The Club (A note about The Mummy Club Bangkok)

The Mummy Club Bangkok has become synonymous with being an expat mum in Thailand. 

It's boundless resources and quick fire responses cannot be matched on any other Facebook Group or Webpage in Thailand.

But it does have one fatal flaw....administrators sometimes rule with an iron fist and becoming a member in the first place can be fraught with emotional hurdles.

The Mummy Club admin team pride themselves, quite rightly, in running a closed group, a safe environment for mums to seek support, information and resources without worrying about judgement, trolling, cruising or solicitation. But in so doing they have a simple, seemingly innocuous, rule that can inadvertently cause much heartache....you have to be a mum before you can join.

They claim to be open to "mums-to-be" but in reality it can be hard to get accepted as a member unless your profile picture contains a bouncing baby or tumbling toddler.

I fell foul to this strict approach by admin and was upset to be initially refused membership, despite being 26 weeks pregnant (our fourth, final and successful pregnancy).

With hindsight I can see that the job of policing and protecting this 'haven for mums' is not an easy task, so here is my quick guide to getting yourself onto The Mummy Club before your bundle of joy arrives, and without any unnecessary tears or tantrums.

All approaches to join The Mummy Club should include:

• Confirmation that you live in Thailand
• Motherhood status - TTC, pregnant, mum to x children etc
• If you know other people that belong to the group it is worth name dropping them
• Details of other relevant groups in Bangkok that you belong to can also help, especially if you are TTC. For example IVF Bangkok Support and BAMBI. This is to show that your TTC status is real, and not a hoax to get onto the group

There are two ways to join:

(1) If you have a friend on The Mummy Club get them to add you, including all of the details as above

(2) If you do not have a friend on The Mummy Club then send them a detailed note on their FB messenger link, including all of the details as above

If all else fails and you still cannot obtain membership, feel free to message me and I will try to investigate further on your behalf. Whilst it should not be an excuse, the admin team are all busy mums themselves, and they often get overwhelmed with the amount of work that such a great support group can generate.

One last thing I will leave with you. It's an amazing resource, but think about when is the right time to join for you. Whilst you are TTC might not be the right time, after all it is full of questions about newborn babies, toddlers, schools, paediatricians etc. Later in your pregnancy, when you may wish to pull of the resources and experience of other mums is probably the most useful time.

Good luck mama-to-be, you will rock it no matter what!

Top 6 Breastfeeding Tips

Guest Post - A huge thank you to Lia for writing this insightful article and letting me share it with you

By: Lia Segall Pasternak – Lactation Consultant

It’s really hard for me to summarize when it comes to breastfeeding, I am so passionate about the subject that each time I try I end up writing five pages and I hope that people will read it and get all the information they need, but in the bottom of my heart I know they won’t, which mom has time to read five pages? Suddenly this morning I woke up inspired and it hit me, I finally found the way to write only the basics by thinking what are the top points that keep coming back with most of the mothers I work with, and I did it, I was able to downsize to six points! And here it is. 

I am hoping this quick article will help you avoid some struggles, and understand the basics a little better.

