kannon99

I've gone through 3 pregnancies with Samitivej. The only times wait times were awful were Saturdays and Sundays. Perhaps choose a weekday mid-morning when there is more time for discussion.

Samitivej's policy is for a support person (father, friend, or doula) to be with mother at all times. This is part of their mother-friendly certification. And as for induction or cesarean, they are really trying to stop medically unnecessary inductions and cesareans, which may be why there is some confusion.

The 3 most popular doctors at Samitivej are Sankiat, Nisarat, and Yaowalak. They do most of the births and have the best outcomes.

Are you paying Thai taxes on your salary here? Perhaps you are thinking of the deduction per child that is allowed even for foreigners.

Are you aware that circumcision, even for boys, is considered a human rights issue in many countries? Considered MGM - Male Genital Mutilation. And considered a horror equal to FGM - Female Genital Mutilation. Most of us would never consider cutting our little girls genitals - why do it to our little boys?

Why would you have a part of your sons penis cut off ? What is your reason for doing that?

Wouldn't you be worried that he would later resent you for it?

I wish there was a short answer I could give you, but there are way too many medical benefits to explain here. If you really want to know, goggle it, like I did

I would be very surprised if there is even one male that resents having had this done

What medical benefits would those be? No major medical organization (AMA, WHO, AAP, etc.) supports routine infant circumcision.

Not that I have found, but this is what has worked for me with washing only in cold (and this includes my husband's stinky socks and undershirts AND cloth diapers/nappies):

With an especially stinky load, I do a short wash with just baking soda - about 3 tablespoons. Then I do a second wash with 1/2 the recommended detergent (this is for a front loader - not sure about top loader); for the rinse cycle, I put in about 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar. The vinegar helps to disinfect and to strip residue detergent off of the clothes. Usually I just do the detergent and vinegar. Can't smell the vinegar on the clothes and the clothes come out with no smell instead of the clean/detergent smell. Good for the environment as well.

Thanx for your answers!!

We will try to get to Samitivej hospital! (Guess that's Basngkok's Samitivej, not from Siracha?)

Looked him up:

Dr. Chaithavat Ngarmukos

Samitivej Sukhumvit (not Siracha)

Dr. Chaithawat was recommended to us and we have been very happy with his conservative practice.

3 of my children are in orthopedic shoes. After trying out a couple different doctors/hospitals, we have found the best care at Samitivej Sukhumvit. The pediactric orthopedist (can't remember his name) is great with kids, knows what he's doing, and the shoes are made way better than the other places. Don't expect your insurance to cover it; paying out of pocket to his shoemaker for the shoes rather than through the hospital is much cheaper.

It is not close to Pattaya obviously, but seeing as we only have to go every 3 - 4 months, it's not bad.

How old is your baby? And why do you think she needs orthopedic shoes? My younger two are 21 months and are in "supportive" shoes until they reach age 2, when the specialist thinks the actual correction will begin. My older one (almost 4) started the correction around 2.5.

When asking for rehydration salts at the pharmacy, how should I ask for them? Brand name or other?

All to many kidnap gangs cruising around in vans looking for kids to sell. A lot of kids disappear this way.

I've recently heard this from a Thai friend here. Where can I read more about this? Where did you get your information?

This is all over the place right now. Our school nurse just put out a notice on what symptoms to look for. Definitely an outbreak as I know of 5 families (from all over town) that have gotten this in the last 2 months. Thankfully not mine! Best of luck to your little one

Goodness, don't stop breastfeeding! WHO recommends minimum of 2 years. I am a lactation counselor and work with breastfeeding moms with nurslings of all ages. As long as the child is growing and has proper development there is no need to worry about delaying solids. Some babies thrive and have no desire for solids until well past 1 year. Through the first year, milk (breast or formula) is supposed to be the main source of nutrition and all other foods just as learning/texture/experiment. Think of solid foods as condiments to the main meal.

Anecdotal: One of my four children refused solid foods until 13 mo of age. By 15 mo he was eating anything and everything. One day he just dug in and is now my best eater.

It's normal for babies to be gassy. At 9 days her digestive systemt is very immature and gas is the norm. Formula makes for more gas too. Tummy massage and possibly a change (ask pediatrician first) in formula.

Don't write off all of the BAMBI playgroups. THere are many to try, and just like most playgroups, there will always be "mommy polictics".

If they do not want it at 6 mo old, there is no rush. They are saying they don't want it. Some babies do just fine with NO solids until 9 mo or longer!

I have 16mo old twins and they breastfeed 24/7. They have only minimal interest in solid foods and and had no interest until 10mo.

In my opinion, rice has very little in it that's good. Start with fruit or veggies instead. Bananas is easy.

^^^ My friend just found the above store and was very impressed! She spent 2000 baht and walked away with piles of books.

http://www.affiliatedgenetics.com/paternity.cfm

Affiliated genetics can send you the test, you do it yourself, mail back, they check the DNA, send you an official letter. I can personally vouch for the company as I needed DNA testing done on my twins. It was waaaaay cheaper and easier than doing it at a local hospital.

Remember that forumlas have sugar in them and having a bottle or sippy cup of it before bed can cause cavities!

Boo, you don't mind that your son is on soy formula? I've read a lot that soy for boys is not good. Not like there are really great alternatives here though.

torrenova, when a child is breastfed past age one and on to age 2 or 3, it's found that the mother's milk changes to meet the child's different needs. Stages of formula take this into account. Though not as high quality or with all the immunological advantages, formula is still a better alternative in my opinion. Also, cow milk is highly allergenic.

My husband and I were seriously discussing vasectomy, especially after reading that women can have lifelong issues after tubal ligation. We did a lot of research and decided not to. One website that was an eyeopener was http://dontfixit.org/ . They have pretty good evidence that it is not just a harmless procedure that can cause longlasting discomfort but also can totally change alter a man's immune system for the worse.

I agree with Bina. Many children that age are allergic to cow milk or lactose. My children have done much better with goats milk. It's a little more stinky but they don't notice!

Before considering C-section, definitely do the titers. Also, if under control or only a few spots, midwives in some countries just cover those with medical tape with very good outcomes.

^^^ yeah that. My friend's husband died there in 2005 after a routine physical under very questionable circumstances. Still dealing with the courts now.

dieter1 had some great info there

Samitivej Sukhumvit is the only hospital in country that passes the Mother-Baby Friendly initiative certification.

Is she breastfeeding? Breastfeeding twins requires a lot of extra calories, especially protien. It also helps bring the weight down. Reducing calories during breastfeeding makes it harder on the body to produce milk and the body keeps on the extra fats because it is trying to continue the milk production.

Getting more sleep (yeah right with twins!) also helps with reducing weight.

It took close to 9 months to gain the needed weight and expect about that amount of time or more for her body to get back to close to normal for her.

Local resources:

Caroline Wells - UK trained registered nurse & health visitor and qualified family therapist. carolineswells@binternet .com

New Community Services - provides counseling services to Thais and expatriates. 02 279 8503

Kitchen appliances. If you need a large crockpot. A food processor. High quality juicer or distiller. Yeah you can find here but either size or quality is not optimum and the price is high.