kannon99

Good responses! I'm not taking any chances and will definitely have the notarized letter. I was interested in finding out if anyone had ever been stopped or questioned.

As for dead spouse, I see... for that poster, then I'd assume death certificate or sole custody letter, etc.

How do you get a notarised letter from a dead spouse?

Who said he was dead??

I was told it was for mother or father, especially if I was going to USA or to Europe.

I called the US Embassy today about passport renewals and mentioned that I would be traveling with my son, and NOT with his Father to the USA in November. The Embassy informed me that due to stricter child-trafficking laws and international abductions by one parent on the rise that I should have a notarized letter from my husband stating that he gives permission for our son to travel with just me for the dates of travel. They said it wasn't mandatory, but some immigration officials might question me and that it would be better to have a letter just in case.

Has anyone had to do this before? Is this really necessary?

I do not recommend Thainakarin for much of anything, and definitely not for childbirth. Low English skills, over-medicating. Expensive for services provided.

I have been a doula (labor/birth assistant) for women birthing there and this hospital does NOT meet the UNICEF mother-friendly hospital standards AT ALL. Disrespectful of mother's wishes, undermining mother's breastfeeding, unnecessary testing for the baby. A lot of fear/scare-tactics used to make the parents comply to hospital's wishes.

Absolutely pushing for C-sections when not necessary.

It's not just one study. There are multiple studies out there that show Cesarean section to be dangerous and not to be overused. Of course they are needed in some cases. The World Health Organization says that a hospitals/providers C-section rate be between 10 and 15%. In the USA, at least 1 in 3 women is getting this major abdominal surgery. I have worked in Thai hospitals and heard all kinds of crazy "excuses" for giving a woman a C-section. Do you know the rates of the top hospitals in Bangkok? Try 90% C-section rates at Bumrungrad and BNH. They will tell you, OH it's not farang women, it's the Thai women wanting their auspicious day. Hmm, well, 90% of the women birthing there are not Thai. I have heard outright lies from OBs to get a women to consent to an unnecessary C-section.

"encouragement of natural delivery"

What sort of natural delivery do you want? That can narrow down hospitals considerably.

May i ask how much it actually cost to have a baby here in Bangkok? I am thinking that my Thai Fiancee and i would be better off for costs under medicare in Australia, but im not entirely sure?? We really need to work this out ASAP.

Stay in Australia.... she's much better off with their hospital and birthing systems. Way less chance of an unnecessary C-section.

I have wondered the same. Quite ambitious, considering how economy here may be over the next year or so. And considering that ICS and BPS are right around the corner.

Have you tried Baby Love? Much cheaper and on sale often. I've tried compared to MamyPoko and think the quality is about the same.

As for cloth nappies... I've used them for years as well. The cloth diapers you are thinking of are essentially what you find here in Thailand. Very outdated and not easy to use, leak, etc. In other countries (UK, USA, Europe, etc) cloth nappies have evolved with all kinds of new styles. Some work just as well as disposables. A little more costly but still cheaper than disposables. I brought all of mine here and sold most when done with them.

We had 3 in nappies at once. Newborn twins and a 22mo old. For the toddler, whoever found it changed it. For twins, either we'd both take one and change, or we'd do assembly line with one doing the changing and the other handing things over or taking things away.

2+ yr later, happy to say we are down to twins needing a nappy just at night and they usually wake up dry. Can't get out of this stage fast enough!

If you are to have a preemie, remember that breastmilk and kangaroo care are very very important for development. Samitivej Sukhumvit is superior in both of these areas and will work to make sure that the baby is given mother's milk as soon as possible. Sorry, but Bumrungrad, in my opinion, falls short of these most 2 basic things.

I've cloth diapered here for years and never used Napisan or similar. I just wash a short wash with just baking soda. Then I do another short wash with 1/4 the recommended detergent (too much and they get gummy/smelly) and use white vinegar in the rinse cycle. Sun them afterwards if you want.

