Dubai Mumsnetters

[HuffwardlyRudge]

Are there enough of us to merit a Mumsnet Local page?

I'd be happy to do Tsarina duties if there are, but no point if there are only about 5 of us!

Any lurkers?

Well you made me laugh Jumeriah Jane tee hee. Welcome to our Dubai thread. As you can see we are rambling thru various bits of info. Huff did want to start a page and I think we should after all the weather is just a tab hot and humid at the mo. Lucky you off to France for a month.

Keep hanging around and we should all be back online after Ramadan, although I am here all summer. I know escape is away for a month.

enjoy your hols

Thanks. See you later.

ps am in the Greens/Views area, if anyone else is that local?

I'm in Meadows, so just around the corner. You are welcome anytime or a chat/drink/ work on our mumsnet page. We just need to get all the others togther now ;-).

Thank you Starmummy

I am completely knackered to be honest. Just about there though. Huge trip to the post office tomorrow and then a few more bits and pieces before packing on Saturday and our party on Sunday afternoon.

You don't by chance know of anywhere decent I can get a haircut next week in Dubai? Ran out of time here!

Hi Inscotland,

All the hotels have a salon, however if you want to go outside the salon try Maria Dowling, Ted Morgan, Graham at the Fairmont. The numbers are all available on google or I can find them for you.

Have a fab party. Get loads of photos so much fun to look back at when you just need a little bit of love from home.

Travel safely and if you need any help I will keep a close eye on here for the next few days.

OOOOhh, Hello, can I join?

Didn't know there was a Dubai Mumsnet group. I've just spent 3 months working in Dubai (teacher), and an currently back in France collecting DH + 3DCs to bring back with me on August 18th.

My DCs are 11, 8 and 6. Would love to meet non-teachers in Dubai - found it a pretty soulless place, tbh, if you don't like shopping! I didn't have a car either when I was there, which probably contributed to my impression of the place (plus the fact that I was without DH + 3 for 3 months).

I'm actually looking forward to coming back with them all and starting a life there for a while.

I'd love to meet up.

We had a lovely party yesterday but it was very hard saying goodbye to everyone. We're about to leave for the airport and can't wait just to stop and relax at the hotel.

inscotland travel safely, the humid delights of Dubai are waiting, but on the other hand so is the soothing exeprience of Mina a Salam.

Good luck on the first leg of your great adventure.

Oh truely madly deeply sorry to have left you off my last post, I was so busy trying to wave goodbye to inscotland.

I am in Dubai all summer so if you need a drink or respite when you are here feel free to come on round. Ds will still be in the UK until September probably. I dont teach although Ds does go to school, so sorry but I do have an opinion on them (I think everyone in Dubai does) bit like banks in the UK.

Enjoy France and drop me a line on here when you get back. i can help you with some of the more soulful palces.

Hi Starmummy,

Would you be able to e-mail me your tel number or e-mail address so I can get in touch when I get back. My e-mail address is sjcfrance at hotmail dot com.

Once I have your contact details I'll get in touch when we're there.

Thanks for replying. I'm looking forward to meeting you. We're going to be living in Springs.

See you soon I hope.

TMD have emailed you

sorry to gatecrash your thread...could anyone offer any advice on giving birth in dubai? Its going to be my first baby and i have to register at a hospital in the next few weeks or so says the midwife i have also been told i have to buy the maternity package up front and they range from 2000 dhs to a staggering 20,000 dhs i keep hearing about the american hospital but would like to hear of any personal experiences. I live in the springs if that would sway your decision

Thanks in advance

Hi barbie1

Take a look at this and join up. All the info you could ever need, and if it isnt there then just post a question. So many women in Dubai have posted on here and asked the same question, someone is bound to be able to help

Good luck with the birth. You might also consider going to Bumps and Babes see here they are carrying on until Ramadan. So pop along next week and get some info before they finish for Ramadan.

Cant help personally as DS was not born in Dubai.

thanks starmummy i have joined the first site you linked too and hopefully if my next scan on sunday is a positive one i will sort out going to bumps and babes.....

Good luck barbie1. It can be hard in a strange country, rest assured though, hospital services are good. Have just come back from the American Hops myself. Brok a finger at the water park on Thursday night. Went yesterday to RE and they xrayed and strapped. Today I was still in bed when they called to make me an appointment for this morning!!!!!! to see the hand ortho guy. Brilliant service.

My friend from our office had her baby in May, I will get more info about cost and where she went etc and let you know. But her little girl is gorgeous and all is well.

Do ask each hosp if DH can be there for the birth as some hospitals dont allow it. Not many but some. Check classifieds ads on dubizzle.com, gulf nes ads, and expatwoman classifieds for things you might need. It all appears to be v vv expensive for baby kit. HTH.

