We always have a ready list of items to look for on our travels, that we can’t find or don’t have a wide selection of in Cambodia. Toys were on that list this year. While home we looked for toys that’ll engage the little boy’s imagination longer than the immediate learning phase. And I’m not a fan of the plastic battery-operated trinkets with obnoxious bright lights and noise. I remember the toys from when I was a kid which had a lot to do with being creative – like blocks, tinker toys or legos. So one of our great finds is this Zany Zoo wooden activity cube. It’s sturdy and bottom-heavy (at 9kg/19lb Tristan can pull himself up on it without tipping it over), thoughtfully designed (rounded corners, bright colors, dense with a variety of activities), and very attractive. And I love the rest of the B. line of toys – great philosophy, great designs, lovely products.

We cabin-checked this toy through all flights from New Orleans to NYC to Phnom Penh. Thankfully all the flight attendants and crew were very accommodating.

That said, there are actually some options in Phnom Penh for quality toys. By that I mean durable, educational and safe for the oral fixation stage through toddler years, when the wee ones are just discovering their sensory and motor skills. We’ve gotten some sets of wooden blocks, clapping push toys, puzzles, rocking horses etc from these two places below. I highly recommend them both; the toys are great and the organizations are involved in training local craftsmen in making wooden toys and furniture:

Cambodia Japan Friendship Skills Training Center #1425, Road # 2, Chak Angre Krom
Go south along Norodom Blvd, on the overpass towards Tahkmao (not over the Monivong Bridge).
Pass a small Wat on the left then a few minutes later will be a Caltex.
Straight after the Caltex is another Wat on the left.
The factory is directly opposite, on the right side.
Contact: Meng Hongleng 023 425787

Mekong Toys Wat Than Pagoda
180 Norodom Blvd, Tonle Bassac, Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh
+855 12 92 99 31
+855 12 96 64 14
http://www.mekongtoys.blogspot.com/
Contact: mekongtoys [a] gmail [dot] com

She’s one of the vendors outside on the street, just outside a small food shop, on St 67 south of Russian Blvd / St 110 / Preah Angduong. This area, especially on St 114 / Kramuonsar between St 67 and St 51, is densely packed with food shops serving a gamut of Khmer and Vietnamese foods. Psar Thmei (New Market) is a block away, where buses leave for destinations all over the Kingdom, so it caters to the masses of travelers passing through. See a map of Phnom Penh here.

2000 Riel for a bag of iced coffee

The coffee grounds are steeped in boiling water using a muslin bag shaped like a filter. Because the coffee is strong, the grounds in the bag can be re-used. Photos above are courtesy of Doualy Xaykaothao.

… and ok, it’s one of my two favorite iced coffee vendors in Phnom Penh. Below is my other favorite place to get an iced coffee, Rising Sun Pub, on St 178 between Sisowath Quay and Sothearos. They use the Vietnamese cold-brew method using a miniature drip brewer, pouring the water through the grounds about three times to get that nice strong flavor. mmmm…!

6000 Riel for a glass of iced coffee

WIG Christmas Fair 2011
Location: Hotel Intercontinental
Time: Sunday, 27 Nov 2011 10:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: Admission is $3, children under 12 free. Proceeds go to projects that support vulnerable women and children in Cambodia.

Christmas Village 2011  
Location: Le Duo Restaurant #17 St 228, between St 51 and 57
Time: Friday – Sunday Dec 2-4 10am-10pm

Christmas Craft Celebration 2011  
Location: Nam Trea wedding hall, #167, St 163 in Toul Tum Pung
Time: Sat Dec 3 10am-4pm

Christmas Carols by Bella Voce 2011
Location: The Intercontinental Hotel Ballroom
(296 Mao Tse Toung Blvd +855-23-424888)
Time: Saturday, December 3, 6pm
Cost: Individual $5, Family $15. Tickets will be sold at Jars of Clay coffee shop, #39 St 155 (near Russian market) Toul Tom Poung and at Jacob’s Well Restaurant, Crn of St 111 and 242 ( near Monivong and Sihanouk Boulevard)

Christmas Street Fair 2011
Location: St 240 between Norodom Blvd and St 19
Time: Fri-Sat Dec 9-10 5-10pm

Christmas Caroling 2011  
Location: Gasolina 56- 58, St 57 in BKK 1
Time: Fri Dec 16 6:30pm

And then there are the cafes that offer your traditional desserts for order – from gingerbread cookies to fruit cakes; pannetone; pumpkin, apple and pecan pies. Check at The Shop, Java Cafe, Jars of Clay, and Le Duo.

