Ready and packed for the hospital!

That's my maternity bag, all packed and ready for the hospital!

I'm smarter this time round.  When I had Connor, I knew I would have a room all to myself and so packed my stuff into my lovely expensive leather bags.  Besides it was Jakarta and we were going to this super-duper posh private hospital so had to erm...  keep up with my fellow Jakartans who always seem to out-posh me, even in a hospital.  Who else on earth packs their stuff into LV bags for labour!  

This time I know I may be in a public ward so I just picked Dear Hubby's golf weekend bag.  This is what I packed:

Large t-shirt

Roomy pants

Even roomier knickers

(All of the above were stolen from Dear Hubby.  The beauty of having a very big-sized husband is that you can always fit into his clothes even at 40 weeks pregnant!)

Flip-flops for the bathroom, I don't like walking on shared bathroom floors... so icky!

Socks to keep my feet warm, I have very cold feet

Light jumper

Roomy dress for coming home in.  I'm still hoping it will be a nice summer's day when we get discharged and bring Number Two home for the first time!

Slip on shoes 

Toiletries for me

I also packed:

Clothes for Number Two

A swaddle blankie

A fleece blankie

Mitts, socks, a cotton hat

Nappies!  Wipes!  LOTS of wipes!

Face cloths and muslins

A Liverpool FC romper suit for coming home, the exact same one Connor wore coming home from the hospital

Last to go in will be some snack bars, a water bottle, my phone charger and iPad. 

Fellow mummies, if I've missed anything out, let me know!

From Yahoo: Owning pet dog may help prevent allergies in kids

A friend sent me this link which is an article about how owning a pet dog may help prevent allergies in children.

We don't own dogs.  One of the reasons is because we live in a condo unit where pets are forbidden.  Secondly, I am not a dog person.  My husband is and would dearly love one should we ever live in a house with our own garden.  I said yes, provided HE does all the cleaning up after the dog.  I'll be damned if I had to be a career woman + mum + house cleaner + cook AND dog keeper too.

Anyway, this article reminds me of our trip to UK when Connor was 10 months old.  We'd made a stopover in Dubai, staying with our friends and their two toddlers and dog.  Connor had been displaying signs of not being well as he was refusing all food.  He wasn't running a temperature or anything though, just refusing food which was very unusual for him.

When we got to the UK, Connor had two bouts of projectile vomiting.  After that, he was fine.  What we didn't know was either he was or we were still carrying some sort of bug that was transmitted through close contact.

Every single person we came into close contact with during our first week in the UK fell ill.  My parents-in-laws stayed in bed for 2 days.  My sis-in-law had bouts of vomiting.  Scores of British relatives and friends had tummy upsets and fevers and most were ill for at least a week.  The worst hit were the children of Dear Hubby's senior management exec - they were sick for 2 weeks.  Oops.  No bonus that year for Dear Hubby.

The only people who were unaffected were people who had spent some time living in Asia recently and/or people with dogs.  Cats didn't seem to help as my in-laws have a pet cat and they were sick as a... er... dog.

I thought it was very interesting that the dog owners had some sort of immunity against whatever we were carrying.  Clearly whatever bug we were carrying was familiar to immune systems that had been to Asia as a friends who had just returned from years of living in Asia (but had no dogs) did not fall ill.   Every other Brit just about dropped dead, felled by the bug except the dog owners.

So there you go.  Proof that dogs are more than just man's best friend.

My son, the hypochondriac

Connor is a hypochondriac.  That is a fact.

Once we'd arrived at Mario's for a speech therapy session and Connor had limped heavily into the room.   Mario had noticed that as well as the plasters on his feet and had asked in concern, "Oh why is he limping?  Is he okay?"  I'd snorted.  "Oh it's nothing.  He's just had this little paper cut on his toes and insisted that I put plasters on his feet."  Mario had laughed because from the way Connor was acting, it looked like he'd dropped a one-ton block of cement on his feet and was recovering from it.

Every now and then, my son will come to me and point out various "ow's" (our word for hurt) and ask for bandages and "Pooh bear plasters".  If you haven't seen them, Hansaplast makes kiddy-friendly plasters that are printed with cartoon characters.  I bought a pack for him and he loves them!  Too much, I would say.

The other day while he was putting up a fight during "brush teeth time", I told him sternly that the dentist had told Mummy that if Mummy didn't brush his teeth properly, he would get worms in his mouth.  This proved to be a mistake as he's now coming up to me and declaring "Mummy, Connor has worms in (insert body part)... Mummy please give Connor a plaster?"