1. Latch and position – baby needs to open a big mouth in order to latch properly, and to be able to do so they need to be in a straight position, looking forward and up, same as we adults drink from a water bottle. To achieve this position try holding your baby from their upper back by supporting the head with your wrist (as if it is a shelve) and making sure there’s an imaginary straight line between the top of the head, the back and the bottom. Also, before the latch, the nose should be in front of the nipple, this will force the baby to look up and open a big wide mouth (the theory is the same for any other position like football hold or vertical position)
2. How often and for how long to feed – Every time the baby shows hunger queues. It is a good practice to encourage day feeding often, to avoid many night ones, especially as babies will eat 8-12 times a day and will compensate at night if they don’t receive their caloric need during daytime. Feeds should be active, as long as they are they should last between 20-40 minutes each. Skin to skin sessions help to motivate the baby, encouraging them to feed more
3. How to take care of nipples – before the baby latches you can hold your breast besides the areola as a sandwich, parallel to baby’s mouth, this will push the nipple inside baby’s mouth and help promote a better latch to protect your nipples. At the end of each feed you can express a few drops of breast milk and spread it over your nipple and areola to protect the skin. If some redness or soreness appear you may apply 100% lanolin after each feed, no need to wash or wipe before feeding your baby
4. How to know baby is getting enough – this is simple, starting from day 3 and until 6 weeks we expect 3 soiled diapers daily, 5 wet diapers, a happy baby who eats actively (you can hear the swallowing) every feeding session and a baby that wakes up to eat. If you’re still in doubt you can always check the weight gain, there should be no loss of more than 10% of the birth weight, by 2 weeks baby is back to birth weight and gaining a minimum of 135 grams a week thereafter
5. How to give supplementation when needed – When supplementation is needed give either expressed breastmilk or formula only. It is recommended to avoid bottles and give supplementation with a spoon, cup or syringe. If a bottle is needed then it is recommended to use paced bottle feeding technique to avoid nipple confusion, which means imitating (as close as possible) the action of the baby when suckling on the breast, the bottle should be in a horizontal position and the milk should cover half of the nipple only, the baby, in an upward position, will have to make an effort to extract the milk from the bottle, will be able to breathe better and take breaks as necessary, this kind of feeding will take longer, which is good and healthy
6. Red lights and what to do – a lot of things can be rough or not go as expected. No matter what it is that you’re struggling with the first thing you should do is call for help from a lactation professional. Do not try to figure it out by yourself, use Dr. Google, or ask friends or family since they don’t have the latest research based information and even with the best intentions they could cause some harm. Anything that doesn’t feels right is a red light, but here’s a list with some of the most common ones: baby cannot open a big mouth, baby cannot latch, nipples are cracked and/or hurt, baby feeds for very long or very short periods, baby falls asleep whilst feeding, baby isn’t peeing/pooping enough, baby isn’t gaining enough weight, baby isn’t waking up for feeds

Well, that’s all for now, and if you have any questions, something isn’t clear or you just want to stay updated please feel free to like and contact me through my Facebook page: 

Breastfeeding Bangkok

A note about Lia and I
I first met Lia at Bangkok Breastfeeding Cafe, she was relatively new to Bangkok and I was a brand new mum. Breastfeeding in public scared me, hell, just breastfeeding at all was scaring me. Breastfeeding, for me, will always be the most sacred, amazing, fulfilling but downright painful, difficult and at times heartbreaking thing I have ever done. My baby girl and I always found breastfeeding easy, her latch was, and is, good and my milk came in quickly but I've still had sore nipples, milk clogs, on clogs on clogs, I've had milk blebs, I've had mastitis...you name it and I think I've dealt with it, and am still dealing with it, but I don't think I would have continued to breastfeed this long without the help of Lia. She's my boob angel, what she doesn't know about boobs isn't worth knowing. She's kind, gentle, passionate and selfless. She continued to attend Breastfeeding Cafe after the birth of her daughter, when she was only one week old, because Lia likes to help people.

If you are struggling with breastfeeding, if something doesn't feel quite right, if anything about it hurts, or if you just want to ask some questions before the birth of your baby, please reach out and ask for help. It will be one of the best things you can do for yourself and your child.

Photo courtesy of Heather Latva-Kiskola Photography

Knocked up....now what? Maternity Clothes in Bangkok

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and trying to squeeze into my non maternity dresses is making me look like

Ursula from the Little Mermaid

cue panic attack as I stare into my wardrobe.

Roasted Pumpkin, Chickpea and Sausage Stew

Hubby has thrown a double whammy at me. After being inspired by the Hairy Bikers Diet programme he wants to go on a low carb, low calorie diet and lose 18kg's. This means bringing his calories down to about 2,000 a day, which for a 6' 3" broad shouldered, broad chested man will mean I have to think quite laterally about how to stop him from being hungry, plus he has to get his arse down the gym more!

