PEW: Pregnant Expat Women: December 2008

Welcome!

Are you pregnant? Do you feel lonely or isolated sometimes? Are you a pregnant expat woman that would like to meet other pregnant expat women? Do you wonder if what you are feeling or going through is normal? Would you like to know how other pregnant expat women living in Mozambique feel about being away from home? Do you wonder about the birth and what options are out there? Are you thinking about giving birth in Maputo? Nelspruit? Back home? Would you like to feel more informed about your options in birthing? Do you wonder how your baby is developing and if he or she can hear your voice? Do you feel like interacting with other pregnant women? Are you uncertain about which doctor to go to? Are you wondering about a midwife and if they exist in Maputo or in Nelspruit? Do you know what a doula is?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should come! I have experienced 2 pregnancies as an expat in Maputo and can relate to how you are feeling. Let’s get together and share our feelings and experiences. Let’s meet each other. Let’s support and get to know each other. We can learn and connect with each other so that we all feel less lonely and more in touch with our bodies, our selves and other pregnant women around us in a similar situation.

Much love,
Susana

12 December 2008

9 questions to ask your doctor

Taken from http://www.motherfriendly.org/pdf/Having_a_Baby-English.pdf

1. Who can be with me during labor and birth?

2. What happens during a normal labor and birth in your setting?
How often do they speed up labor with drugs? (<10%)
What is their C-section rate? (<10%)
How often do they perform an episiotomy? (<20%)

3. How do you allow for differences in culture and beliefs?

4. Can I walk and move around during labor? What position do you suggest for birth?

5. What things do you normally do to a woman in labor?
Break the waters?
IV for fluids?
Eating / drinking?
Shaving?
Enema?

6. How do you help mothers stay as comfortable as they can be? Besides drugs, how do you help mothers relieve the pain of labor?

7. What if my baby is born early or has special problems?

8. Do you circumsice babies?

9. How do you help mothers who want to breastfeed?