Happy holidays!

Photo by Keith A Kelly

CHOOSING THE HOSPITAL

We work and live in Phnom Penh, and wouldn’t feel comfortable with the specialists / facilities here in case of complications during delivery. The nearest city with internationally accredited care is Bangkok, so there we went at 35 weeks 6 days gestation, the latest we’re allowed to board a Thai Airways flight (with a fit-to-fly certificate from the doc).

Most of Bangkok’s well-known private facilities have high quality patient-oriented care and great customer service. They have translators, can take care of extending  visas, take the baby’s passport photo (this isn’t easy so do get this done at the hospital!), get the birth certificate officially translated and documented at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and liaise on documentations necessary to register the birth at your particular embassy etc. Many people go to Bumrungrad Hospital; read this post and follow the link to her birth story at Bumrungrad here. This hospital is located in the neighborhood of Sukhumvit where many Arab nationals live, so the third spoken language is Arabic.

The delivery packages she quoted for Bumrungrad are comparable to those at Samitivej:

• Natural birth/Water birth (3 days admission) 55,000Baht / US$1800 on exchange rate 30Baht=US$1
• Natural birth with Epidural (3days admission) 68,000 Baht / US$2267
• C-section (4days admission) 78,000Baht / US$2600

So I’d heard there is a ~90% c-section rate in private hospitals in Bangkok..? At any rate it’s high, but that’s due to a lot of other factors (including the Asian quest for luck, leading parents to schedule c-sections on the most propitious time and date for birth).I aimed for a natural birth; we chose Samitivej for its “baby-friendly” seal from UNICEF. Plus, it’s gotten great reviews from the mothers who’d given birth in Bangkok and physicians I’d talked to in Phnom Penh. We were very happy with our decision. The medical care, facilities, support and services were all excellent and we’d go there again in the future. It is located in the area of Sukhumvit populated by Japanese and Korean nationals.

DOULA

Why’d I get a doula? There’s a lot to keep track of and learn about when you’re pregnant. I talked with other women who recently had a baby. I bought and read pregnancy, childbirth and parenting books. I read the blogs and consulted the websites. I took a birth preparation course in Phnom Penh with Denise Love, an Australian doula who has decades of experience supporting women and their midwives/doctors in childbirth. But putting all this into practical perspective was hard. I was overwhelmed and especially anxious about the pain – my doula helped me through my fears of the unknown.

Also, while I had  friends and colleagues who’d recently given birth, and I work in the health sector where maternal health is a national priority, I didn’t have a dependable support system of experienced women during pregnancy through labor and the post-partum period. And finally, giving birth in a country where I wasn’t at all familiar with the childbirth culture and norms is unnerving. It’s my first real engagement with a health care system as a patient, and working with a doula who lived in Bangkok, was familiar with my chosen hospital, its doctors and childbirth protocols, put my mind at ease.

It isn’t about not trusting the medical staff to give me good care, or bucking the clinical protocols. It’s preparing for and planning the birth.

Bangkok had many western doulas a few years ago, but after the recession most went back home. At the time of writing there are two who have significant experience, and I went with Sylvie Philips from the UK on recommendations.

Sylvie helped me draft my birth plan, explained the hospital protocols so I’m aware and know what to expect, gave us advice about positioning during labor, coached me on pain management techniques, and helped my partner to help me. She also helped me understand the pelvic girdle pain I was having, when the medical doctors I’d seen in Phnom Penh and in Bangkok all brushed it off as “normal” during pregnancy (my pelvic pubic joints expanded 1-2cm more than needed – this is not normal). We had several sessions together, when she helped put all the information I’d read and learned into practical use, and she was present at the birth. Her confidence in me, great sense of humor and competent presence helped me and my partner focus on the birth because we knew someone was there to help us communicate our wishes with the staff when we were too emotionally preoccupied to make or communicate decisions.

