Mums' support group eases pregnancy journey

Hospitals in Singapore rounded up SG50 and ushered in 2016, welcoming babies born in the last day of 2015 and on New Year's Day on Friday (Jan 1).

The last SG50 baby – Ansley Soong – was born at 11.16pm on Dec 31 at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

Weighing at 3.46kg, he is the fourth child of Tee Bee Ling Tiffany, an admin assistant in the retail sector and Shaun Soong, a taxi driver. Both are 40 years old.

They received a visit from Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Josephine Teo, who helps Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean oversee population issues.

Regarding baby Ansley's future, Tiffany only wishes for health and happiness for him. And wishes that he would hopefully contribute greatly to the nation in years to come.

"I feel lucky, because I get to have the SG50 Jubilee gift, and being the last one has its benefits. You get to study a year earlier. His birth was a great New Year's eve gift for my whole family," she said.

As a working mum herself, she is learning to juggle work with family by making sure weekends are absolutely "compulsory family days".

Her advice to other mums/mums-to-be out there is to eat well, sleep well and stay happy as much as possible – which can only be fulfilling when spending time with family and loved ones.

She is also able to balance out her different roles with the help and support of other mums.

Tiffany is one of the members of theAsianparent's (Singapore) January-Mums’ WhatsApp group. She stated that the group provided lots of support every step of the way and has prepared her immensely for childbirth.

Tiffany also shared with us what she learnt from having a support group during pregnancy.

• Having a support system
  For new mums – especially single mums – it is often intimidating and stressful to go through pregnancy alone. With the support system of a team of expecting mums, it makes the journey less frustrating and more fulfilling.

• Constant advice and learning new things
  An incident that stood out for Tiffany was her problem with post-pregnancy breast engorgement. Another mummy from the chat group stepped up and volunteered to help her out by giving personal advice regarding the problem. She also learnt a lot about building strong relationships with your partner and loved ones through theAsianparent site.

• Meeting new friends
  The Whatsapp support group became a platform of friendship for many mums. It is not a mere forum where mums look for advice, but a way in which new lifelong friendships can be formed. It is a mums' happy place – a platform where they can chat and laugh amicably amongst one another!

Click here to find out more about our mums' support group and Parent Facebook Groups! 

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