It's almost as bad as his OCD-ness... but that's a story for another day.

Dentists in Kuala Lumpur: Damansara Heights Dental Centre

Today was Connor's 2nd dental appointment with Dr Larry.

Our first visit was six months ago.  The dental centre is located in a small row of shops (end shop is Secret Recipe) next to SK Bukit Damansara.

Mindful of our last visit when Connor had refused to co-operate, I was much better prepared this time around.  I had actually gotten our appointment date mixed up so I had turned up on Monday only to be told it was today instead.  The clinic has a children's play area so I had let Connor play there for about 10 minutes instead of leaving immediately, thinking it would help him get used to the place.

It helped!  Connor was pleased to see the place again and it was no longer Strange New Place but Fun Dentist Play Area to him.

I had also prepped him for the visit, reminding him for days before that we were due a dental check and that the dentist would help him have healthy teeth.  We also practised lying down and opening our mouths for a pretend check.

Dr Larry is good with kids.  He has a kids' booster cushion for them to sit on in the dentists' chair and the nurse always gives out a sheet of stickers after the check-up is over.  He doesn't dive straight into a check but calms them by showing them a model of their mouth and gets them to count the teeth and pretend to brush them before asking them to open their mouth.

We even succeeded in getting Connor's teeth polished!  First he showed Connor the tool he would be using.  Then he demonstrated on Connor's nail what it felt like and we all assured Connor that it was ticklish and fun.  Then into the mouth it went!

After that was done, the dentist presented Connor with a sheet of Thomas stickers.  Those are actually stickers I'd brought and passed earlier to the receptionist.   The dentist also gives out a sheet of stickers to all kids but I thought Thomas stickers would seem like a bigger reward to my little train engineer so brought my own.

Very pleased with how today went.  I'm very keen to get him used to dental visits so we started him off early, his first visit to the dentist was when he was 2+ yo.  We've only recently switched to Dr Larry purely as he's closer to us and easier parking to be found around his clinic.  So far so good and I'm happy!


Click HERE for more info on the clinic.


Damansara Heights Dental Centre
Tel: +603-2093 0309
(We paid RM50 for consultation and RM130 for polishing)



Note:  For some reason, Google Maps shows the clinic to be in a different location, much further along the road.  It it actually right round the corner from SK Bukit Damansara, same row as Secret Recipe. Secret Recipe does show up in the right location on Google Maps, so just follow that if you aren't sure of how to get there.

Connor and speech delay

I'd mentioned before I thought Connor was a slow talker compared to other kids.  Well meaning relatives and friends comforted me with the usual "Oh, it's just boys!  Boys are slow!" and tales of their cousins/friends' sons/uncles etc etc who didn't say a word until they were four and then couldn't shut up.

But I knew deep inside something was not quite right.

End of last year, we had a school report.  The school also noted Connor's speech wasn't developing as it should.  They also mentioned that he showed signs of having ADHD as he's quite active at school and he won't pay attention to some things.

I immediately rang up speech therapists for a diagnostic appointment.  Guess what?  Most of them were booked solid for months.  Fortunately for us,  one of them rang back saying a patient had cancelled their appointment so he had a free slot.  Would we be interested in coming over?  I said yes immediately.

He administered a test which consists of flash cards and sequential story cards.  He would ask Connor questions.  At first they were easy ones.  "Point to the monkey."  They got progressively more complicated as we went along. "Point to the monkey first, then the giraffe."  He was also asked to repeat what was said in a story and the phrases got longer and more complicated as the story progressed.

Results showed Connor had a moderate speech delay.   When the therapist saw my alarmed expression, he said that speech delays were very common in boys.  He also assured me that he could help and with practise, it can be fixed quite easily as the delay was not related to a cognitive disorder.  That is, if the delay was related to say... Asperger's, then it would take longer to help him overcome the delay as there are other issues in play.

 When I brought up the issue of ADHD, the speech therapist was quite annoyed.  ADHD can only be diagnosed after tests and after the child has shown very specific behaviour consistently in different environments.  Based on what I'd said about Connor's behaviour at home and the speech test results, it was very likely Connor was being disruptive at school because he didn't understand what was being said to him.  He was annoyed the school had put the idea in my head as he could see I was worrying too much about it.

Connor now attends speech therapy once a week.  During speech therapy, we work on vocabulary and concepts like before/after, first/then... stuff that Connor hasn't quite grasped but should have.

