Having A Baby In Thai Hospital

[onethailand]

I agree with the above two comments regarding what is best for the mother but my comment regarding the amount was based upon the fact that the price for delivery in Thai hospitals, certainly in Bangkok and Pattaya, is purely down to how much the doctors think the family can pay. Whereas there should be a scale of charges, there is not and nearly every instance reported here and elsewhere comes in with a different figure for the basic delivery. Profiteering is the name of the game.

Whether Bt70,000 was or is a fair price is not the issue, the issue is that the price is lower and only ramped up when they think they can get away with it.

I don't believe Samitivej discriminates - they charge everyone the same high price!

Nevertheless, I could've chosen a more down-to-Earth Thai hospital - but when I thought about how much it would cost back in the US to have a baby, I didn't even blink at Samitivej's prices. On top of that, it was the first one... no amount of money would've been too much as far as I was concerned.

Strangely enough, we moved to the Pinklao area not long after, and then the little one got gastroenteritis and non-stop diarrhea. We took her to a nearby hospital, which had some good doctors from Siriraj and other "name" hospitals, but ultimately they couldn't hold a candle to the Samitivej doctors. We spent a week in hospital without the baby getting any better - then I got fed up and took her to Samitivej, stayed one night, and all was well. What drives me nuts is that I knew exactly what was wrong but wasn't willing to challenge the doctor on it. They basically gave the baby nothing but saline for 7 days, with a lamp on her butt trying to dry it out. At Samitivej - doctor confirmed diagnosis, added one shot, and that was that.

Since that day, I don't even consider other hospitals, though I personally had to go into Bumrungrad for pneumonia once, simply because I couldn't breathe and Samitivej seemed too far away. They were fine but more expensive.

[torrenova]

OneThailand

I am a firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and in your shoes I'd have headed back to Samitivej as well. Too many places here just look at the $$$ and how long they can string it out for.

As for challenging doctors, I consider it my duty and if they don't like it they can lump it or I'm off. Glad to hear your little one was ok in the end.

[onethailand]

OneThailand

I am a firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and in your shoes I'd have headed back to Samitivej as well. Too many places here just look at the $$$ and how long they can string it out for.

As for challenging doctors, I consider it my duty and if they don't like it they can lump it or I'm off. Glad to hear your little one was ok in the end.

LOL... if only I had started somewhere cheaper

The little one in question is now 14... and thankfully she's done very well in school without my help Cheers...

[wineaux]

Bt70,000 for natural birth is a joke. I doubt its even that much as Bumingexpensiveograd !

Not sure about natural birth costs but a friend of mine just had a c section there and with extras came to 250k.

Another poster commented that his wife took the 40k c section package at Bangkok-Pattaya and his final bill was 100k as they needed to give his baby oxygen.

My wife has just had a c section at Phayathai 2 in Bangkok, the package is 55k but my son also need oxygen for 6 hours so not sure of the final tally yet.

The service at Phayathai 2 Hospital has been excellent.

[bkkmei]

Hi

wow 250K for a c-section at Bumrungrad! I ended up with a semi-emergency c-section at Bumrungrad and we were charged the 'package' price (around 60K if I remember correctly) plus a few other bits & pieces, came to about 65K. We had already made it clear we would go for a package and that this was NOT on insurance.

[torrenova]

250k for a c-section ? There must be far far more to this story, like about another Bt180-200,000 explanation.

A few extras does not come to 200k even at that place.

[technocracy]

Following my our experience (AEK Udon Birth package review thread) all I can say DO NOT go to AEK Udon if you want a natural birth. There 'treatment' consists of sticking you in a room alone and leaving you to it - it you want a 'nurse' you have to call them . . . no such thing as observation! They'll also leave any decisions up to you and your wife/husband - decisions such as if you need an emergency section or not and offer absolutely no advice . . .

