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businessbay

businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 September 2014 - 20:10
Gretna Green in Scotland. We got married there and it was wonderful. Minimal paperwork needs to be sent three weeks in advance. The staff at the Gretna Green registry office are incredibly helpful. Hotels in Gretna are a bit touristy but we found a beautiful lodge just outside Carlisle and had our little celebration there. People have been eloping to Gretna Green for centuries so it feels very romantic and Jane Austen-y! We also considered Gibraltar but are very glad we chose Gretna. Friends of ours also asked our advice, and got married there, and were delighted. (It's a centuries-old law that allows you to get married in Gretna without the usual residency requirements, posting banns, etc.) I think this is important: We wanted our marriage certificate to be British, hence Scotland, and Gibraltar would have been fine too. Living in Dubai with all the red tape, etc, it has proved to be a wise choice to get married somewhere with proper procedural links to the UAE: attestations can be done as a matter of course. Even so, it's still a hassle to get your marriage cert attested here. I shudder to think what we'd have had to go through if we'd had to deal with Thailand, for example.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 September 2014 - 23:58
My friend had a C-section there. I went to visit her. Lovely room, lovely hospital. She was really pleased with it. It didn't seem too busy and the nurses/staff seemed to have lots of time to help her and the baby. We were in City and have no complaints but the atmosphere in Medcare definitely seemed calmer- probably because it's not such a well-known, in-demand maternity unit. My only issue would be the OB-GYN one. Our doc only delivered at City or American and we really wanted her, so that restricted our options. <em>edited by businessbay on 21/09/2014</em>
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 September 2014 - 09:31
It sounds as if the fitting isn't the problem- more the outline of the bra for your dress. Based on what you said, you might be better off wearing a nude-coloured all-in-one (think of a tight-fitting slip). They have very good ones in M & S. Some of them are "control" so they suck you in, others are just to avoid lines.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 September 2014 - 11:00
Gosh, sorry you're going through all the upheaval, and hope the move to Ireland goes well. I don't understand this situation from the maid's point of view. From what you say, she has a month left with you. She could use this month to find a job. Surely that would be better than this whole rigmarole of Kish, money, visas, risk, etc? Even if you agreed to send her to Kish, and there was no risk of her being stranded, she would be much much better off starting a new job instead of sitting in Kish spending her money- and then sitting around here for 30 days on a tourist visa, again, not earning any money. We've used the (very helpful) classifieds here to find help. In my experience, job hunting/finding for domestic help only needs to take a couple of days- there isn't the whole wait-for-months-for-job-offers-to-come-through, etc, that you find in other sectors. Plus, even though she might not have a good attitude, she will have learned valuable skills from working with your family, so many families might be interested in hiring her rather than someone with no experience. Perhaps you could advise her to put up an ad? (Apologies if I've missed something.)
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 September 2014 - 17:09
I thought City was great. The facilities are excellent. The staff are lovely. Your husband can stay overnight with you. The food's really good. They take care of everything- lactation consultant, paediatrician, etc, all come to your private room. The only thing I think people should know is that there is no "nursery" or "baby room" like in some other hospitals. This is because of WHO guidelines. Other hospitals have nurseries and will take your baby from you for a period of a few hours to let you sleep. This is not possible at City so your baby will be with you 24/7. This can be hard if you have a C-section and have to stay 4 nights as you don't get a break from the baby- if you're in your own home one parent can take the baby away to another room so the other can sleep but that isn't possible in a small hospital room! We knew this beforehand so were prepared but apparently quite a few people have gotten very annoyed when they asked the staff to take the baby away to let them rest and were told this was not possible. So they have big signs on the doors of the rooms explaining the policy but probably best to know beforehand!
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 September 2014 - 16:56
I'd second everything DivineBeet said, and add my own points: We did ours with Cecile de Scally who's an independent midwife and runs her own classes. We were very glad we had signed up for them. They take place every Saturday in Business Bay. I thought the package was very reasonable- can't remember exactly how much it was- about 2000 AED for six three-hour classes plus a follow-up session at home after the baby is born. One of the classes was a proper paediatric first aid course and we have our certificates to prove it. http://www.facebook.com/#!/BabySenseDubai or cecilemidwife at gmail dot com The classes covered everything from natural birth to caesarean to feeding to first aid. It was a bit of a commitment every Saturday for weeks, but I wouldn't have thought you'd be able to pack all the information into a one-day hospital course- plus you'd never be able to retain it all in one day- we used to be a bit wiped out after every class trying to take it all in!
