Sep 2013 baby....5 weeks pregnant according to internet....no insurance.....when and where to do prenatal checkup.....very confused....help would be really appreciated! | ExpatWoman.com
 

Sep 2013 baby....5 weeks pregnant according to internet....no insurance.....when and where to do prenatal checkup.....very confused....help would be really appreciated!

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2013 - 15:35

Hello all,
I've been a lurker on this forum for a while and i can not say how helpful it has been. I'm hoping you ladies out there will be able to help me out here.
I just found out last week that i am pregnant with our 1st child :) confirmed through blood test done at Aster. I am thrilled about it but at the same time petrified. Hubby quit job to start his own business, the result we dont have insurance as our visas etc got sorted recently and now im pregnant! I am planning to have the baby back home in UK. Made a few insurance based calls where Daman is quoting me 9000dhs and ADNIC has quoted me 28614dhs as i am already pregnant!!!!!

So i have a few questions that need to be answered as i have no one else to turn too here in dubai.

1) I am a healthy 28 yr old with no pre-existing medical conditions except for a family history of diabetes and blood pressure oh yes, i can be anaemic time to time. It is worthwhile getting medical insurance or just a good antenatal package would suffice considering i dont plan to deliver the baby here. I keep leaning towards the insurance thinking what if i have some complications or need an emergency treatment, they insurance would come in handy. (i unfortunately do have a habit of analysing things from the perspective what 'if' something goes wrong God Forbid)

2) When is the first prenatal checkup supposed to be? I am really stressed about it as i have not seen any doctor yet. Everywhere i am reading says it should be done as soon as possible, but i have no package or insurance yet so dont know what to do or where to go. I keep telling hubby we need to sort this out quickly but hes not to worried about it saying u r only 5 weeks we have time. Either he is taking it lightly or my hormones are just making me extra touchy to the whole light attitude of his :( So can someone please advise me when should i be going for the first checkup.
P.S. i am already taking folic acid, iron and pregnacare (dads a pharmacist in uk :)

3)Any views on Dr.Justin at LifeLine medical center in Dubai Marina. i have read she is very good with antenatal care but does not do deliverys but thats not an issue with me as baby will be born in uk. Can anyone recommened any other good antenatal care doctor around Tecom, Marina, Greens or surrounding area.

4) last question.....has anyone here had a baby abroad. If yes, i wanted to know what sort of medical records would i have to take along with me? should i inform my doctor in the first visit that i wont be having the baby in dubai. Should i request for my entire file to go along with me when i fly out?

I would reallly appreciate some answers. I know my list of questions is long but any help qwould give me great peace of mind! Thank u all for reading.

