Reasons for choosing a hospital
Birth check-up experience
In China, I once had an examination in a private hospital, where there were a large number of foreigners. The hospital provides all the historical records of English examination, so it is not troublesome for me to transfer to Dubai, or I can just give the historical records to the doctors in American hospitals. The doctor looked at the historical prenatal examination records, and did not repeat all the previous pregnancy indicators, but only conducted a glucose tolerance test. Compared with China, the sugar water used in the sugar tolerance test here is orange. Compared with high-concentration pure glucose water, it has better taste, larger capacity, diluted concentration and better swallowing. I had a prenatal examination in an American hospital only in the third trimester. After 26 weeks of glucose tolerance test, except for the last B-ultrasound in 32 weeks and vaginal sampling in 36 weeks, it was only routine examination until delivery. Even the only fetal heart monitoring was added after I suggested that the fetus seemed to be less active. Every time the doctor just touches his stomach, listens to the fetal heart and measures the height of the uterus. Unlike in China, he won't tell you how much amniotic fluid, head position or hip circumference, whether it is around the neck or not, and nothing will happen. Doctors also cherish ink like gold, don't ask, don't tell, just say it's normal. As a pregnant woman with the first child, I am actually very nervous, but I can only comfort myself that the doctor has nothing to say because everything is fine.
Prenatal preparation
American hospitals offer prenatal courses once a month. It is generally recommended that pregnant couples attend 4-6 weeks before the expected date of delivery. The course time is usually arranged on Friday and Saturday, including two days of course participation, breakfast and lunch. The hospital will also make adjustments according to the actual situation. At that time, because there were not many couples who signed up, the two-day course was reduced to one day and the cost was reduced. The course content mainly includes introducing the three stages of delivery process and watching delivery videos, respiratory technical guidance, selection of delivery analgesia scheme, introduction of delivery room visit and admission process, postpartum care of natural delivery and cesarean section, neonatal care, breastfeeding, neonatal safety, neonatal massage and so on. , and make further in-depth questions and answers in the form of discussion.
If you don't plan to attend the prenatal class, but want to visit the hospital delivery room, you can also make an appointment with the relevant personnel in advance. Generally, as long as you make an appointment, you can visit for free at 9: 00 every morning, and someone will introduce you.
As for the bags that you haven't had just now, the nurse will usually give you a list at 35 weeks, mainly telling you the necessary items that need to be brought to the hospital before production, which ones need to be brought by yourself, which ones are provided by the hospital, or you can use the items charged by the hospital. In fact, there is no need to do too much preparation. Except maternity clothes and baby clothes, hospitals provide them free of charge or at low prices. Special reminder, be sure to bring a camera, because in American hospitals, two people can accompany you during childbirth, and you can record the whole process; Don't forget to bring the baby safety seat, which will be used when you leave the hospital. See attached figure 1 for the list of labor to be delivered.
production experience
The baby was born just two weeks ahead of the due date. The process is long and it is a difficult tug-of-war. At about 7: 30 in the morning, I woke up to find that my underwear was soaked and water was oozing out uncontrollably. At present, it is judged that amniotic fluid breaks first. So I took the phone and dialed the direct dial number of obstetric delivery in American hospitals saved in my mobile phone favorites in advance (see 1 in the upper right corner of the attached figure). On the phone, the nurse asked some questions, probably to make sure it was really broken water and not urinary incontinence. After confirmation, the nurse asked to go to the hospital immediately, but don't panic and take your time. The time to arrive at the hospital is half past eight. Labor and delivery are in the same room, and there can be two chaperones, unlimited. Facilities in the room include private bathroom, TV, single person sofa and yoga ball. If you need to stay overnight, the hospital can provide 1 folding bed for 1 person to accompany you at night, without additional charge. After delivery, the parturient will be sent to another nursing room, with facilities similar to the delivery room and more recliners. If you need to spend the night in the postpartum nursing room, you can inform the nurse, provide blankets and sleep on the sofa, and you need to pay extra (see attached Figure 2 for details). The nurse first settled the parturient in the delivery room, and accompanied the staff to the toll booth to check in. After the nurse tied the instrument for measuring fetal heart rate and labor pains to me, she explored it and probably opened two fingers, saying that the cervix was soft and in good condition. It was 9: 05. I didn't feel the pain until 4 pm. At 2: 25 pm, the nurse stuffed an oxytocin into the vagina, and at 6: 30, she began to have irregular labor pains. The nurse said she had three or four fingers open. Then I didn't have 3-4 fingers until 6 o'clock. At this time, the pain is already uncomfortable. I took a deep breath, bent down to support the sofa, walked around and took a hot bath. I tried my best to alleviate the pain, not because it was too painful, but because it was too long and too painful. Later, after the nurse came in for consultation, she gave an injection on the outside of the thigh root, which can make people enter a state of mild lethargy to relax and relieve pain, and can also play a role in relaxing and maintaining physical strength. Later, I vaguely heard that the midwife went to the next room to give birth to someone else, and it was not calm in an instant. On the one hand, I don't know how long this pain will last. On the other hand, I feel neglected. In order to attract attention, I asked to call the analgesia pump (analgesia pump epidural, not in my original plan. On the one hand, I want to really experience the real childbirth process, on the other hand, I am confident that I am strong and can bear the pain of childbirth. After doing some preparatory work, the nurse hung water for me first. The function of this water is only to replenish water, so as to prepare for the fight against analgesic pump, because it was said at that time that I was unconscious after hitting analgesic pump (maybe it was wrong, I had no experience and no right to speak). At the same time, the nurse found that 10' s fingers had been opened, and it was too late to call the analgesic pump again, so she decided to stick to the original plan and immediately enter the third stage of labor, which was about 9 o'clock. After more than ten minutes of hard work and rest, with the help of the midwife, the baby slipped out and the husband cut the umbilical cord himself. The midwife put the wet baby directly on me. When she took the first sip of colostrum, she started a new life ... The doctor continued to sew up a slight tear. After the baby is suckled, the nurse will weigh, measure the height and head circumference, put on clothes and wrap a towel. The nurse put on her clothes without bathing the baby. The nurse said that the white grease on the baby is a natural skin care product, which can be kept for a period of time and absorbed naturally. These processes can be filmed, and my mother recorded all the important parts of my production with a video camera.
