<Facebook complaint by Mei Raz>
See this auntie, ask her whether can she offer me the seat as I need to make milk for my baby and she look at my tummy but still give me that rude look at my face…
She reply me that this SIT ALSO FOR SENIOR CITIZEN WHAT????? This kind of people need to make them famous!!!
Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com
The enhanced support for having a child in the form of a bigger Baby Bonus, additional paternity leave and a bigger Medisave Grant for babies was welcomed by parents and parents-to-be, while sociologists said the measures could help nudge society into becoming more supportive of families with children.
Mr Marcus Lai, whose wife will give birth to their first child next year, said the added support would ease some of his worries. “My wife and I have been discussing how much we should put aside for our child, and how to manage our finances … These (initiatives) would definitely make things easier for us,” said the 31-year-old manager of Winefield’s Auctioneers Asia.
Housewife Josephine Low, 36, welcomed the doubling of paternity leave to two weeks, but was sceptical on whether companies would offer it voluntarily. “If the company doesn’t allow us, then we might have to use our annual leave, which means that we are at the losing end,” said the mother of four, who felt it should be mandated by the Government.
SHIFTING ATTITUDES
A study released by the Institute of Policy Studies early last month showed the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package announced in 2013 was less conducive in nudging Singaporeans to marry and have more children, compared with the previous package.
Dr Kang Soon-Hock, head of the Social Science Core at SIM University, felt the enhancements, while appearing “purely financial” on the surface, play the bigger role of shifting attitudes. Referring to the extended paternity leave, he said: “Parenthood isn’t about mothers, but about fatherhood, too. It’s a gentle nudge for fathers to rethink their role, and see it in a different light.”
Asked if he felt the enhancement would boost birth rates in the long run, National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said raising children is a long-term commitment. “My view is that they are helpful, and may raise TFR to 1.3, slightly above the current 1.2 or 1.25, but not much more, unless more is done. Whatever the case maybe, such policies also serve a symbolic value. They reflect the priority the Government assigns to fertility and children,” he said.
NUS sociologist Paulin Straughan said the policies also ride on the Golden Jubilee wave. “I think birth rates are on the rise … and (these policies) are geared towards catching this feeling of optimism of Singaporeans towards their country.”
Commenting on the additional Government-funded paternity leave, Singapore National Employers Federation executive director Koh Juan Kiat said companies would likely need to restructure leave benefits to provide the additional days for fathers. “Hopefully, the incentive can be applied to flexible paternity leave, taken over say one year … this will encourage SMEs to consider the initiative,” he said.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
A baby is left blind in one eye after a family friend forgot to turn off the flash while taking a close-up photograph.
Doctors said the three-month-old, who has not been named, has suffered irreparable damage from the flash of the camera, which was held about 10 inches away from the baby boy.
The parents noticed that there was something wrong with their baby’s vision soon after the photograph was taken, reported the People’s Daily Online.
Following the incident, the baby suffered from reduced vision in his left eye and blindness in his right eye. The damage is said to be permanent and cannot be fixed with surgery.
The strong flash has damaged cells on the macula, which is the part of the eye where incoming light rays are focused.
Damage to the macula can lead to the loss of central vision, which allows people to see straight ahead.
The macula is not fully developed until children are four, meaning youngsters are very sensitive to strong light.
Experts have said that while babies will shut their eyes when exposed to light on reflex, just milliseconds of strong light can cause permanent damage.
They added that parents should be careful of strong bathroom lights when their babies are taking a bath.
It is not clear whether the family friend will face any legal action following the incident.
Source:www.dailymail.co.uk
After feeling unwell and visiting the doctor, Mr Syed Zukarnain expected to spend yesterday at home nursing his cough and sore throat.
Instead, the 46-year-old and his wife Reena, 47, an administrative executive, found themselves weaving through rush-hour traffic with a stranger giving birth in their back seat.
He was pulling out of the Bukit Panjang carpark at around 9am and about to take his wife to work when they saw a pregnant woman lying on the ground with her frantic husband talking on the phone.
“I was quite scared and concerned for the baby,” he told The Straits Times.”They had already waited for a cab for one hour. They called but (there was) no response. The waterbag had already burst in that hour, that’s why we decided not to think so much and told them to get in the car.”
The pregnant woman’s husband urged his wife not to push but half an hour into the journey to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), he exclaimed that the baby’s head was out.
The seven-seater Chevrolet had quickly become a makeshift delivery ward.
Overcoming her fear of blood, Madam Reena, a mother of two, undid her seatbelt and climbed from the front passenger seat to the back, while her husband ploughed through the traffic with his horns blaring and hazard lights on.
The National University Hospital would have been nearer, but the couple wanted to go to SGH, where all their check-ups had been.
The new parents, believed to be in their 20s, declined to be interviewed.
Madam Reena said: “I saw that the baby’s whole head was out and it was completely white.”
Fearing for the baby, she urged the woman to push. “When she pushed once, half of the body came out together with the hand and the baby started crying. The body was completely white as well and I was scared and nervous, but I tried to push (my fear) aside and told her to push more and the whole baby came out.”
By 9.40am, the girl had been born with her umbilical cord still attached. They were then on the AYE near the Lower Delta Road exit but still a good 15 minutes away from SGH because of heavy traffic.
Madam Reena grabbed a shawl and wrapped the baby girl up to keep her warm, the whole time holding her close to her mother’s pelvis while kneeling on the floor.
“I tried to talk to the baby and described her to her mother,” she said.
Once at the hospital, paramedics jumped into action – cutting the umbilical cord and wheeling mother and daughter into the hospital.
Mr Syed, who works for Omni Offshore Terminals, and the new father exchanged numbers. According to Mr Syed, both mother and daughter are doing well.
Madam Reena said: “A few hours later, we texted each other and I asked how mum and baby were doing. We’re very happy that both of them are doing fine.” She added: “I can’t believe that I did that.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com
Off-duty officer, Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Koh Koon Beng, was out with his family on Sunday evening, 20 July last year. Leaving the basement car park, they were alerted to loud screams for help.
Approaching quickly, DSP Koh found a woman in her thirties standing outside a white SUV, pulling desperately at the door handles. In tears, she told DSP Koh that her baby had been trapped inside for the past ten minutes. DSP Koh assured her that he would help.
Peering through the rear windows of the car, he saw a baby about 8-months-old, strapped to the booster seat. “He was screaming and crying and my only thought was to bring him out quickly”, recounted DSP Koh. Unable to open the locked car doors and the boot, DSP Koh realised that the only way in was by breaking the glass window.
DSP Koh explained to the mother what he intended to do. With her consent, he took a steering lock he had in his car and carefully broke the left rear quarter window farthest from the baby. Putting his hand through the broken glass, DSP Koh unlocked the door and carried the child out to safety and into the arms of his very relieved mother.
Touched by the help rendered, the mother wrote to DSP Koh to thank him for dealing with the situation so calmly. She also expressed her gratitude to his wife and children for staying with her throughout the ordeal. It turned out that a mechanical fault in the car caused the auto-lock to malfunction, inadvertently locking the baby in.
When asked how he felt about the incident, the Chief Investigation Officer of Tanglin Division said, “I don’t think much of what I have done as anyone would do the same. But as a police officer, we are on duty 24/7 and I am glad to have helped.”
Source: Singapore Police Force