Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package

Whoa! Ever since the Prime Minister announced the Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package on the National Day Rally Speech, there's been a great hoo-ha especially in the singaporemotherhood forum.

I was sorely disappointed that the Package would only take effect on 1 Jan 2009 when he'd announced the news in August 2008. I was telling my sister that it's typical of my unluckiness - that I should fall short of good things by just a mere bit all the time.

But today when I logged into the singaporemotherhood Oct 2008 thread, the mummies said that there's been a change in the date of implementation of those measures, to 17 August 2008. I'm not too hopeful about the 4th month maternity leave yet though, although it's highly likely that it'll be included as well. I don't want to be thrusted into the pit of dismay once again.

Apparently, there's been some form of petitioning exercise by mothers-to-be, which was submitted to the PM via an MP during a Meet-the-People Session and the government obliged the request.

This thread http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/578191/1652981.html?1219363226 has some mothers firing at one another on the Package and it directs one to an online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/mums2008/petition.html, although this is not the one that made the government change their mind.

The main petition content is this:

To: Singapore Prime Minister
We, the mentioned Singapore Citizen, would like Prime Minister Lim Hsien Loong to consider extending the recently announced procreation benefits to parents to be for kids born from 1st August 2008 onwards instead of the announced 1st January 2009. This would also reduce the stress faced by parents that would have their kid due in December 2008 and January 2009.
Sincerely,

But I agree that the effective date is weird: 17 August. Why can't the govt just bring it up to 1 August? It's indeed unfair to babies born between 1 to 16 August. But like what one of the forummers said, for every policy, there has to be a cut-off date. I'm quite sure if the govt accedes to this petition (again), the mummies who had given birth before August will lament too. Personally, while I'm glad and relieved that it's been backdated to 17 August, I thought it even fairer to extend the benefits and package to all mummies who give birth in 2008 since the measures are announced this year. Mothers who had given birth last year can't possibly complain because the difference is by one whole year.

I'm most interested in the 4th month maternity leave because I'm possibly going to have a caesarean. Dr Ang seems to advocate c-section especially for mothers who have undergone a previous one. He says it's safer and can rule out the possibility of a womb rupture scenario. In any case, the baby's head seems to be in the same position as Coco's, at least up till now. Honestly, I myself am not motivated to do natural because I don't think I can bear with the pain. But the trauma of my last episode at KK still stings badly even though it's been more than 8 years ago. I still shudder when I think about it.

Anyway, if I get the 4th month maternity, I would be able to use this time to recuperate, and possibly breastfeed longer. I hope to breastfeed this time round, with the help of a Medela pump. I'm still sourcing for a second-hand one. $699 for a brand new one is far too pricey I thought.

Just came across this curt and cute article about a husband's woe and joy over the Package:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_270643.html

Oh, there is a thread which started the petition. The thread-starter consolidated the signatures and a few mothers went to see the MP with the signatures. The thread-starter even managed to retrieve the PM's email. Really must salute these mothers' determination and courage. Singaporeans are supposed to be resigned, meek and obedient. Or perhaps it's just the men. If not for the women, nothing would have been done.