Are you living overseas and pregnant? Anyone interested in starting an international Ante-natal club?

[RubiMama]

I thought it would be fun to have a thread for those of us who are pregnant and living outside UK. As people's experience of ante natal care and birth can be so different abroad I thought it would be nice to our own MN antenatalclub. Where I am (Greece) there are no ante antal goups as such where women get together and all birth preparation is mainly on a one to one basis which I find frustrating. But there are other aspects of the care I get that I really like and in a way glad to be here rather than UK. Also I know it can be daunting giving birth for the first time in a new country where the whole system turns out to be so different from how you expected, so we could support each other and share experiences and stories.
I'm 26 weeks pg with DC2. Due at beginning of May.

Is anybody else in?

Hi Cleo, sorry I can't be much help but it sounds like a bit of a nightmare situation. I assume his Iraqi paperwork has been lost? Is your DH able to get something from the Iraqi administration now the state seems to be functioning a bit better? Or maybe get papers from an Iraqi embassy (if they have any in Egypt)?

I have my Spanish birth certificate and then a consular birth certificate when my parents registered me so although a bit late maybe he can get some paperwork in this way?

But I'm sure you've already thought of all that. Good luck, hopefully someone else will have some more useful ideas.

AFAIK you don't actually need to register. His passport is proof enough of citizenship. I definitely remember someone saying the whole registering to get a British birth cert is a big waste of money. Will go on a thread hunt.

am excited at having just found this thread! Am in Germany and am 32 wks with my second baby. DS was born here as well. Cardi, my doctor forbade any cheese apart from hard cheese made from pasteurised milk (even stilton over Christmas had to go ...sob) Having DS in Germany was def. a positive experience. I had HELLP which was picked up very early, and monitored, found a lovely hospital, clean, lots of support with bf. And I had a midwife (Beleghebamme) who was with me for the birth and then visited for c. 2 months after the birth once or twice a week to check that DS and I were OK.

Hello, I'm in Munich and yes, so far the care has been very good and I've heard good things about most of the hospitals. They are very thorough here, aren't they, I don't know how many scans I'm going to have had by the end of the pregnancy.

Hello,

Can I join this thread please?
I am 14 weeks with baby no.1 due beg november in SW France.

Paperwork is a bit of a minefield, as I am not in the French system, but my doctors are fab!

Hi Romilly have you managed to work out what you need to declare to whom? Is your insurance company able to give you some guidance?

Hi Fenouille,
I have got an E112 from the UK, and am now covered through CPAM, so I have 70% reimbursed. I don't have a mutuelle, so will pick up the balance 30% myself, and then it is 100% reimbursed after 6 months. I now just have to sort myself out for when the baby is born. Would be great to chat offline, can I pm you?

Hello, can I join too? I'm in the SW France also, but only just pg, and also not on the French system, but not on the UK one either, which may well make things more interesting. I've been to see a GP but only to get a prescription to get all the blood tests to confirm the pregnancy, and that's it. I took myself off to the hospital and the very kind and patient receptionist has made me a date for a scan and to see a gyno, but that's not til mid-June, but she assured me that that is perfectly normal to wait for such a long time - so I'm just going on as normal! Well, minus the wine!

Does anyone in France have, or know of, some sort of french/english translation for anything pregnancy related? My French is quite limited, it certainly doesn't stretch to medical vocab at the moment - but I'm sure it will!

Hi
I'm in SW France and 8 weeks pregnant. Would love to chat and share stories with others also in France.
Cheers.

Hello, just found this thread. We're planning to start TTC this week and we're in the south of France. SO hello Lyn76 and fanny75!

Hello, I'm 18 weeks pregnant with dc3 and live in America. Hoping that everyone else's pregnancies are going well/ deliveries were safe and uneventful. I'm going for my 18 week scan tomorrow. I'm a bit worried by what pogue said about having to be excused from labouring in stirrups! I think the hospital in our town is a little more progressive than that, but no water birth apparently. Hello to everyone!

Tadjen- I live in HK and water births/ home births are actually illegal . Not sure what they'd actually do if the baby arrived suddenly- they probably mean it's just illegal to plan a home birth/ water birth

We also have a 50% c-section rate and 90% epidural rate for vaginal deliveries. I think if you give birth drug free they write you up in the HK hall of fame.

No stirrups though- at least only when they stitch you up afterwards.

Good grief! HK sounds very glamorous though! Is it as hot as it looks baggedandtagged?

It is (above 30 most days in the summer with high humidity), but everywhere has aircon so it's do-able, and you dont get the mass exodus of expats in the summer months that you do in the Middle East where you have 45 degrees for months on end.

It's very wet though- have to dehumidify or your clothes/books all go mouldy.

Hi - Are you all still here? I'm in New Zealand and due in Jan.....

Hi,

I am due in March 2011, I am living in Australia! Anyone else in this country?!

I'm still here. In Oregon and due Feb 2011.

Oh if i get a chance.. ill join... DD is 8 born in sydeny and DS is 2 1/2 born in Brisbane...

JeMesouviens i laugh as we are originally fom near Dralington and my consultant is from Leeds so a kindered spirit!

I biggest fear is how to get this bub out! DD was a normal induced dleivery with ventouse... Ds had some ante natal issues and was induced ... failed with a nast cat 1 EMLSCS.. so i dont want one of those again.. consultant is great and wants me to do what ever im happy with! Id like a VBAC but am concerned that in the prevoius 2 pregnancies my body had no idea what to do! ??? third time lucky...and cant be induced is th deal and if it is another giant baby they are also reluctant to VBAC! oh and both were well cooked at 40 weeks with mec liquor, DD i had an APH also as 28 weeks.. Not good at this preggers lark!
We are in Brisbane Australia!Not Sunny Queensland seeing i am sat at home on Flood leave today!!!

Oh i'm 23 weeks...

I'm due in Feb 2011 and also in Australia. Am not looking forward to this summer - think it might be hard work!

Ha eralc... i have just instructed DH we NEED a pool.... its not a luxury... but a need...

Are you girls also on the February ante-natal thread? There are tons of us on there!