Edited February 27, 2008 by technocracy

[gunnyd]

Another post from a future dad,

I am wondering about the Thai attitudes toward fathers being present during in the delivery room. It will be our first child and we don't want to be separated, and of course I want to be there to support my wife and greet our child coming into the world.

Me and my wife are both RNs in the US and it is standard that the husband, and sometimes close family members are welcome during delivery.

Any info on dad friendly/unfriendly hospitals in BKK

Thanks,

GunnyD

Edited February 28, 2008 by gunnyd

[gunnyd]

As an addendum technically this is not our first experience in childbirth.

Me and my wife had IVF treatment in BKK at Vejthani and she got pregnant in July, We went back to the US because we figured we would get a decent doctor and my insurance covered it. In Oct 2007 my wife had a "silent" miscarriage 20 weeks in. The doctors we had wouldn't listen to us about my wife needing hormone support and totally ignored our requests for tests, etc. It seemed they didn't care. Us being medical professionals and then being ignored was infuriating..

If they would have said I wasn't allowed to be with my wife in the hospital when they induced labor and delivery of our stillborn child they would have had to call the police, have me physically removed, and throw me jail. I couldn't imagine not have been there to support my wife, as heart breaking as it was.

So anybody with experience with private hospitals policies on dads being present during delivery, especially if anyone has experience with Vejthani Hospital, it would be greatly appreciated.

GunnyD

edit: I did speak with the rep at Vejthani and got a wishy washy answer of, It's up to the doctor. I'd hate to pull a hospital switch during the last trimester but I will if they refuse to let me be there.

Edited February 29, 2008 by gunnyd

[bkkmei]

Hi

I wanted to say sorry to hear about your wife's previous miscarriage...

I don't know about Vejthani - if you've already chosen a specific doc, what did he/she say?

At Bumrungrad, my husband was present through my c-section. I had Dr Noppadol - he was great. If I'd had natural, I could have had 2-3 relatives/friends in the room. If I'd had an epidural, just one. Having husband in the op theatre during the c-section was up to the doc.

All the best to you & your wife!

[gunnyd]

Thanks for the kind words.

I ended up starting a separate thread since this one is pretty quiet

[wineaux]

250k for a c-section ? There must be far far more to this story, like about another Bt180-200,000 explanation.

A few extras does not come to 200k even at that place.

Like I said b4 another gentleman had a bill of 100k at Bangkok-Pattaya just for some additional oxygen so that puts it into context.

This baby needed treatment for jaundice and was in a incubator for some time (the whole bill was covered by their insurance)

My bill from Phayathai 2 was 73,000 including upgrading to the international ward, oxygen and an xray.

I recommend that anyone thinking of having a baby in the future gets a good insurance policy. Our policy covers childbirth after the first 12 months and costs only 35k. My wife already had 3 nights in Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital this year for food poisoning whilst pregnant and the bill was 55k.

Yes I hate insurance companies like the next man but for us in Thailand it has been very worthwhile.

[torrenova]

Want to tell the membership who your insurance company is, which policy, etc.

[wineaux]

LMG (which I bought from AIA Insurance in Pattaya)

http://www.lmginsurance.co.th/eng/healthcare.htm

[alex_4000]

Any info on dad friendly/unfriendly hospitals in BKK

when my wife delivered in samitivej bangkok in 2004, i was allowed into the delivery room during epidurial c-section.

[Amyji]

So anybody with experience with private hospitals policies on dads being present during delivery, especially if anyone has experience with Vejthani Hospital, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Gunny D

I was very sorry to read about the miscarriage ordeal you and your wife had to go through. That must have been devestating. My best wishes to you and to her for a successful pregnancy and healthy baby in your future.

I gave birth to my son in May 2005 at Bumrungrad Hospital and I cannot say enough good things about it. My doctor supported me in my natural birth and breastfeeding. My husband (Thai) was allowed in the delivery room with me, but my mother was not allowed to be there. Three years ago, the 3-day vaginal birth package deal was about 30,000 baht, and I know the rate has since increased significantly. C-Section deliveries are, of course, about 1/3 more in price.

