Local Woman's Second Attempt to Deliver Baby Coincides with Small Boy's Second Attempt to Watch Anaconda without Falling Asleep

Needless to say both attempts have not been successful.

I really need to ask the good people at Mt Elizabeth Hospital if I qualify for frequent flier miles at the labour ward. God knows I've paid enough for them.

For those of us fortunate enough to deliver during the first visit, you may wish to know that all failed visits are paid for at full price. So whether or not the baby comes out, we still need to pay full price. There is no discount for embarrassment or failure to pop.

And to add insult to injury, the TV channels available in the labour ward are really really limited, unless you are looking for the Arab channels.

Also, have I already mentioned this - there is NO wireless internet access in the labour ward. Because, as the nurse so succinctly put it, people who come here usually don't need it. Well, missy, just because I can't balance a laptop on my tummy anymore doesn't mean I don't need one. In the end, I had to displace a nurse from her seat behind the counter so that I could send out a work email with an attachment.
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Following the latest failed visit to the labour ward, I was asked to go home and wait for the contractions to come every 5 minutes, as opposed to every 15 minutes, before returning. Easier said than done. Since then, and it's been a week, I've gone off my 'prevent labour' medication, gone off the 'prevent labour' special diet and gone on a free for all milkshake, durian, ice cream and sweets binge over the last 5 days.

And the contractions have stopped.