New Mums

Once the shock of multiples has subsided,

it’s time to get planning.

You’re a new or future mum of multiples and you want to be as ready as possible for your little ones. Here is a compilation of tips from our members that you may find invaluable. You may also want to visit our forum or join us so that more information and contacts can be made available to you.

GYNEACOLOGISTS/OBSTETRICIANS
Gyneacologists and Obstetricians used and recommended by our members*.

* Please note that the following recommendations are from Twins Plus members only and not medical professionals.

Doctor: Clinic/Location: Telephone: Dr Abdul Aziz Aziz Clinic For Women 6842 0220 Dr Ann Tan Women & Fetal Centre, Paragon 6887 1103 Dr Annapoorna Venkat NUH 6772 2277 Dr Anne Hagarty Paragon 6736 0951 Dr Chan Tanny Gleneagles 6472 6818 Dr Chan Yvonne TMC 6256 4664 Dr Chang TC WC Cheng & Associates, Thompson Medical Centre 6253 4122 Dr Cheng Li Chang Thomson Medical Centre 6253 6174 Dr Chew Siong Lin Stephen NUH 6772 4276 Dr Chia Yee Tien Mount Elizabeth MC 6235 2500 Dr Chong Chris Gleneagles 6474 3031 Dr Choolani Manesh Camden Medical Centre 6333 6181 Dr Chua Eunice Paragon Medical 6333 8608 Dr Chua Irene KKH 6294 4050 Dr Chua Kah Mui Eunice Thomson Medical Centre 6254 2878 Dr Chua Selina Mount Elizabeth MC 6734 1689 Dr Fong Yang Fong’s Clinic, Jalan Membina 6276 7727 Dr Foong L C, O&G Partners Gleneagles Hospital 6479 7267 Dr Hagerty Ann Paragon 6736 0951 Dr Heng Tung Lan East Shore Parkway Hospital 6440 7266 Dr Jacob Shirin Camden Medical Centre 6333 6181 Dr Jazlan Joosoph Raffles Medical Group 6311 2037 Dr Kwek Kenneth KKH 6394 1001 Dr Lai Fon Min Camden Medical Centre 6333 6181 Dr Law Wei Seng Pacific Healthcare Holdings, Paragon 6883 6962 Dr Lee I Wuen Raffles Hospital 6311 1666 Dr Lee Wei Hong Specialist Healthcare, Paragon 6733 3376 Dr Leong Noel Thomson Medical Centre 6255 6883 Dr Lim Li Wen Tracey Tow Yung Clinic, Tanglin Shopping Centre 6737 4433 Dr Lim Teck Beng Mount Elizabeth 6734 4822 Dr Lim Teck Chye Tow Yung Clinic, Tanglin Shopping Centre 6737 4433 Dr Loh Seong Feei KKH 6394 1694 Dr Loi Kelly Paragon 6235 5066 Dr Nair Suresh Mount Elizabeth MC 6887 4264 Dr Ng Christopher Camden Medical Centre 6733 8810 Dr Sim Lee Ngor Thomson Medical Centre 6353 9270 Dr Soong Yvonne Bernadette Clinic for Women, Thomson Medical Centre 6353 9035 Dr Su Lin Lin NUH 6772 2277 Dr Tan Gordon Joy Clinic for Women, Gleneagles Medical Centre 6737 0044 Dr Tan June KKH 6394 1001 Dr Tan Tony Raffles Hospital 6311 1230 Dr Tan Wee Khin WC Cheng & Associates, Thomson Medical Centre 6253 4122 Dr Tham Benjamin WC Cheng & Associates, Thomson Medical Centre 6253 4122 Dr Thong Pao-Wen Joan Raffles Medical Group 6311 2037 Dr Tseng Paul TLC Gynaecology Practice, Thomson Medical Centre 6254 2878 Dr Wee Horng Yen KKH 6294 4050 Dr Wong PC Emerald Clinic, NUH 6774 5336 Dr Yap Lip Kee Mount Elizabeth 6734 3328 Dr Yee Tien Chia Mount Elizabeth 6235 2500 Dr Yeo Ker Chiang Thomson Medical Centre 6254 6688 Dr Yeoh Swee Choo Mount Elizabeth MC 6235 0788 Dr Yong E L NUH 6772 4261 Prof Biswas Arijit NUH 6772 2277 Prof Rauff Mary Emerald Clinic, NUH 6772 2277 Prof Wong P C NUH 6772 2277