I understand why the school brought up the ADHD issue.  I think their concern was if they don't highlight it and that turns out to be the case, the parent will accuse them of not spotting it and of ruining their kid's future.  Better to highlight it as a possible cause and then be wrong later.  I spoke to a friend who said her daughter's kindy had confided to her that she could be autistic as she kept having this spaced out look in class.  What the school didn't realise is that M was advanced for her years and was looking spaced out because she was bored!  M is now studying in the Aust Intl School here in KL and is a year ahead of her class.

What I really want to say is this - parents, you know your child best.  If you think there is a problem, act on it.  Listen to your heart, listen to what you know.  I know relatives and friends mean well with their reassuring stories and I appreciate that but this is YOUR child and his future at stake.  If you think he needs help, GET IT.  If you are worried that people might think your child is "abnormal" or "slow", don't be.  The earlier your child gets help, the better his chances will be.

I was utterly distraught the first few days when we had confirmation of Connor's speech delay.  My first thought was "Oh no, what about Cambridge now!"  LOL  After I'd calmed down, I thought of all my blessings.  Of what a loving, happy, good boy he is (apart from the usual toddler tantrums).  Of the fact that he is a healthy and otherwise normal child.  We knew Connor wasn't stupid.  He's just not talking as he should.  The therapist was confident Connor could overcome this easily with help.  Why shouldn't I as well?

Lately, we've noticed something has switched on in Connor's little head and sentences are just tumbling out non-stop.  We have been working on his speech, making him say more before he gets stuff he wants and it's working.  He's still not quite there but I'm happy to say that he's making good progress.

I just wanted to post about my experience so that other parents can benefit from it.


Speech therapists in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor:

Marios Genethliou (we go to Mario for speech therapy, Connor adores him),
KL Sports Medicine Centre
Damansara Heights
Tel:  03-2096 1033
www.klsmc.com

Care Speech,
Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, KL
Tel: 03-2161 6618
www.carespeech.com


Jennifer/Melissa Peters,
Tel: 03-4252 7611 or 03-7981 5958
www.speakeasyconsultants.com


EDIT:   Just for parents' FYI, this is what Mario charges:  RM200 for initial consultation, RM165 for each one-hour session thereafter.  The test he administered for Connor cost RM300

New Parents 101: How to get your kid to open his mouth at the dentist

Dental appointments rank somewhere near the very bottom of my list when it comes to Favourite Things to Do. Dental appointments for my little two-and-a-bit year old are ranked even lower. When talking with my mummy friends, all but one admitted that they had probs getting their toddlers to open their mouths for the dentist. We don't because we have a Secret Method.

It is very simple really.

I just hold Connor's nose tightly. The law of self-preservation means that he will immediately open his mouth so that he can breathe. Ta-dah! Dentist, you can do your work now!

This method works best if your child has a big nose. Unfortunately, Connor has a cute little nub of a nose and sometimes I lose my grip on it.

Enter Method Two but this requires the presence of Dear Hubby.

He simply grabs Connor and swings him upside down. Connor loves this and always, always bursts out laughing when we do it to him. When he laughs, his mouth is wide open... geddit? The plus point of this method is that it makes dental visits fun. If there is ever such a thing.

We go to Dr Kok Yuen Pin. She's in the new office buildings along Lorong Maarof (the one that's connected to the LRT station), next to Menara Maybank. She's on the side that's facing Lorong Maarof. If you'd like an appointment for you or your toddler, call her at 03-2288 1612.

Child Healthcare in Kuala Lumpur: Baby & Beyond Clinic, Bangsar Village II

We were at Baby & Beyond Clinic last weekend for Connor's booster shots. When we first returned from Jakarta, I took Connor to Pantai KL for a check-up. But the parking was a nightmare. I nabbed what looked to be the last spot in the last possible basement parking floor. Ugh. The consultation room was also very small, the toys scattered around looked dirty and tattered and I felt extremely worried when the sick children in the room were coughing and sneezing right next to my healthy little boy. All those germs circulating in the one small room!

So when time came for booster shots, I thought I would try somewhere else. By chance, Dear Hubby picked up a business card from Baby & Beyond in our apartment lift. Someone had obviously dropped it. So I gave them a call and set up the appointment.

Wow. What a nice looking place! There is a spacious, clean waiting area with lots of nice clean-looking toys. There was a play kitchen, a vacuum cleaner, a doll and its pram, books and child-sized furniture to keep your little ones happy while waiting. What I liked most is that the clinic door is always kept locked for the little ones' safety. Meaning they can't just run out and no one can just poke an arm in and grab a kid.

The best bit has to be the receptionist's desk. It's cleverly constructed to look like one of Britain's iconic red double decker buses. The driver's compartment actually works. Connor was delighted, opening the door to climb in and sit inside, driving the bus.

