Mother & Child

In the next few months, you are about to go through the most important and wonderful experience of your life – childbirth. If this is your first child, you may feel like you are venturing into the unknown, with a combination of fear and excitement when you think about the "big day". You want to feel great about the experience. Along with a suitable diet and exercise, properly preparing for childbirth is one of the most important things you can do.

Mother & Child offers a wide range of classes and services to help you prepare for the big day. Many parents take their prenatal classes with us and also use our postnatal services which helps maintain continuity of care through their prenatal and postnatal period.

At Mother & Child the prenatal classes we offer include:

• Just pregnant - What can I expect?
• Prenatal Childbirth Preparation Classes

The prenatal services we offer include:

• Massage Therapy
• TENS Machine Hire

Prenatal Classes

Just Pregnant - What can I expect?

This is a unique class for women six weeks to six months pregnant. This class will help you prepare for the coming months of change.

Topics include:

• What sort of changes will my body experience?
• What can I do to maximize my chances of feeling well and having a good pregnancy?
• What can I do to reduce pregnancy associated nausea and vomiting?
• What foods should and shouldn't I eat?
• When am I able to exercise when pregnant?
• What exercises can I do?
• What tests can I expect to have during my pregnancy?
• What should I look for when choosing a doctor or hospital?

Prenatal Childbirth Preparation Classes

Prenatal Childbirth Preparation (our most popular class)

Prenatal Childbirth Preparation classes at Mother & Child will give you the information you need to feel comfortable and confident in your birth process. Our Prenatal Childbirth classes will help you to make informed choices about the kind of birth experience you want and our classes help give you the confidence and unbiased knowledge to ask questions of your doctor.

Our class size is limited to ensure an intimate, cozy and relaxing atmosphere which helps focus your mind on the upcoming birth of your child and on your new baby. Also important, you will meet other mothers and fathers to be who are due to deliver at the same time, and create a social network of friends who are about to embark in the same experience as you. These friends can help to provide the support systems for you, especially if Singapore is your "home away from home".

Mother & Child runs three Prenatal Childbirth Preparation Classes per month on either Monday or Wednesday or Friday evenings or on Saturday afternoon. We recommend that you plan to complete your program approximately a month before your expected due date. Because this is a five week class, you should begin it at approximately 30 weeks into your pregnancy. Classes fill quickly so be sure to book early.

Prenatal Childbirth Preparation Classes at Mother & Child are taught by qualified and experienced Registered Nurses who also have the Midwife qualifications.

Class One: What is Labour?

To include:

• An understanding of labour
• How I will know I am in labour
• When to go to hospital
• What to expect when I go to hospital
• Birth plans

Class Two: The Miracle of Birth

To include:

• Making labour easier
• Coping strategies with or without pain relief including position and breathing
• The Role of my partner
• The actual birth with video

Class Three: Variations on the Normal. Postnatal issues

To include:

• Emergency birth
• Caesarean birth (video)
• Inductions, Episiotomy, Forceps / Vacuum Extractions What are they? Why are they necessary? How are the done?
• How you may feel after the birth

Class Four: Breastfeeding

Feel confident in feeding you baby

• How does it work
• The first few days, what to expect
• How to breastfeed - position latching
• How to know my baby is getting enough?
• Common problems how to deal with them
• Expressing and storage of breast milk

Class Five: Care of the Newborn Baby

• Normal newborn baby and its behaviour
• Care of the newborn baby – bathing, nappy changing etc.
• Bottle feeding

Prenatal Services

Massage Therapy

Pregnancy is a time of great physical and emotional change. Massage therapy for mothers–to-be aids relaxation, while soothing tense and tired muscles, especially those of the lower back, often affected during pregnancy.

Please contact us for more information about our massage services.

For those of you who have been there before and would like a refresher about the birth process. Also for those who would like more information about what to expect when giving birth in the Singapore hospital system.

TENS Machine Hire

A TENS machine is a natural, portable, non-invasive and easy to use method of pain control during your labour. It does not restrict your mobility, and is not known to have any side effects on baby or mother.

TENS Machine use is also covered in our Prenatal Childbirth Preparation Class.

Please contact us for more information about TENS Hire.