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PAEDIATRICIANS
Paediatricians used and recommended by our members*.

* Please note that the following recommendations are from Twins Plus members only and not medical professionals.

Doctor: Clinic/Location: Telephone: Dr Chan Irene Lai Yeen Paragon 6883 6969 Dr Ee Teong Tai Kenny KinderKlinik, Paragon 6732 4718 Dr Heng Joo Teck Kidslink Clinic, Jurong East 6567 5600 Dr Keoy Soo Shin Novena Medical Centre 6397 6960 Dr Khor Elizabeth Paragon Medical 6736 6331 Dr Koh Poh Kian Ang Mo Kio 6456 8874 Dr Koh Poh Kian Mount Alvernia 6255 5239 Dr Lee Bee Wah Mount Elizabeth 6736 0533 Dr Lim Kwang Hsien Mount Alvernia 6478 5925 Dr Lim Lilian The Kids Clinic Sengkang 6881 1711 Dr Loh Mark IMC, Camden Medical Centre 6733 4440 Dr Low Kah Tzay Paragon 6836 2802 Dr Murugasu Belinda Mount Elizabeth 6734 5833 Dr Ng Simon Pau Ling Mount Alvernia 6356 8143 Dr Ngiam Siew Pei Nicola NUH 6772 4420 Dr Ong Dorothy Bukti Timah Plaza 6468 9803 Dr Ong Eng Keow TMC 6252 6115 Dr Ong Woon Hong Aglow, United Square 6259 9554 Dr Rajalinggam Vasanthi Kinder Clinic Paragon 6732 4718 Dr Sivasankaran S Kinder Clinic Paragon 6732 4718 Dr Tan Mein Chuen Raffles Medical Group 6311 1111 Dr Tang Chien Her SBCC Baby & Child Clinic (Ang Mo Kio Central) 6397 6966 Dr Toh Veronica Raffles Medical Group 6311 1111 Dr Vethody Kumaran Pradeepkumar KinderKlinik, Paragon 6732 4718 Dr Yeo Kim Lian Gleneagles 6471 6808 Dr Yip YY Gleneagles 6235 6706 Dr Zubair Amin NUH 6772 5075 Leong Clinic 6476 0572 Prof Lee Jiun NUH 6772 5075

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POST PARTUM SUPPORT

Welcoming newborns, not least when there are 2 or more arriving at the same time, definitely has its challenges – 2-hourly feeds, trying to establish proper lactation for breastfeeding moms, lack of support, drop in hormone levels, and more – on top of which you may have to spend the early days going back and forth to the NICU!

Here are 2 support groups our members recommend in Singapore.

1. Baby Café at Mother & Child Centre – Tanglin Mall Tel 6836 0063. Every Monday 2-4pm for breastfeeding mothers.
2. Well Baby Clinic at Body with Soul Rochester Park. Baby Café every Tuesday and Thursday 10.30am-Midday.

