Anyone here living in Doha?

[ukmummy20]

Hello, i am hoping there are some fellow mnetters who are living in Doha. My husband and I are looking to move with our now 15month daughter. My husband used to work there a few years ago but I stayed here at the time. We now have our daughter and will be planning baby no2! Just wondered if anyone had given birth out there, and Were they able to have a natural birth by choice? Does anyone know any uk midwives out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated x

Don't live there but have been told the school situation is dire - there's absolutely no nursery / school places and families are doing "weekly" commuting from other gulf cities (like Dubai). So sign up hose babies onto a waiting list now!

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School situation is dire, it's true, but if you come quite soon you should be okay as you can get your DD's name down in advance. It's people arriving mid year with children already of reception age and upwards that really struggle.

Can't help you on the childbirth front I'm afraid - mine are all bigger than me and were born in the UK. There are loads and loads of young British couples with babies here though. Loads and loads. You'll love it, it's a very easy, fun place to be with a young family. Your lifestyle and your standard of living as a will be much nicer here than in the UK.

I do know that most people speak very highly indeed of the healthcare and obs/gynae facilities here, the hospitals are absolutely state of the art, especially the high dependency neo-natal units.

Go onto expatwoman.com and go to the Qatar section for more specific advice about obs/gynae advice. If you are planning on coming to visit before you move over, go to a Doha Mums coffee morning. Once you've been to a meeting (to prove you live in Doha) you can apply join their private forum and that it an absolute mine of honest and useful support and information.

I've had two children in Doha and both natural births. You won't get a water birth and birth is more medicalised but you won't be pushed into a CS (unless it is generally medically required). I was talked out of a CS in my first pregnancy.

You can't sign kids up for school at birth but I wouldn't worry about that with a 15 month old.

It's also not true there are no school places (and there are loads of nursery places!). The issue is that people here tend to crowd around about 10 schools. There are problems getting places in those schools. If your child is fluent in English and academically average/above you will get a school place, just maybe not the one you would ideally want.

Provision for special needs is dire though.

Yes, well to be fair that's a bit like saying there's no shortage of dentists. providing you don't mind the ones who use rusty drills and no anaesthetic.

Not quite fell I'm talking primary here. GEMS and DBS in Wakra are good schools by all accounts. The new Newton Academies are also fine (particularly if you're waiting out another option). Loydence and Pearling get good reviews too. There's the Finnish school as well. Would they be my first choice? No. Would I have my husband commute from Dubai instead of a place at one of them (for primary)? Course not!

There are also lots of good KGs which can take reception age kids.

I'd actually guess the majority of Dubai commuting is driven by people who don't want to leave the UAE and/or are likely to have issues getting children exit permits.

I've been in Doha a long time. I remember when DBS and ACS were considered second rate!

I arrived 2 weeks ago and my daughter has already started sat school (pre-school equivalent) and my son had a pick of 4 decent nurseries. A better selection than we had in the UK! We are already enjoying the slower pace of life!!there are of course bad things about Doha but that's the case for anywhere you live!!

I agree Living and I take your point, people seem to want to avoid schools that are fairly new just because they don't have much of a exams record or a known reputation yet. Almost as if having no reputation were the same as having a bad one!

My own DC is at a school that lots of people still pull a face at because of teething troubles and administrative chaos (very, very common here across all businesses) going back five years or more, but I have honestly found it to be the best school any of my children have ever attended (including private in the UK) in terms of teaching quality.