I did an unthinkable thing, which is to head over to JB for confinement.
When I first suggested that, everyone around me warned me against it. They cited the lack of healthcare should I or Hunter is unwell and the inconvenience caused by the distance.
I wasn't deterred and pushed forward with it and I didn't have any regrets. I enjoyed my time there tremendously and would go back there again if not for my insistence that I would not have a second kid. All that being said, there are definitely some cons but they are minor issues in my opinion.
Pros:
Amazing food
As everyone knows, food in JB tastes better and the confinement centre is no exception. 5 meals are provided a day with unlimited milo and biscuits should you be hungry. (Trust me, breastfeeding is hungry business). The timings are 9am (breakfast), 12pm (lunch), 3pm (teabreak), 6pm (dinner) and 9pm(supper). As you can see, I was really well taken care of in the food department when I was there.
Huge single room
The room that I stayed in was huge. Hubby was also welcomed to stay in with me and the queen sized bed can accommodate the both of us. Technically, food isn't provided for the hubby but he managed to won the aunty's heart, scoring free food!
24/7 care for the baby
This was the deciding factor for me. I refuse to entertain the thought of my mum and my MIL taking care of Hunter as they would be the nagging kind. Also, I didn't like the idea of a CL as there have been many horror stories.
There are 2 teams of nannies who would be taking care of the babies in the baby room. 3 nannies in 1 shift. I like this arrangement as it means that the nannies would have adequate rest. The baby room is also kept at a constant temperature of 25C. I am very particular about this part as I am worried that Hunter would have eczema like me.
Being the usual me, I usually keep Hunter at the baby room unless we are both awake and I want to play with him. I can request for him to be brought over to my room for feeding etc but I was just too tired most of the time. And, I suck at getting him to breastfeed. He will just turn his head everywhere and the bm kept dripping everywhere. OMG
For those who want to do full breastfeeding can do so. Actually they highly encourage it. However, Hunter was already too used to feeding from the milk bottle before the confinement stay.
They also used hot water to wash the pump kit and milk bottles (old school method). Apparently, the UV steriliser was down when I was there, which I was a little disappointed by (tbh).
Security
There are also CCTVs in the baby room and the social area (where the changing of diapers and showering take place) AND it is available to all the parents who stay over. 24/7. This ensures that I can keep an eye on my baby at all times (except when I'm sleeping lol) and I can see when he is awake.
This feature is awesome as a paranoid FTM. I kept checking to see how Hunter is doing even though he was asleep most of the time.
The confinement centre itself is located in a landed property area; those G&G type so security is pretty tight. No issues when I was there for a full month.
Traditions
They are very big on traditional confinement. This might be good for those who believe in showering with herbs, wearing long pants etc. I got scolded for not drinking the red date tea and washing with the herb water haha. But honestly, it is too troublesome for me.
For those who are worried that the centre will bathe their kid in beer, fear not. They don't do that. I saw this big sign that says no bathing in beer when I was there for the site recce. I went back and checked around; so apparently, this is a malaysian confinement practice. Do ensure that your CL don't do that! It made my cousin's kid's eczema worse!
Ease of communication with boss and staff
They are really nice people! Very easy-going and helpful! I had to delay my arrival due to Hunter's jaundice and they were more than ok with it.
Price
I paid 10k ringgit (SGD 3300) for the 30 days(items that baby use are covered in the package). The only items that I brought was my clothes, pump set, milk bottles, shower kit, sanitary pads, and Hunter's chou chou. And the set of clothes that Hunter was wearing. Everything else was provided in house.
4 x 1 hr massage was also included in the package. Apparently, there is 1x session in the suana which
Cleanliness
Laundry is done every day and bedsheets and linens are changed once a week. The toilet is also cleaned every day.
Of course, there are definitely cons. These are definitely considerations you need to take before deciding to take the plunge.
Cons:
Accessibility
You definitely need a car (or grab) to go in as it is a residential area. A little hard to find if you are not familiar with the area. We got the confinement centre's boss to drive us in and out of Malaysia for the confinement period for an extra fee.
Unexpected circumstances
Hunter was hospitalised because of jaundice and had to go for follow ups at the polyclinic. As such, we had to delay the confinement stay by 2 weeks. My mum was nagging at me to just do the rest of the confinement at home. Honestly, I was flustered by the sudden change in plan as I was planning to take the car over once I was discharged from TMC.
To be fair, the confinement centre is also able to procure phototherapy services for Hunter but my parents insisted that Singapore's care is better. To prevent arguments, I just went along with their logic.
After I went over, I realised that confinement centre actually monitors the jaundice level of the baby 1-2 times a day. I also saw the babies bathing in the early sunlight (when I managed to wake up early enough). I sort of regretted not going in earlier despite the misgivings that my parents had.
However, it is up to one's comfort level. Maybe I'm just a chill mum.
Passport services
We need to create a passport for Hunter before he was able to travel out of Singapore.This warrants another post by itself as the phototaking itself was a disaster.
Facilities
If you are looking for high-end stays, this would not be your cup of tea. The facilities are pretty basic and no frills. But they are good enough (I would maybe call it family-like and cosy)?
All in all, the stay was a good one and it achieved my main objective, which was to allow me to rest and recover while ensuring that my baby is well taken care of.
Sleeping position of baby
This is not a con per say but I think some parents would be worried as they use the tradition method of allowing the baby to sleep on the side/on the tummy. I was also similarly worried till I realised that all the babies here know how to raise their head and didn't suffocate. But I understand that this might be one of the deterring factors as we are taught to let the baby sleep on his back.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I just hope that this can be an alternative for those who are open to adventures :)
When I first suggested that, everyone around me warned me against it. They cited the lack of healthcare should I or Hunter is unwell and the inconvenience caused by the distance.
