Getting a doctors note to fly home whilst in Kosovo - advice needed!!

[Highlander01]

Hi, wondering if anyone can help with this question!

I am going to Kosovo with DH and DC and will also be about 30 weeks pregnant at the time. I will get a note from my Drs surgery before-hand to say I am OK to fly out there, but we will be there for just longer than the 7 day period that the note covers for. Therefore I will need to see a doctor whilst I am out there so they can deem me fit to fly home again!

DH is fluent in the language, so that won't be a barrier at all, and I guess it won't be a problem to see the local doctor out there (we are going to visit DH's family so they know who to go to etc), what I am strangely worried about is seeing a doctor in Kosovo about pregnancy. You would imagine it would be just straight forward and we would say it's a low-risk pregnancy with no current complications, but I am concerned that they may want to do an internal exam or something like this. I know in some other countires a vaginal exam is standard at any antenatal check-ups, but as we all know this is not the standard case in the UK. I have no problems at all at having an internal (apart from the fact that DH probably wouldn't be allowed in the room as I know they don't like men to be involved with gynaecology things in Kosovo), I just don't want someone poking around if it's not necessary.

Does anyone have any experience of similar situations like this in Kosovo, or other surrounding countires? (Albania, Serbia, Macedonia etc....) Can anyone help me to predict what might happen? We are not able to ask any of DH's family about it as this would not be discussed between family members, they are extremely private about pregnancy and childbirth.

Many thanks to anyone who can shed some light! xx

Bump?

didn't want to read and run..... |No experience of Kosovo but spent 7 years in middle east and am married to Egyptian.

1. double check insurance re flying at 30 weeks.
2. google english speaking dr in local area or close city. (so easy and so reasuring) email them before you go. ask what will happen at appointment.
3. do not agree to internal if YOU really don't feel it's necaserry. take you MW & UK Maternity ward phone number, you can still call them for advice (is internal necaserry??)

hopefully there will be a female family member that you could ask to come with you if you do need to see a DR. ( mum, sister, aunie, cousin?)
I'm sure they will all fuss you lots (deep breath and tea!!)

hope it's a good trip. (have you been before?)

Why does the original note only cover one week? Surely the note will explain how many weeks pregnant you are and that you are fit and well to fly?

I've never heard of someone having to visit a doctor in the second country before flying back!

ive got the same problem, though im only going to mallorca, ill be 30 weeks too but easyjet want the note to be issued within 5 days of flying. but im out there for 7 nights so dunno about the return flight x

This is probably not going to be as helpful as you'd like, but I'll tell you what I know anyway...

lived in Belgrade, Serbia for a number of years in my early teens and had an aunt who flew back and forth to visit regularly whilst pregnant (two separate pregnancies) without having any issues. Similar situation in that she visited our doctor before flights back. Never had any internal examinations or the like, just standard blood pressure checks, sonogram, etc.

All of that said, Belgrade is a bigger city than where you may be, and the hospital near us was well acquainted with international patients. Things may be different down south.

I hope this was helpful in some way!

Thank you so much for your responses!

Rosie: Thanks for your points, we will check out some Drs in the local area before-hand, plus DH speaks the language fluently so hopefully no problems there. Will ask my midwife here for her advice before I go too, I doubt I will feel an internal will be necessary. I have no problem with having one, just don't want someone doing that if it's not needed IYSWIM. There is a lovely cousin I could take with me, even though she doesn't speak English! But if DH was not allowed to be with me in the Drs office then she would be nice to have just to have someone there (plus hopefully the Dr would speak English and Albanian so could communicate with us both). I have been once before (for a sort of "second wedding"!) so know roughly what to expect, and know ALL about the fussing , I don't think it will be quite so over-whelming this time! Plus I have the excuse of being pregnant and needing a little rest in the afternoons if it all gets too much! DD will steal the show from me anyway, which of course is fine by me!

Bue: Unfortunately I double checked with my MW and it does only cover for 7 days, I guess it's because things can change quickly in pregnancy (i.e. blood pressure etc) so they want to be sure that the letter is a current as possible. Still pretty annoying though!

honey86: I am not flying easyjet to Kosovo, but will be flying with them before that, so wanted to check about the 5 day period you mentioned. Interestingly, I found on the website that it says you only need a note if you have had complications, (Easy Jet) Maybe you know more inside info than me though, did you find that out from them directly? Just asking because I will need to make arrangements for Drs notes too if the info on the website is not correct (never-ending to do list for travelling this year!) I can update at the beginning of June after all our travelling if that helps to let you know how I got on, if you haven't had your holiday by then? I think there is a usually a Dr connected to the hotel in resorts abroad, maybe you could check with your hotel before you go? No idea how much they would charge though.....

forank: Very helpful, thanks! I would like to think that things are relaxed like this too in the south, we can always drive an hour or so if we have to so we can go to a bigger hospital. More than happy for all the regular checks to be done, especially as you say if they are more used to international patients. Plus if it's more a "city hospital" I feel that DH will be more likely to be allowed to be involved. I know he will never let a Dr push me into anything I am not happy with.

I bet you I have built this up to be a drama in my mind, we will probably get there and the Dr will barely glance at me before he starts writing his note!!! Still, you all know what it's like in pregnancy, much easier to stress about these things than you normally would

Really appreciate your responses xx