Baby Talk: Maternity Insurance

I am quite embarrassed to say I have been procrastinating on this topic for the longest time. (I always laugh at the hubs for being an "All Talk No Action" dude, but I guess I am no different.) For most insurers, you can start buying a maternity insurance since week 13. I started a lot later than that because I wanted my Harmony results to be out. We concluded it would be too heartbreaking to get an insurance payout if baby had chromosomal abnormalities. We would rather not buy it at all.

From a purely financial/ risk point of view, it actually makes more sense to buy immediately at week 13 before any tests has been done, so that it will not be subjected to further underwriting. I won't say I did a comparison between all insurers offering this insurance. I only signed up to listen to agents which provided free gifts (as advised by my cult), which quite a bit of agents actually do. By the time, I finally got about to buying an insurance, I am well into the 4th month -_-

1. AIA

One of the most agressive insurers would probably be AIA. Almost every freebie place you sign up for would be sponsored by AIA agents. Among all the agents I spoke to, I found the AIA agent the most comprehensive in terms of doing a full insurance plan (including life, endownment, hospitalisation, personal accident etc.) However, I was only looking for maternity and hospitalisation, so I didn't really like that AIA would auto convert the maternity plan into a life policy. (If I remember correctly, the life plan was tagged onto my age too, which means the premiums will be more expensive.) 

In terms of coverage, AIA is very comprehensive. But I didn't want everything rolled into one, although I know some Mums did cos the life insurance will cover critical illnesses without further underwriting. If you are going for AIA, I would recommend Qiren. They are very generous in their freebies (which I didn't receive cos circuit breaker) and they have an amazing facility that you can use if you live near Jurong East or Woodlands. 

* Update 1: I have received the Mighty Pack from Mighty Spouts. The package is quite useful, containing newborn clippers, bibs, towel, diaper wetbag, wetwipes (unfortunately my sample is expired due to covid) and many other samples. There are even useful vouchers for you to try out their sponsors' products. It is really quite a nice package to receive!

2. Great Eastern

As I wanted a stand-alone maternity cover, I approached my hub's Great Eastern agent. In terms of maternity knowledge, she isn't as well-versed as AIA. But she was very honest and would highlight exclusions and exemptions. For this fact alone, I decided to go on the Hospitalisation cover with her.  Note: Pregancy complications are covered under hospitalisation but there is a 300 days waiting period, so ladies please get yours early! (Generally, hospitalisation covers are quite regulated so I didn't bother to do specific comparisions but just did a quick reading on the coverage to decide on the plan.)

I didn't take up the maternity plan with Great Eastern because if was frigging expensive and the coverage was very limited. In terms of their freebies, the insurer is the most easygoing. I immediately got my redemption voucher for my diaper bag and the VIP mothercare membership, lol (which both I haven't redeem and activate). Funny thing is, I noticed OCBC offering the same insurance at a much lower price if you are a customer of OCBC. No agent will tell you that for sure, but of course in the event of a claim, you will probably have to deal with OCBC. 

* Update 2: I have redeemed the baby kit bag in blue. It comes with Merries Diapers and lotion samples as well as mosquito patches from Snapkis. 

3. Manulife

Manulife is highly under-rated in this whole class of insurance. Compared to the other insurers/ agents, there was no freebies or what-not and because of that their distribution expenses is kept into the minimum and hence the premiums was very reasonably priced. This is a standalone cover (like Great Eastern and NTUC Income) and had as wide coverage as the AIA cover. The hospitalisation coverage wasn't that fantastic, but an additional $50 (for a S$5000 cover) wasn't that much anyway. 

Manulife is also one of the rare insurers that provide coverage for twins. I find it ironical that I eventually signed up with Manulife considering I was lured into this by freebies to begin with. I did a spreadsheet to compare between the 3 insurers, so hit me up if you want a copy of it. 

* Update 3: I received this from Mummies Club. They are an exempt brokers that represent many different insurers. Not the best goodie bag but it is good to get in touch with them cos they have many other mummy-related lobangs to share. 

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Disclaimer: At the end of the day, it really depends on your needs and risk appetite, so the considerations you have may vastly differ from mine. All the above rambles are my own opinions.

Hiding the Bump with Bohn Fabulous

One of the "sad moments" about motherhood is potentially losing your figure. In forums, you will see encouraging messages such as "don't compare your bump". It is not even really being competitive or what, but I tend to compare everything with my "cult" secretly. I am upset when my bump is not defined enough, I feel hurt when my tummy is rounder than others. Nothing is ever right. 