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HOSPITAL CHECKLIST

A simple list of what you may want to pack to take to hospital for the big day as well as checklist to help you get organised before your family gets a whole lot bigger!
Hospital Checklist (download pdf):

Hospital bag (make sure it’s packed by the beginning of month 8):

1. Birth Plan
2. Prefilled Hospital pre-registration forms
3. Your favorite magazines, books, or anything to pass the time
4. Bathrobes, lounge wear, and night gowns. For those breastfeeding, bring nightgowns with a front close
5. Your favorite slippers and a few pair of socks
6. Towel & hand towel
7. Nursing bras
8. 3 or 4 pairs of large underwear (Disposable underwear – provided at the hospital)
9. Hair clip or elastic
10. Maternity napkins -1 pkt
11. Breast pads
12. Personal hygiene items – eg. toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush, face soap, deodorant, moisturiser etc
13. Tissue box
14. Favourite snacks
15. Comfortable and loose clothing for the trip home

Dad’s bag:

1. Camera (fully charged and/or spare batteries)
2. Magazines, books, or anything else to pass the time
3. The phone numbers and contact information for all you will want to call
4. Mobile phone with recharger
5. Snacks
6. Change of clothes
7. Toiletries including toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, etc.

Babies bag (remember to cater to the number of babies!):

1. Diapers – Newborn size
2. Vests (size 0000)
3. Rompers (size 0000)
4. Receiving blankets
5. Mittens, booties & beanies
6. Infant Carseats
7. Wet wipes

Hospital tips:

1. Keep your babies hospital tags on as long as possible to tell them apart in the first few days. Change to coloured ribbons afterwards.

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NURSERY CHECKLIST:

Nursery Checklist (download pdf):

Bath

1. Baby bath tub Buy a stand or build a support that keeps the baby tub on top of your own bath tub, so you do not need to bend forward every time to reach your babies.
2. Bath seat Helps support your baby while washing him.
3. Sponge
4. Bath soap Make sure it is newborn-friendly.
5. Bath Toys For a later stage.
6. Towels & Facecloths

Changing

1. Change table
2. Changing mat
3. Diaper dispenser
4. Diapers – Newborn size
5. Barrier Cream To treat nappy rash
6. Baby Wipes
7. Talcum Powder Use either talcum powder or lotion. Never both.
8. Massage oil and/or body lotion
9. Baby detergent Optional.
10. Nail clippers & soft emery board. When they are tiny, a soft emery board is usually the easiest way to stop their nails from growing and scratching them.
11. Brush & comb Soft bristles.
12. Cotton buds
13. Cotton Sterile to clean eyes for the first few days.
14. Small cup to wash face Use sterilized water only for first few weeks.

Feeding

1. Feeding cushion
2. Cushions/pillows to support babies when B-feeding U shaped pillows are great for this.
3. Chair for breastfeeding A comfortable armchair is a practical choice.
4. Standing fan
5. Breast pump Either manual or electric.
6. Body Moisturising Cream Eg. Purelan or Palmer’s cocoa cream.
7. Breast pads
8. Nursing bras
9. Baby bottles
10. Steriliser
11. Formula milk At least one tin even if B-feeding, just in case.
12. Bottled mineral water / Cooled boiled water To mix with formula or to use when washing babies faces.
13. Breast cups Useful to collect the milk when nursing one at a time
14. Baby dish washing liquid
15. Bottle brush
16. Thermos (optional) To keep the water warm for formula-fed babies
17. Drain rack for bottles Keep sterilized bottles in a clean, separate place.
18. Bottle tongs (to take them out of steriliser) Often provided with the steriliser
19. Container formula 4 portions Most are 3 portions – not handy when you need them for 2 feeds for 2 babies!
20. Terry nappies 100% cotton To protect the changing mat, the pram, burping baby, etc
21. Muslin Wraps To swaddle babies. Also great all purpose cloths.

Clothes

1. Rompers
2. Mittens, booties & hats
3. Blankets Cotton waffle blankets are a safe choice
4. Pacifiers Optional.

Bedroom

1. Cots
2. Cot sheets in cotton
3. Bumpers Optional
4. Musical mobiles Almost all babies love these!
5. Baby monitor A good idea if the babies will be sleeping in another room.
6. Dimming light/Night Light Really useful for the night feedings!
7. Sleeping Bags Great if you use air-conditioning.
8. iPod Speakers Make sure you load some soothing music to your iPod.

