Articles

Being at the receiving end of healthcare services in Singapore, I was very impressed with the maternity care I received when I had my first child almost 6 months ago. Maternity services in Singapore are obstetrician-led, rather than midwife-led as in some countries like the UK. There are number of private hospitals to choose from, some of which offer services such as water births. In addition to having an obstetrician, some mothers to be will choose to have a personal doula, who will support both you and your partner during your pregnancy and be present during the labour. Knowing what type of birth you would like to have (ie. natural approach, closely monitored approach, water birth) can be helpful in deciding which obstetrician to choose and whether you would like to hire a doula or not. However, most women pregnant for the first time will not have even thought about the birth. By gathering information from your GP and finding out about obstetricians as well as the various maternity facilities in Singapore, you can be better informed when making your choices.

My personal advice is once you have a short-list of potential obstetricians, make an appointment and get to know the obstetrician by asking questions regarding his/her approach to managing the pregnancy and labour. Some obstetricians will only deliver in a particular hospital, whereas others can deliver in a number of different hospitals. If you have not decided which hospital to deliver in, you can arrange a tour of the labour ward and post-natal care wards. In addition, consider whether you would like to hire a doula and again arrange an appointment to understand her approach and whether her service would be of benefit to you and your partner.

So if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, make an appointment to see your GP and get informed about the maternity services in Singapore.

Dr Sundus Hussain Morgan