FINDING A PLACE TO STAY

I looked for a serviced apartment because I didn’t want to purchase pans or bedsheets and I wanted some help with the cleaning. Expect to pay around US$1000+/month plus utilities for a studio or 1bedroom, but certainly there are more frugal options. Here are a few ways to find a place:

• Thai Visa is the English-language forum for anything Thailand. Go to the classifieds real estate section
• The Parent Vine is still new but worth posting at in case the mamas already there have any ideas:
• Real estate agents
• Hospitals have a list of nearby hotels and condos with special rates for patients and families
• Find a hotel or guesthouse you like and negotiate rates with the manager
• Use personal networks in Bangkok to spread the word that you’re looking – This is how I found my 2bedroom condo at Thonglor-Ekkamai area at a much more reasonable cost than through the other options above.
• Hire a taxi or walk around the hospital neighborhood – there are many options if you’re in town – Since the 13th and 20th week scans would probably be done in Bangkok too, it’s a good idea to check for rentals then.

SUPPORT and SERVICES

Lactation consultants are available at the hospital you choose for the delivery. At Samitivej you can ask to see one while you’re recovering, and you get two complementary visits with the coupons they give you upon discharge.

BAMBI (Bangkok Mothers and Babies International) has a great list of resources in Thailand for expectant/mothers. The site requires membership (1000Baht or ~US$33/year) but there are some good info accessible to non-members.

Prenatal Yoga – The Pilates Studio (Phloenchit Road, Patumwan)

Breastfeeding Café meetings every Tuesday at The Big Knit (Soi 49)

La Leche League meetings every Wednesday at Isis: Social Club for Mothers in Bangkok (72/1 Sukhumvit 51, access from Sukhmvit 49/2 as well; tel. 022587077)

Babywearing Club meetings every 3^rd Tuesday of each month at the Pilates Studio

It’s a good idea to find out in advance the documentation requirements of your Embassy to register the birth abroad and acquiring citizenship and passport. US-Americans can get all the info here. It took a week and a half of processing, once we presented the necessary applications and documents to the US Embassy in Bangkok, to get the baby’s passport.

SHOPPING RESOURCES in Bangkok – Maternity, Baby, Nursing

If you’re shopping out here, brace yourself for the sticker shock. I bought a Medela Pump-In-Style back in the US for US$275 that in Bangkok retails for US$700. I bought a carseat and stroller travel system that retails for US$240 in the US, but in Bangkok it is US$600. Dr Brown’s bottles are US$24 in the US and US$50 in Bangkok.

For items that you need international quality standards for (eg imported), the best places I found to buy them at were at these department stores along the Sukhumvit BTS skytrain line:

• Emporium (BTS Phrom Phong)– 5^th floor
• Central Chitlom (BTS Chitlom)– 6^th floor
• Central World (BTS Chitlom) – Toys R Us and other baby boutiques on 5^th and 6^th floor
• Siam Paragon (BTS Siam) – 5^th floor
• I hear there’s a nice boutique shop at Bumrungrad Hospital..? Since I went to Samitivej, I know the area around there more. The small sois (streets) around the hospital area are dotted with boutiques selling different maternity, baby, and nursing gear.
• The ParentVineNetwork was begun this year by a doula in Bangkok to network and provide information about services in Bangkok to people who will deliver in Bangkok. The site is still new, but it’s becoming a great resource as more and more people get on and contribute, and they’re compiling a nice list of shops so check it out.
• Keep an eye out for the baby buying fairs held intermittently throughout the year at Queen Sirikit Convention Center (MRT Queen Sirikit Station)– There was a Baby Expo in September and the Baby Best Buy was in January this year.

Maternity and Nursing Wear

The maternity clothes were the hardest to splurge on since I’d wear them only a few months. I tried to get clothes that can  double for nursing, but I didn’t check whether the nursing part is useful. Some of the access slits on the clothes, especially those from Mothers En Vogue (Phnom Penh), are uselessly small or not practically designed. MEV clothes are made with eco-friendliness in mind, but they didn’t last a long time because the materials were a bit flimsy. My purchases from Belli Belli (Bangkok) were equally priced, better designed and made of more sturdy materials.

