Giving birth in Spain

[Heston]

Hi all
my friend has just discovered she is expecting her first child and lives here in Spain however she has also just heard that the Spanish do not give pain relief during labour! The poor woman is now bricking it..has anyone had of know anyone that has given birth here and if this is true?

Thanks

[lola2]

I had my fourth daughter in the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella. It was by far the best birth I have had. I had a midwife with me the whole time, with my third baby in the UK I was sharing the midwife with another lady, and I had an epidural which was great after 3 natural and very painful previous births! The care was great. You dont need a thing for the baby as they provide everything. Do not listen to horror stories. I had to use stirrups at the end but this is by far a better option than having an emergency caesarian!

One of my daughters has also been in the same hospital with Gastro-enteritis and I cannot fault the hospital at all. She was only 2 years old at the time and I stayed by her side the whole time.

[dido72]

Hi Heston,

have a look at "shocking tales of childbirth, Spanish style" it really put me off having anymore! Mind you I don't exactly enjoy childbirth wherever it is!

Lola, that sounds like a nice experience (as nice as it can be) it restores the faith a little, I'm still not having anymore

Diana.

[Heston]

Many thanks to all who repsonded
x

[angelmouse]

Hi,

I have heard from two ladies that they don't have gas and air during childbirth in Spain....everything else but....and yes at the end they insist on stirrups. This is I guess for safety reasons although in the UK they manage very well by allowing mum to choose how she delivers. However she feels most comfortable. You can hire British midwives to be with you at delivery, although they can't acutally interfere, but they would be a re-assuring presence. Don' t know how the proceedures for offering Vitamin K or having the option to decline it stands at birth. I think the biggest problem would be for mums who don't speak Spanish, not the fault of the hospital of course (!) but during labour not being able to communicate with the midwife I can imagine being absolutely terrifying. Cross that bridge and I'm sure everything will be fine.....

[dido72]

I think it is all very well to do a birth plan and take in your cd's and tell eveyone who will listen exactly what you want to happen, when it comes down to it you are in so much blinding agony that you couldn't care less if a brass band were playing zipadee doo da at the end of your bed.

When I had my first baby, the radio was on for about 4 hours and I don't remember a thing, all you care about at that point is getting the damn thing out so I wouldn't worry about stirrups or the fact that the midwife doesn't speak English, as long as you understand push and don't push you will be fine.

No gas and air though, I think I would have to buy my own and take it with me

Good luck to everyone expecting babies, hope you enjoy the most wonderful experience of your lives (it really is pain and all).

Diana.

[capdusud]

Hi, I am 28 weeks preggie with my second baby. My son Daniel was an emergency C-section at the Costa del Sol hospital back in Aug 2004.
I didn´t have such a great experience at the time tho not that bad either...

am seriously hoping and praying this one will NOT be a C-section, tho I have heard that once a C, here they usually do another, tho my gynea says that shouldn´t be the case.

Now I will be returning to Costa del Sol hospital, as the quotes at Hospiten for childbirth are just OTT.

Lola mentioned she had a midwife, was this assigned to you at the hospital...?? I didn´t have a midwife option last time.

Has anyone used Marion, the midwife, at the Costa del Sol hospital...???

any other positive input you can share re the Maternity section at Costa del Sol....

suppose my fear is another C, tho if need be, will have to do it, and perhaps do it afraid...as this too shall pass....

blessings

[dido72]

Hi best of luck with it all, I really hope you don't have to have another section but in the end as long as the baby is ok nothing else really matters (except that you are ok too obviously!)

Hope it goes well for you, let us know what you have.

[lola2]

A friend of mine had a nightmare at Hospiten, ended up having a caesarian and being cut upwards, a huge scar, not a nice little one just above the pubic hairline!! Also she said she had to pay for every single thing they used separately down to even a plaster!!

Are you attending the state clinic for check ups etc?? That is what I did and when I arrived at the CDS to have my baby a midwife was with me the whole time. They do have voluntary interpreters who are very helpful if necessary. I was very impressed by the CDS. Far better than UK hospitals.