Transport & carriers

1. Rocking chairs or bouncinettes
2. Fully reclineable pram It’s important to note that a lot of prams do not full recline and are only appropriate from age 3 months and up.
3. Sarongs Optional
4. Baby carriers Eg. The Baby Bjorn or a baby sling.
5. Infant carseats Test out how to install these before your due to avoid drama the day you’re taking the babies home.
6. Big Baby Bag It amazing how many diapers, wipes, bottles & toys you’ll have to carry around.

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ROUTINE & BREASTFEEDING
Some tips from our members on Routine and Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding specialists in Singapore: most hospitals will have an in-house breastfeeding expert on hand in the maternity ward. Alternatively, Mother & Child has excellent advice.

To open dialogue with another Twins Plus Mum, simply visit our Members Profile section to make contact or visit our facebook page.

Marina: “I do have one suggestion. Write everything down. Get a notebook and keep a dairy with feeds, motions, burping times (specially for first time mums), bath time, sleeping times etc. It really helps. Good luck!”

Helle: “My best advice to anyone is to get a confinement-nanny, like the locals do. She was a great help especially at night – she burped them, changed them and put them back to sleep all I had to do was breastfeed. She also cooked special food for me, ensuring my milk was rich and plentiful.”

Sarah: “I firmly believe that the only routine worth following is the one the babies set themselves. Trying to enforce a routine on a young baby is a frustrating and fruitless experience – under three months it’s best just to feed them as much as you can if you’re breastfeeding or as much as they can manage if it’s formula.”

Ina: “We (approximately) followed the Gina Ford ‘Contented Little Baby Book’ routine. It worked really well. Our twins were ‘in sync’ by 4-5 months. They started sleeping through the night (8pm to 7am) from about 6 months. Before we got Gina Ford’s book, we were following the babies’ own feeding and sleeping times (on demand). It started driving us insane. They started going out of sync, so we started roughly following the book (as a guide – not strictly). The routine made sense, for us and the twins.”

Karen: “My advice on breastfeeding:

1. Determination – don’t give up
2. Discipline – very important to express every 3 hourly to establish the initial flow
3. Endurance – endure tiredness & pain, buy a nipple cream and apply them each time after expressing
4. Good supply of clean bottles, think there are bags these days. I bought loads of them at $2-$3 each!
5. Drink loads of water, eat healthily e.g lots of carbo, protein & vegetables, don’t think of your figure, it comes naturally. I put on 30kg during pregnancy and lost 5kg each week without a sweat during the 1st month.
6. Invest in a good electric pump, manual pumps make you tired and it’s slow, makes you want to give up. Ensure that you know where to find the accessories for replacement. E.g. if you buy the Medela pump from the 1st year shop in KKH, they will sell you the accessories.
7. Invest in a good cooler bag & ice block for office use
8. Invest in a couple of good nursing bras
9. Let your colleagues know that you are nursing so they can be supportive and understanding e.g. excuse yourself during meetings, find you a room if there is no nursing room in your office, ask to keep the freezer compartment for your use.
10. Use hot water to clean the pump after use in the office. If you really want, you can bring a small rice cooker or slow cooker to sterile your pump after use.
11. Have a support group – I had the Ask-a-nurse hotline to talk about issues. Hope these experiences will be useful!”

If you have more tips to share with our members, please email us.
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RECOMMENDED READING

Looking for relevant reading to understand your pregnancy and the joy of having multiples? Here are a few titles recommended by our members.

Title Author Pregnancy & Birth (and all books from same author)* M. Stoppard The Contented Little Baby Book* G. Ford When you are expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads* Barbara Luke & Tamara Eberlein Mothering Multiples – Breastfeeding & Caring for Twins or more K. Gromada & Le Leche League The Nursing Mother’s Companion* K. Huggins

* book available in our Twins Plus library
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