to the theatre - I started to get really nervous at this stage but they were really nice and very gentle with the spinal. The feeling was really weird - it felt like I was having pins and needles but not really. Felt all warm and fuzzy too. By 0917, they started the first incision and by 0925, George Noah Kai was born. :) and I only knew that because the music we had chosen (Hallelujah - by Rufus Wainwright) was playing at that moment, and the anaestatist started to let the green curtain screen down and said to put on my glasses and lifted my back up so that I could see George emerging from my womb!
His umbilical cord was cut and he immediately let out a huge yowl (something which we are trying to get accustomed to at the moment!)!! He was then taken to the respiratair where he was checked through and given an APGAR score of 9 at 1 min and 10 at 5 min! :) His daddy went straight over to the machine and took photos of him and the midwife then brought George over to be placed on my chest for a little while whilst they sewed me up. I didn't feel a thing (of course, it hurt like mad afterwards!)... it was such an experience.
George weighed in at 8 pounds 1 oz (3.650 kg), and 50 cm long. His head circumference was 35cm (which is spot on average) and everything's fine. Within the hour, (by10am) I was wheeled out into recovery where Dan and George were both waiting for me and George was placed on me for his first breastfed moment - he latched on very well and very quickly, and we will be posting pictures up here soon.
We spent the next couple of nights at QEQM and were discharged on Wed evening (we thought he might have jaundice - but the blood tests said he was fine - rather on the high end but still ok) and went on to stay 3 more nights at Kent and Canterbury Birth Centre. This was a preferred option as it meant that Dan could stay with us in the room (it was almost as if we were in a private hospital!) and we could get help with breast feeding - which was invaluable.
As all new mothers are, I was constantly fretting over him. Was he feeding enough, was he feeding too much? Was he sleeping enough, was he sleeping too much? Was he pooing enough, was he pooing too much? What is the perfect poo? Has he wee-ed? How do we know he's wee-ed? and so on...
We survived the few days at hospital and made it home on saturday night. We've now been home for 10 days now and we've had our sleepless days and nights but it's all been worth it. He is the most perfect and cutest baby ever (of course, we are biased!)...
Dan's gone back to work as of yesterday and I had my first day alone with him then. It was scary - not having an extra pair of hands to rely on is incredibly daunting... but we survived it. Today has been extremely good so far (fingers crossed) and hopefully we'll survive again till Dan arrives home at 6pm!
Lots of love
P and G xx
15 days old!
18th Feb 2008
We woke up at about 4.30am and started to get ready to go to the hospital. It's quite surreal to actually know the birthdate of your child before he's even born - and I think we were extremely lucky and blessed not to have had any emergencies before so that we actually made it to the date arranged by the consultant! We got to QEQM hospital (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in Margate - home of Tracey Emin!) at 7am and when we walked in, the midwife said that we were going to be the first c-section of the day! That was shock no. 1! We went in thinking that we were going to be second since apparently there was another woman booked in for a c-section and she was diabetic, and so we assumed (and we were told!) that she'd go first. Plus I had the added 'complications'. Oh well, maybe Mr Belgaumkar wanted to sort the complicated case out first!
So, we went into a room where we sort of got ready - I changed into my hospital gown (started to feel nervous about it) and Dan was given his hospital clothes to change into, including a hair net thing, and special wellie/boots to wear! Then all the people who were going to be in the operating theatre trooped in one by one to introduce themselves and tell me what was going to happen - which was really nice, because it helped me identify with them. Midwife, Aneastetists, Surgeons, their assistants, operating theatre staff...
9am - I walked to the theatre - I started to get really nervous at this stage but they were really nice and very gentle with the spinal. The feeling was really weird - it felt like I was having pins and needles but not really. Felt all warm and fuzzy too. By 0917, they started the first incision and by 0925, George Noah Kai was born. :) and I only knew that because the music we had chosen (Hallelujah - by Rufus Wainwright) was playing at that moment, and the anaestatist started to let the green curtain screen down and said to put on my glasses and lifted my back up so that I could see George emerging from my womb!
His umbilical cord was cut and he immediately let out a huge yowl (something which we are trying to get accustomed to at the moment!)!! He was then taken to the respiratair where he was checked through and given an APGAR score of 9 at 1 min and 10 at 5 min! :) His daddy went straight over to the machine and took photos of him and the midwife then brought George over to be placed on my chest for a little while whilst they sewed me up. I didn't feel a thing (of course, it hurt like mad afterwards!)... it was such an experience.
