Giving Birth

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eralc777

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Aug 6, 2005
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I would like to know what the hospitals are like here in Puerto Plata for having a baby. Do you get a good standard of care? Do the doctors speak ENglish? Do they give epidurals? Can the father be present in the room? Where is the best place to have the baby? How much would private care cost and is the standard higher?

Just weighing up the pros and cons of where is better to have a baby. Anyone who has any personal experience of this would be great to talk to! Thanks.
 
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The Virginian

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Mar 16, 2007
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Suggest you visit your hospital and walk through, ask questions etc, in advance and see for yourself. For something this important you should decide. I spent the night in the hospital recently and was somewhat surprised. Though no complaints it is certainly very different than what I have been accustomed to.
 
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eralc777

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Been to Bournigal on numerous occasions and not too thrilled about going there. Im considering travelling to SD or Santiago to make sure i get the best level of care. I want a natural child birth, no c-section with the choice of having an epidural. I want an english speaking doctor and somewhere that has good facilities in case of complications. I would like names of places that offer this if anybody knows of any.
 
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Chirimoya

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Jenny Garc?a (Centro de Salud de la Mujer Atabey) in the capital - her contact details are on a number of previous threads - gives you a better chance of getting the sort of care you need.

Have you decided against going back to the UK, where all your criteria are more or less taken for granted? The cost of the trip could balance out with the medical costs in the DR.
 
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Lapurr

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eralc777 said:
I want a natural child birth, no c-section with the choice of having an epidural.
Click to expand...

Is C-Section an option? why on Earth would anyone opt for major abdominal surgery?

Anyways....if your pelvis is too small and obstructs your birthing canal....you WILL have a C-section...and I would highly suggest you talk to the doctor if for any reason you should need a C-Section, How he will perform the surgery and discuss the incision,vertical or horizontal?.

good luck!! And congratulations
 
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eralc777

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I am still looking into both options of having the baby here compared to in UK. There are lots of factors that influence my decision, and im just investigating health care options before i make a final decision. The amount of time i would have to spend in UK isnt exactly encouraging me to go there. So im keeping all options open right now...

If I had to have a c-section i would, but it would not be my first choice.
 
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Chirimoya

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For some Dominican women and doctors a C-section is a first choice, unfortunately.

eralc777, I went through the same process 8 years ago and ended up going home. The disadvantage, as you mention, was the long stay - I was there from 6 weeks before my due date - Iberia was the only airline that would take me at that late stage - and remained at home until the baby was 3 months old. The advantages - as well as the great, free health facilities and attitudes to childbirth and breastfeeding - was the support I had from my immediate and extended family and friends back home.

My husband was not able to be with me for some of that time, which was a definite drawback. The baby arrived a week early so he missed the birth, but rushed over and was there the next day. He had to return to the DR 10 days later due to work commitments, but was back about a month later, and we flew back to the DR together.

PM me if you would like to talk. :)
 
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Lambada

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Chirimoya said:
as well as the great, free health facilities and attitudes to childbirth and breastfeeding -.
Click to expand...

Is it still free? I know emergency situations are but even NHS GP's now charge for a consultation if you're an expat (discovered this on previous trip). When I displayed disbelief they showed me the relevant Home Office circular..........exit Lambada declaiming to full waiting room that if she had to pay she would see an unhurried doctor using her private health insurance...........;) Worth checking eralc777 if cost is a factor for you, exactly what your expat status entitles you to in UK. It's a lot less than it used to be.
 
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dv8

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all family planning clinics in UK are free starting from pills and abortion if you do not want kids to pre-natal care and birth process. i am sure brits will tear their hair out asked about level of healthcare in UK but they should see dominican hospital to appreciate what they have.

sorry to say but none of the women i know here who gave bith here had fathers of the child with them, apparently it's not common. and i do not see future dads i know volunteering for that either.

there are good doctors in POP but they will all cost and most possibly give you c-section whether you want it or not - it's not like you'd be in the position to agrue - it's MORE MONEY for them. sad but true.

you may be better off in santiago, i will PM you with names of doctors as soon as i find out.
 
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Lambada

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dv8 said:
all family planning clinics in UK are free starting from pills and abortion if you do not want kids to pre-natal care and birth process.
Click to expand...

For UK residents but not for expats - it has changed. From NHS website
'The NHS is a residence-based healthcare system. Therefore, once you have moved permanently away from the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules.............. If you get a UK benefit, such as short-term incapacity benefit or maternity allowance, your healthcare cover is subject to different rules; the period of your cover and application criteria may differ depending on your particular circumstances. For more information, contact the International Pension Centre (IPC) or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).'
Living abroad

Lots of info on the NHS website, that's why I suggested eralc should check.
 
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eralc777

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Thank you everyone else for their postings of advice and PM's. It has given me lots of good advice which I will take into consideration over the next few months.

One more question though, a lot of people are mentioning the price here. Lets just say i went to a private doctor here in PP and had a c-section...what price would i be looking at paying???
Thanks again to those helpful people.
 
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rio2003

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Aug 16, 2006
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Just a thought,
I had an operation on my spine in Centro Medico in POP in 2003 and it was a bit of a shock to find out that blood had to be bought from someone in case a transfusion was needed. Unlike the UK, there were no blood banks, obvious when you think about it!
I was very wary and ended up giving my own blood a few days before the operation which was then stored "just in case". The other problem is that women were not allowed to give blood apparently and we had to find a way around this.
I was just wondering what happens in the case of foreign ladies due to give birth, and possibly a c section, when a transfusion may become neccessary?
Or have things changed?
 
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