The Mount Alvernia Experience

April 2013

When I delivered Ryan, it was at Gleneagles and I had a good experience during my stay. This time with Baby Gillian, we decided on Mount Alvernia because it was Dr Cheng’s preference. Initially, we had our reservations about the hospital after we went for the maternity tour- the single rooms were always full and the car park was undergoing renovation(which equates to being possibly noisy and dusty and visitors could have a hard time finding a car park slot). However, I must say that after our 3 days 2 nights stay at Mount Alvernia, we were impressed with many other aspects of the maternity ward.

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Room Experience

The first time when we opted for a double bedder at Gleneagles because we wanted to save money! For Mount Alvernia, we chose to stay in a single deluxe room because the rates are much more affordable. Despite that, we ended up in a single room as the single deluxe rooms were all occupied that day. It was a blessing in disguise considering how our single room was much bigger than than the usual as it was a double room converted into a single! Woots!

Hello! I was looking quite victorious because the delivery was short and smooth, just like what I prayed for. Heehee. This also means I had more time to hang out with Baby Gillian and  rest in the room.

This corner is for E to sleep at night. A companion fee is $80.25 per day was chargeable. From experience, I feel that having E around during the hospital day was helpful- he could chat with me when I was bored, listen and learn when the lactation consultants came around and just be around for mental and emotional support.

Toilet was small but clean and adequate.

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Food!

I must say they have quite a comprehensive menu. For my stay, I chose only from the confinement menu for my lunch and dinner. I got E buy me sandwiches from Subway for my breakfasts. E had a wider range of choices but he loved the Western menu. In fact, he told me that he cannot believe that the best lamb dish he had in a while was from a hospital!

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Nurses and Lactation Consultants

Like what I mentioned in my birth story for Baby Gillian, the nurses were fantastic- supportive, attentive and caring. I have stayed in three hospitals(Gleneagles, Parkway East and Mount Alvernia) before and I must say nurses from Mount Alvernia are of a different league. They are very pro active and they make patients feel really cared for.

During my stay in Mount Alvernia, I had two lactation consultations who visited me and they did not rush through the breastfeeding consultations. In particular, Sister Kang was really patient and  helpful! E and I also attended the Friday lesson at the Parent Craft Centre. The consultant guided us on some general newborn care, bathing the newborn and breastfeeding and we thought the lesson was very informative even though we are second -time parents.

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Presentation of Baby Gillian

We also requested for Baby Gillian to be presented and blessed in the Chapel before we discharged from the hospital. There was a small ceremony- where we, along with the Sister, read some blessings for Baby Gillian and I thought it was really meaningful for the child and the parents.

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Overall, it was a very pleasant experience at Mount Alvernia. I am not really sure about the final cost- but I suppose it is much cheaper in comparison to the other private hospitals. Also, because of my stay at Mount Alvernia, we got to know another good pediatrician- Dr Lim Kwang Hsien from Kinderclinic. He was our visiting pediatrician and he was really detailed in sharing on Gillian’s jaundice situation.

So, if there is ever a #3 for us, you can be sure our hospital of choice is Mount Alvernia! Heehee.

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