October 2012 Due Date?

Hi Lilypad28, I am sorry but I have not heard of Al Bahara hospital so can't help there. You need to call Latifa hospital before 2/230pm (can't remember exactly what time) but I am not sure that there is much point until you have a health card. I know its very busy there so it might just have been bad timing to find no one there last weekend. A week day would probably be better. I got my health card from Al Bada'aa clinic even though I had been to Safa twice and they have written on my health card that Safa is my local clinic?. You have to take all of your papers, i.e. tenancy contract, passport copy, husband/sponsors passort copy etc. There is probably more information on here or on the DHA website as to what you need to take exactly. I did it a few months back and it took a few goes to get it right. I think it cost 210 AED and I had to pay in cash. You can't make an appointment so its a good idea to go in the morning. Once you have the health card then you need to register with your local clinic. I registered at Safa who asked me for details of the pregnancy. They then gave me a referral letter for Latifa. At this point you can then phone Latifa to make an appointment. It take a bit of time to get this sorted so I would advise you to do this as soon as you can so you can get your anomaly scan booked to make sure everything is ok with your baby. Good luck.

Hi Lilypad28, I think I rang Latifa hospital when I was around 14 weeks and they explained that I needed to be referred through a local clinic. Once I had been to Safa clinic and had the referral letter I phoned them back and got an appointment which was about 2 weeks later when I was about 16 weeks. I decided on Latifa because my insurance doesn't fully cover any of the private hospitals and I have read that if there is an emergency then Latifa is the place that you would be referred to providing that you are registered with them. I did read that some private hospitals (none were named specifically) could not deal with all pregnancy complications so for peace of mind I registered with Latifa. I think Latifa is fine but I have nothing to compare it to as I had my first child in the UK. There is a lot of waiting when you have your appointments, usually at least an hour after your allotted time and you never see the same doctor but the nurses are friendly enough. I did read that some pregnant ladies continue with their private gynaecologist and also attend check ups at the hospital. I couldn't afford to do this although I can understand why. You have to ask questions and make sure you are happy with what you are told as the hospital is very busy and appointments are quick. With private healthcare you are likely to have the same doctor and more time to discuss any queries at appointments. This is my second baby so I don't have many questions except wanting to know about the delivery and my options. Just so that you are aware the scans that you require may not be at the time you expect them. e.g. my 20 week anomaly scan was at 23 weeks and I think someone else had to wait until 28 weeks for their anomaly scan. However, you have probably had scans elsewhere so this may not be an issue if you have to wait a while for your anomaly scan. I would prefer it if the hospital was closer to where I live as I am not used to being more than a walk away from the nearest hospital but this is Dubai and everywhere is generally a car journey away. It might be a idea to visit the private hospital that you are contemplating to see how you feel about it. I don't think you can visit Latifa hospital but am not sure. Anyway hope this helps with your decision. It is a relief once you have registered somewhere!

Morning All. Hope everything is ok Scottish Gal. There is nothing worse than doctors not reading notes properly and making judgements and drawing conclusions on half the information. We are definitely moving in mid July but not sure of the exact date yet. Maisa - I had another check up at Latifa hospital yesterday. I saw a different doctor who was better than the last. The nurse I had was really nice and wanted to make sure that I was getting everything I should with my package. With the package you are entitled to 2 scans, namely 12 week and 20 week, however, I had already had my 12 week scan elsewhere. The nurse said that she wanted me to get my moneys worth and said I should book another scan. I did laugh as the earliest slot they had was 27 September! I might have had the baby by then!!. I explained to the lady who then found a cancellation on 20 September. I can't quite see the point of it but as the nurse said I have paid for it. After the sonographer not saying much at the scan, the doctor looked at the paperwork and said the baby looks perfect but the sonographer was a bit concerned as there is slightly too much water. It would have been nice to have known at the time but I guess its not that serious otherwise they would have got me back sooner. I am now having a Glucose Tolerance Test to check for Gestational Diabetes (I think from my reading) to see if this is why there is too much water. I am hoping that this is nothing to worry about and that it will sort itself out. The doctor said that I need to decide at 34 weeks about my delivery; i.e. c-section or natural. I am swayed towards a c-section at the moment but she was saying that if I have a c-section for this baby (first being an emergency) then I could have only one more so it depends how big a family I want. I can only just about get my head around two never mind anymore than three.