George weighed in at 8 pounds 1 oz (3.650 kg), and 50 cm long. His head circumference was 35cm (which is spot on average) and everything's fine. Within the hour, (by10am) I was wheeled out into recovery where Dan and George were both waiting for me and George was placed on me for his first breastfed moment - he latched on very well and very quickly, and we will be posting pictures up here soon.
We spent the next couple of nights at QEQM and were discharged on Wed evening (we thought he might have jaundice - but the blood tests said he was fine - rather on the high end but still ok) and went on to stay 3 more nights at Kent and Canterbury Birth Centre. This was a preferred option as it meant that Dan could stay with us in the room (it was almost as if we were in a private hospital!) and we could get help with breast feeding - which was invaluable.
As all new mothers are, I was constantly fretting over him. Was he feeding enough, was he feeding too much? Was he sleeping enough, was he sleeping too much? Was he pooing enough, was he pooing too much? What is the perfect poo? Has he wee-ed? How do we know he's wee-ed? and so on...
We survived the few days at hospital and made it home on saturday night. We've now been home for 10 days now and we've had our sleepless days and nights but it's all been worth it. He is the most perfect and cutest baby ever (of course, we are biased!)...
Dan's gone back to work as of yesterday and I had my first day alone with him then. It was scary - not having an extra pair of hands to rely on is incredibly daunting... but we survived it. Today has been extremely good so far (fingers crossed) and hopefully we'll survive again till Dan arrives home at 6pm!
Lots of love
P and G xx
15 days old!
Thursday, 14 February 2008
The countdown begins...
Happy Valentine's Day! :)
it's T-4 days to go for the arrival of the blue pea. I'm anxious, nervous, worried, excited, happy... as you can imagine - all sorts of feelings are going through my head at the moment - and undoubtedly, D's head too. The nursery is all prepared, we've got a Baby Beginnings book to record everything about the pregnancy and the pending birth (and the following months), I've had the car cleaned and vacuumed at the car wash (well worth the £12!), our cleaners came this afternoon to clean the house and all in all, everything seems to be happening that should be happening! But... I'm still worried.
Worried about the operation, about the baby when he comes out (will he be perfect, cute, crying, hungry, colour of his eyes?!), about the sewing up and the scar, about breastfeeding, about walking after the operation (and the subsequent bleeds and nasty things which they don't tell you about until it's too late!), about coming home and managing with the baby....and well...everything else really! Worried about doing the chores around the house even! Worried about whether we have enough baby gear (from nappies, to baby grows!)...
People have always called me a worrywart - I guess this is the epitome of it eh?
We had a pre-clerking session at QEQM hospital yesterday (13th Feb) which is a session one has with a midwife who will take about 5 ml of blood to check for iron levels and where she also explains and discusses everything that will or can happen during the caesarean section. The name of that midwife was Denise and she was really nice. The whole thing took over an hour but we didn't feel that we had to rush or anything (even though she was running an hour late already!).
She informed us that we needed to be at the hospital on monday for 7am (as opposed to 7.30) and that if everything went as planned, we'd be going in at about 10.30/11am. There are two planned caesareans that day, and the first lady will go in at 8.30am (as she's diabetic, she needs to go first, which is fair enough!). All going well, we will be next (assuming there are no emergencies along the way for other women) and that will take us up till about 1pm or so. We then get taken into the recovery room for a couple of hours and if everything goes well, we get moved to our room/ward. I'm hoping for a private room and chances are we'll get it - I hope anyway. They might take pity on the fact that I have placenta praevia and would have had a more traumatic experience and so give me the single room!
She then said that on the 2nd day (tuesday), they will help me out of bed and we'll have my first shower - I'm panicking about that because of the wound and the dressing/bandage! But they seem to know what they are talking about ... and if the doctors check both me and baby out and think that we are ok, we can then be discharged! I'm surprised that they think we'll be out on the 2nd day but it has been done. We then have the option of either coming straight home, or going to the midwife-led Birthing Centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. We have been thinking of doing that, but we're not quite sure about that now, only because their beds are the regular ones as opposed to the beds that can be controlled and moved about. Ordinarily that might not make a difference to a woman who has just given birth, but with a c-section, it would be better to be able to have a bed that can be moved with the control buttons.
Because the K&C is 10 minutes from our house as opposed to the QEQM being 30-40 minutes away, the K&C is an attractive alternative. We'll see what happens.
ok - gotta go have dinner now.
Love
P and the blue pea
38+3 weeks
it's T-4 days to go for the arrival of the blue pea. I'm anxious, nervous, worried, excited, happy... as you can imagine - all sorts of feelings are going through my head at the moment - and undoubtedly, D's head too. The nursery is all prepared, we've got a Baby Beginnings book to record everything about the pregnancy and the pending birth (and the following months), I've had the car cleaned and vacuumed at the car wash (well worth the £12!), our cleaners came this afternoon to clean the house and all in all, everything seems to be happening that should be happening! But... I'm still worried.
