Vaginal birth delivery at one of, if not the most expensive hospitals in Singapore. My hospital charges came up to $14,135.02. Was it worth the price tag?
I will try my best to chronicle my experience at Gleneagles Hospital. Honestly everything was pretty much a blur as I was drifting in and out of sleep the whole time I was there. Oh boy, giving birth is tiring.
Description of Gleneagles Maternity Wards
There are four maternity ward types at Gleneagles – the Two-bedded Room, Single Room, Superior Room and Dempsey Suite. For the comparison table below, the two-bedded room has been excluded.
*Differences are highlighted in pink
Television
Telephone
In-room safe
Slippers
Towels
Toiletries
WiFi
Mini-Fridge
• Customised Confinement Menu
• Comprehensive Newborn Blood Screen, Bilirubin Test, Hearing Screening and Vaccination
• Celebratory cocktail for 6 persons*
• Accommodation for partner for duration of package
• Meals for partner for duration of package
Television
Telephone
In-room safe
Slippers
Towels
Toiletries
WiFi
Mini-fridge
Writing table
• Customised Confinement Menu
• Comprehensive Newborn Blood Screen, Bilirubin Test, Hearing Screening and Vaccination
• Baby Metabolic Screen
• Celebratory dinner for 2 persons
• Celebratory cocktail for 6 persons
• Accommodation for partner for duration of package
• Meals for partner for duration of package
• Welcome minibar
Television
Telephone
In-room safe
Slippers
Towels
Toiletries
WiFi
Mini-fridge
Writing table
Nespresso machine
• Customised VIP Menu
• Comprehensive Newborn Blood Screen, Bilirubin Test, Hearing Screening and Vaccination
• Baby Metabolic Screen
• Celebratory dinner for 2 persons
• Celebratory cocktail for 6 persons
• Accommodation for partner for duration of package
• Meals for partner for duration of package
• Welcome minibar
• Nespresso Coffee
*We did not have the celebratory cocktail due to Covid and only two visitors were allowed
I chose the single room because we value privacy but also decided that we did not need the Superior Room or Dempsey Suite because the additional perks were unnecessary for us and not worth the additional amount in our opinion.
Breakdown of Prices
| Normal/ Assisted* Vaginal Delivery with Epidural | $4,423.36 |
| Surgical Supplies | $549.54 |
| Medical Supplies | $99.97 |
| Equipment and Supply | $209.05 |
| Baby Screen | $216.15 |
| Newborn Screening | $278.91 |
| Pharmacy | $623.18 |
| Total Hospital Charges | $6,400.16 |
| GST @ 7% | $448.02 |
| Hospital Charges Subtotal | $6,848.18 |
| Rounding Difference | $0.14 |
| Doctor Fee (Anesthetist) | $1,337.50 |
| Doctor Fee (Gynae) | $4,943.40 |
| Doctor Fee (For my haemorrhoids) | $363.80 |
| Doctor Fee (Pediatrician) | $642.00 |
| Total Hospital Charges | $14,135.02 |
How Do I Feel About It?
I joked that my stay at Gleneagles felt more like a staycation because I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, aside from the euphoria of becoming a new Mama. The room is cosy, the staff are professional and friendly, and the meal selection is wide and good.
My Birth Experience
Admission
In hospitals, they count Day 1 as the day of admission. It did not matter if you entered at 0000h or 2359h. They would still count it as Day 1. I recalled joking that if I came at 11pm, I would wait outside the hospital until 12am just so I would not waste a day.
My kind little bundle of joy chose to pop at 0800h in the morning so I could fully enjoy the first day.
Delivery Process
I felt a cramp at four in the morning when I woke up to go to the toilet. I’ve heard about Braxton Hicks so I didn’t think much about it and went back to sleep. Suddenly, I felt a gush of water and I jumped out of bed — my waterbag broke!
My contractions ensued and they were 20 minutes apart so I took my time to pack, showered, and ate breakfast before going to the hospital. On the way, water was still flowing (so please, remember to wear a long thick pad!). When I reached the hospital, the contractions became more intense and I had to stop walking and wait for it to pass.
When we first reached the hospital at 5.30am, we were whisked into the delivery ward immediately and two midwives attended to me. The first question they asked was if I would like to administer epidural, but I went into delivery hoping not to use the epidural for two main reasons – curiosity and pride.
They told me I was already 7cm dilated and knowing that I needed to reach 10cm to start pushing, the end felt near and I insisted I did not want the epidural.
Throughout the contractions, the midwives stayed calm and composed and were very encouraging. Even when I was screaming, “PLEASE HELP ME! WHY IS IT SO PAINFUL!!” (the laughing gas did not work for me at all, I still felt all of the pain and even started vomiting), they assured me that they were there to help me.
