Royal birth: What sort of care can the Duchess of Cambridge expect in the Lindo Wing?

notes: it is not about the Duchess nor the Lindo wing, but on how to prepare first class obstetric service

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/10170970/Royal-birth-What-sort-of-care-can-the-Duchess-of-Cambridge-expect-in-the-Lindo-Wing.html

Anna Maxted

Anna Maxted, who gave birth to all three of her children in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, describes what the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly Kate Middleton, can expect when she has her first child there.

On first sight, I was disappointed that the Lindo Wing wasn't more luxurious, in view of the first 24-hours normal delivery package costing £4,965 (or £6,420 for Caesarean section) plus £1,050 for the deluxe package per additional night. I briefly forgot it was a hospital, not a five-star hotel.

I was swiftly reminded. Upon our arrival - soon after my waters broke - my husband and I were ushered to a spartan, white private room, and I was wired up to monitors to track my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat. After two hours of contractions, I noticed the beeping had slowed. My husband summoned the midwife. She arrived instantly, checked the monitor, calmly announced: 'This baby needs to be out now.' My obstetrician appeared like a genie. I had an emergency Caesarean thirty minutes later.

All of my children, now 11, 8, and 6, were born at the Lindo, at an accumulative cost of nearly £30,000 - inclusive of obstetrician, anaesthetist and paediatrician fees - and I haven't spent half as much on them since. But oh, it was worth it. My large room, best described as shabby chic, looked on to a brick wall. It was forensically clean, but basic, despite the TV and en-suite (although the unit has since undergone refurbishment). As my mother noted, not as glitzy as the Portland; 'more serious, more hospitally.' We were paying for personal, consistent, consultant-led, exquisite care; unparalleled medical expertise - i.e., peace of mind. We got it.

Ante-natal treatment at the Lindo, attached to St Mary's NHS hospital, in scruffy Paddington, offers reassurance from the start, with a check-up on site each month, and cheerful, gimleteyed monitoring. Crucially, it has 24-hour access to critical care and neonatal units at St Mary's, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. I was anxious about a natural birth, so my consultant recommended a private pre-natal class where there was no preaching or bias: 'A good natural birth is preferable to a Caesarean,' he said, 'And a Caesarean is preferable to a bad natural birth.'

My Caesarean didn't feel like an emergency, even though the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around the baby's neck. The team's urgent response was carefully understated. A celebratory atmosphere was maintained. 'Ah,' sighed the midwife, as young Oscar finally emerged, grimacing like a Halloween pumpkin, 'What a lovely round head!'

The post-natal care was kind, tireless - at midnight, Baby was whisked to the nursery, so I could sleep, and returned at 4am when he woke, as was my preference. Maternity nurses manually showed me how to breastfeed (no airs and graces allowed), to change and bath Oscar.

I can't recall eating anything but toast, although a friend who gave birth at the Lindo last month says the food was so awful, her husband brought in Burger King. Nor did we trouble the champagne list - though naturally, one did request The Telegraph alongside breakfast.

A stream of nurses marched in at all hours, to check blood pressure and keep an eye, and if I pressed a buzzer, staff responded instantly. I have fond memories of a personal morphine pump, at least after the first birth, to manage the pain of abdominal surgery. There was the happy sense of never being more than a few feet away from a doctor.

No travelling salesmen, touting nappies or baby food here, thank you. Security was low-key but tight. Visitors accessed the unit by pressing the buzzer of a monitored door. I was mildly rebuked for locking my door while I had a bath, as the consultant couldn't get in (thankfully) to check my stitches. Post-natal physiotherapy was also on offer. Medical excellence not fancy carpet, is what you pay for here - and despite the eye-watering cost, it was the wisest decision we ever made. Certainly, I was treated as every woman deserves at this emotional and exhilarating time: like a princess. But rather more importantly, I believe they saved my first son's life.

Orang Singapura Cepat Kaya, Ini Rahasianya

http://bisniskeuangan.kompas.com/read/2013/07/09/1721514/Orang.Singapura.Cepat.Kaya.Ini.RahasianyaBambang Priyo Jatmiko



SINGAPURA, KOMPAS.com — Pada survei yang dilakukan oleh Barclays Bank, yang dirilis pekan lalu, terungkap bahwa kekayaan warga Singapura meningkat paling cepat jika dibandingkan dengan negara-negara lainnya.

Sebagaimana dikutip dari Forbes, Selasa (9/7/2013), survei tersebut dilakukan dengan melibatkan perseorangan dengan kekayaan individu minimal 1,5 juta dollar AS atau sekitar Rp 15 miliar. Jumlah responden yang terlibat dalam survei ini mencapai 2.000 orang yang tersebar di seluruh dunia.

Hasil yang paling menonjol dari survei itu adalah kekayaan warga Singapura naik paling cepat jika dibandingkan dengan negara-negara lain. Rata-rata orang Singapura hanya butuh waktu 10 tahun untuk menjadi orang dengan kekayaan setidaknya Rp 15 miliar.

Meskipun krisis keuangan melanda berbagai negara di kawasan Eropa dan Amerika Serikat, hal itu tak banyak memengaruhi laju kenaikan kekayaan orang Singapura, yang dalam hal ini naik hingga 50 persen.

Kenaikan tersebut juga erat hubungannya dengan menguatnya bursa saham Singapura. Indeks Straits Times yang naik dua kali lipat pada periode 2008-2013 membuat kekayaan warga negara ini juga melejit. Namun, kondisi tersebut juga membuat sebagian besar kekayaan warga Singapura selalu dibayangi fluktuasi dari lantai bursa.

