Monetary wake-up call

I was recently informed by our HR department that I could pick up my SSS check that was my one and only monetary maternity benefit. Now as I understand maternity leave here, it means I don’t get paid while I’m gone and that our company HMO will not pay for any pregnancy related illnesses. Thus if anything happens to me that is pregnancy related, I have to dig into my own pocket or hubby’s for the cash to pay for it. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that the check they gave me would barely cover two days in the hospital. That’s not counting the doctor’s professional fee and assuming it is a normal delivery.

In my other post I was debating over where to give birth. I was deciding between Cardinal Santos hospital and the Medical City. I was really leaning towards Medical City since I was so impressed with their customer service. The place is also quite new and it looks like it adheres to some international medical standard. I also liked the birthing suite. In Cardinal Santos, they had just finished renovating so it was moderately ok as well. However the way the staff treated us during our impromptu tour at Medical City was unmatched.

My hubby told me his friend whose wife recently gave birth spent over P100K at the Medical City for 3 days and it was a normal delivery. Supposedly the room they stayed in was a standard room but the incidental expenses made their bill balloon to that amount. I immediately flashed back to the prices of Medical City where the birthing suite is billed on a daily basis and the starting day rate was 25k! That’s not counting the professional fee pa and the incremental stuff. Sigh as much as it seems I would love to give birth at Medical City, it seems Cardinal Santos is a better deal.

I don’t think it will be too different since hubby and I both have relatives who work there so most likely the staff will be alerted to that and hopefully treat us nicer. Sigh, it was really a shock to see that I’d have to live on that SSS check and my savings until I get back to work. It’s a good thing hubby and I have some savings to soften this blow to our pockets.

Feeling meaty :(

Carne

I’m 32 weeks pregnant or more or less 8 months! It’s been getting so much harder to sleep since I feel like something is pressing against my chest and making my breathing more difficult. My feet and ankles are swollen like anything and my toes look like awful little sausages.My feet can’t fit into closed toe shoes without feeling super sore at the end of the day. I live in my sandals.

I was supposed to have an OB appointment on Friday but when we got there the clinic was closed. Being dutiful people we waited till the receptionist arrived but she gave us bad news that the doctor wasn’t feeling so well and we had to reschedule our appointment. However she did allow me to check my weight and of course that heavy feeling was justified since I’m now 140 pounds! I know I’m supposed to start gaining a pound a week but I still have around 8 weeks to go! That means I’ll end up close to 150 pounds near term! Wah!

I have so many questions pa naman to ask my OB. I want to get recommendations na on a pediatrician. I need to find someone who is supportive of  breastfeeding. I also wanted a recommendation between Medical City and Cardinal Santos hospital. L and I both have relatives who work in Cardinal so we think that gives us a plus if we stay there. We’ve already seen a sample bill of someone giving (natural) birth there and are prepared.

However we recently toured the birthing suite of Medical City and I must admit I am impressed. Getting to Medical City is difficult but once we got there the place is very nice looking. People used to tell me na sobrang maasikaso ang mga tao sa Medical City and when I got there I really felt it. They are so customer oriented there and so accomodating. It did not take us that long to get permission to tour the birthing suite and someone even accompanied us the whole time from admissions desk to DR area back to the ground floor. There’s also a place called the Strip where a bunch of restaurants and Mercury Drug are. The hospital complex itself has its own Starbucks and people tell me there is free wi-fi. Sigh, guess I’ll have to wait until Monday to get the info I need.

Future Soccer player?

Baby J has also been super active lately. He’s swimming around lazily and gives me a kick every once in a while for good measure. Sometimes I’m having meetings and I wince. The people I’m meeting with end up with a puzzled look on their face because I look like I reacted to what they were saying. I had to clarify and say that Baby J was kicking me in a sensitive spot. They just ended up laughing.

Last Childbirth class

Last but not the least is the fact that we had our last childbirth class today. It was so cute first thing in the morning to see guys trying to change diapers on plastic baby dolls. We also saw how to swaddle babies and Rome played a short film on breastfeeding. The sad thing is that breasts have become so associated with sex when in reality they are there to provide nutrition for our babies. Now I know what some people mean when they said that parang sobrang weird to see the baby’s mouth mimicking a sucking motion whenever he’s hungry. Imagine, you have to breastfeed every 1 1/2 to 3 hours for the first 6 weeks. That’s practically 8 times a day including the night. Sigh, I however swore to myself that I will do what I must to provide the best nutrition I can for my baby.