[quiksilva]

Further to advice received here and from PM's from very helpful members my wife and I contacted Vichayut hospital. So far so good Dr Phiboon seems to be very professional, patient and most helpful.

[frangipani]

Rue-Farang

Trang has an EXCELLENT Thai hospital (Wattanpat). We drive from Krabi to use it. Good Luck.

If I go in, I let my husband stay in the waiting area and they HAVE to speak english.

Hi,

I am expecting my first baby in Feb and am based in Krabi province. I am in uk now and heading back to Thailand next month and will need to check out hospitals, am nterested to hear more of your experience in Trang. Facilities, english spoken, cost etc. I assume this is not a private hospital? Did you travel there for all pre natal care or to clinics in Krabi?

Hope you dont mind so many questions, look forward to your advice

Thanks, Frangipani

[lodesafun]

another man here, but I can never forget how tramatic our experiance was

Keeping in mind what samran said in an above post....

My Unhappy tale concerning the birth of our lovley daughter can be found here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Advanced-Tv-...ad-t126933.html

Hope it goes better for you.

and your child is healthy and loved which more important than money.

[msramfleu]

I was wondering if there's many farang women that have given birth in Thai hospitals. If so, only in Bangkok?? Not that I'm pregnant yet (but trying!), but I've had a quite a few traumatic experiences dealing with Thai hospitals/doctors as they tend to speak to my husband in Thai rather than try to explain to me. Would like to hear your experiences

Hi there.

I am a foreigner from the U.S. and decided to have my first baby in Thailand. Finding a hospital was quite a worrisome experience but I found a few good referrals for hospitals in the outer Bangkok area.

My Birth Experience

My first concern was wether the doctor and the staff spoke english well enough. The doctor that did my c-section had practiced in the states and did studies in the phillipines so his english was quite well.

His staff on the other hand was more reluctanct to speak english, as they had never really had the opportunity to do so before. But he nipped that in the bud and told them that they had to try and that essentially worked. After 9 months of practicing from repeat visits most of the nurses that were going to assist me with the birth were speaking English well enough for me to understand and that put me at ease for the most part.

Advice

My first advice to you is to ask your doctor (prenatal/postnatal/and surgeon) how many foreign patients he/she has worked with in the past. By answering that, you will have a good idea of how well they may understand your culture and way of dealing with child birth.

My doctor was very open to questions that I had and answered them very thourough and clear.

My second advice to you is to ask questions, questions, questions. Do research and ask other doctors too. A doctor that may have little experience with foreigners may be adverse to questions as this is somewhat the way of the culture. He is supposed to be the expert and you are just supposed to listen to him, respect his judgement and let him do his job. So it is best that you find a doctor that has spent extensive time in the U.S., U.K, or Australia even, because he/she will most likely be able to understand your direct needs and concerns.

Third advice (if you do not have a great insurance plan) is to ask for a package price. This should include the birth, hospital stay and postnatal care, and afterbirth child care. This is very important, because you can save quite a bit by avoiding additional hidden itemized costs and prepare yourself for any afterbirth complications for you or your baby which may result in a higher bill. Some hospitals even have prenatal packages- which include your monthly checkups and birthing classes like lamaze (usually spoken in Thai).

Fourth advice to you is to keep your main doctors' phone numbers nearby after the birth of your child. After care is typically handled by nurses and inhouse doctors that just follow up where your surgeon left off. This may be ok considering you or your baby don't have any complications which may require special care and/or medication for pain.

The on-staff aftercare nurses and doctors may not have the same background with you and therefore treat and care for you very different to your expectations.

Hospitals in Thailand do not have a wide variety of pain medication that are suitable for postnatal care. Medications for pain are usually tylenol and paracetamol. So if it is necessary and the on-staff personnel do not seem to be helping you enough- CALL your surgeon and postnatal doctor and require them authorize a higher strength pain medication or better care.