Postpartum experience
After the whole production process, after a short rest, the nurse pushed me to the postpartum care room, where I will live for the next two days. Babies will also be sent to the same room at the same time and will not leave their mothers for 24 hours. For the next two days, the nurse gave various examinations to the mother and the baby every day, bathed the baby, checked by the pediatrician, vaccinated, and drew blood to check for allergies. There are some options for three meals a day. Choose them in advance and deliver them to your room at the right time. Three meals a day is still very rich and delicious. Although in a sense, they meet the catering standards of confinement in China, their collocation is also very scientific and reasonable. See attached figure 3 for details. On the afternoon of the third day after delivery, the midwife and breast milk guidance meeting will make a home visit within one week. Make an appointment before leaving the hospital and register your home address. This is a real home visit. The contents of home visits mainly focus on the physical condition, living environment, baby care, maternal milk and other aspects of the mother and baby, and give some guidance and suggestions. You know, whether at home or abroad, breast milk guidance or lactation is a fee-based service. Later, a friend needed to find a prolactin, so I gave the midwife the contact information. Her home visit cost 500dhs, which is included in the package, so there is no extra charge. As far as I know, only hospitals in the United States have this home visit service, so if women give birth in hospitals in the United States, they should seize this excellent opportunity to ask as many questions as possible about baby care and breastfeeding, so as to avoid seeking fee-based services in case of any situation. After 42 days, I went back to the hospital for a follow-up visit. The doctor mainly asked about the general recovery, and took samples from the vagina for testing, which was also included in the production package.
Cost situation
Cost of single examination: the cost of routine examination is about 750dhs each time, of which 677dhs is consulted by doctors and 73dhs is used for urine test; Sugar tolerance test 729dhs；; B-ultrasound 938dhs；; Shrinkage stress test 552dhs；; Vaginal sampling test 339dhs. These are all the tests and experiments I did in the second and third trimesters, without exception.
Delivery package fee: natural delivery 1 1950dhs, cesarean section 22950dhs. See attached figure 4 for details.
Prenatal class, two-day course including teaching materials, cost 1767dhs. If it is reduced to a one-day course, the cost will be reduced to 125 1dhs. The insurance company will not reimburse, and the expenses will be borne by itself.
We are expatriates, the company provides insurance, and the insurance used is Bupa Global. All expenses for inspection and production (except self-funded items, such as ordering food or using production packages, etc.). ) All of them were reimbursed by the insurance company or paid directly to the hospital. In the end, we paid for the 56dhs.
I didn't buy a package for prenatal examination, because I started prenatal examination in American hospitals in the second trimester of pregnancy. The cost of each prenatal examination is calculated once. I pay in advance and then provide the insurance company with documents for reimbursement. American hospitals offer a package of prenatal examination options, which is much more cost-effective than a single prenatal examination. If there is no insurance, you can choose the package form. As for the large production, we apply to the insurance company in advance and provide some necessary information, such as the expected delivery date. After the insurance company issues a letter of guarantee, it will be submitted to the relevant departments of the hospital for acceptance a few weeks before production, and the insurance company will directly pay the hospital.
Tips, if you must have tips, then you must exercise more before pregnancy and live a healthy life, which is not only beneficial to the health of the mother and fetus, but also to the natural delivery and postpartum recovery. Although she hardly exercised during pregnancy, she gained only 8kg during the whole pregnancy, and the baby was born with 3.254kg. After delivery, she recovered to her pre-pregnancy weight 10 days. In addition to the increase in chest circumference (breastfeeding), my waist circumference and hip circumference have returned to the pre-pregnancy level, which is attributed to my love of sports before pregnancy.