Review: Thomson Medical Childbirth Education Course
It was hilarious how my husband bugged me to find him a class that would teach him about childbirth and how to handle a newborn, because at 33 weeks pregnant, he suddenly realised that he was ill-prepared to become a father and didn't know ANYTHING (lol, slow).
I, on the other hand, had been attending a number of pregnancy conferences by myself during my second trimester and knew a little bit of everything, on top of the books I had been reading.
With only a few more weeks to delivery, most of the childbirth courses offered in the market were no longer suitable for our schedule, because we didn't have the luxury of time to commit to a few weeks of lessons - what we needed then was a one-day intensive workshop!
I found out that Thomson Medical Centre offered such courses (link here) with the option to choose between a 1-day intensive workshop, or 4-weeks worth, so we signed up (after our hospital tour) for it.
The website said that it was advised to book around the 20th week of pregnancy, but we did it in my third trimester because it was only then that my husband started preparing himself, lol.
Unfortunately that meant that we could only attend when I was 36 weeks along. Please don't be so last-minute like us, because now we can't make it in time for the complimentary doctor's talk (our slot is for end November, but I would have already delivered and be in confinement by then).
You can view the schedule and course fees here.
If you're delivering at TMC, I would highly recommend that you sign up for their FBI/SBI membership program like we did because the discounts off their maternity rooms, diagnostic tests, gynae and PD consultation fees, etc easily exceed the membership enrolment price in a jiffy! It will also enable discounted prices across their various offerings like this course.
What we learnt
We woke up bright and early to attend this class at Thomson Parentcraft Centre, which is located right across the road from Thomson Medical Centre!
Having attended a number of pregnancy conferences so far, I felt that this course was extremely worth it because it covers the most important stuff and goes pretty in-depth! I learnt a lot more (and within one day, too) and in-depth knowledge about how to prepare myself for labour and a newborn.
In summary, we learnt about:
Each participant was also given a lifelike doll to practise on as well.
All in all, it was a really informative course and both my husband and I enjoyed it! Mdm Chong was a very engaging and hilarious trainer so we were quite awake throughout the whole session (save for the breastfeeding portion where my husband dozed off because he claims it is "not his part" -.-)
I would recommend that first-time parents who are keen on learning the same to sign up in your third trimester so that you remember the information better, instead of doing it too early on where you might just forget the techniques taught (especially if you don't practise). Do come prepared and AWAKE!
The goodie bag
No workshop would be complete without a goodie bag, right? :P
Here's what we got from our workshop!
I really appreciated this goodie bag because it contained tons of useful and practical items including:
(LOL we'll see if he's still this confident after I've delivered k :P)
I, on the other hand, had been attending a number of pregnancy conferences by myself during my second trimester and knew a little bit of everything, on top of the books I had been reading.
With only a few more weeks to delivery, most of the childbirth courses offered in the market were no longer suitable for our schedule, because we didn't have the luxury of time to commit to a few weeks of lessons - what we needed then was a one-day intensive workshop!
I found out that Thomson Medical Centre offered such courses (link here) with the option to choose between a 1-day intensive workshop, or 4-weeks worth, so we signed up (after our hospital tour) for it.
The website said that it was advised to book around the 20th week of pregnancy, but we did it in my third trimester because it was only then that my husband started preparing himself, lol.
Unfortunately that meant that we could only attend when I was 36 weeks along. Please don't be so last-minute like us, because now we can't make it in time for the complimentary doctor's talk (our slot is for end November, but I would have already delivered and be in confinement by then).
You can view the schedule and course fees here.
Course Fee
Deliver at:
Weekdays
Saturday
Thomson Medical
$260.00
$330.00
Other Hospitals
$281.00
$351.00
TMC FBI/SBI Members
$247.00
$313.50
If you're delivering at TMC, I would highly recommend that you sign up for their FBI/SBI membership program like we did because the discounts off their maternity rooms, diagnostic tests, gynae and PD consultation fees, etc easily exceed the membership enrolment price in a jiffy! It will also enable discounted prices across their various offerings like this course.
 |
| Us at the course! |
What we learnt
We woke up bright and early to attend this class at Thomson Parentcraft Centre, which is located right across the road from Thomson Medical Centre!
Having attended a number of pregnancy conferences so far, I felt that this course was extremely worth it because it covers the most important stuff and goes pretty in-depth! I learnt a lot more (and within one day, too) and in-depth knowledge about how to prepare myself for labour and a newborn.
In summary, we learnt about:
- antenatal exercises to do during pregnancy
- pain relief techniques during labour
- pain relief options available in hospitals
- signs of labour to watch out for and when to go to the hospital
- the actual birth process (covered all 4 types of deliveries, including water birth. This was my first time seeing crowning!)
- breastfeeding techniques
- overview of the different breast pumps (Medela vs. Spectra vs. Hegen)
- breastfeeding massage techniques for dealing with engorgement
- how to hold and position baby for breastfeeding
- supplements to boost breastmilk
 |
| Practising the antenatal exercises taught by Mdm Chong |
Each participant was also given a lifelike doll to practise on as well.
The practical hands-on included:
- how to burp baby
- how to bathe baby
- how to change baby's diapers
- how to DIY your own diaper (if you suddenly run out of disposable ones at home)
- how to handle baby if baby chokes (!!!!)
- baby massage techniques
- home treatment for (mild) jaundice
Our trainer for the day was Mdm Chong, who has years of experience as a maternity nurse at both KKH and TMC prior to conducting these courses. She shared with us plenty of real-life experiences that she witnessed among her patients, and the stories were really useful!
 |
| Mdm Chong illustrating what it means for baby to be "engaged" |
Do note though that the one-day workshop IS PRETTY INTENSIVE. I've been for quite a few pregnancy conferences so far and nothing compares to the amount and depth of knowledge we were taught within the 6+ hours at this workshop.
No workshop would be complete without a goodie bag, right? :P
Here's what we got from our workshop!
I really appreciated this goodie bag because it contained tons of useful and practical items including:
- a waterproof Cordlife foldable tote bag
- TMC wet wipes
- Huggies diaper wipes
- Huggies diaper samples (3 pcs)
- stroller organiser bags
- a milestone card set
- a bathing essentials set - muslin cloth + security towel wipe
- 3 books on childbirth, breastfeeding and childcare by Dr. Wong Boh Boi (aka the baby whisperer in TMC!)
We don't have to prepare anything else for our baby's bath because the rest will be given when we're discharged from TMC after delivery - baby bathtub, shampoo, soap, diaper cream, etc. Very practical indeed!
(I've also already finished reading the childbirth book at time of this post, lol)
I'd initially shared my (rather informal) review of the workshop on my Dayre while blogging about it in real-time, but thought I'll also put it here on the blog lest anyone thinking of signing up is looking for a review. Both my husband and I really enjoyed our time and have no regrets that we did this. In fact, he claims he's fully-prepared to welcome baby Nate anytime now that he has equipped himself with the relevant skills!
(LOL we'll see if he's still this confident after I've delivered k :P)
If you're going for this, don't forget to use the tips I shared to offset the cost of the workshop / the 4-week course! I believe the sign-up link is here, which also contains the schedule dates and respective costs.
Have fun!
With love,
Budget Babe
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