Worried about the operation, about the baby when he comes out (will he be perfect, cute, crying, hungry, colour of his eyes?!), about the sewing up and the scar, about breastfeeding, about walking after the operation (and the subsequent bleeds and nasty things which they don't tell you about until it's too late!), about coming home and managing with the baby....and well...everything else really! Worried about doing the chores around the house even! Worried about whether we have enough baby gear (from nappies, to baby grows!)...
People have always called me a worrywart - I guess this is the epitome of it eh?
We had a pre-clerking session at QEQM hospital yesterday (13th Feb) which is a session one has with a midwife who will take about 5 ml of blood to check for iron levels and where she also explains and discusses everything that will or can happen during the caesarean section. The name of that midwife was Denise and she was really nice. The whole thing took over an hour but we didn't feel that we had to rush or anything (even though she was running an hour late already!).
She informed us that we needed to be at the hospital on monday for 7am (as opposed to 7.30) and that if everything went as planned, we'd be going in at about 10.30/11am. There are two planned caesareans that day, and the first lady will go in at 8.30am (as she's diabetic, she needs to go first, which is fair enough!). All going well, we will be next (assuming there are no emergencies along the way for other women) and that will take us up till about 1pm or so. We then get taken into the recovery room for a couple of hours and if everything goes well, we get moved to our room/ward. I'm hoping for a private room and chances are we'll get it - I hope anyway. They might take pity on the fact that I have placenta praevia and would have had a more traumatic experience and so give me the single room!
She then said that on the 2nd day (tuesday), they will help me out of bed and we'll have my first shower - I'm panicking about that because of the wound and the dressing/bandage! But they seem to know what they are talking about ... and if the doctors check both me and baby out and think that we are ok, we can then be discharged! I'm surprised that they think we'll be out on the 2nd day but it has been done. We then have the option of either coming straight home, or going to the midwife-led Birthing Centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. We have been thinking of doing that, but we're not quite sure about that now, only because their beds are the regular ones as opposed to the beds that can be controlled and moved about. Ordinarily that might not make a difference to a woman who has just given birth, but with a c-section, it would be better to be able to have a bed that can be moved with the control buttons.
Because the K&C is 10 minutes from our house as opposed to the QEQM being 30-40 minutes away, the K&C is an attractive alternative. We'll see what happens.
ok - gotta go have dinner now.
Love
P and the blue pea
38+3 weeks
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
A fab appointment with the consultant
The appointment we had yesterday was completely different from the one we experienced two weeks ago... ! which was a relief. :)
Our appointment was scheduled for 3.30pm and just as I was checking in at the reception, I heard my name being called out by the sonographer! I was surprised that they were actually 'on time'! Anyways, both D and I walked into the ultrasound room and explained that we didn't think we should be having an internal scan due to what we were advised the last time we were admitted. She went and fetched the senior sonographer and we proceeded with a normal ultrasound. Baby was measuring spot on again for his age (36 weeks) and the placenta was still in situ, ie hasn't moved. The sonographer went to get the consultant to take a look (the right consultant!) and he confirmed that the placenta was right lateral and posterior, and covers the internal os - ie, we definitely have to have a caesarean. I suppose even though everyone knew this for the last 8 weeks or so, it was the final confirmation at 36 weeks that will set things in motion, like booking the caesarean section and so on.
We asked if he could do the surgery and he agreed. And so we are booked in for the 18th of February 2008! :) It's kinda weird knowing the actual date that baby will be born, but it's nice too. We are now hoping and willing for baby to stay put till the 18th and that there are no complications that will arise from the c-section. We don't know what time the section will take place as it'll depend on their schedule and other potential emergencies with other women, but I hope we don't have to wait too long as I'll have to start my fast from the midnight the night before!!
We then had a very long talk with the midwife whose job was to talk us through the whole procedure and Lesley (that's her name) was extremely competent, patient and kind. I imagine when all this is over, we will send them a really nice thank you card and maybe some flowers! She answered all our questions without making us feel or think that we were being silly - and that means alot to me/us.
I'll have to revise my birthplan slightly, but that's fine.
All in all, a very positive experience and am pleased that we've not chosen the 'wrong' hospital, doctors or nurses to help us with this birth.
Pam and the pea
36+2 weeks!
