Pregnancy - Delivery Question (Father In Delivery Room)

[rhino533]

My wife is going to give birth shortly (next few months). We live in Rayong and she'll give birth at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. Due to a bleeding problem that occurred earlier in her pregnancy she'll more than likely have to have a Cesarean. Now my question is, Will doctors in B.H. Pattaya let me go into the delivery room with my wife even if she's having a C-section? Or do I have to wait outside? I would love to be in the room with her. Our next Docs appointment is not for a while (forgot to ask the Doc about this during the last appointment) and just wanted to hear if anyone was able to be in the delivery room with their wife during a C-section. Has anyone gone through this at B.H Pattaya? I know most public hospitals don't let the father in the delivery room even if it's a natural birth. Any experiences you can share would be great. This is our first child and I'm a bit of a newbie at this. Thanks

[wildorchid]

i have worked in a few different hospital over several years 2 of wich were private so i would gress you will have a fair chance if the birth is natural, as for a C' section it could be possable but you need to talk with the doctor attending. wish you good luck and don't forget you camera

[MrJohnson]

Well I think generally speaking most Thai doctors DO NOT want non-medicals in the delivery room. (and remember I said 'most'). My situation was very similar with birth of both of my kids. We knew in advance it was going to be a C section. The doctor (reluctantly) agreed to allow me in the delivery room provided I sat down (in case i fainted) and just generally kept out of the way. A 'C' section is technically surgery so I thought that was a reasonable expectation on their part. In fact the doctor explained to me that she had had a father faint in the delivery room and that was why she did not want us there. However I would suggest that you take it up with the obstetrician and pediatrician (normally both will be present) BEFORE the big day. You and your wife do not want that kind of stress on the day. Good luck! It is a great experience.

[DrTuner]

Better ask them straight, http://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/womens_health_center.php click "Send inquiry".

I'm in the same boat with a kid due late August/September, but we chose Phya Thai in Sri Racha instead of BHP, were told it would be possible for me to observe in the OR. I've been to the OR at BHP too, you'll need to wear the usual OR protective stuff but didn't need to scrub in. To be honest I'm not sure I'd like to observe the blood&guts part, but cutting the umbilical does sound like the right thing to do.

[Sheryl]

It is entirely up to the doctor. If the doctor agrees, it is possible. However most Thai doctors, unless they have worked in the west, would be astonished/shocked at the idea of having a family member in the OR.

When you ask him, stress that you will stay far away from the operative field and that you understand the need for maintaining sterility. If your wife is going to be awake (i,.e. spinal anesthesia rather than general, perfectly possible) then you can say that you will stay up by her head to give her moral support. (Argument obviously doesn't apply if she'll be under general). Also assure the doctor that in the event of any problem you would leave the OR as soon as requested, aside from sterility issues one thing doctors worry about is family members getting emotional and being a burden in case of an emergency. As it sounds like she may have a placenta praevia, the risk is higher htan average of things being a bit dicey during parts of the procedure, e.g. they may encounter a lot of bleeding and have to scramble to get it controlled and this is not something good to have family member present for.

You might also ask if there is a viewing area outside the actual OR where you could watch from. Probably not in BPH since it is not a teaching hospital, but doesn't hurt to ask.

Or suggest that you scrub and wait just outside the room until the critical moment and then be called in briefly to witness the birth.

[carra]

i was told it will not be a problem at the hospital we will use in Bangkok to be in the room for the c section, however my wife is a nurse there also so this could just be as a favour to me so to speak rather than the norm. We have a scan tonight so i will check and get back, although I doubt this will be relevant for the hospital you will use.

[Bagwan]

I can see that doctors and hospitals would not welcome a witness if things go wrong.

[David48]

Hi there rhino533. Great question that you raised.

So good that a very similiar question was asked just recently over the Family and Children Forum.

That poster asked thai-culture-do-men-attend-births ... that is a 'clickable' link.

[DrTuner]

BTW to the OP, unless you haven't done it already, put "cesarian section" into youtube's search. A word of warning, the vids are a bit gory. The suggestion from Sheryl to wait outside until the actual moment seems very sensible.

[nocturn]

BTW to the OP, unless you haven't done it already, put "cesarian section" into youtube's search. A word of warning, the vids are a bit gory. The suggestion from Sheryl to wait outside until the actual moment seems very sensible.

was in the delivery room when my daughter was born, for the C section. wont be forgetting that in a hurry. It was never an issue, it was just assummed. i had to wear a gown. I held the exes hand at the time and stood at her head.

