Pregnancy Story : FPP Experience in Putrajaya Hospital 2019

This is my FPP experience in 2019.

Full-paying patient or FPP is a program where we can choose to pay for a 1st class service with a choice of specialist in hand (copy-pasted from their website). I wanted to share about this because I researched a lot of blogs when I was pregnant with Sofi and I found the reviews were so useful. So here's my input :

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I chose the FPP program because I wanted to really have a spot at the hospital when the time comes and I wanted to choose my own specialist. It was my first pregnancy and everything was really scary, so I needed to have the comfort of knowing who would handle the delivery and I needed to have Af by my side (all the time). I can't imagine having to deal with it alone :F Heard a lot of stories about that from public hospital experiences. 

I made my first booking through the phone when my pregnancy reached the 2nd trimester. I made an appointment with the doctor of my choice; Dr Hamidah at Hospital Putrajaya. My first appointment was scheduled for May 2019 (my delivery was due in July 2020).

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First appointment: When we first came, we had to register as FPPatient (fill in a form) and make a payment of RM 235 (including registration, consultation, and scan). Then I had to take a number at the gynecologist counter and did a urine test. Then the waiting began. Meeting the doctor was quick (maybe around 10 minutes if you don't have many questions), updated her on my case, did a scan to check on the baby, and set for the next appointment. That's it - it took around almost 3 hours.

We did 3 compulsory checkups before the delivery date. 

38th week: I met my doctor and we decided on the procedure, the date, and the time to induce the baby - because I have gestational diabetes so we can't postpone or wait for long (everything needed to be planned). We decided to have a natural birth. 

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This is what happened on the day (based on my previous post) :

When we reach Hospital Putrajaya :

• I registered (it was at midnight)
• The nurses asked me to change to their hospital clothes
• They took some blood, checked my pulse, and put something like a belt on my tummy to check the baby's heart rate and my contraction level (the nurse mentioned that my contraction was really intense and how was I holding up ? - it was mostly around 80%+ )
• It was late at night, so there wasn't any doctor around except an intern. 2 intern doctors tried to do a vaginal examination on me and weren't sure how dilated I was =.= ( It was around 1 cm ). 
• I was admitted and sent to a room (shared with another woman with a newborn baby). Af came to the room later with my bags.
• I didn't sleep much, it was an intense night. My contractions were strong and long, I remember holding on to AF, tears falling down on my cheek without I realized I was crying, silently. I guess I was in pain.
• Morning came, and I was exhausted. The nurse checked my blood pressure and my contraction level. The nurse asked me to walk around the corridor, so I spent the morning walking. 
• At 3 p.m., I finally met my doctor. She did another vaginal examination, it was only 3 cm. I'm not sure if I'm right, but she had to do a 'membrane sweeping' to help induce the labor. In this procedure, the doctor wore a glove and swept the inside of the cervix in a circular motion to stretch it out. It was so painful. This was the most traumatic moment during my whole stay at the hospital. I cried afterward because I felt somewhat abused (by the procedure). Later I decided to take an epidural as the doctor suggested because the doctor said that "the delivery will be much much worse than that pain that you just felt". Hah.
• Things moved fast after 3 pm, I was already 24 hours into contraction. They took me for an epi and prepared me, I waited in the labor room shaking (because I was cold due to the epi and had really strong surges), they also gave me something on a drip to induce the labor and they broke my water as well. Most of the time I was just trying to follow the surges. Already too tired to function, I haven't eaten for so long. Oh, was the Epi shot painful? Not so - for me. I'm used to taking shots because I donated blood many times. 
• At 8 p.m., the doctor came. I think Sofi came out in less than 10 minutes *with the doctor's help. She vacuumed the head because I was losing it. I became too tired, I knew to push when they asked me to push, but I didn't know how far I go - with Epi, I don't really feel the piercing pain, just a lot of painful pressure.
• By the time they put Sofi on my tummy and she cried, I was too tired, I couldn't open my eyes. 
• They took Sofi out to clean her, and Af was asked to wait outside. He said he probably waited for 30 - 60 mins, he wasn't sure. I delivered the placenta, and the doctor stitched and cleaned me up. I can't remember much because I was groggy but I was awake for the whole procedure.
• I didn't see her again until they cleaned us up, then the nurse passed Sofi to Af for him to sing iqamat to her and passed it to me so I could 'try' to breastfeed her (guided but it was so hard). 
• Then I was wheeled to my room back with Sofi in my hand :D

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About money :

First appointment: RM 235 (including registration, consultation, and scan)

Monthly checkup consultation fees: RM 100 or RM 60 for the repeat cases, and maybe more if you need to do a checkup scan.

You'll need to put in a deposit of RM 3,000 upon your admission, be ready if there are extra fees that you'll need to pay once you are released, and don't worry you'll get back the balance if it doesn't reach RM 3,000.

Normal delivery : RM 1,200 - RM 3,000

Caesarean : RM 3,500 - RM 4,900

I checked the detailed receipt and here's the information if you are curious about the payment, I was curious when I was pregnant and I was really worried if it would go over our budget. But it didn't.

During the hospital stay :

Admission fees: RM 10

First class (double beds): RM 300 per day x 2 = RM 600

Labor room delivery: RM 250

Consum/disposables: RM 84.60

Pharmacy: RM 94.30

Consultation fees (ward visit): RM 60 x 3 = RM 280

Consultation fees (ward visit) - after office hours: RM 120 x 3 = RM 360

Procedure :

Cardiotocograph : RM 30 x 2 = RM 60

Cervical ripening (sweep & stretch) = RM 30

Epidural: RM 300

Vacuum delivery: RM 750 

Full Blood Count - Follow up: RM 30 

Total: RM 2,748.90 

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About the room :

We didn't choose the room, I think they just put us by availability at that time. When I was admitted that night, I got the double-bed twin room with a personal toilet that I shared with another lady with a newborn baby. We hardly see each other because of the curtain, so we had privacy during the whole agonizing night. 

Sure, it was comfortable and Af could even stay and sleep next to me on the chair. But we didn't rest much because of the contractions. So the staying experience was a bit blurry in my memory. Now that I can think about that back, I realize that what we had was pretty comfortable. Love the privacy, the personal toilet, the space, and the calm environment. The nurses were always there outside our room. I forgot about the food because those parts are also a bit blurry. The best part was Af, he could stay with me almost all the way (except when I had procedures before the delivery and also some checkups ).

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Pro :

• You can choose your specialist who will be handling you throughout the pregnancy, delivery, and post-delivery
• First class ward - I can't compare because it was my first experience staying in a hospital but my KK experience kinda warned me about the public hospital :F 
• Your husband can stay with you through the night
• You can choose your procedure, and the doctors will guide you. 
• Great services, nice doctors and nurses. They will guide and help you when needed.
• You can choose for female specialist if she is not fully booked. 
• Oh, people mentioned that you can pick your food - yes, there are some options to choose from, but when I stayed there, food wasn't my priority at all. I can't remember much about the food. 

Cons :

• Every single thing will be charged in full, but it is not as expensive as compared to private hospitals. So if you have the budget, go for it. 
• No children below 12 - so if you have other children, they can't visit you.
• You need to book early, good timing is when you just entered the second trimester

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How to :

• 'Walk in' or enquire at the FPPS counter
• Call them: 03-83124316
• Sending email: hpj_info@hpj.gov.my

Note: I called them when my pregnancy reached the second trimester, asked them questions, chose a specialist, and agreed to book an appointment when my pregnancy reached the third trimester. You need to book it early to ensure that you'll have a spot. You need to know your estimated due date (edd) as well - it is needed to set your date of appointment.