Miscarriage Support - A Guide to Getting Help in Thailand

Quick reference summary for Miscarriage and Loss Support (all links are live and will take you to a new webpage):

For a more personal explanation of our miscarriage experience please read Miscarriages - How to cope in Thailand

Doula's do more

Wonder's will never cease...my husband attended a Doula meeting on Christmas Eve.

Getting the right vitamins and minerals (keeping things flowing)

Am I the only one that thinks its hard to get a balanced diet of vegetables in Thailand?

Food here is sublime but when your baby bump has decided it can't stomach anything more spicy than Margaret Thatcher's nightie what do you do in Thailand for vitamins and fibre?

Knocked up...now what? Chromosomal Testing

Having lost 3 babies, one of which we know was due to Trisomy 21 we knew we  wanted to have Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). From the moment we found out we were expecting again we were counting down until we got these results and were treading on eggshells until we got to the 11-13 weeks window.

It sucks to be pregnant sometimes

OK, I've had enough now...can we fast forward 7 months where I get to hold the pink, smiley, thing that smells of "baby" and that will coo and chirp at me.

Yeah I know I'm dreaming, but for anyone else wondering what it really feels like to be 11 weeks pregnant:

1. You can't decide if the small podge on your waist is the start of a baby bump or simply chocolate biscuits. Either way your clothes are getting tight and uncomfortable
2. You can just about function in a vertical position for 2 hours, then you need to recharge. You've lost all of your Duracell abilities and are forced to re-hydrate, on not much more than water, and of course, chocolate biscuits, in an attempt to carry on with your day
3. Your mood swings are more apparent than schizophrenia
4. You work calendar is impossible to manage around your strange and unpredictable urges to either pee or stuff your face (normally with chocolate biscuits). I had to excuse myself the other day from a management meeting to inhale a chocolate brownie, it suddenly became a life and death situation, it was the brownie or my baby was going to start eating me from the inside out
5. You feel like a walking multi zone wine fridge, only you can't keep each zone at the right temperature. Your head will suddenly seem too hot, whilst your feet are freezing and then all of a sudden your feet start jumping around with irritable leg syndrome whilst your shoulders start shivering
6. Your favorite food has become the enemy, giving you at best only "wind" but at worst, nights full of heartburn and sicky burps
7. Your dreams have turned from nothing important, or memorable, into Brad Pitt orgies in birthing pools, with Brad Pitt holding the poop scoop
8. A conversation with anyone about your woe's is impossible because your friends without babies don't understand, your friends that are trying for babies are envious and your friends with babies can only remember the "baby smell" and "how it's all worth it"
9. Your husband can't associate with your problems because you don't look pregnant and he still thinks that life will be a bunch of roses and that nothing will change when the baby arrives
10. And your brain has just started the process of turning to mush, so you may have already forgotten what you read at the start of this post

Anyway, nothing I can do about it now, I got myself into this and hopefully my baby will come out of it (as it were). But I will happily admit that I don't think I'm going to be good at this pregnancy malarky...

Knocked up...now what? Chillin

Maybe the Thai's have got something right about this pregnancy lark.

I find myself once again in the early weeks of pregnancy. This is the 4th time and of course there is a lot of trepidation. But this time I am doing things a little differently, I'm doing it Thai style.

My doctor, at the moment, is Dr Somsri (Bumrungrad). She specialises in high risk pregnancies, she is very chilled (for a doctor), she smiles and laughs and talks about her family (even when you would prefer to be talking about your expanding family) but she is lovely and her English is excellent, and she even has a dose of empathy and cultural understanding.

But Thai doctors, and therefore Thai people, can be a bit worrisome and tend to air on the side of caution, with basic advice amounting to "don't move", 'don't think' and forget about having anymore fun.