Something else to consider when looking at NICUs in government hospitals is that they usually do not have good visiting hours for parents, don't do kangaroo care, and don't want to give breastmilk the mother has pumped or even get baby to breast when it is ready. I have supported a few mothers with preemies here and those things are very important.

I've been using white vinegar for years here. Make sure it's not the artificial ones.

About 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a bucket of water.

CTO, that is a good idea actually. Some homeschooling families will put their child into Thai school for a couple hours a day or 1 day a week, etc. for the experience and language. One hour a day for Thai language, great if they like, torture if not!

As for homeschool groups, try contacting Bangkok Area Homeschooling Network. You can get the contact info from http://www.bambiweb.org/supports.php

Wow what negative responses to homeschooling!

Find out what your home country requirements are for homeschooling first.

There are tons of homeschoolers here in Thailand and whole groups for activities and such. I actually think your children will get more out of the culture by having the freedom of homeschool to go and do more than just sit in a classroom, especially if it's for 6 months.

I will be volunteering again with a birth clinic in Indonesia in December. I would like to take back supplies in bulk if I can find them here in Bangkok.

I've done a few hours of internet searching but cannot seem to find any warehouses or large medical supply sources for what I need.

Cases of:

sterile gloves

urinary catheters

cord clamps

DeLee suction catheters

suturing equipment (needle holders, forceps, etc)

sutures

Pharmaceuticals:

bactroban

lidocaine w/syringes and needles

Anyone know where/if I can find any of this? Thanks!

My daughter started starfall.com at about age 2.5. It starts with ABCs and moves up eventually to phonics and reading. Very simple and easy to use. I would sit with her while she did it and explain as we went. Now she's 6 and still uses the program on her own for reading, usually about 30 minutes a few times a week.

my kids visit Starfall.com almost every day for reading stuff.

They also like the games at Nick Jr and PBSkids.org

I also google "flash games" + whatever they want, like my daughter loves dressup games to barbie flash games or doll house games, or dress up the dog games, etc.

Bina, you're right, some mothers are giving regular milk because they can't afford it. Formula is under lock and key or security bands and Tesco and similar stores. Most Thai moms start out breastfeeding but also start supplementing from the beginning. Yes breastfeeding at night but that doesn't keep the mother's milk supply up.

Not so sure it's a losing battle. On monthly visits, my wife's doctor is always asking her if she is breastfeeding only to which she replies 99.85 percent.

As you get at, education is key and I think local practitioners are really pushing this (breast feeding) even at early stages of pregnancy.

bkkjames, that's good news to hear. Not common but lucky for you and your wife! There is a push now for breastfeeding in the media, such as mentioning that the princess has breastfeed and the queen too. Honestly the biggest hindrance to such low breastfeeding rates is the illegal marketing of formula in this country.

I'm a lactation counselor working in Bangkok. There is a push to try to get more Thai women to breastfeed. But it is a losing battle with the formula companies and their illegal marketing. And there is a huge need for Thai nursery nurses and Thai pediatricians (and so it seems from about OBGYNs as well) to be educated about breastfeeding. Most moms leave the hospital already supplementing with formula and their own supply dwindles quickly as a result. This is due mostly to health providers undermining the lacation process. The WHO says to breastfeed exclusively the first 6 months with a goal of 2 years.

With good breastfeeding publicity, education for health providers, prosecution for Nestle and other formula companies, pumping allowed at worksites (most moms have to go back to work 3 months postpartum), we would see better breastfeeding rates and more breastfeeding in public.

Who was your OB at BNH?

Yes these are good at Gyn as well. If you want VBAC, then you should look at Samitivej because they have a successful VBAC record.

Not a no-brainer.

Depends on what you mean by natural birth. If you mean active labor, use of birth pool, waterbirth, staff dedicated to natural birth, than Samitivej is great. (Drs Sankiat, Yaowalak, or Nisarat). If you mean natural birth, but give me an epidural and I really don't care how it gets out of me.... Bumrungrad (Noppadol or Anong)