Trimester 2 is the stage where it starts to become obvious that the body become shapy. I have to admit I am quite bummed that I seem to have lost a bit of muscle mass and is looking rounder. As of now, I can still fit in loose clothings but it is always good to prepare ahead. If you are intending to support local, check out Bohn Fabulous! Each dress comes with a nice, black box. Lux-feel max!

1. Gold Sparkly Sleeveless Dress ($94)

Generally, the pieces from Bohn Fabulous are a bit flashier. This piece doesn't come with any belt. But I decided to pair it with a silky pink latin cloth (cos my buckle belts don't fit anymore) and I love this choice. It makes me look a bit like a sparkly christmas present and it is true I do have a gift hidden in my tummy! My Mum's advise is never to have sleeves cos you will feel hot, but hmm my arms are so flabby now though!

Personally, I love how this piece is versatile enough to be worn even after pregnancy (feels more value more money.) If you need a fancy piece at hand (for weddings, functions etc.) and don't want a long train lest you trip away, this makes a perfect choice. Sadly, Covid has delayed all the weddings. Really hope the circuit breaker will end soon cos I really want to flaunt this. Guess another option is a self-taken maternity shoot...hmmm :P

2. Lemon Yellow Cape Dress ($219)

This piece looks absolutely gorgeous in photos, but it is not the most practical. I found the design quite interesting at first. But after donning it on, I find the cape a little too long for my liking. (Mum: What if the MRT kiap your cape and you get stuck!) If it was arm's length, this piece would be quite dope. So, Mum and I tried modifying it by folding it up and making it into like a little shawl, with a broach infront. I think I prefer it better that way. Lesson learnt: Don't be too adventurous when it comes to maternity wear!

Good news about this piece is that it has pockets, which I love cos I can hide stuff in them hehe. I used to be a S/M size. So I got size M for both. From what I have read, pregnant women's tummy will grow quite exponentially in Trimester 3. The chest circumference will also grow slightly, so you might need a slightly bigger size. For me, since I am in the middle of 2 sizes, so I just went for the bigger size. :P

Ending off this post with a cute photo....haha Supermum! Another wonderful piece for a themed shoot. Haha, have to admit that this is my favourite photo in the series. We might be modifying this piece sightly, so stay tuned. We will reveal it when it is done!

For my readers, Bohn Fabulous has kindly provided a discount code "forfunk25" for a 25% discount on top of all current promotion. <3

A different Mother's Day

This year mother's day is a bit more special (not because I am also going to be a mother) but because we are all stuck indoors, thanks to Covid. In Singapore, quite a lot of services have been deemed as non-essential. So not all flower and cake deliveries are operating. We can't also go out for a meal like we normally do.

Hence, the bro and I thought it would be fun to tease my Mum a little. My Mum doesn't appear much here, even if she does, she is always portrayed as the woman who always want to "share" my clothes/ accessories that catch her eyes. Many of you may not know, she is quite a cleanliness freak too and she has such a particular way of doing the chores that we gave up doing cos we always get scolded for not doing it a specific, particular way.

Presenting...NaOClean Bloom Box. This is truly the best of both worlds because it has the flowers that Mum loves and 3 bottles of 250ml of NaoClean Sanitisers. For the first time, we weren't chided about an impractical gift. In fact Mum was very curious about her early Mother's Day delivery and had a good laugh about it when she realised what it was.

Of course, she set aside the flowers into a vase and quickly put the bottles to good use and started sanitising the whole house while muttering "good one". FYI, these bottles can be used as hand sanitisers as well. For those of you who are interested in getting your Mum one. This box costs S$150 (with free delivery...awesome cos I can't deal with exorbitant delivery charges) and the flowers include quality carnations and wild foliage. Purchase the  Bloom Box before 6 May, you can even get a 21% discount. Buy 2 boxes you can get 27% off. Click here if you are keen!

The Hubs have often commented my family takes too much photos and it is true. My family love taking photos regardless the occassion. Usually, we love dressing up in our office wear but since it is WFH season we decided to show the world how we are really like at home in our old tees and shorts...hehe. 

One thing I realise from the photos, my Mum enjoys the photoshoot more when we are around. Her smile is definitely more natural and comfortable when it is taken with us. Not a full-fledged mother yet but maybe the partial joy of motherhood is joining your brood in their crazy idea of fun activities. :P Bye Bye Cabin Fever