As with the previous non viable pregnancies I was planning on toughing it out as I meant to go on...this baby has to fit into my regime, not the other way around, and it might as well start now. Especially after having our first scan (6 weeks and 1 day) and finding a good heartbeat, and that for the first time I had some mild morning sickness which is the one thing that has probably made me the happiest for months and months...at last, maybe, hopefully, I am having a normal, healthy pregnancy.

But then it happened.....

That dreaded little drop of blood on the toilet paper (that toilet paper that all us TTC women are now so accustomed to studying in more detail than a mother looking for lice after an outbreak at nursery school). We were about to fly to Singapore the same day for a fun filled (now sober) weekend with friends and I didn't know what to do, less than 24 hours earlier I had seen my babies heartbeat, could it have gone so horribly wrong so quickly????

I called Dr Somsri and her advice was effectively "don't move", 'don't think' and forget about having anymore fun. She doubled my dose of Progesterone, but told me not to worry and scheduled me for a scan in 7 days, she also told me not to fly and that I should move as little as possible and have bed rest, I guess in this type of situation gravity definitely isn't your friend.

I have been finding it hard to focus on work, and to be honest my boss is a prick, plus the nausea and cramping had been genuinely getting a little worse, so for the first time ever it was easy for me to follow doctors orders, and I am currently on a full weeks sick leave doing nothing but lying down and watching TV box sets.

For the first few days I was genuinely worried. I don't know if it was mind over matter but my cramps and nausea were getting much worse, and the cramping was really worrying me. 3 days in and I tried to sit up to type some emails and 30 mins finished me off and gave me every justification I needed to lie back down and finish Season 6 of Game of Thrones. 

I'm now 6 days in to doing not much at all (with 2 days until our next scan) and I am starting to feel less worried, although even a walk to the toilet seems to set off unexpected cramps and once again provides me with all of the justification I need to sit back down on my arse and stretch out with a warm hot water bottle.

I still feel like a fraud though. I've watched most of my friends battle their way through early pregnancy as if it was nothing more than a hangover, seeing them prep themselves for the real shit that happens after 9 months, when they will have no excuses or time to think about themselves. And here I am, lying on the sofa, now working my way through every episode of The Wire (because I missed the hype the first time round).

But, this is my 4th chance, and I don't want to mess this one up. I do want to be able to look back and think that I did anything wrong, I want to start putting my baby first, to get used to the idea that life is no longer about me and instead is about protecting something innocent.

So here I am, being and thinking like a mum for the first time ever. Work is almost out of my mind, the condo is tidier, dinner is prepared on time and I've even made ice cream and baked a cake...this shit is getting real and I want it to keep getting "real".

I want as much "real" as humanly possible, so I'm gonna chill and I'm gonna chill and I'm gonna chill some more, because I'm in Thailand, because I am lucky, because I have worked hard up until now to make some of that luck, and because I can....and because it's how the Thai's do it.

Knocked up...now what? Pregnancy Tests

So you've managed to get yourself pregnant, at least you think you are, but now what...

Firstly, congratulations!!! Secondly, don't panic! Thirdly, if all you can think about is having a drink to calm your nerves then go ahead (I won't tell anyone). Fourthly, are you sure you are pregnant? Have you pee'd on a stick? Have you pee'd on an English stick or a Thai stick? Have you had a blood test to confirm?

Lets start talking about the practicalities.

Pregnancy tests

Urine Tests

Average Pee Sticks are available in all Pharmacies.

My experience is that Boots tend to only stock their own brand and one called "Exact Pregnancy Test" whilst you may find a different selection in more local pharmacies.

But the problem with Thai tests are that they are not as sensitive as you can get back home. There is no such thing as "First Response" here.

Brand	Sensitivity	Cost (THB)
Exact	over 25mlU/ml	120
Boots	over 25mlU/ml	120
Check Tru (Ovulation and Pregnancy test)	over 20mlU/ml	270
First Response	over 6.3mlU/ml	Not available in Thailand

So you will have to wait a little longer to be sure, or you can easily get a blood test done at any health clinic. 