[Heather7]

Hi everyone,

I gave birth at Hospten (I am with Sanitas) and it was a very positive experience. I completely trusted everyone there and they treated me with a great deal of kindness and respect. I was nervous as it was my first and it ended up being a c-section as he was so large, and everything was treated calmly which helped me. I think it is really important for mums-to-be out there to hear about positive experiences and mine was definitely that.

Good luck!
Heather

[capdusud]

I think there are bound to be both positive and negative experiences in both CDS and Hospiten and such like, that´s life, tho it is good to get some feedback....

I have made my peace with the idea of going back to CDS, esp after liaising with Marrion Hughes, the English midwife in San Pedro.

She assures me that in the past year there have been many favourable changes at CDS, and they even have an English and Irish midwife as well, which 3 years ago they didn´t have.

So this is reassuring......I suppose once one has had a not-so-great-experience you obviously wonder about the next.....

I hope and pray that I will have favour and that all will turn out well....for both Hannah Mae (a girl!) and myself....

besides at most if another C-section, it´s only 5 days (in CDS) of my life....

and I seriously don´t think there will be anymore...!!

I wish all preggies-due-soon the best care wherever they go.....

keep us posted..!!

Blessings

[SunnyGuernsey]

Hi,
I moved to Spain when I was expecting my first child, after much deliberation I flew back to the UK to give birth. Its wasnt the easiest decision as it meant flying back on my own (34 wks) as my husband continued to work, we had never been apart before and it proved to be a very difficult and emotional for me. I was rushed into hospital early and my husband couldnt get back in time.

On reflection I wish I had employed the services of an English Speaking midwife and had my husband by myside the whole time.

[yummymummy]

I had my little one at the CDS in 2004. Wasn´t overly impressed, didn´t like the stirrups at all and some woman threw herself on my tummy and pushed down which, apart from being extremely painful, is apparently illegal to do in most countries. Hubby is asked to leave the delivery room if its anything other than a perfectly normal birth. They ended up having to use the ventouse (not sure how you spell it) with me and he was locked out of the room for something as simple as that.

However, I´ve never given birth anywhere else so have nothing to compare it to.

It would be interesting to hear tales of the Malaga hospitals ....

[Retro P]

It's half an hour of work just get on with it, it's part of being a mother

[annie_d]

52 hours..split from pillar to post..letter of apology from the hospital... 10 weeks in a mental health unit!!! SHUT IT!!! (This was England, not Spain)

[RitaW]

Hi, I had both my chlidren in Spain, but at the La Immaculada Hospital in Huercal-Overa on Costa Almeria. It was a really good experience on both occasions. No gas and air but plenty of pain relief. I was also allowed to walk around until the last few minutes. Literally 2 pushes with both of them. I recommend using a hoola hoop motion during contractions. Sounds a hoot but worked really well to focus me through the pain.

I also had English speaking midwives on both occasions which annoyed me at the time as I had spent so much time learning empuja etc.! Blinking hormones eh. Only gripe was when they took my little boy off to wash him they brought him back with a hairstyle ( he had lots of hair) which resembled Adolf Hitler's - parted and plastered down with baby cologne.

I think it is good and bad everywhere. My sister had a nightmare birth in England and almost died. She hates me of course!

Best of luck to all mums and dads to be.

[andalucia]

http://www.andalucia.com/accounts/preg_expat.htm

[costa claire]

Spanish birth Experiences
http://babyinspain.forumup.it/forum-2-babyinspain.html

[Pigeon Tim]

We've recently had a baby in the Costa del Sol Hospital, complete nightmare, really wish we'd gone private or back to the UK.

This is our 3rd experience of this Hospital and each one has been bad.

[katielou]

I am a British midwife based on the coast, if I can help anyone please get in touch.
Take care
Louise

[lola2]

My daughter had a baby in the CDS on 27th July and it was a great experience for her. She cannot fault the hospital. On the Saturday night they delivered 40 babies. I do really think it is better than in the UK.