We’ve been on a hiatus (kind of) as we have just welcomed our little one, Tofu E, to the tofu house!
It’s been a hectic period but we finally found pockets of time to update and share more about the journey.
One of the most important questions we had on our mind was the hospital bill. It is a huge expense, especially as we had decided to go the private route and deliver at Thomson Medical Centre. This was in part due to the fact that our OBGYN has a clinic in Thomson and only delivers at Thomson or Mount Alvernia.
We thought it would be helpful to share our experience and costs incurred to help prepare new parents. We’ve also included Tofu V’s prenatal expenses (OBGYN fees, tests etc.) below!
We’ll dive in straight into the financials and leave our hospital experience/review for another post:
Our Thomson Medical Center bill breakdown
Tofu V’s Thomson Medical Center (TMC) bill totalled SGD 17,448.61 before Medisave claim.
Tofu V was induced on 16 Dec, stayed overnight during the induction, gave birth on 17 Dec and was discharged on 19 Dec. This meant she was charged for:
- 3-night stay in Premier Single Room
- Natural delivery procedure with Epidural
We requested to split the original hospital into two separate bills for multiple Medisave claims. Even if you’re not planning to do so, you will find that the bill consists of two components: (1) the mother’s bill and (2) baby’s bill.
Mother’s bill
The mother’s bill essentially covers the delivery procedure and the hospital stay after that.
We requested for an itemised breakdown apart from the summarised bill. The mother’s bill came to SGD 14,611.12 before Medisave claim.
Note: Dr Yvonne Lim was the Anaesthesiologist who administered the epidural. Dr Tan Kai Lit was our OBGYN.
Dr Tan Kai Lit’s delivery fees range quite a fair bit depending on the delivery method.
- Normal Vaginal Delivery: SGD 3,200.00 – 4,200.00
- Assisted Vaginal Delivery: SGD 3,500 – 4,500.00
- Caesarean Section: SGD 4,200 – 5,700.00
Tofu V’s delivery expenses was on the higher end due to heavier bleeding that required more stitches.
Baby’s bill
The baby’s bill refers to the care received by baby throughout the hospital stay.
Similarly, we requested for an itemised breakdown apart from the summarised bill. The baby’s bill came to SGD 2,837.49 before Medisave claim.
Note: We paid for optional items such as metabolic screening and hearing test. Dr Ang Ai Tin is the Paediatrician.
Unexpected cost items in our medical bill
Extra night of accommodation
Tofu V was induced at 12.45pm on 16 Dec, but had not expected to only go into labour the next day.
She was actually admitted early to the labour ward on 16 Dec night due to strong contractions and didn’t get to stay overnight in the Premier Single room at all. However, she was still charged a whooping SGD 798 simply because the hospital had checked her in on that day.
Medications & medical supplies
Other than the accommodation, we had not fully expected that we would be paying so much for medications.
A good part of it was attributed to the induction (3 attempts), epidural (with top-up), and large blood loss during delivery (tranexamic acid drips & blood transfusion).
Our Singapore prenatal expenses breakdown
Prenatal expenses can differ wildly based on your OBGYN and the tests you take.
We’ve listed out some of the major expenses incurred that you would like to take note of. GST is included.
| OBGYN consultation | |
| First consultation | SGD 141.70 |
| First ultrasound | SGD 119.90 |
| Subsequent consultations & scans (x 3 @ SGD 218 each) | SGD 654 |
| Antenatal package (x 10 Consult/Scan/Urine Dipstick) | SGD 1035.50 |
| Scans & Tests | |
| Non-invasive Prenatal Scan (NIPT) | SGD 1,068.20 |
| OSCAR | SGD 428.70 |
| 20-week Anomaly Screening Scan | SGD 261.98 |
| Antenatal Blood Comprehensive | SGD 196.20 |
| Glucose Tolerance Test | SGD 70.85 |
| Lower Vaginal Swab Culture | SGD 65.40 |
| Urine Test (x 6 @ $5.45 each) | SGD 32.70 |
| Vaccination | |
| Boostrix TDAP vaccine | $ 63.22 |
| TOTAL | $5,346.75 |
What we didn’t include here, but which you should be prepared for, are expenses related to:
- Unscheduled emergency checkups at your OBGYN and/or KKH
- Blood tests (Tofu V took 2 liver tests)
- Prenatal supplements (DHA, folic acid, calcium, iron)
- Other medications (Utrogestan)
The above were other expenses incurred during Tofu V’s pregnancy, which would total up to more than SGD 1,000 along the months.
Have any questions regarding delivering in TMC or with Dr Tan? Feel free to drop them in the comments or reach out to us on Instagram!
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