We have parted, but she just had another. Not to be outdone by me, he was there at her head for the c sect, again a non issue. This was at bumrungrad. BTW, the birth package on the second child was marginally cheaper though the room quality had increased.

from my experience i would be shocked if a doctor tried to prevent your presence and promptly move on to the next.

By the very act of refusing to have you present the doctor is displaying some cultural traits that would indicate communication will be a problem.

[harryfrompattaya]

remember 500 Baht tip will get you more

So offer the Doctor extra

st

[Sheryl]

Some very inappropriate/off topic remarks have been edited out.

I doubt very much that 500 baht is going to make a difference one way or the other. this is at a pricey private hospital in any case, 500 Baht is peanuts there.

the issues are going to be (1) that the doctor may be unfamiliar with even the idea of having the father present and (2) there will be understandable concerns about his possibly getting in the way, contaminating the operative field, panicking and being a problem if anything goes amiss, etc.

The type of assurrrances I suggested he make to the doctor should go a long way towards resolving issue #2.

If you are allowed in, as for the gory aspect, you can simply not look at the beginning, focusing instead on your wife's face for say the first 5 minutes or so. To me at least the hardest part to see is the initial incision, once everything is open it's actually quite interesting (to me anyway, but then I'm a nurse).

[DrTuner]

remember 500 Baht tip will get you more

Care to elaborate, more what ? Twins ?

[evadgib]

1. I attended both births & both were C Sect in a private hospital.

2. Having seen the prices charged by the Bkk Gen group I'd expect a gold plated wheelchair c/w oxygen & TV console to come as standard for Dads.

[DrTuner]

2. Having seen the prices charged by the Bkk Gen group I'd expect a gold plated wheelchair c/w oxygen & TV console to come as standard for Dads.

We were quoted 45000b at BHP. 39000b at Phya Thai, not really about the money, but we like Phya Thai better, docs seem less busy and in general has the feeling of being less "touristy", most likely because of the location in Sri Racha. ~25min drive from Pattaya.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Just tell them that's what you want and go use a different hospital if they say no.

[harryfrompattaya]

Just tell them that's what you want and go use a different hospital if they say no.

You understand Thailand very well If I ever need advice I will PM and hope you well answer.

Thanks

[rhino533]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all your replies.

I pretty sure my wife will be awake during the procedure. I don't plan to watch the actual operation (but I'm totally fine with Blood and gory looking things) I just want to be there to support my wife and maybe cut the cord. Must be a bit scary (for her) being awake & alone with only docs and nurses during this operation and I'm sure she'll feel much better if I'm there. I'll just sit be her head. I did watch a full C-Section on YouTube. It's defiantly a bit gory but it's not a long operation. It scared my wife a bit.

BHP is pretty expensive (45,000B C-Section 4 days 3 nights in hospital) but the doctor we use at the women’s health center he's great (Dr.Bancha). He lets us know everything good or bad, spends a lot of time with us. Explains everything in Thai and in English. I would never change hospitals right now because the doc knows us - her conditions well. We had been trying to get pregnant for 5 years and decided to try IUI at BHP. The first time we tried IUI she got pregnant. Dr.Bancha was the Doc who performed IUI and he's the one who will operate so makes sense to stay with him. If anyone is looking for a hospital to try IUI I recommend BHP. Message me if you want more details.

I'll talk to the Doc during my wife’s next appointment. I'll reply back and let everyone know if I'm able to attend the birth or not.

Edited June 7, 2012 by rhino533

[tinfoilhat]

Some very inappropriate/off topic remarks have been edited out.

I doubt very much that 500 baht is going to make a difference one way or the other. this is at a pricey private hospital in any case, 500 Baht is peanuts there.

the issues are going to be (1) that the doctor may be unfamiliar with even the idea of having the father present and (2) there will be understandable concerns about his possibly getting in the way, contaminating the operative field, panicking and being a problem if anything goes amiss, etc.

The type of assurrrances I suggested he make to the doctor should go a long way towards resolving issue #2.

If you are allowed in, as for the gory aspect, you can simply not look at the beginning, focusing instead on your wife's face for say the first 5 minutes or so. To me at least the hardest part to see is the initial incision, once everything is open it's actually quite interesting (to me anyway, but then I'm a nurse).

i was surprised by the violence of the procedure, especially since if you get a good doctor, the incision is as small as possible.

I would imagine the lazier doctors who favour the 10 inch issan smile you see etched into the abdomens of so many unfortunate women have an easier time of it -- at thee cost of the mothers recovery of course.