We saw Dr Chow Su Lin. She's young-ish.. must be about my age or perhaps younger. I was there on a quiet weekday so we had a good talk about Connor's development. When I voiced my concerns about Connor's speech development, she listened to my fears and asked questions before deciding Connor was on track and there was nothing to worry about. We talked about Connor's physical development too and I also confessed there was nothing I could do about Connor's refusal to drink plain water.

This is what I want in my doctor. Someone I can discuss my concerns with. Not someone who brushes my fears off because I am a layman. I may not have gone to medical school but this is my child, I am the main caregiver and if I have any valid concerns, I want them to be heard by my doctor.

We'll be headed back next month for Connor's Hepatitis A jab. He's not going to like the jab one bit but at least there's the prospect of the bus to play with. The bus must have really made an impact on my son. We went back to Bangsar Village II a few days after for shopping. The moment we entered the shopping mall on the ground floor, Connor took a look around and started shouting, "Buh! Buh!" (Bus! Bus!) I couldn't imagine what he was talking about until I remembered the clinic on the 3rd floor.

Baby & Beyond is located on the 3rd Floor of Bangsar Village II. They provide some other services parents may be interested in such as postnatal homecare package, speech and language therapy and developmental and behavioural assessment. Opening hours:
Paediatric Clinic:
Mon-Fri: 10am - 1pm, 5pm-9pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 4pm

Other Services:
Mon-Fri: 1-5pm
Sat: 10am - 4pm

Click here for their website or call them at +603-2282 9028.


Parking is dead easy in BV II. And after the jabs, Mummy and Baby can head off to Fit for Two next door for lunch or grab a Starbucks on the way out. Brilliant!

Back to normal in Jakarta post bombing

Looks like we're all going about our business like nothing's happened. We went out for lunch at an Italian restaurant on Sunday and it was quite full. You'd never guess that bombs had just gone off in our city just last week.

We've decided to stay put in Jakarta. Here in Kemang, life seems to be going on as normal. I just want to say that in my year here in Jakarta, I've come to the conclusion that most Indonesians are very friendly, very warm and quite, quite tolerant. Some people may read in the papers "...most populous Muslim country in the world" and think "Uh-oh! Millions of terrorists!" And if your idea of a terrorist is someone in Muslim dress, well have I got news for you - they're not common here in Jakarta. I see more covered heads walking the streets of KL than I do here. And unlike Malaysia, the population isn't exactly divided into Melayu, Cina, India dan lain-lain and given their religion based on ethnicity. (Here, you. Melayu. Okay.. Islam. You.. Cina. Okay... Buddhist) That's why I never realised Wahyu from Dear Hubby's office is actually a Christian. I felt very silly when I realised I'd done the Malaysian thing and simply assumed he was Muslim based on his name and appearance.

Everyone I've met has greeted me with a friendly Hello or a smile and I've never had any problem because I'm an Asian married to a white man. They may not speak fluent English or any English at all but you have no doubt about their friendliness.

I would really like to go to Mega Kuningan to have a look at the hotels but I don't think I can with a baby in tow. This isn't the first time and this won't be the last. As long as people are feeling left out of progress and being forced to do things just one way, there will be more attacks.

Jakarta Hotel Bombing 2009 - The Day After

Dear Hubby flew back from Balikpapan last night so that he could be with us for the weekend. He wasn't planning to at first but with the bombings, he thought it was best to come home. I have to say I was very worried that there was going to be bombs at the aiports but I knew security would be super-tight just immediately after the bombings. I was so relieved when he finally arrived home on our doorstep.

It's all over the papers. Terror Returns said the Jakarta Globe, our daily newspaper. We'd been pretty upbeat the presidential election had passed smoothly without any incident and on the night of the wedding we attended, we'd spoken to a young Indonesian who'd been confident about his country's future. So we'd all been feeling good.

Then earlier this week, out came a report about explosives discovered in a house in Central Java. I must admit I didn't really read it as Connor demanded my attention but I remembered thinking, "Uh-oh..."

TvOne showed clips from the hotel security cam last night. It was just scary to see this guy, wearing a cap pulled low over his face and pulling a trolley bag behind walk into the breakfast room and knowing that you were going to see something awful. In my heart, I was screaming for the people present in the clip to run, run for their lives but they couldn't have known it then. I'll never forget seeing a portly man walk casually towards the entrance of the room where the bomber had just entered and then the bomb going off and I couldn't see that guy anymore because of the smoke and debris that blasted out and covered everything.