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 August 2014 - 12:05
There's a great framing place in Lamcy Plaza- ground floor beside the money exchange. I've had lots of stuff framed there over the years. Reasonable and take great care. They're also good with advice on mounts, etc.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 August 2014 - 21:41
I would have a think about using the metro rather than driving if it's convenient. I drove here for 3 years then got rid of the car and just used the metro (with the occasional taxi) for 3 years. I found it absolutely brilliant and dirt cheap even using gold class. Far, far cheaper than having a car. Of course you have to live near one metro station and work near another but if you're living/working in Media City or Tecom it's perfect. (It's also really good exercise which you don't normally get here.) Now I have a car again and yes, it's convenient, but I'm very lucky that my husband is a car enthusiast who knows lots about all things motoring- he was able to buy us a good value second hand car that didn't fall apart or need huge amounts of maintenance. (And even still we've had to get work done every couple of months on it, which adds up. There's always something like an indicator bulb or a headlamp, etc.) Buying a second hand car isn't so great if the AC packs up within a week of you buying it (which has happened to at least three friends of mine), and if you don't know much about cars and have to negotiate with rip-off mechanics. If the metro isn't an option it might be a good idea to lease a car for a couple of months and see how you get on. Just my tuppence worth. P.S. 8500 per month for your own one bed apartment and all bills included would be great, in my view. I haven't come across many serviced apartments for that rate. (But maybe I'm out of touch. I rented serviced one-beds in 2010 and couldn't get any cheaper than 9000 dirhams- and that was post-crash.)
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 August 2014 - 12:57
IKEA do a pack of two for 15 dirhams. Nice big ones too, slightly bigger than your average tea towel. Good quality and last through lots and lots of washings. You'll find them in the baby section.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 August 2014 - 22:34
Definitely recommend Baby Bazaar as per previous poster. It's held on the last Saturday of every month. So the next one is on Saturday. It's at Times Square mall. I think you pay 200 dirhams for a table and you can sell all your stuff. I've never had a table but I go every month and have bought LOTS of stuff. It's a great way for people to get rid of their baby things all in one go without any hassle. Plus it's fun- you get to meet lots of nice people.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 August 2014 - 22:13
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.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 August 2014 - 23:40
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.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 23:43
I have never heard of renting beds- sounds a bit unhygienic to me! I would think of buying a cheap sofa bed or blow-up bed. You can get really cheap ones on offer in Carrefour or upstairs in Union Co-Op Safa (or in other stores). Or on Dubizzle. Hope this helps.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 23:34
Hope it goes well Beebers. Do let us know. Just in case this might be useful: My doc had told me beforehand to take Augmentin 1g (one tablet) and Voltaren 75 (one tablet) an hour before going in for the "fitting". Apparently really helps with any pain or risk of minor infection. Then I took another Voltaren that evening. Didn't feel any pain at all.
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 21:42
Why don't you go back to EK and renegotiate? They're reasonably flexible about moving (pilots') families around if they're not happy. I reckon it would be a big mistake to move out of company accommodation. Rents in the "real world" are sky high!
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 19:52
You can have Mirena (don't know about the copper coil) if you haven't had kids. I just had one fitted and my (excellent) OB-GYN says she fits them on women who don't have kids. They used to say that if you hadn't pushed a baby out through your cervix then it wouldn't be wide enough to get a coil in (sorry if TMI). I have kids but born via C-section so I thought I wouldn't be able to have one but that's not true. I had Mirena fitted a week ago. Not exactly pleasant as an experience but certainly not unbearable- think having a smear test. I think the key is to have a really good, skilful OB-GYN that you trust to fit it. Time will tell what the hormones do but I've had Nuva Ring before and was absolutely fine so apparently that's a good thing for Mirena. (I do wish NuvaRing was available here- have to have Mirena because NuvaRing banned here for some stupid reason.)
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 August 2014 - 09:24
If you can give way on the "native English speaking" then (as I've already posted on another thread) the Malaak nurses are a lovely option. http://malaak.me They are qualified maternity nurses and you can hire them by the hour for hours like yours. They are all Filipina but all speak very good English. We've used them and they are really excellent. As I said on the other thread, it's pricey, so for most people would only be a short term option, but see how your budget goes. Another option is Healthbay Polyclinic- they supply maternity nurses in the same way. (Though we did find Malaak as a company to be much more friendly and helpful than Healthbay.) As for wanting a nanny specifically from a "Western" country: you might be pleasantly surprised if you widen those criteria!
businessbay
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2014 - 23:06
Malaak is a newish company here that supplies qualified maternity nurses to look after babies. http://malaak.me We used them and they are really excellent. However not cheap so might only be a short term solution. HTH
 
 
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