205
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 January 2013 - 16:43
Thanks A1984...what will be will be I guess...I just hate this waiting :(
44
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 January 2013 - 15:37
johjoh.....sorry to hear about your scare. I hope its all good news. Praying for you. Sorry i dont have much information about the government hospital. I did think of looking into them but im on a Sharjah residency visa but reside in Dubai, so i heard from somewhere i cant register in the Dubai govt hospital, so then never bothered researching into it. Maybe some else here on the forum can help with your query. Hope its good news with your baby.
205
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 January 2013 - 11:25
A1984 - just to let you know...Daman said they cover up to 300k aed. i ended up at City Hospital a few days ago after a bleed...so it was pay as you go...yuk! I have to go back to be re-scanned in two weeks but I don't know what to do now....I only have a 50/50 chance of the foetus being viable (hate their terminology) so I don't want to buy insurance because I may not need it shortly! Sad but true :( The dr at City was fantastic but he admitted that City's charges were amongst the highest and understood if I went elsewhere... But I feel like he knows me now so I kind of feel like I should go back to him....or do I start a fresh with someone else that I can actually afford!!!!?? If I got a government health card could I just walk into Latifa and tell the, I have been bleeding and they would treat me?? What kind of prices do to pay with a government card?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2013 - 14:10
Poppy82....spoke Dr. Justine on the phone today......she sounded really very sweet and nice....i felt quite relaxed with her....just thought of updating you that she has now started doing deliveries too....She deliveres in Jebel Ali hospital.
121
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 January 2013 - 00:28
Congrats on your pregnancy. The amount quoted by Daman sounds a bit low, please double check with them. Sometimes the initial quick quote is very different from the amount approved by the underwriters ie after they look at your full application. Dr Justine is absolutely lovely! Warm caring mother- like nature. She helped me through a very tricky pregnancy! Pity that she doesn't do deliveries. The advantage of a small clinic like lifeline is that you can usually get appointment at short notice and there's no mad rush like some of the hospitals. I felt dr Justine always listened to all my questions and I never felt rushed during appointments.I think lifeline is also slightly cheaper than other hospitals. Best of luck
4062
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 14 January 2013 - 17:50
A1984, your option 1 won't cover all unforseen emergencies. The hospital packages just cover the standard things. Any emergencies needing extra treatment will cost you over and above the standard package. The government health card doesn't entitle you to free treatment. If you go to a government hospital in an emergency you will still be charged. The best government hospital for pregnancy emergencies is Latifa however in order to guarantee treatment there you need to be registered and have a pre natal package which costs 5000 AED. If you aren't paid and registered and they are full you will be sent to another government hospital, whilst still good won't have the same specialist care as Latifa.
44
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 January 2013 - 17:35
johjoh.....from all the researching and replies i have got from people i can see 2 options.....1 is to get a hospital package plus a government health card which will cover all unforseen energencies or 2 is to get an insurance plus a health card. If i do plan to go ahead with the insurance i will somehow get it from them in writing that they will pay for delivery but the most important thing to find out is how much do they stop at....did u ask them? if they just cover delivery upto 10000 and we have to pay the rest then its no good to take the insurance. thats my understanding so far but im still not sure what i am going to do.
205
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 January 2013 - 08:48
evelyn2000.....Thanks alot...got ure email address...will email you later today. Yes A1984 me too - Daman are far better priced..just worried because I heard a story where they didn't pay out for someone's delivery!!! I am researching Daman and also thinking if to pay direct to City Hospital or Medcare. It is okay paying direct if a straight forward delivery but who knows what will happen??!! I have had two normal deliveries but one child ended up in SCBU so I just don't know what is best!!!
44
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 14:45
johjoh....ive been calling insurance companies just to get an idea before i decide what i want to do....the only ones willing to insure a pregnant woman are Daman and ADNIC. Everyone else have refused. ADNIC is horribly expensive....they quoted me over 28000dhs plus another 4000 for DH.
44
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 14:43
evelyn2000.....Thanks alot...got ure email address...will email you later today.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 10:10
iranian hospital is good one.. 100 dhs per visiting fee.
205
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 09:57
I am in the same situation...6 weeks pregnant with 3rd child..no maternity insurance and been here 4 years so would have to pay back in UK (and didn't enjoy my previous experiences there anyway!). I have had a quote from Daman but there seem to be some horrow stories on this forum about them! Who else shall I price up? Can anyone recommend any insurance companies. I have also contacted City Hospital for a quote for maternity packages. TIA
19
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 09:48
Hi A1984. First of all, I'd love to tell you to try and calm down - but that would make me a hypocrite because I was a rather paranoid fool throughout my first trimester thinking of the million things that can go wrong - so I hear ya! It sucks not to have insurance in Dubai but its not totally disastrous. If it helps, I had a friend who had a baby last year without insurance and she said in all she probably ended up paying around 30k (which included all ante-natal and the birth). I think if I was in your position, I would try and pay for the insurance now just to give yourself a little piece of mind but its all down to your personal financial situation. Do be careful about the UK situation. You are no longer classed as a UK resident anymore and are therefore not eligible to use the NHS services. Now I'd say if you did decide to give birth there, they would probably never find out, but I did read that they were clamping down on this and I heard one of those friend of a friend stories recently who delivered in the UK and because she didn't know of the rules, she was freely telling the staff in the hospital that she lived in Dubai and ended up with an 8k bill at the end of it all. You might be able to dodge the system but that's a risk in itself too. Plus, everything Dangerous Blonde said is true plus I think there are benefits to be taken from giving birth in some of the best private hospitals over here (compared to some of the stretched maternity wards in the UK). Good luck with everything but just try and think, if you have to pay a bit to get a healthy, happy baby, then it will definitely be worth it.
138
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 January 2013 - 05:37
hi A1984 if you want you can drop me an email .I had baby ib Dubai without insurance.I can share with my experience but i feel little uncomfortable to write about my personal life on forum. Congratulations! :) AND DONT worry much, you have time to sort tings out. Let me know so i can remove my email. edited by evelyn2000 on 13/01/2013 <em>edited by evelyn2000 on 13/01/2013</em>
44
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2013 - 22:38
jemmax.....Thank you for raising all these pointers....i will get up and running on my reading....just realized how much there is to read and how much i can't plan ahead even if i want too. kiwispiers.....can u recommend any doctors? The dangerous blonde.....i never knew that about UK. Ive been out almost 2 years....2.5years in time for delivery....do u think i will be considered a private patient?? I really hope not :( eeeekkk im freaking out more by the minute....feel like my head is going to burst! :(
2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 January 2013 - 17:06
oh just saw you are already onto it with the supplements.
2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 January 2013 - 17:05
If you are five weeks pregnant that means you conceived approx 3 weeks ago, not really any point in a Drs check-up at this stage unless you have any bleeding. You should have a scan at around the 12 week point, to confirm your dates and check the baby is developing normally. In the meantime you should be taking folic acid if you are not already and could consider a prenatal vitamin if your diet isn't great or just iron if you are prone to anaemia, you don't need a Drs prescription for these though. Around the earliest yo can see your baby's heartbeat without an internal scan is 9 weeks, I really wouldn't bother going before then but you might want to make an appointment for the 12 week scan as popular Drs book up in advance.
15
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2013 - 16:49
Expect to pay about 1000 AED per doctors visit. I then bought an antenatal package for 5000 AED once I hit the 12 week mark. I wasn't allowed to buy one before. I had a 6week and 8 weeks scans to confirm pregnancy. You should be ok, but I really recommend that you leave sooner rather than later. I am a healthy 28 year old but I got complications at 32 weeks and 48 hours later they delivered DD, which not only meant that I had a high hospital bill, so did DD. If I had planned to go to the UK, I probably still would of planned to go around 34 week mark... Just remember complications can happen to anyone at any time. Also read and learn about the signs of Pre-Eclampsia, Eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, so if you think you might be heading towards that, then either get out, or be prepared for a high hospital bill. I hope this helps!
 
 

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