Dear Hubby said his friend texted him to say one of his buddies had been there and had been airlifted to Singapore for treatment. No one we know personally was there but we sorrow together with all those who'd lost someone or who had someone they knew hurt in the blasts.

I went out ytdy to get some food from a supermarket nearby. I left Connor at home with the maid fearing chaos on the streets and figuring that I had a better chance of running back without a baby. It was all quiet here in Kemang. Everything looked normal out on the streets though it seemed to me there were fewer people walking about.

We've stayed put in the house today. We'll take a peek outside tomorrow. As of now, I don't think we'll fly out of KL yet. Things still seem calm in Kemang and we'll monitor the situation before we decide to go anywhere. I am worried mainly for my son who has no idea how awful the world can be and we will fly out if necessary.

But what of others who have no choice? Does going back to KL really guarantee we will really be safe from any terror attacks? Have we got to hide and run forever? At this point in time, I'm all for shooting the hell out of those who are trying to take away the future of Indonesia.

Jakarta 9:33am - Explosion caused by genset?

From Kompas.com:

Is a genset instead of a bomb the cause of the explosion? In a city where electricity supply can be erratic, many places have a generator on standby at all times.

Well the jury's still out.

I regret using the word "bomb" in my previous post... the word "explosion" would be more appropriate and more truthful, so I'm going to change it now.

JUST IN: Explosion in JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton, Jakarta

Okay.. I'm feeding Connor some Rice Krispies and I see this on CNN: Bomb explosion in Jakarta. YIKES!

The 2 hotels are located in Mega Kuningan and I can assure you that the bombs were not exactly strong enough to harm us here in Kemang. According to Kompas.com, the first bomb went off at 730am and a 2nd bomb followed 3 minutes later. Channel News Asia reported that the bomb went off on the 3rd floor of the Ritz. As the breakfast area of the hotel was just a floor below, this resulted in many casualties as many guests were getting breakfast at that time. TV showed the street outside the hotel strewn with glass and packed with security and news crews.

I am watching the local news now for updates, switching between AnTV, MetroTV and whoever who has updates. Kompas.com is very good for online updates but you need to understand B. Indonesia.

For friends and family following this blog, we are okay here in Kemang. We will be staying put here unless the situation demands we get out. For now, we'll just be keeping a low profile and staying home.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Baby gear for rent in Jakarta - Bambino Piccolo

If you've got a baby and you're travelling, you know you've got lots of gear to lug. Anyone who's ever tried handling a fussy baby, the bag carrying all his stuff plus the stroller plus the car seat PLUS your luggage will know what I mean. Surely there's got to be a better way.

Well there is now in Jakarta. You can rent baby gear if you're travelling this way for a holiday or you're an expat mum waiting for the baby gear in your shipment to arrive. I'd been looking for this place for forever because I remembered reading about them in the Jakarta Post last year but I couldn't find the link again. Luckily a more persistent friend and fellow mum found the site and sent it to me - thank you, Liza!

The site is called Bambino Piccolo. They rent stuff like cots, stroller, car seats and bumbo seats. I haven't tried them myself so I can't vouch for their services. According to their T&C page, the minimal rental period is 2 months. They do have some products that have a shorter rental time though like their strollers. Their products are guaranteed to be kept clean and in good condition and are usually less than a year old.

So for all those expat mums who've written to ask me if there's any place they can rent baby gear, click on the links below and take a look at what they have to offer.

Bambino Piccolo on Multiply
Bambino Piccolo on Facebook

Baby healthcare in Jakarta: Jakarta Women and Children Clinic

We're back from Connor's visit to the paed. Today, Mommy had some company in the form of Aunty Melvinder who wanted to check out the paed. It was really great to meet another new mum who knows and understands what I'm going through and I am delighted to have made a friend.


Connor is now 2 months old and it was vaccination time again. Boy, did he ever cry. But he's all zonked out now on his bed. The same thing had happened the last time he had a vaccination. He just slept and slept.

We picked Jakarta Women and Children Clinic (JWCC) for a number of reasons:

• It came recommended by a friend who has a 4-year-old daughter. As this friend of mine is a medical doctor herself, I thought her recommendation came with some credibility.


• It's REAL close to home. The last thing I want is to have my doctor live halfway across the town when my son's ill.


• The doctors there speak fairly good English. This is a plus point in Indonesia as Dear Hubby can only ever communicate in 2 languages - English and Scouse.

On my first visit there, I was impressed by the paed who saw Connor. He was clearly competent and his calm manner reassured this new mum. Trust me... when it's your first time being responsible for a tiny human being who's totally dependent on you, you get freaked out sometimes.