Our appointment was scheduled for 3.30pm and just as I was checking in at the reception, I heard my name being called out by the sonographer! I was surprised that they were actually 'on time'! Anyways, both D and I walked into the ultrasound room and explained that we didn't think we should be having an internal scan due to what we were advised the last time we were admitted. She went and fetched the senior sonographer and we proceeded with a normal ultrasound. Baby was measuring spot on again for his age (36 weeks) and the placenta was still in situ, ie hasn't moved. The sonographer went to get the consultant to take a look (the right consultant!) and he confirmed that the placenta was right lateral and posterior, and covers the internal os - ie, we definitely have to have a caesarean. I suppose even though everyone knew this for the last 8 weeks or so, it was the final confirmation at 36 weeks that will set things in motion, like booking the caesarean section and so on.
We asked if he could do the surgery and he agreed. And so we are booked in for the 18th of February 2008! :) It's kinda weird knowing the actual date that baby will be born, but it's nice too. We are now hoping and willing for baby to stay put till the 18th and that there are no complications that will arise from the c-section. We don't know what time the section will take place as it'll depend on their schedule and other potential emergencies with other women, but I hope we don't have to wait too long as I'll have to start my fast from the midnight the night before!!
We then had a very long talk with the midwife whose job was to talk us through the whole procedure and Lesley (that's her name) was extremely competent, patient and kind. I imagine when all this is over, we will send them a really nice thank you card and maybe some flowers! She answered all our questions without making us feel or think that we were being silly - and that means alot to me/us.
I'll have to revise my birthplan slightly, but that's fine.
All in all, a very positive experience and am pleased that we've not chosen the 'wrong' hospital, doctors or nurses to help us with this birth.
Pam and the pea
36+2 weeks!
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Daddy's new toy...
I got D a new bike...as part of his 'well done Dad' present...! :) Well, some people have said that men tend to get their wives presents (usually jewellery, like eternity rings!) when they've had their first baby (and I guess, subsequent babies as well) and so I thought I'd get the daddy a present!
We got D a new........ bicycle! :) and it looks like this! But it's the 20" one, not the 16" one. He's so excited about it he's now out (at6pm, in the dark) riding around the woods behind our house. Bless...!
We did also try on some eternity rings at the jewellers - absolutely fell in love with this one http://www.beaverbrooks.co.uk/index.cfm?event=catalogue.showProduct&productID=1173 but at 2,000 over quid, it's alot of money (and about 8 bicycles?!?!) We might get something when we go to sg in the summer..!
Love
P and the pea x
36 weeks tomorrow!
Friday, 25 January 2008
amazing small-mindedness...
I read something in the blog mrbrown.com and it completely pushed my rather low-blood pressure upwards and skywards!
He's a Singaporean blogger who apparently has alot of clout amongst Singaporean readers (and has also attracted some sort of international attention due to various run-ins with the local government). One of his recent posts was on the public transport system, specifically the tube/MRT. Basically the complaint was about how the trains appeared to be more crowded and yet the number of trains that are put on the tracks appear to be less. Hence, increased crowdedness, unhappy population etc.
One of his readers had the audacity to post this in the comments page:
"As if trains aren't crowded enough and to make things worse...
1) Parents nowadays simply refuse to fold up their prams/strollers when entering trains..."
WTF is he on about? How can he think that if parents fold up their prams/strollers, it will make it easier because oh of course, we'd not only be carrying the child, but also the pram, and the shopping and the bags..! I'm sure it's not even a case of not thinking his argument through, but more likely a case of small-mindedness and the quickness to allocate blame onto other people/situations. And I'm not even protesting this because I'm a parent-to-be (well, maybe a tiny bit) but because of the sheer stupidity of his comment!
It's made me feel rather anxious and defensive the next time we (as 3!) go visit Singapore in the summer. I'd imagine that baby will be in a Baby Bjorn type body-carrier as his daddy already loves carrying Vic around in that - but we will also be bringing his buggy to push him about - or maybe we'll just bring the car seat. In a child-unfriendly place, it must be quite daunting for parents to try and maunovere public transport and spaces!
It's made me more appreciative also of the child-friendliess (in comparison!) of the UK environment. Most cafes/restaurants and department stores have baby changing rooms and some even have a rocking chair for breastfeeding mums. All buses have areas where one can leave the prams parked (some don't even need it to be folded). People make space for baby prams - it's not seen as a nuisance, more as a necessity and part of life and so is quite acccepted really! And many restaurants now have baby high chairs or some sort of seat for baby to take a seat, with the parents at the same table.