Blood Tests

It is as simple as walking in, asking for a blood test to confirm your hcg levels and within a few hours they will email you the results.

I have used:

RSU at 571, RSU Tower, Sukhumvit Soi 31.
They charge THB 900 per test (in 2015)

http://www.rsuhealth.com/en/home.php

Wellness Clinic at Interchange Building, Asoke. 
They charge THB 600 per test (in 2016)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wellness-Clinic-By-Dr-Nilarat/1378033225768891

You can also get an HCG test done at any of the hospitals, but they will likely charge you minimum THB1,000 plus doctors consultation time.

If you are are using an independent clinic before you choose your antenatal provider then you may also need some help and reassurance on understanding HCG tests. I used this website to help understand the basics. http://www.babymed.com/tools/hcg-calculator

Oh how I laughed

Yesterday I found myself sniggering at what would normally be quite upsetting.

Yet again, oh yes, yet again, I was asked by a Thai colleague if I had "ever thought about having children". It was phrased as if I was almost too old, too past it, too tired to have children now.

Fortunately I was facing away at the time, focussing on making the photocopier work, I say fortunate because it might've been very hard to explain, and stifle, the strange smirk that came over my face. After a moment of brief reflection the usual ache briefly came over me, with the usual tear in my eye, but instead I laughed, laughed out loud, because to be quite frank I am at the end of my tether with ill conceived and tactless dialogues about my apparent inability to bear my husband a child.

I laughed out loud because it was a nervous, but satisfying, reaction. It quickly blew away the tears in my eyes and enabled me to quickly turn to face my attacker. Who looked startled by my reaction. She asked why I was laughing, and I was honest. I told her I was laughing because I had been asked that by Thai people many times. She quickly seemed able to judge that my reaction was not necessarily meant to be warming, and she apologised. I laughed again and told her no need to apologise. I did her the honour of telling her that my husband and I had not had luck so far, so that she could successfully report back to her friends and colleagues with a suitable amount of gossip about the farang.

She bid me the usual Thai niceties, telling me that it will happen when the time is right, and that it has not happened because the time must have been wrong. Yeah, yeah, any woman or man that has suffered a miscarriage has heard that many times. Instead why don't Thai people try to empathise with other peoples feelings, other peoples cultures, listen and learn from other peoples experiences. They carry on blindly believing that their cultural sensitivities are the most pronounced and therefore most rewarding and deserving, and the be quite frank....its laughable.

So from now on I am going to laugh every time a Thai stranger asks why I do not have children.

Buddhism and Miscarriage...am i being judged?

I've been thinking about what my doctors and Thai friends might think about how we (expats) approach miscarriages.

Getting Prepared...POAS

At this stage I had been to the hospital for some stern words about relaxing and taking folic acid but Thailand hadn't really helped me to prepare for anything or given me any real advice of "how to" get pregnant.

So I started to download app after app, full of calendars, hints, tips, recipes, positions, recommendations and statistics and this is where I learnt about Ovulation Tests. It became apparent that one could only get pregnant on a very small handful of days each month and as I didn't have any time to waste I couldn't afford to be second guessing this. I'd spent most of my life thinking that if I missed a bus there was always another one coming along in 5 mins, but I couldn't afford to be so lackadaisical about my dwindling egg supplies...this planning shit had to get real.

If you are TTC then you may already be well ahead of me here, but I once again found myself in a quandary...where could I get Ovulation Tests in Bangkok that I could trust? Given that the pharmaceutical industry here is about as trustworthy and genuine as buying a Mulberry handbag in MBK, I once again headed back to Boots to attempt to buy a brand of Ovulation Test that may be sophisticated enough to tell this old hen when she was laying an egg.