Unfortunately he left JWCC not long after to serve at another hospital. So we switched paed to Dr Lineus. And Dr Lineus was even better! At each check, he will check Connor thoroughly, go through his growth records and he patiently answered all my questions. I didn't have many questions the last time but I had quite a few this time. I do check up on health and baby websites for info each time I have doubts but nothing beats the reassurance of a flesh and blood doctor.

JWCC has 2 sections. The ground floor is allocated for O&G concerns. I can't comment on that bit because I've never used them. The paed floor is upstairs and you have to go up this spiral staircase to reach it. At the top is a safety gate which you have to unlatch and close behind you. This is my only complaint about the place. I really don't like climbing up strange staircases while carrying my baby especially spiral ones.

First-timers will get a baby health book to keep track of his health records and a membership card. You pick up the book at the reception on the paed floor and the card at the ground floor lobby. Bring along any other previous health records you've had of your baby and they'll add it into the JWCC booklet.

JWCC paed floor has:

• a small play area. Good for amusing the little ones while they wait for their turn. I've been to JWCC on weekends and it's absolutely chock-full of little ones playing with the toys there. It also has a tv that's permanently tuned to some kiddie channel.
• a nursing area. Really good as Connor always has impeccably timed his need for milk with the moment we have to see the paed. *sigh*
• a small Mothercare outlet. Surprise! But a really good idea. If you run out of diapers or wipes, you can make a quick purchase here. And if your kiddie decides all his toys are boring, you can buy a new one here. He barfed all over his clothes? No worry.. just pick up another one at the store.

As for the cost of seeing them... lemme see... A paed consultation fee is Rp320,000. You have to pay for vaccinations here and obviously they vary from one vaccine to another. Today Connor had his DPT, Hib 1 and PCV1 jabs plus an oral polio vaccine and it cost Rp1.47 mill.

If you'd like to check them out, the address is:

The Jakarta Women and Children Clinic

Jl Prapanca Raya No. 32A

Jakarta Selatan, 12160 Indonesia.

Tel: +62-(21)-7279 9911

Email: jwcc@cbn.net.id

Healthcare in Jakarta: Rumah Sakit Pondok Indah

We moved to Jakarta when I was about 16 weeks pregnant and the first thing I did before coming over was to start searching for a doctor. On my first recon trip over, I got hold of a map of Jakarta and looked up where we were living. There were also expat forums that I'd consulted and one forum had a mum raving about the care she got in Rumah Sakit Pondok Indah (RSPI). I looked it up in the map and it wasn't too far from where we would be living, so I gave it a try.

Now, the word "Rumah Sakit" doesn't exactly inspire confidence in me. This is because that is the old word for hospitals back home in Malaysia and all it does is conjure up images of wooden buildings and an era where the X-ray machine was cutting edge. One visit to RSPI was enough to dispel all my silliness.

RSPI is a private hospital and it's very similar to the Gleneagles and Pantai chain of hospitals that we're used to back home in Malaysia. For those who do not speak B. Indonesia, don't worry, most of the staff can speak English. The hospital is clean, looks well organised, well run and er... priced accordingly. I believe you get what you pay for though and I'm more than happy to pay to ensure competent care for the birth of our first baby.

I've been going there for my monthly check-ups and I have to say I'm quite satisfied with the competence of the staff as well as the level of technology that they have on hand. For example, my doctor here has a far more advanced ultrasound machine compared to my similarly priced gynae back in Gleneagles Ampang. He's competent enough for me and will meticulously check all of Little Monkey's key measurements at each visit. For mums-to-be, be sure to pick a doctor you are comfortable with, someone you don't feel awkward with if you have to ask questions. It's your choice, don't feel afraid to change doctors if you are not comfy with the initial doctor you've seen.

Today, I made a visit to the delivery rooms and maternity wards to have a look at what I could expect come November as I expect to deliver the baby here. The nurse was kind enough to give me a tour and answered any questions I had. Even though we had a slight language problem (I didn't know pre-natal classes here were called "Senam Hamil", lit. pregnancy exercise, I thought it was pre-natal yoga or something!), I could tell that she knew what she was talking about. She told me that the hospital arranges for breastfeeding and babycare classes for mothers and I was very relieved to hear that because I know I'm going to need help. There's also pre-natal classes but they'll only start when I'm past 30 weeks. She also assured me that if I had a problem, I could call the hospital at any time. I can imagine myself calling now, "Help! I can't get his arm into his babygro, what do I do???"