Plus of course, the positive attitude of employers towards pregnant women, and women on maternity leave. Sure, the UK might still be lagging behind that of Europe and Scandinavia, but it's definitely way ahead of Asia and the US/N.America! At the moment, according to government law, we are entitled to 9 months of maternity leave which can go up to 1 year (I think it's 1 year). Of the 9 months, it depends on how the employer calculates it, but most employers will pay full-pay for a certain portion of the time, and then perhaps half-pay with statutory maternity pay (SMP) for the rest of the time. At the moment, SMP is roughly 100 pounds per week or so, so it's not going to make anyone rich but it allows the person to tide over, I'd imagine.
I opted for the package where we get 8 weeks of full-pay, and then 16 weeks of half pay with SMP and then the rest of the time of SMP only. Hopefully I won't have too many weeks of that since I'm hoping to get back to work for September 2008.
There's also child tax credits and childcare vouchers - which will come in handy when we put the pea in nursery. It basically does not tax you for the amount of money that you pay to the nursery. So if the nursery bill comes up to 400 pounds per month, the government will not tax that 400 pounds, so in fact, it's tax free.
For sure, if we are to have another baby, we'll definitely have it in Europe as compared to in Asia!!!
P and the blue pea
35+4
Edited on 28th Jan2008: turns out that there's a significant minority of Singaporeans out there who actually think that parents with small children should not be allowed on the trains with their buggies (I've since been slated twice for even thinking of doing that). Amazing. Civilised society I think not! *sniff*
He's a Singaporean blogger who apparently has alot of clout amongst Singaporean readers (and has also attracted some sort of international attention due to various run-ins with the local government). One of his recent posts was on the public transport system, specifically the tube/MRT. Basically the complaint was about how the trains appeared to be more crowded and yet the number of trains that are put on the tracks appear to be less. Hence, increased crowdedness, unhappy population etc.
One of his readers had the audacity to post this in the comments page:
"As if trains aren't crowded enough and to make things worse...
1) Parents nowadays simply refuse to fold up their prams/strollers when entering trains..."
WTF is he on about? How can he think that if parents fold up their prams/strollers, it will make it easier because oh of course, we'd not only be carrying the child, but also the pram, and the shopping and the bags..! I'm sure it's not even a case of not thinking his argument through, but more likely a case of small-mindedness and the quickness to allocate blame onto other people/situations. And I'm not even protesting this because I'm a parent-to-be (well, maybe a tiny bit) but because of the sheer stupidity of his comment!
It's made me feel rather anxious and defensive the next time we (as 3!) go visit Singapore in the summer. I'd imagine that baby will be in a Baby Bjorn type body-carrier as his daddy already loves carrying Vic around in that - but we will also be bringing his buggy to push him about - or maybe we'll just bring the car seat. In a child-unfriendly place, it must be quite daunting for parents to try and maunovere public transport and spaces!
It's made me more appreciative also of the child-friendliess (in comparison!) of the UK environment. Most cafes/restaurants and department stores have baby changing rooms and some even have a rocking chair for breastfeeding mums. All buses have areas where one can leave the prams parked (some don't even need it to be folded). People make space for baby prams - it's not seen as a nuisance, more as a necessity and part of life and so is quite acccepted really! And many restaurants now have baby high chairs or some sort of seat for baby to take a seat, with the parents at the same table.
Plus of course, the positive attitude of employers towards pregnant women, and women on maternity leave. Sure, the UK might still be lagging behind that of Europe and Scandinavia, but it's definitely way ahead of Asia and the US/N.America! At the moment, according to government law, we are entitled to 9 months of maternity leave which can go up to 1 year (I think it's 1 year). Of the 9 months, it depends on how the employer calculates it, but most employers will pay full-pay for a certain portion of the time, and then perhaps half-pay with statutory maternity pay (SMP) for the rest of the time. At the moment, SMP is roughly 100 pounds per week or so, so it's not going to make anyone rich but it allows the person to tide over, I'd imagine.
I opted for the package where we get 8 weeks of full-pay, and then 16 weeks of half pay with SMP and then the rest of the time of SMP only. Hopefully I won't have too many weeks of that since I'm hoping to get back to work for September 2008.
There's also child tax credits and childcare vouchers - which will come in handy when we put the pea in nursery. It basically does not tax you for the amount of money that you pay to the nursery. So if the nursery bill comes up to 400 pounds per month, the government will not tax that 400 pounds, so in fact, it's tax free.
For sure, if we are to have another baby, we'll definitely have it in Europe as compared to in Asia!!!
P and the blue pea
35+4
Edited on 28th Jan2008: turns out that there's a significant minority of Singaporeans out there who actually think that parents with small children should not be allowed on the trains with their buggies (I've since been slated twice for even thinking of doing that). Amazing. Civilised society I think not! *sniff*
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