The pain was getting unbearable and at closer intervals. I asked how long it would take for the dilation to go from 7cm to 10cm, and they said it really depends but it might take around 3 hours. That was the point of time I decided to throw in the towel and request for the epidural. As it was outside office hours, the anaesthetist took about half an hour to reach — I was already close to tears by then. My husband had to leave the room (I heard many husbands fainted upon seeing the size of the needle) and they administered the epidural for me. I felt almost instant relief and from then on, I could only feel pressure, but it was totally painless.
Fifteen minutes later, they told me I could start pushing! I could only depend on the midwives’ cues on when to push because I could no longer feel the contractions. Each time I pushed, they also pushed on my stomach downwards to aid the baby. They asked me to use my abs but I guess after nine months of not using it, it became useless.
After an hour, my gynae said that her head was still very high and he had to use the vacuum to assist. The first attempt was not successful. On the second attempt, he told me that if it still did not work, we might have to do a cesarean delivery. That was my biggest fear and upon hearing that, I did two big pushes with all my might and she finally came out!
My labour process took only 3 hours and the nurses warned that the next delivery is usually even faster. They also very kindly hinted to just request for the epidural from the start the next time. I remember apologising to them for all the screaming and we had a good laugh about it.
Post-Delivery
Gleneagles Hospital is pro skin-to-skin post-delivery which is evident from the poster hung on the wall that states to have at least one hour of that. I really appreciated that we were given the time and privacy for that in the delivery ward.
A staff member came to the delivery ward to take our breakfast orders and I was given the choice of confinement or normal meals and I selected the latter. Lodging and meals for partners are included in the package so for our first meal, I had fish porridge while my husband had Nasi Lemak in the delivery ward. Apparently, they were full-house that day and were waiting for patients to check out, and we were shifted to the accommodation ward at about 1.30pm.
Hospital’s Facilities & Amenities
Room Amenities
We were lucky to be given a double room all to ourselves due to Covid.
Room amenities included an en-suite toilet with shower facilities, toiletries, towels, slippers, sofa bed, television, telephone, in-room safe, WiFi and mini fridge. The sofa bed must have been pretty comfortable because my husband was able to get 9 hours of sleep (Yes, I am complaining). On the second day, a staff member came in wanting to change the sheets, but we felt it was not necessary. She then insisted on at least cleaning the floor.
In-Hospital Meals
There was a wide selection of halal-certified meals to choose from in Gleneagles Hospital. We could choose from Chinese, to Western, to Local and these options could suit everybody’s food preferences. Every meal, a staff member would enter with an iPad and we had to select a Soup, Main, Dessert and Drink. Supper was biscuits with a choice of drink.
Thanks to the wide range, I was blessed with a happy problem of constantly eating and having to decide what I wanted to have for my meals.
We were given a celebratory dessert table on the second day too. Oh and did I mention the red date tea? It’s really yummy!
Nurses and Their Services
Gleneagles Hospital is pro-breastfeeding and encourages rooming-in with your baby.
I chose not to room in with my daughter as I felt the need to recuperate and might be too occupied if she was around. The nurses were kind enough to understand and did not judge me. Fortunately the nursery was two doors down from our room and my husband spent a lot of time there – so much so that the nurse asked where he was!
Nursery
There were about 6 babies in the nursery and 3 nurses each time, which seems like a good ratio. The nurses were attentive and made sure to record what time I fed, and which side I ended off with. Even though the nurses were on shift, the transition was smooth.
They also responded to my call within minutes each time I pressed the call button (I am so sorry my fat butt accidentally called them a few times but they never got annoyed).
Expertise of Lactation Consultant
In the late afternoon of Day 1, the Lactation Consultant (LC) came in and provided a detailed briefing to kickstart my breastfeeding journey. Thereafter, it was time for baby’s feeding, and she stayed to observe and provide advice. Nothing beats on-the-job training and I was thankful she did not rush through the session. On the morning of the last day, she taught us how to syringe feed our baby with the colostrum that she helped collect earlier on.
Staff of Gleneagles
The staff at Gleneagles were organised and it almost felt like they were following a schedule for my Gynae, Pediatrician and LC check-ins. This was most evident on the final morning when they all took turns to come in for the final check-in.
I recall telling my husband that we should bid farewell to all the staff who took such great care of us the past 3 days. However, I guess they were all busy and we did not manage to catch any of them around. That was quite an anti-climatic end to our stay.
Thoughts About Gleneagles Maternity Wards
I felt very well taken care of at Gleneagles Hospital and could focus on my recovery.
The highlights for me were the
- Comfortable environment
- Delicious meals, and
- Wonderful staff
I will recommend Gleneagles to people who:
- Prioritise a luxurious birthing experience
- Enjoy an extensive meal selection (no repeats!)
- Require personalised lactation consultation
- Have the extra budget to splurge
After comparing with the bills from other hospitals, I feel that the additional amount we paid was worth it given the premium experience. However, this was also because I had a vaginal delivery. From what I understand, the cost difference for an emergency and cesarean delivery varies even more.
Delivery is no easy feat but I hope that you future mamas out there have a positive experience and good start to motherhood!
