Until, a graduate mommy highly recommended I participated in Mrs Wong Boh Boi's classes. Having mommy friends definitely help for one, because you get all the tried and tested tips!

Branded as the baby whisperer, she can put any wailing baby at ease and purportedly solve any lactation problems BUT, the waitlist is long and she is with TMC. SO not being a patient of TMC did matter in terms of discounts.

6 weeks of lessons with doctor's talks inclusive and the recommended start date is around 20 weeks but the earliest date available was in my 24th week - oh well! Planning early always helps!

AMK Hub it was for all our lessons with Mrs Wong, socks for both the husband and I are compulsory else we had to get them over the counter. Afterall, it's an event room in a child's indoor playground so be prepared to be terrorized by running and shrieking kids.

• Physical and Mental Preparation

The first lesson was the longest, starting at 330pm and ending almost 3 hours later inclusive of a break in between. House rules and an introduction to pre natal class, a ton of myths debunked and I learnt more about the right sitting and getting up posture. 

• Pain Relief

I thought there will be notes provided throughout the course but turns out the set given out at the first lesson would be sufficient for the remaining lessons. Hmm. Breathing techniques were taught but really, what was going through my mind at 25 weeks is, how am I going to remember all these when I'm in severe pain. And the video showing how epidural is administered did freak me out a big deal.

Husbands were taught a simple back massage and I hope Hubba remembers how to massage during delivery!

• Labour

Having the part one covered the week before, this felt like a repeat of the last lesson. Lesson started with a video on various forms of pain relief used in actual birth situations, including operations. Lots of detail and medical terms covered in this session (literally the different stages and medical terms used during labour), an information overload for me and to some point, unnecessary I felt because for sure we picked our gynaes and hospitals for their expertise and knowing too much, sometimes does not help.

For future courses, pain relief and labour will be condensed into one and the April intake was the last with a separate session - all the better I thought.

• Feeding

 This was a combined session with the rest of her classes and held at SCGS Auditorium - going back as an old girl meant so much more! It was more of a low key carnival with freebies and booths.

I found this session most useful, especially when I was keen on breastfeeding...and hopefully I have the perseverance to outlast the pain and issues that may come my way. Lots was shared on bottle selection, breast feeding issues and breast care...fingers crossed I don't need to schedule a session with Mrs Wong after the birth!

Starting slightly after 7, it still took more than 2 hours to end.

• Practical Hands-on Baby Care

We did not get the alert that this would be delayed so long and last more than 3 hours so we only had a go at swaddling and bathing our "baby" for the day! This was the only session at AMK Hub at saw us sitting more comfortably on chairs rather than on mats.

 

I wonder who looked more at ease with this 3 kilogram doll. 

 


It was not long before the antics started and the Hubba decided to take things into his own hands - by stuffing the cotton ball into the baby's mouth. *deadpan*

The videos were pretty informative, except the hands on was really just more than an hour's worth of repetition. 

• Doctor's Talk (complimentary)

The heavy rain prior to the talk made me reconsider if I should even attend. I left it to the weather to decide and I ended up attending the talk anyway.



Outside the auditorium there were a number of booths and amongst which, there was free sampling of the confinement menu!

There were a number of speakers lined up for the night,

Paediatrician

Useful tips to know about what to expect from a PD's point of view after the birth, handling jaundice and feeding tips. 

TCM

Great knowledge for those not hiring confinement ladies - and of course, the purpose of the talk was to drive sales of the confinement tingkat catering and TCM services of Thomson Medical.

Cordlife

Skipped this since we already signed up.  

Personally, I think one should manage your expectations before going,

• Videos are clearly dated, probably back to the 80's or even early 90's given the hairstyles of those featured in the video and mostly Caucasian but I suppose child birth is the same regardless. 
• Don't expect fanciful slides, these probably saw Mrs Wong through her entire career. 
• The class is going to be packed, arrive early to nab a comfortable spot else risk sitting with a straight back for a good couple of hours. 
• Come prepared with questions, she takes on questions after the class, Mrs Wong's expertise makes her a knowledge bank so fire away! 
• Bottled water and biscuits are provided, if you do get hungry. At 330pm, it's more of the afternoon fatigue that I need to fight off more than hunger pangs and she tends to drag her lessons till 6plus for the second session on Saturday.  
• She tends to give too much information and may come across as too long winded. Is everything that is mentioned necessary?  

 So now with all the skills and information we think we need to know, it's time for the real deal and put practice to work! Wish us luck!