I wasn't deterred and pushed forward with it and I didn't have any regrets. I enjoyed my time there tremendously and would go back there again if not for my insistence that I would not have a second kid. All that being said, there are definitely some cons but they are minor issues in my opinion.
An unassuming front
Pros:
Amazing food
As everyone knows, food in JB tastes better and the confinement centre is no exception. 5 meals are provided a day with unlimited milo and biscuits should you be hungry. (Trust me, breastfeeding is hungry business). The timings are 9am (breakfast), 12pm (lunch), 3pm (teabreak), 6pm (dinner) and 9pm(supper). As you can see, I was really well taken care of in the food department when I was there.
Huge single room
The room that I stayed in was huge. Hubby was also welcomed to stay in with me and the queen sized bed can accommodate the both of us. Technically, food isn't provided for the hubby but he managed to won the aunty's heart, scoring free food!
24/7 care for the baby
This was the deciding factor for me. I refuse to entertain the thought of my mum and my MIL taking care of Hunter as they would be the nagging kind. Also, I didn't like the idea of a CL as there have been many horror stories.
There are 2 teams of nannies who would be taking care of the babies in the baby room. 3 nannies in 1 shift. I like this arrangement as it means that the nannies would have adequate rest. The baby room is also kept at a constant temperature of 25C. I am very particular about this part as I am worried that Hunter would have eczema like me.
Being the usual me, I usually keep Hunter at the baby room unless we are both awake and I want to play with him. I can request for him to be brought over to my room for feeding etc but I was just too tired most of the time. And, I suck at getting him to breastfeed. He will just turn his head everywhere and the bm kept dripping everywhere. OMG
For those who want to do full breastfeeding can do so. Actually they highly encourage it. However, Hunter was already too used to feeding from the milk bottle before the confinement stay.
They also used hot water to wash the pump kit and milk bottles (old school method). Apparently, the UV steriliser was down when I was there, which I was a little disappointed by (tbh).
Security
There are also CCTVs in the baby room and the social area (where the changing of diapers and showering take place) AND it is available to all the parents who stay over. 24/7. This ensures that I can keep an eye on my baby at all times (except when I'm sleeping lol) and I can see when he is awake.
This is how I tell that Hunter is awake and feeding
The communal/social area
The confinement centre itself is located in a landed property area; those G&G type so security is pretty tight. No issues when I was there for a full month.
Traditions
They are very big on traditional confinement. This might be good for those who believe in showering with herbs, wearing long pants etc. I got scolded for not drinking the red date tea and washing with the herb water haha. But honestly, it is too troublesome for me.
For those who are worried that the centre will bathe their kid in beer, fear not. They don't do that. I saw this big sign that says no bathing in beer when I was there for the site recce. I went back and checked around; so apparently, this is a malaysian confinement practice. Do ensure that your CL don't do that! It made my cousin's kid's eczema worse!
Ease of communication with boss and staff
They are really nice people! Very easy-going and helpful! I had to delay my arrival due to Hunter's jaundice and they were more than ok with it.
Price
I paid 10k ringgit (SGD 3300) for the 30 days(items that baby use are covered in the package). The only items that I brought was my clothes, pump set, milk bottles, shower kit, sanitary pads, and Hunter's chou chou. And the set of clothes that Hunter was wearing. Everything else was provided in house.
4 x 1 hr massage was also included in the package. Apparently, there is 1x session in the suana which
Some of the photos that were taken
Cleanliness
Laundry is done every day and bedsheets and linens are changed once a week. The toilet is also cleaned every day.
Of course, there are definitely cons. These are definitely considerations you need to take before deciding to take the plunge.
Cons:
Accessibility
You definitely need a car (or grab) to go in as it is a residential area. A little hard to find if you are not familiar with the area. We got the confinement centre's boss to drive us in and out of Malaysia for the confinement period for an extra fee.
Unexpected circumstances
Hunter was hospitalised because of jaundice and had to go for follow ups at the polyclinic. As such, we had to delay the confinement stay by 2 weeks. My mum was nagging at me to just do the rest of the confinement at home. Honestly, I was flustered by the sudden change in plan as I was planning to take the car over once I was discharged from TMC.
To be fair, the confinement centre is also able to procure phototherapy services for Hunter but my parents insisted that Singapore's care is better. To prevent arguments, I just went along with their logic.
After I went over, I realised that confinement centre actually monitors the jaundice level of the baby 1-2 times a day. I also saw the babies bathing in the early sunlight (when I managed to wake up early enough). I sort of regretted not going in earlier despite the misgivings that my parents had.
However, it is up to one's comfort level. Maybe I'm just a chill mum.
Passport services
We need to create a passport for Hunter before he was able to travel out of Singapore.This warrants another post by itself as the phototaking itself was a disaster.
Facilities
If you are looking for high-end stays, this would not be your cup of tea. The facilities are pretty basic and no frills. But they are good enough (I would maybe call it family-like and cosy)?
All in all, the stay was a good one and it achieved my main objective, which was to allow me to rest and recover while ensuring that my baby is well taken care of.
Sleeping position of baby
This is not a con per say but I think some parents would be worried as they use the tradition method of allowing the baby to sleep on the side/on the tummy. I was also similarly worried till I realised that all the babies here know how to raise their head and didn't suffocate. But I understand that this might be one of the deterring factors as we are taught to let the baby sleep on his back.
The kakaks who do kitchen and cleaning duties! They made sure that I have ample food and clean facilities :D
The team of nannies who helped to take care of Hunter! They are really awesome and taught us how to care for Hunter.
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