Any Foreign Ob Gyns Work In Thailand?

[Agenda]

:PMaybe, I should search for a foreign doctor that doesn't think that 6 hours after water breaks is too dangerous for a child?

I found the natural birth specialist, but even she tells me stories about how good C-section is, which is very amazing to hear.

I don't want a doctor to panic around about nothing and tell me awful things when I'm going to be in a labour.

And I certainly don't like what I read here, on ThaiVisa "it was wonderful hospital and doctor and nurses... bla... who gave my wife C-section."

What else, btw, they tend to say? About water breaks and 6 hours is being the limit for Thai doctors, I understood. Anything else to not believe?

[MaryWorth]

You're very right to be concerned. I found this link: http://freebirth.wordpress.com/

One article has a comment by somone who had a good experience in Bangkok Phuket Hospital.

You could try to find a midwife to stay with you for a homebirth.

[sos]

Hi agenda,

Have you checked Samitivej Hospital? I'm a Bambi member and lot of mothers ( Farang) preferred SH for natural Birth. I suggest that you visit www.bambiweb.org and then go to ' Bumps and Babies and under support contacts, you will see the list of contact person whom you can talk to..its free na, if you have any doubts, you can check www.bambiweb.org and click ABOUT US....

....

sos

[Agenda]

Thank you for links. Last one is really interesting, it's a pity I'm not in Bangkok. So many interesting activities for expecting ladies and parents

[mizzi39]

Don't know where you are getting your facts from "agenda". Not all Ob Gyns advocate C-sections. My wife had a great Ob Gyns. her water broke at 0130 in the morning and did not have our little sprog until 1530 in the afternoon, C-section being the last resort. They kept monitoring my wife's fluid through ultrasound, and waiting to see if she would go into labor. She never did. As far as i am concerned my wife recieved top notch care.

I worked in healthcare for 9 years before moving here, and although heathcare may be overall better in a first world country, I was still very impressed with the care both my wife and son received.

May i mention that my son was born in a Govt. hospital in the sticks, not some trendy private hospital in BKK. Statisticly there is no proof that a private hospital delivers a higher quility of care compared to a Govt. hospital here in LOS. Most of your MD's are contracted at both facilitlies. What you pay for at many privates is advertizing. Nonsense!

[Agenda]

I'm really glad that you had positive experience here. If there were more posts like this, I wouldn't start a topic.

I searched about Samitivej and I don't like what I found either. Anyone interested can do the same.

One of midwives of bambiweb.org answered me they couldn't help in Thai hospitals.

[PeaceBlondie]

My wife delivered all six of our babies vaginally, as did both her sisters and my sisters (21 births). Even our twins arrived late, and several deliveries were very lengthy, after the water broke. Then came their daughters and DIL's, all in Texas or Ireland: at least 11 births, 100% C-section. Go figure.

[Goinghomesoon]

Hi Agenda, sorry you are finding it hard to find a doc that suits you. Very few foreign docs work here (and no foreign ob-gyns that I know of) because they have to pass the medical exam in Thai. There is a German doctor at Wachira Hospital in Phuket but he's one of the few, and he's not a specialist. I think you just have to keep hunting. A friend recently gave birth at Bumrungrad in Bangkok and went through 3 docs before finding one that suited her (and her plan for a natural birth). But ultimately she was really happy that she kept looking around.

[geriatrickid]

Please understand that there are several reasons why C sections are so "popular" here and it is not necessarily the doctors/hospitals pushing the procedure. Some factors to consider;

1. There is a problem with fetopelvic disproportion. Due to changes in diets, Thai babies are being delivered at bigger than ever sizes, but Thai vaginal canal dimensions along with pelvic bone structure has remained constant. I'm not saying that every Thai woman can't get a baby out, just that for many people, childbirth can be very painful and moreso now than 25 years ago.

2. Believe it or not, doctors are not that keen on C sections. The procedure while usually better for a newborn (statistically speaking from the lower incidence of birthing related injuries), in a non emergency situation, is more of a hassle for the physician since there is a significant mortality risk for the mother. I would be surprised if most physicians would try to force the procedure on you.

3. It is usually the patient that asks for the C section. The procedure allows one to schedule a delivery so that the mother can deliver when she wants. Alot of people like that option.

I think that if you make your views known, most any hospital would gladly allow you to have a natural childbirth, if physically possible, just like the majority of Thais that give birth naturally.

Edited August 28, 2009 by geriatrickid

[samran]

Please understand that there are several reasons why C sections are so "popular" here and it is not necessarily the doctors/hospitals pushing the procedure. Some factors to consider;

3. It is usually the patient that asks for the C section. The procedure allows one to schedule a delivery so that the mother can deliver when she wants. Alot of people like that option.

I think that if you make your views known, most any hospital would gladly allow you to have a natural childbirth, if physically possible, just like the majority of Thais that give birth naturally.

Exactly. Alot of people want their kids born at 'auspicious' time. Only one way to acheive that.

We've had both kids here, at Samtivej Sukhumvit. Both naturally.

[theseahorse]

My wife and I had the same problem, most hospitals here want you to have a C section.

We choose Samitivej as they were the most natural friendly birth we could find. My wifes OB was very very natural friendly. They are also the only place to offer a water birth.

Another great thing was they make a huge point of the benifits of breast feeding against formula, which was another issue we had with so many hospitals here. To many places don't offer any support when it comes to wanting to feed you're child naturally. When a friend recently gave birth, her son was taken away for 2 hours even though he was fine and fed formula without her consent. She was told that getting some sleep was more important.

PM me if you would like to know who my wifes OB was.