Lastly, go to a medical spa for prenatal and postnatal care. Suggest to have a luxury suite for privacy and space. Going to a medical spa is great opportunity for you to get spoiled and pampered with massages, spa therapy for super relaxation, and better care-which is just what you are going to need in this foreign land.

I hope I answered any questions or concerns you may have and wish you well in your pursuit to have a child. It is a wonderful experience and I truly believe that all the more preparation you make to have your child here will make it an even wonderful experience alltoghether.

BTW our baby's birth experience cost a good 66k. Our baby had special care treatment due to jaundice. His care and my care together would have been 40K if we would have asked for a package.

Best wishes.

Edited June 25, 2009 by msramfleu

[johnnymoretti]

I had my daughter (c-section) at Bumrungrad in Bangkok and it by far exceeded my expectations about what it would like to have a baby in Thailand. I know that many of my family in Australia were shocked and worried (the ones that haven't visited still have preconceived ideas that this is a third world country) but even my mother was impressed with the how everything was dealt with when she arrived for the birth. My mother even went so far as to say that if I were to have another child, that I should definitely have it here in Thailand again (only at the Bumrungrad as the service and care was much higher than many of the top private hospitals back in Australia.

I can't say enough good things about the Bumrungrad, my doctor and nursing staff - and this was not only during and after my pregnancy, but the year before while we were trying to get pregnant in the first place. Our doctor (Fertility Specialist/Gynecologist/Obstetrician) was educated and trained both in Thailand and overseas, spoke fluent english to both my husband and myself - so there were never any issues with language there.

All I can say is, there is no need to worried about birthing in Thailand if you have a doctor and hospital that you are happy and comfortable with

nice hospital,we would all go there if we could . how much for the lot ??

It's unfortunate that some of the women here have had a not so good experience with birth in Thailand but if you find a good hospital and doctor, there is no reason why you shouldn't have the perfect ending to your pregnancy. All I can say is that I would not even think twice about using my doc and the bumrungrad again if I ever got pregnant again.

Bumrungrad is an excellent hospital and well worth the cost (and what we were quoted was exactly what we paid - no hidden extras).

These are the most recent package prices from their website

Normal Vaginal Delivery 42,900 Baht

Normal Vaginal with Epidural 52,900 Baht

C-Section 61,900 Baht

For more info about packages, clinics, docs etc at the Bumrungrad just visit their site

Your quotes in the links you provided are from 2005. I think they've gone up considerably.

[NCS]

Hey everybody,

Me and my Thai husband are planning a little family [beside the dogs, cats and chickens that are already running around our house!]

I wonder if anyone has any experience with the Trat hospital? Since we are based close to there...

Thanks

[elektrified]

Something else that is worth doing is when you husband goes to pay the bill, bring it to the doctor to check before he pays it. When my son was born he had jaundice and it got worse so we took him back to the hospital a few days later and they said he would have to be kept under a uv light for 2 nights for it to clear up.

They said the rough cost would be 700Baht per night plus extra for the doctor ect. After 2 nights, thankfully the little man was all better so we went to pay the bill which came to something like 5000 baht. It was all in Thai so my wife check it over and there were loads of extras which my wife argued about. They apologised and said they would redo the bill. They then came back with a bill of 9000Baht <deleted>. Anyway I gave in and paid it wishing I had kept my mouth shut and just paid the 5000Baht.

When we went to collect our son, my wife asked tht doctor to check over the bill and after scratching his head he made a phone call and gave someone an ear bashing. 10 minutes later the women at the admin desk came back up with the proper bill of 2000Baht and gave us back 7000Baht. I dont know how the hel_l they made a mistake like that.

There was also an very old thai lady next to us in the que who had been given a bill of 40,000Baht for her hsubands medical care, when she complained that she was being charged for a room that he wasnt even using they then came back with a new bill of almost 60,000Baht. Poor old girl nearly had a heart attack.