The Bravado nursing bra tank top was the best purchase I made for nursing. It’s practically designed and made to last through many washings. It isn’t cheap, but I plan on getting more of them. I bought them at Naturally Bebe (Bangkok).

Nursing bras are available at the department stores listed above. They seem to only carry Mothercare (sports, no-wire, underwire) and Wacoal (underwire)..?

Breastfeeding and Pumping

Pumps and supplies are available at the above department stores, and the lactation consultant can also arrange purchases. You can rent a pump from Samitivej to try out before you purchase, and you can also do a trial run with their hospital-grade pump. Medela has a representative in Bangkok so if you need supplies and spare parts get on the website and make an appointment.

Babywearing

Naturally Bebe on Soi Thonglor 13, Sukhumvit 55, will let you try a variety of slings, pouches, and carriers before you buy. It’s on the soi that faces Samitivej Hospital, so it’s an easy walk after an appointment.

Warning: Be well-informed on babywearing! There have been incidents of newborn deaths from being carried with their chin to chest, the weight of their own heads blocking air passages. There are many YouTube videos and informational sites on proper infant positioning. Here’s one.

BOOKS I LIKED

While in Bangkok check out the Kinokuniya bookstores on the 5th floor of Siam Paragon (BTS Siam) or the 3rd floor of Emporium (BTS Phrom Phong).

I agree in minimizing medical interventions during childbirth, but am not opposed to it. I like the attachment parenting approach. These are my go-to books for the birth and parenting.

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices by Sarah Buckley and Ina May Gaskin

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

All books on the Sears Parenting Library. They also have a blog with a tremendous amount of info for parents, including a forum.

Dr. Spock’s Baby and Childcare: Seventh Edition by Benjamin Spock

The Nursing Mother’s Companion 6^th Edition: 25^th Anniversary Edition by Kathleen Huggins

I just concluded my employment with the GTZ Health Programme, who I’ve been with since 2006, on a team collaborating with the Ministry of Health and partners on social health protection strategy and policies for Cambodia. Concurrent with health financing initiatives, the programme is active in developing quality accreditation processes at the provincial, district and facility levels. I was responsible for monitoring, evaluation and reporting, the Safe Motherhood programme and patient rights advocacy.

Vastly challenging and rewarding though working on this programme was, after much thought about my role on the team, I finally came to the conclusion that it was too limited on the community mobilisation side, a personal interest that is simply outside the mandate of the programme. I opted to cut the salary ties and go the independent consultancy route. I found myself in a second-guessing cold sweat for several weeks after that decision, but in the end there is no other option.

The disconnect between policy/programme priorities and the goals of the community was not being addressed, and vertical programming is inadequate to address the social issues among the population. Amid the rapid changes in Cambodia’s health care system, it’s a crucial time to build upon the grassroots infrastructure. So I’m currently exploring options for lifestyle messaging trainings. In this I’m referencing primarily safe motherhood/delivery messages considering the high maternal and infant mortality rates (MMR and IMR) in Cambodia (two of our millennium development goals). Having worked on health financing initiatives and in light of Cambodia’s social health protection strategy, in addition to the personal financial planning gaps highlighted by the global economic downturn, I’m also investigating financial literacy as a component of such public health messages.

Another project I’m involved with is developing a Centre for Exchange in Phnom Penh and Vientiane. Back in college, friends and I set up an Asian American organisation under the leadership of a smart businesswoman I greatly admire, Latsamy. Today it is still very active in advocacy and networking. There was a lot of great input from members, and mentorship from a Pakistani activist, Asma Barlas. We’re aiming to set up a platform for Khmer-, Hmong- and Lao-American students to network with fellow students in Cambodia and Laos to promote, advocate and develop sustainable solutions to issues in these two countries.

I’m still concepting the programming strategy for both and bouncing ideas around with fellow consultants and startups. I’ll keep you posted :-)