Dari survei itu, salah satu yang menarik untuk disimak adalah bagaimana orang Singapura membagi uangnya, yang membuat mereka begitu cepat kaya.

Tabungan dan investasi. Ternyata, orang Singapura begitu memprioritaskan untuk menabung dan berinvestasi. Dari seluruh kekayaan yang dimilikinya, sebanyak 61 persen dimasukkan ke bank maupun diinvestasikan ke instrumen pasar modal. Porsi tersebut di bawah alokasi penduduk Hongkong, yang menyisihkan 66 persen kekayaannya untuk ditabung dan diinvestasikan, sedangkan warga China daratan mengalokasikan 58 persen.

"Traveling" dan kegiatan amal. Orang Singapura adalah warga yang selalu disibukkan dengan berbagai aktivitas. Berjalan selalu terburu-buru menjadi pemandangan yang biasa di setiap sudut negara kecil itu. Namun, di balik kesibukannya itu, warga Singapura adalah orang yang senang bepergian dan menghabiskan waktu luang.

Di sisi lain, mereka juga senang menyisihkan sebagian kekayaan untuk kegiatan sosial kendati mereka identik dengan orang yang money oriented. Untuk keperluan berwisata dan mendukung kegiatan amal, orang Singapura menyisihkan 16 persen dari kekayaan mereka.

Mobil dan perhiasan. Dari survei Barclays, diketahui, ternyata orang Singapura tak begitu terobsesi untuk membeli mobil, perhiasan, maupun benda-benda untuk dikoleksi sehingga untuk pos ini, rata-rata orang Singapura hanya mengalokasikan 7 persen dari kekayaannya.

Kondisi ini berbeda dengan warga India yang sangat gemar membeli mobil dan perhiasan sehingga alokasi dana untuk pembelanjaan ini mencapai 17 persen.

Obsesi. Di sisi lain, survei itu juga mengungkapkan cita-cita orang Singapura dengan harta yang mereka miliki itu. Ini agak mengejutkan lantaran orang Singapura sangat ingin melakukan sesuatu yang bisa bermanfaat bagi dirinya dan orang lain. Bahkan, karena itu, mereka punya cita-cita untuk memberikan 50 persen kekayaannya untuk lembaga amal dan 13 persen diwariskan kepada keturunannya.

Bagaimana dengan Anda...?

Workplace Improvements: How To Make Your Space More Enjoyable

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/02/workplace-improvements_n_3529272.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
Matthew D. Della Porta, Ph.D

If you're like most people, your workplace isn't exactly a joyful haven of rest and relaxation. Indeed, most would agree that they have stressful jobs and workplaces that don't do enough to promote employee wellness.

However, progressive organizations around the world are beginning to understand the importance of employee wellbeing. They now know that improving workplace wellness isn't just a nice thing to do for employees -- it helps the company bottom line in numerous ways, such as increased job satisfaction, productivity and morale, in addition to reducing turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism (coming to work sick)*.

The American Psychological Association cites five components of a psychologically healthy workplace. I’ve laid them out below, along with practical ways to implement them. If your workplace doesn't have anything of this sort, don't despair; through the cooperation of employees throughout your organization, it may be possible to create helpful programs that make a notable impact on office morale and organizational health.

1. Employee Involvement

All too often, workers feel controlled and powerless at their jobs, resulting in apathy and a lack of commitment to their organization. The superior alternative for employers is to make employees feel more involved in decision making and autonomous while performing their jobs.

Make It Better: Help workers feel competent and at least partially in charge of their own work responsibilities. This can be done through self-managed work teams, employee taskforces or monthly suggestion meetings.

2. Work-Life Balance

Many American workers would agree that their work-life balance is tipping too far toward the office. If employees are forced to neglect responsibilities at home, the quality of their professional work will inevitably suffer.

Make It Better: Employers have ample opportunities to reach out to overburdened employees. Common ways to do so are through flextime, childcare, eldercare and financial management assistance.

3. Employee Growth and Development
Nobody wants to be in a dead-end job. An employer who encourages worker growth and development will make sure that each worker gains new knowledge, skills and abilities. This is a wise investment that ensures the growth and retention of top-notch employees.

Make It Better: Workers should know that they have upward mobility within their organizations. Employers can ensure this through continuing education courses, tuition reimbursement and leadership development programs.

4. Health and Safety

American healthcare is notorious for being almost entirely treatment-oriented, rather than focused on preventing illness in the first place. Employers can avoid making the same mistake by providing a healthy workplace environment and teaching employees the essentials of fitness, nutrition and stress management. In addition to the obvious perks for workers, promoting health and safety will benefit the employer as well; healthy employees are less likely to miss work and have lower insurance costs.

Make It Better: Workers ought to be able to rely on their employer to provide the information and resources necessary to engage in healthy lifestyle choices. Programs that promote weight loss, smoking cessation and stress management can be extremely helpful. Ideally, employers should also provide on-site or nearby access to a fitness facility.

5. Employee Recognition

Few things adversely affect employee morale like a lack of appreciation. By recognizing outstanding employee contributions, employers send the message that good work does not go unnoticed.

Make It Better: The obvious way to commend an employee is with a monetary bonus. However, more cost-effective methods can be used as well, such as awards and recognition ceremonies.

Progressive organizations know that psychologically healthy workplaces are mutually beneficial for employer and employee. In addition to treating employees with courtesy and respect, these organizations gain a notable advantage by improving the bottom line and cultivating top-tier talent. Indeed, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman once said, "This is not pie in the sky; this is about the bottom line. Building psychologically healthy workplaces isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the smart thing to do." Who can argue with that?