Have you had a baby in Dubai?

[JuliaH]

Hello,

Have you had a baby in Dubai? Then I'd love to hear from you. I'm in the process of setting up an internet resource for expats on having a baby abroad and still need info on Dubai!

You can be as general or personal as you like but if you'd like to share your experiences (anonymously or openly!) then I'd love to hear about the pregnancy care, antenatal facilities, birth place options (home, hospital etc), is active labour encouraged? is the full range of pain killers available? what was the care like overall? did you get follow-up care at home? are there any particular customs and traditions to having a baby in Dubai? what do the locals do?......

PM me or get in touch with me via my website if you like - I look forward to hearing from you!

Julia

[Geordie Armani]

I had my daughter here in Dubai 4 years ago at the government hospital. You still have to pay - I had an elective C section - 1000 quid. You can have what you want here. No questions asked, your paying so you get what you want. The ante natal care was good though somewhat dated compared to the UK but they do everything that is required. I used to work for an Obs in the Uk so I know my stuff. The were slow at doing the nuchal testing because termination is illegal so in their eyes there is no point in finding out if there is anything wrong as it won't be terminated anyway. They are HUGE on breastfeeding mainly because they are all asians and they all breastfeed as in their home countries formula is pricey. The actual C section itself was superb no complaints there. Aftercare a bit dodgy in places but in the long run fine. Aftercare - NON EXISTENT!!! no post natal checks nothing. But this is the government hospital.

If you have insurance you can use the other hospitals like the American Hospital and The Welcare. Hope this helps!

GA

[JuliaH]

Dear Geordie,

thanks for your response to my query about having a baby in Dubai! Would it be ok to share your experiences with other expat Mum's and Dad's (to-be) on the community page of the International Baby Shop? The community page is a new resource for expats on having a baby abroad.

greetings

Julia

[Geordie Armani]

yes no problem

GA