The delivery room was spotless and brightly lit. The nursery where they bring the newborn for the initial check looked the same and the nurses sitting there gave me a smile and wave when I poked my head in... after my belly of course... my belly now leads the way when I walk. I'm really glad to see the staff were competent and attentive and that they had classes for mums and babies so that I can learn more about taking care of the baby and make some friends at the same time.

I then took a walk down to Customer Service where I was greeted pleasantly by a Mrs Christine. I had questions to ask about the baby's birth registration. As we're both foreign residents, we'll have to get the baby's birth registered at the British Embassy (Malaysian mums can't pass on Malaysian citizenship if they give birth on foreign soil) and I was anxious to find out about the paperwork and fees involved. Just as I'd guessed, RSPI has an agent that will handle all the civil registration for the birth as they are used to having foreign residents giving birth there. We'll still have to get the British Embassy registration done by ourselves but I'm sure we can ask the RSPI agents if they know any agents who can do that for us. Getting official paperwork done in Indonesia can be tricky for foreigners who don't speak the language or know who to contact, so it's usually done via agents. They get it all done without hassle for a fee and it's money well spent.

I also got a list of charges for the delivery and stay. They have a variety of packages to suit your budget. Some examples given below for a normal delivery and a 3-night stay, these are approximate charges and do not include extras like an epidural, external consultation and paed's fees:

• Class C (6 patients to a room): Rp6.8 million
• Class A (1 patient to a room): Rp10.1 million
• VIP room (1 patient + foldout bed for dad staying over): Rp13.4 million
• Suite (1 patient + dining suite + spare bed): Rp22.2 million

Charges are different for an assisted birth as well as a C-section. I generally assume the exchange rate to be Rp10,000 to RM3, although the rupiah has strengthened lately, and multiply accordingly. Don't be freaked out by the millions... when you live in Indonesia, you start to adjust to all the zeroes. I don't know what the corresponding charges are in KL, perhaps someone who knows could just let me know so that I can do a comparison?

Some expat families opt to have their babies delivered in Singapore/Perth and there are plenty of ads and packages that cater for that option. However, I feel that the doctor that I'm seeing is good enough, I have confidence that he knows what to do and from what I've seen of the hospital, I think they know what to do and how to handle my baby if he has any problems.
To be honest, Dear Hubby and I had a discussion on whether I should return to Malaysia for the delivery, more because he thought I would want to have my family around post-delivery. The problem was I would to fly home much earlier as airlines generally don't let you fly past 36 weeks and then I'd be staying put in Malaysia for at least one month before I am willing to travel back to Jakarta. I couldn't see myself depriving my husband of his son or my son of his father for that long, so we decided to stay put in Jakarta.

Well, the way I see it... Indonesia has a population of what.. 235 million? (July 2007 est, source here) You'd think some doctor somewhere in the archipelago would know something about childbirth! Thumbs up to RSPI, I would recommend it to people who are moving to Jakarta and are looking for a hospital that reminds them of Gleneagles, Pantai etc.

For more information on RSPI, please click here.

P/s Please don't tell me snakes get in here when it floods too, like it does in Eastern Promise! :))

How to fight a tummy bug in Jakarta

Like most newcomers to Jakarta, we've had trouble with the hygiene. I mean, I come from Malaysia, which isn't exactly the cleanest place in the world. I've eaten at places where there are rats running around your feet and you've got to keep your feet propped up on the stool provided or you'll get a visitor up your pants. The food was delicious though! Hehe. I usually get tummy bugs at mamak stalls when the condensed milk they use to make my beloved teh ais isn't too fresh and then I get it. Otherwise, I'm usually okay.

But Jakarta is well... different. I've been here twice before and I got the runnies the first time simply because I didn't know tap water wasn't quite suitable for brushing your teeth. The 2nd time I was here, I was careful to keep my mouth shut during showers and only brushed with the bottled water provided and I was okay.
Dear Hubby isn't having it as easy though. He's been here for 5 months now and he's gotten sick at least once each month. This isn't endearing the city to him as he'd lived in KL for 5 years and only gotten sick twice. I can't remember the first time he was sick but I clearly remember the 2nd time. It was at his farewell dinner and he'd gotten sick because he'd eaten too much sushi and sashimi at a top-notch Japanese restaurant.

