Baby delivery options in Dubai

Sorry for delay in replying- this board moves slowly so I don't check it every day! dub27, I was with Dr Rosalie Sant. She is "affiliated" rather than "in" City Hospital if that makes sense. She has her own clinic in Healthcare City and I went there for all checkups, scans, etc. I only went to City once before delivery to meet the anaesthetist. If you're with Dr Sant you can choose to have your baby either in City or in American Hospital. http://primaveraclinic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20:rs&catid=8:physicians-directory&Itemid=33 We found Dr Sant to be beyond wonderful. She is incredibly skilled, professional, kind, efficient and devoted to her work. She's also, according to many respected GPs and midwives I've spoken to, one of the best, if not the best in Dubai for high-risk pregnancies. I cannot describe how safe she made us feel and how well she managed us. Only difficulty is that she limits the number of pregnancies she takes, so you might not get in with her. Hope it all works out well for your pregnancy- I read your other thread so wishing you the best.

I don't know what your country is but I am very glad I had my babies here and not in the UK. Here I had a private room and didn't have to be on a ward with other women and their babies and their visitors. It is hard enough with a new baby- trying to sleep, breastfeed, etc- without having strangers all around you, as I saw with friends and relatives who had babies in the UK and Ireland. (Though for example I also lived in France and you would always have a private room there.) I had my babies in City Hospital and I could not praise them enough. It is really a five star hospital. The staff are excellent. Your husband can stay overnight with you. The food is really good. The lactation consultant comes every day. The nurses aides are absolutely lovely. Compared with giving birth in the UK or Ireland it is a completely different league. I don't know about "choice" of C-section. I had to have a C-section for medical reasons but knew beforehand and so we were able to have an "elective" C-section (as opposed to an emergency one). That doesn't mean you can just decide you want a C-section. Well, you can, but the insurance will usually only pay for a medically necessary one! If you are living in Dubai I think it is a good option to have your baby in Dubai. We thought about going home to give birth but decided not to. I would have had to fly home weeks before my due date (airlines won't let you fly past a certain number of weeks) and I would have been sitting around in my parents' house waiting to go into labour for at least four weeks, if not six! Here I was able to still go to work up to the week before. And Dubai is very handy if you are pregnant. You can phone the supermarket/takeaway/pharmacy for deliveries if you are too heavy and tired to move! I would make sure that for the moment you have good maternity insurance that covers Dubai. Don't forget that even if you decide to go home, there may be unforeseen circumstances that may require you to be treated here.[/q Who was your OBGYN at City Hospital??? thnks

Excellent reply from pp. I also had my baby at city hospital and it was really grand, like a full service hotel. Actually my two older kids stayed with me overnight in a pull out bed and the nurses were helpful but not pushy at all. I too was going to go home for citizenship reasons but I was so nervous being alone I stayed here. My doctor was really nice. I definitely don't feel like anybody would suggest a c section unless medically needed, and even if you've had one before, even then, if vbac was an option the dr.s would know. I had a really professional and warm experience here. Can you please tell me which obgyn treated you at City Hospital? Thank you!!

xN, it's not a problem choosing to have a c-section here, people do it all the time and are able to get covered by insurance. When you are choosing your obstetrician you can talk through the options with them and decide if you agree on the best approach :)

I had one baby on the NHS in London and 3 babies in the American Hospital here. I far preferred the experience here, I felt much more in control and my wishes were listened to. Which is to be expected when you are paying for it rather than getting it for free :) If you want a natural birth there are many pro natural birth doctors in Dubai, just do a search on here. You can also elect to have a c-section far easier here than on the NHS. Regardless of what the system is like in my home country, I would never choose to fly home to have a baby unless I absolutely had to for citizenship reasons. Travelling when pregnant can be difficult, babies can be unpredictable which could mean my husband could miss it, I'd much rather be in my own home post birth than someone else's and I'd rather not take a very young baby on a plane. It really does depend on your personal circumstances. By all means going home to have a baby because you'd like to have family around etc is a good reason but if you are thinking of going simply because you are nervous of the health system here then stop worrying, it's very good.

Excellent reply from pp. I also had my baby at city hospital and it was really grand, like a full service hotel. Actually my two older kids stayed with me overnight in a pull out bed and the nurses were helpful but not pushy at all. I too was going to go home for citizenship reasons but I was so nervous being alone I stayed here. My doctor was really nice. I definitely don't feel like anybody would suggest a c section unless medically needed, and even if you've had one before, even then, if vbac was an option the dr.s would know. I had a really professional and warm experience here.

I don't know what your country is but I am very glad I had my babies here and not in the UK. Here I had a private room and didn't have to be on a ward with other women and their babies and their visitors. It is hard enough with a new baby- trying to sleep, breastfeed, etc- without having strangers all around you, as I saw with friends and relatives who had babies in the UK and Ireland. (Though for example I also lived in France and you would always have a private room there.) I had my babies in City Hospital and I could not praise them enough. It is really a five star hospital. The staff are excellent. Your husband can stay overnight with you. The food is really good. The lactation consultant comes every day. The nurses aides are absolutely lovely. Compared with giving birth in the UK or Ireland it is a completely different league. I don't know about "choice" of C-section. I had to have a C-section for medical reasons but knew beforehand and so we were able to have an "elective" C-section (as opposed to an emergency one). That doesn't mean you can just decide you want a C-section. Well, you can, but the insurance will usually only pay for a medically necessary one! If you are living in Dubai I think it is a good option to have your baby in Dubai. We thought about going home to give birth but decided not to. I would have had to fly home weeks before my due date (airlines won't let you fly past a certain number of weeks) and I would have been sitting around in my parents' house waiting to go into labour for at least four weeks, if not six! Here I was able to still go to work up to the week before. And Dubai is very handy if you are pregnant. You can phone the supermarket/takeaway/pharmacy for deliveries if you are too heavy and tired to move! I would make sure that for the moment you have good maternity insurance that covers Dubai. Don't forget that even if you decide to go home, there may be unforeseen circumstances that may require you to be treated here.