I know that this a very old thread and post but some things never change... We had the exact same experience last month in Chiang Mai. We also had to re-admit our baby for light therapy only 14 hours after he was discharged. (He was quite jaundice when he was discharged.) By doing this, it voided the "package deal" and the "meter" started over again. We were explicit in our request to know in advance what the all of the costs would be per day. They told us the cost would be 500-700 Baht per day for the light therapy and nursing care. They said that there may be an additional 150 Baht per day in miscellaneous costs.

When the baby was discharged, they handed us a bill for 4000 Baht per day! We asked for an itemized bill and there were loads of padded charges on there. We argued and disputed but in the end the charges stuck.

[raro]

The birth of our first child was calculated for Jan 28, but the baby is still not coming out.

The Ultrasound computer calculated anything from Jan 28 to Feb 2 on different days and progress of pregnancy.

The doctor insists now on a c-section on the 5th, one week after due date.

I did some research on the internet and the general consent seems to be that up to two weeks after due date is no issue and before doing a c-section hormonal inducement should be considered.

I spoke to the Obs about it and he was all against inducement, telling tales of uterus ruptures and other disasters.

I'm really sitting on a fence here and have to make a decision asap. Any advise is most welcome!

The hospital is the Phyathai in Sri Racha. So far we were very happy with service and professionalism.

[MikeyIdea]

Doctors base their opinion on experience, not on estimated due date or what an ultrasound computer comes up with. Estimated due date has almost nothing to do with the recommendation the doctor gives actually so what are the reasons he gives? Also, you are not the one giving birth I suppose. Your opinion is fine but the mothers opinion means more than yours actually

The hospital seem to be good, I see no reason why you shouldn't trust the doctor.

[raro]

The hospital seem to be good, I see no reason why you shouldn't trust the doctor.

because he bases his decision based on a due date calculated by an ultrasound machine...

[MikeyIdea]

No he doesn't. No doctor base his decision to proceed with a c-section on a due date calculated by an ultrasound machine. Ask him what he bases his decision on, if he answers that then I happily bow and admit I was wrong

The doctor could possibly base his decision on economic reasons (c-section pays extra, for extra work too though) or he could base it on the same reasons why there are statistically many more c-sections in the US than in Europe (or were anyway, I heard the gap has narrowed again), he worries he or the hospital could get sued if something happens to the mother or the child and c-section is safer in that respect, but with a lot of other negative aspects of course.

Is language a problem?

[raro]

The doctor is fluent in English and refers to the due date calculated by his ultrasound machine.

[MikeyIdea]

OK, OK... Apologies

Very much against my experience of any doctors I have dealt with, including Thai doctors. Again to be honest, I don't think we can get anywhere without asking open questions: I would first confirm what the mother wants of course. If she doesn't tell the doctor that she wants to wait, it won't happen. Depending on her input, then I would tell the doctor openly that the mother and I (the mother carrying more than 90% of the weight and the father less than 10% of course) am not happy with going for a c-section so quickly and want him to elaborate what he base his opinion on, also letting him know that you don't even trust a coffe maker to make you coffe, you make it yourself using your experience. Then make him feel good, I would like to hear your experience, not the machine... Leading on to patient asking any negative aspects - risks with waiting for another week and see if nature does its job, after all, the mother really prefer to give birth naturally if ever possible

I was in a totally different situation, the Thai doctor I had persuaded the mother to give birth naturally without me even having time to open my mouth...

Good Luck raro, kids are wonderful, absolutely wonderful (but not for the first 6 months) then there's so much love

Regardless of if nature does the job or not, I am sure that the experienced doctor you have will do a safe job for both the missus and the child

[raro]

ok...went to the hospital early morning, wife had some labour pain. Arriving at the hospital the pain was gone, everything back to normal.

Then a 3 hours discussion with various doctors, nurses, whatever staff. Evaluating various options, related risks etc. I also learned that babies are usually born after 37 weeks and with 41 weeks we are very late. Stange, almost everybody I know of must be very late then....

Anyways, the decision was with my wife and she went for the c-section.