Hi, I've been lurking and am gatecrashing, hope you don't mind. I live in KSA although escaped for the summer and currently in a very rainy UK.
Just wanted to give some information which might be helpful to barbie1
I had DCs 3 and 4 in KSA. DD is 2.8 and DS nearly 6 months. The hospital and staff were fabulous and the care was excellent. I had elective CS both times due to previous health problems and all went really well. We had insurance via my DH's company and I know that the limit for the package (including CS) was 10,000 SR (Think that is roughly about the same as your Dirams give or take a little) A few things weren't covered initially and we were paying around SR200 for scans and paid SR500 for DSs hearing test and blood screening tests when he was born. I have a really good friend who lives in Dubai (I checked today and she is not a MNer - shame on her!) and we often compare prices so imagine its pretty similar.

The only issue I had was the hospital have this thing about taking your baby away after it is born and keeping it in the nursery. It seems that Saudi women don't want their babies with them so they go into the nursery and only have them returned when they have visitors. It was therefore a constant battle when I had DD and DS to keep them with me and the nurses all thought I was mad. A friend of mine had her DD last year at a different hospital in KSA and she had the same problem.

My consultant was fabulous and he was more than happy for DH to be with me for the CS (under spinal block) The anaest (sp?) wasn't happy as it just doesn't happen normally but we won both times in the end and DH was there for the birth of both children.

Good luck x

Barbie1, are you expecting? Congrats!! Am a bit slow to get back on here. Dh and I are soon starting TTC. I'll def go to medcare in Jum2. Heard only good things. Will def go for another planned CS.

Let me know how it goes. Take care

barbie1 congratulations!!!!
You won't remember me but months ago I was asking about dubai and you offered to be help if I needed anything well unfortunately fortunately we ended up in kuwait.
I am so happy to hear your good news.
To all the others sorry for gatecrashing

Hi girls//lost the thread for a while, finally found you all again

A big thanks for all your advice about hospitalsa nd giving birth, i have bookmarked the thread and will check everything out as soon as i can.

Thanks for all the congrats...im 17 weeks today, a huge mile stone after the last mmc.

Still not found a hospital but booked to have a look at med care and american hospital. Its so hard to get information over here!
My doc in london clinic is amazing...she will also be working in the above hospitals so will deliever the baby for me too.

iamalsoadreamer how is kuwait?????

Hey bigpants [lololol] soon you will be wishing you could see your bigpants!!!aw congrats again!
Kuwait is ok-ish!I ahve only been here for one and a half months and just hit ramadam.
I like it here so far -just odd times I don't-but I guess that's normal.
I find it hard sometimes that we can't drink -sometimes it would be lovely to have a glass of red!
We joined a lovely beach club and so all in all I like it.
My dh has said when they have sorted everything out her e he will take some time off and we will pop to dubai for a couple of days so I look forward to that.
Maybe I can invade the dubai mnetters thread!!

glad you're settling in ok iamalsoadreamer
DH and I keep talking about escaping to Dubai for a weekend/glass of wine.
We should have a Middle East meet up!

Hey mumoverseas nice to hear from you again!!!
Yep I think there should be a middle east meet up -so long as it is somewhere we can indulge hey
My little one started school yesterday so at least I will be able to widen my circle of freinds now.
take care and and hopefully talk again soon
btw note the new name

hi, iamalsoadreamer, yes I did notice the name change, might change mine too. Something along the lines of 'alsoadreamerofwine,bacon,drivingmycar,not wearingsoddingabaya' or similar

so you are surviving ramadam then. I only got back here on Wednesday so have escaped most of it

Glad all settled in there. My DD (3 in a few weeks) went back to nursery yesterday and it loving it. It does help you meet other mums having kids so they have their uses.

If you want to 'talk' off here drop me a line (so we can stop gatecrashing everyone elses threads) [email protected]

mumoverseas at your new suggested name change! Feels like ramadan is never going to end...oh and when will this hot weather end???? cant wait for it too cool down so i can start living a normal life again!!!

imalsoadreamer can you not drink ever??? its been 5 months since any wine, gosh doesnt it drag? My dh and friends have been trying not to indulge over the last few weeks throughout ramadan but they all gave up last week so just me being the designated driver for the next few months....Hope you loo settled ok in school yesterday

Hi to TrulyMadlyDeeply, and Ramadan Kareem to everyone.

Barbie congrats on your happy news and wishing you a healthy and safe pg.
Did you go to Bumps and Babes yet? I only ask because, with a daughter of 5.5 months, I still haven't got off my lazy arse ventured out of the flat to do much socialising

Sounds like a few of us are in the Emirates Living area anyway, and I'm very excited about taking DD to a cafe as soon as it's cool enough to venture out. Hope to meet up with a few of you in the coming weeks.