Firstly, it doesn't seem to matter how you pronounce the word "Ovulation" you will find yourself in an awkward and rather public display of pointing, shoulder hunching, graphic gesticulation and embarrasment. 

"Ov..u..lay..tion test ka?"

"Ov..ooo..ay...tion test ka?" 

"O..woo..ay..tion test ka?" ahhhh yes ka "o..woo..ay..tion test, chai ka, have ka". 

Success, at least for a brief moment.

The box they produce from behind the counter looks about as sophisticated as a toddlers doodle pad. It was called 'Baby Sure', was made in Thailand and gave me absolutely no comfort that this would be able to tell me anything more about my eggs than if I was using a divining rod to find them. But there were some English instructions on the back the box and it was the only option they had so I decided to persevere and POATS (Pee on a 'Thai' stick) and hope for the best.

As it happened they are easier to use and understand than a Boots UK branded ovulation test, which was a huge surprise to me, and I'll be honest that I think they are actually better. They have now guided me through many months of egg production, with a few successes, and by comparison my UK sticks just cause me more confusion than certainty whenever I use them.

But are there any other options in Thailand? A friend swears by another, very cheap, Thai Brand called "Check Tru". These are strip style, also contain a pregnancy test, and are about one third of the cost. 

After another false start last month, and our third miscarriage, I have decided to try "Check Tru" for my next ovulation cycle. I plan to test it along with "Baby Sure" and I'll let you know a pee by pee comparison, but for now here is a summary of the only two tests I am aware of in Thailand.

Brand	THB	Type	Style	Ovulation Tests	Pregnancy Tests	Sensitivity of Pregnancy Test
Check Tru	฿270	Ovulation and Pregnancy	Strip	5	1	20ml/U/ml
Baby Sure	฿725	Ovulation	Stick	5	0

Both brands seem to be readily available. "Baby Sure" seems to be the mainstream (excuse the pun) test available in larger outlets like Boots and pharmacies in Central etc, whilst "Check Tru"is available in places more frequented by Thai's, smaller more local pharmacies.

You may find on occasions that pharmacies have run out of tests, but do not despair, there will always be one available in a pharmacy you can get to, just keep asking, persevering and remembering that "v's" are pronounced as "w's" and don't get too embarrassed when you realise you have started shouting the word "owoolation" to the pharmacist.

Happy POASing

Getting Prepared...am I healthy? (a costly business)

There are some things in Bangkok that you can easily throw money at, and medical tests are big business here.

I'll be honest that I've been lazy and I've had all my TTC tests done at Bumrungrad hospital. I probably should have shopped around but ease of transport, location, guaranteed spoken English, and reputation has meant that I have only ever used either Bumrungrad or Samitivej for my TTC needs (although I have used medical clinics for Visa medicals and basic pregnancy tests).

My first visit to Bumrungrad was just after we were married. As I was 36 I wanted to ensure that I had a general TTC overhaul to check there were no obvious roadblocks.

I made an appointment online with Bumrungrad. I booked a basic appointment to see a Doctor in OB/Gyn. Here's the link: https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/contact-us/request-an-appointment

Before I go on, just a word of warning for the emotional sorts (like myself). I choose to go to the hospital on my own as I figured this was a routine appointment. But as I sat in the waiting room I realised then and there that I might find out that I couldn't have children...it hit me like a wet fish and I burst into tears. I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable and in need of a hand squeeze. As an expat, your mum or best friend cannot always be by your side, or even at end of the phone, when you need them, hubby was also unfortunately at work and I knew this was only the start of crazy arse emotions taking me hostage at inopportune moments, so I made the decision to sniff and brave it out - but you may wish to arrange to have a hand squeezer by your side.

So, I had an appointment with Dr. Suleewan Ratanachai. Her English is ok and she seemed to be a very nice lady, but this was my first experience of a doctor in Thailand and I have now come to the conclusion that they can come across as disingenuous. I don't know if the problem is that they are perfectly fluent in technical english, but lacking in colloquial english or just plain culture, but they can often come across as dismissive and uncaring, which I am sure they do not mean to be.