Our latest incident in Jakarta was on Monday. He'd come home from work looking positively green. I knew he was not feeling well at all. Lunch at the restaurant near his office had not been agreeable. He spent most of the evening running in and out of the toilet and according to him, all that came out was brown water. Eek.
He took Immodium, which normally helps plug him up but this time, it didn't work. I didn't know what to do, he was looking sick as a dog and all we could do was fill him up with fluids. I was starting to feel a bit ill myself. It wasn't sympathetic sickness though, something was wrong with the hotel dinner I'd ordered and I was starting to feel its effects.
I was getting worried because when he's sick like this, he's normally out for about a week. I knew there was no way I could persuade him to stay home the next day as the Global Director was coming for a visit and they were scheduled to meet a big client. So I was racking my brains, trying to think of something that might put him right.

Suddenly I remembered something DG told me. DG's an old online friend who comes to Jakarta frequently for business (and has kindly volunteered to be my pool boy, thanks DG!) and he'd told me that a swig of whiskey neat did the trick. No sense going for the expensive ones, he said, just pick a cheap whiskey. After all, you're going after the alcohol content, not the taste. Kills the germs, so said DG.
So while Dear Hubby's throwing up in the toilet, I went to the kitchenette and poured him some whiskey into a glass. Not much, just a little. I didn't want him drunk. He looked utterly sceptical but I insisted and anyway, I've never known him to refuse a whiskey. :))

And guess what? It worked! He woke up the next day, still feeling a bit groggy but was well enough by lunch time to eat a slice of pizza. By evening, he bounced through the front door, looking quite well and went off to the company dinner, wolfing down curry and beer. Thanks for the tip, DG!

As for me? I suffered through a tummy bug for the entire day yesterday and threw up twice. No whiskey for me, can't risk it with Little Monkey on board.

Bomb scare at KLCC car park

I live not too far away from KLCC and my gym is located in the basement of the KLCC Towers, so I'm there almost everyday.

The local English daily, The Star, reported today that there was a bomb scare at the KLCC Tower 2 car park. A guard heard sounds coming from a bag near an autopay station and raised the alert. The bomb squad arrived and the bag was brought out to a vacant area to be detonated.

What I don't get is this: The Star published a pic of a bomb squad personnel carrying away the bag which is suspected to contain a bomb... and not too far away, you can see hordes and hordes of curious people staring. Erm.. hello? If there was a bomb in a bag being carried out from a car park near me, I'd be running away as fast as I could in the opposite direction. But these people just stood there, gawking at the bomb squad guy and his cargo. Suppose it did have a bomb and it did go off. There's be a lot of grilled Malaysian meat around the KLCC area for quite some time, eh? I'd stay away from satay for quite some time if that did happen.

Security checks in Jakarta

I find this bit very unnerving. Security checks in Jakarta are a part of daily life. You will be subjected to a check at every hotel and major shopping complex that you visit. The security checks came about after the Bali bombings and they've been here ever since.

For example, each time our driver enters the hotel car park, we are subjected to a check by the guards posted there. The guards will take a look inside our car and open the boot (trunk?) to check for any suspicious packages. Some places also have a guard using a mirror to check the bottom of your car. The checks are usually brief and they'll wave us on with a smile and an apology for disturbing us. Indonesians are very friendly and polite, they're much friendlier than we Malaysians are.
At the hotel entrance, there will be a metal detector and a guard waiting for you. There is usually a table next to the detector, so place your handbag there for them to inspect while you walk through the detector. You collect your bag after you have passed through.

I am not sure what these checks accomplish. Some of the guards don't appear to be doing a thorough job at checking anyway and all it does is to make me nervous. I keep thinking that a bomber is going to appear at any moment!

Drinking water in Jakarta

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever put a drop of the local water in your mouth unless it comes in a bottle. The water in Jakarta is incredibly polluted. OK, I learnt this the hard way. I thought that the tap water in the hotel would be safe enough to brush my teeth with. Somehow, I never made the connection between using tap water to brush my teeth with the tummy upsets I was getting. So I'm a bit stupid sometimes. :))

If you are not local, you are likely to have problems with the local water. I was lucky enough to escape with just minor tummy upsets. Dear Hubby used to come home to KL from his Jakarta trips 4lbs lighter and looking sick as a dog. You can shower in it as long as you keep your mouth shut and do not sing in the shower, but do not brush your teeth with it, do not wash your vegetables with it and do not drink it unless you fancy colonic cleansing on a major scale.

Houses and hotels are all equipped with a water cooler and water vendors sell the 15lt bottles everywhere for those coolers and that's the water you use for drinking, washing and brushing. If you're thirsty, get yourself a bottle of water, it's very cheap. I paid Rp1,000 (30 sen) for a small bottle of water that would normally cost me RM1.20 back home.

I can't believe I'll have to put up with this for next few years!