Hi! Just using this as a sounding board - please help if you have any thoughts!
currently living in Harare and expecting DC 1 in 13 weeks time! Went to look around the 'best' maternity unity in Harare and was really upset by the standards there... I'm not worried for my/beans saftey, but it is not a nice environment, busy, inattentive staff, not well cleaned, very run down (chipping paint on cots/beds etc) and v.small twin rooms where you're practically breast feeding on your room-mates lap. Oh, and currently no gas and air available...
Fine if everything goes to plan (i.e. go in as late as poss, push out baby, get out pronto!!) but my worry is if things aren't so smooth and I@m in there for a while - I really don't feel comfortable about being there (maybe I sound precious, but thats my gut).
Trying to think about options; I could go down to SA - probably cape town as I have some family there and would be more relaxed than jo'burgh
OR I go to the UK (cornwall) to stay with my parents.
Pros of staying in Zim;
Get to be in my home, with DH around and no big upheaval and travel.
cons; not great options for giving birth
SA;
Pros;
Great facilities
shorter flight than UK (and can fly regionally at 37 wks)
DH could pop down for weekends
some friends and family around so not completely on my own
cons;
need to find a Dr/decide on somewhere to deliver with only 2nd hand info
would need to stay in elderly relatives annex/rent somewhere to stay
on my own without DH for a large amount of time
hassle of getting passport for bean before I go back to Zim
UK;
Pros; can stay with parents - which would be great (we get on wonderfuly) at home, generally lovely
as safe as anywhere to give birth
power - all the time!!
water - out of the tap!!!
cons;
DH can't just pop over
long flight etc (24hrs door-to-door harare to cornwall)
would have to fly at 36 wks (that'll be fun!)
cant fly back until passport ready - but probably easier than SA
Being in my parents house (I know that was a pro- but it's also a con as not 'my' space!)
No private maternity services available in cornwall*
*please, I am a HUGE fan of the NHS - I feel so so lucky to come from a country with free at point of access health care, (even more so after 8yrs+ of living in developing nations) I think it is one of the most wonderful things about the UK and I'm not slagging it off.
its just that we're in the lucky situation of having private medical insurance and I'm looking at making a big move to access the best place to have my first baby (which I'm understandably nervous about)... there ARE some issues in the NHS and so if you have a choice of anywhere... would you fly 24hrs to choose an NHS maternity ward??
Ummmmm... anyhow, maybe I'm just writing this down to help get my thoughts clear but if you have any help/suggestions to add or have been in a similar situation please let me know - I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed!
Thanks in advance!
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To deliver DC1 in Zim, SA or UK... what would you do?
39 replies
bushprincess · 12/02/2014 08:56
OP posts:
NatashaBee ·
12/02/2014 14:49
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Message withdrawn at poster's request.
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