Dr. Suleewan assured me that my age was not a worry and that many women get pregnant at my time of life. I should not assume any problems and should start TTC naturally. But you have to press Doctors here for real information and I kept pressing for information about what could, but hopefully wouldn't, be problems in the future. At this point she suggested that I could have a Pap smear and blood tests. She explained that there are various blood tests, but that detailed analysis of my hormones etc would be expensive and she recommended just a general blood overhaul.

So here is what they tested me for:

I had a Transvaginal Ultrasound to check the size, shape, endometrial echoes and appearance of my uterus, a Pap Smear and they took blood to check for:

Hemotology/Serology:

Non Panel Items:

• VDRL

Hemoglobin Typing:

• Hemoglobin Type
• Hb A
• Hb A 2
• Hb E
• Hb F
• Hemoglobin (Hb.)
• Hematocrit (Hct.)
• MCV
• Osmotic Fragility Test

CBC:

• WBC
• Neutrophil
• Lymphocyte
• Monocyte
• Eosinophil
• Basophil
• Neutrophilic Band form
• Atypical Lymphocyte
• NRBC
• RBC
• Hemoglobin (Hb.)
• Hematocrit (Hct.)
• MCV
• MCH
• MCHC
• RDW
• Anisocytosis
• Macrocyte
• Microcyte
• Poikilocytosis
• Target cells
• Fragmented cells
• Ovalocyte
• Hypochromia
• Polychromasia
• Platelet Count

Hormones/Tumor Markers:

Non Panel Items:

• Free T3
• Free T4
• TSH
• Estradiol (E2)
• FSH
• Prolactin

Blood Bank: (note that you should already know this as part of your Visa medical)

Non Panel Items:

• ABO Group
• Rh Grouping

Immunology/Infectious Diseases:

Non Panel Items:

• HIV Ag/Ab
• HBsAg
• HBsAb
• Anti HCV
• Rubella IgG

They had the test results back the very next day and Dr Suleewan gave me a priority appointment to see her quickly to explain them to me. They aren't very good in Thailand at giving you detailed explanations in words and phrases that you actually understand, they speak in clinical English and lack sensitivity and cultural awareness (cultural awareness of our needs and expectations as an English woman anyway) but she quickly told me that all of my results were fine (thankfully) and then bid me farewell, under advice to try naturally for 6 months and with a prescription for 6 months Folic Acid.

Now, the cost of peace of mind in Thailand does not come cheap. This is breakdown of costs:

THB 6,500   Health Screening Program

THB  1,000  Doctor's Fee

THB     100   Nursing Service

THB     200   Lab - pathologist's fee

THB  1,480   Lab - Pathology

THB  3,760   Laboratory - Clinical

THB  2,525   Ultrasound

THB     675   Ultrasound - Radiologist's fee

THB  1,080  Medicine

THB17,320  TOTAL

Do I think it is worth it, for peace of mind, absolutely, but I didn't really learn as much about myself as I was hoping for, as Thai Doctor's simply don't explain things to us in a way that we are used to in the UK. It was all clinical jargon to me and the only thing I could hold on to was the concluding phrase - no obvious signs of problems.

So, I have made a vow to translate as much of the above in the Glossary section of this blog to help all TTC women in Thailand for the future. You will note that some the test names are in italics, this is because I noticed that they checked for these items more than once. It can be common to be overcharged by medical establishments for non essential tests or doctor's time. I haven't questioned Bumrungrad about this yet, but as time goes on I will keep my eye on this happening again and let you know if there is anything we can do to save ourselves some unnecessary costs.

But for now, don't despair, if you are worried about your chances of getting pregnant and have the money, I would recommend getting these tests done for peace of mind. Of course they are not essential, we wouldn't get this service with the NHS back home, but why not avail yourself of modern technology and your highly prized position as an expat woman.