Having a baby in the Seychelles as an Expat
I wrote a post with a guide to expat pregnancy in the Seychelles so I thought I’d follow it up with a post about having a baby in the Seychelles
As I mentioned last time, I ended up having to have a Caesarian with Arthur due to him being breach.
Now, I can only speak from my experience and that of people I know who have had their babies here too…
But, there’s an opinion that expats are ‘encouraged’ towards having a Caesarian. I’m not 100% sure why this is the case. It could be to guarantee what doctor you will have!
Cynics will also tell you that it’s because you have to spend more money (cost of the operation plus a longer stay in hospital!)
Saying that, as long as there are no medical reasons for having a Caesarian you’re not going to be forced to have one! I have expat friends who have had natural births here.
As my experience is in Caesarian section that’s what I’ll discuss here!
CHECKING IN
As I mentioned in my post about being pregnant here in Seychelles, we had done a hospital visit. Had the shock that the hospital was pretty dated looking (to be nice) and could definitely do with at least a lick of paint!! I do want to say though that this was 2 years ago and they was a lot of construction going on so this may well no longer be the case….I’ll do an update to this post after we have our little boy bump next month!!
I had to ‘check in’ to the hospital the day before my Caesarian at midday. I met the anesthetist who discussed the different options with us. We settled on having an epidural as opposed to general anesetic. He made me feel very positive and relaxed about the whole thing. I had never actually considered general anesetic being an option to be honest. It was weirdly reassuring to know that different options were actually available.
I then went up to the ward where the baby was monitored and I was checked in. I was asked a bunch of questions including some about my religious beliefs.
I was taken to a bed in a big shared room but there were no other people in there.
By around 2pm I was left to my own devices. Not allowed to leave the hospital, no wifi, no AC…..boring to say the least!! On reflection I should have taken the time to enjoy those few final hours of being totally alone! After all, you don’t get much chance for that once the baby arrives!
DAY OF CAESARIAN
The day of the operation I got to have Mark and my parents with me before I went in. In the Seychelles no one is allowed in with you for the operation itself. So in I went all by myself!
I wrote more details of the operation and how it went in my birth story if you want to know more.
They used staples as opposed to stitches, I think this is uncommon in the UK. Not sure as to the benefits or drawbacks of either.
I was given morphine and paracetamol when I needed it afterwards.
AFTER CARE: IN HOSPITAL
I stayed in hospital for a total of 5 nights and In that time I had 3 different rooms. It was pretty annoying having to move but I understood why. The first night in the “waiting room” as it was, the 2 days following the Caesarian in a room right opposite the midwives station and then I was moved right down the end for the last two nights.
When I had Arthur in 2013 there was 1 private room in the ward but it was not available. They were in the process of a big renovation project and so I assume that there will be more. However, I am not sure if that work has been completed yet.
In the night times they would take Arthur so that I slept. At the time, this mortified me. I felt like they thought I wasn’t capable of looking after my son. I felt very vulnerable and upset. Looking back on it now, I think the reasons behind it was because I’d had a Caesarian they wanted me to get rest.
I had a little trouble getting the hang of breastfeeding and the midwives were very supportive of me and helped whenever I needed it. Although, taking Arthur at night would have done nothing to help my milk supply. In the end, I was given a little bit of tough love. I think that’s what I needed. Honestly, I was an emotional mess while I was in hospital and I think I needed them to snap me out of it.
CHECKING OUT
So on my 6th day I knew I wanted to go home and had decided that I would be going home!!! I had to wait to be ‘released’ by a doctor. I was checked over and given the ok. I then had to wait for a paediatric nurse to ‘release’ Arthur. He had lost a little weight but they said it was okay.
I called Mark and told him to come and get me, I was desperate to leave!!
The midwife then asked me if I’d have someone with me, aside from Mark. When I said my mum would be there she told me
“Good, otherwise I wouldn’t let you leave”
Essentially saying Mark and I couldn’t be trusted on our own. Great for my self esteem!
Again, looking back on this it makes perfect sense. But at the time all I could think was that I was being judged as not good enough!!
We were given our bill that we had to pay, although we couldn’t pay it that day as it was a public holiday so the office was closed!
The bill is kind of hilarious, we couldn’t believe how literally EVERYTHING was individually itemised and charged for, right down to individual capsules of paracetamol!
So it ended up coming to around 15,000SCR-roughly around £750 for 5 nights stay, my operation and all aftercare including meds and food-the hospital is most certainly NOT high on my recommended places to eat, I must say!
AFTER LEAVING HOSPITAL
Before we could leave Mahe, we had to register Arthur’s birth. Mark dealt with this, I did not need to be there!
As we had booked our accomodation based around having a natural birth we had extra time left at our apartment on Mahe. I had my staples checked and then taken out a few days later at a little health centre near where we were staying. There were no checks on Arthur for the rest of the time we were on Mahe which I thought was strange!
We took a flight back to Praslin, it was one of the more turbulent inter island flights we had. I was told I had to hold on very tight to Arthur! He was awake an decided he wanted to be fed and so screamed the whole way (luckily it’s only a 15 min flight) until I could feed him once we had landed safely!
Arthur was more than 2 weeks old before he had his first check. The midwife came to us and did a really quick check, looked round the house. Measured him (by hanging him upside down by his feet….no, really!) and then left again!
That was the only home visit we had. There wasn’t a whole lot of support post hospital I have to say.
From then on we went to our health centre for weight checks and vaccinations, none of which we have had to pay for.
Gosh I loved reading this, so interesting to see how different it was. I had a c section with Mads due to her being breech and I was in just one night, but that was out of choice as I wanted to go home (even though in hindsight I wasn’t really ready) With LL I stayed in two which used to be the standard, even in 2013, although my friend just had her second baby by c-section and they sent her home after a day. I also had staples both times, which first time round I was horrified to find i had, but actually a midwife told me they leave a cleaner line than stitches- if I was to have a third baby I would want them again but the same friend I mentioned above said that my hospital no longer use staples. It changes so quickly. I can’t believe your bill either, that’s why it makes me sad that people moan about the NHS. x
Katie @mummydaddyme recently posted…My Sisters in July 2015…
Thank you Katie 🙂 I had no idea until people started commenting just how different it was! I must say reading that you went home the next day makes me very jealous even though I definitely wouldn’t have been ready, I just hated being in hospital!!
I didn’t know that about staples, in that case I’m very happy they use them!!
We knew we’d had to pay, it’s obviously lots cheaper than other places in the world but yes you’re right it does highlight the amazing benefits of NHS!! Xx
I think it’s great you stayed for a few days (although you had to pay) I got the feeling after my section that they couldn’t wait to get me out.Cant say I’d be impressed with hanging the baby upside down!Its funny how things can be done so differently depending where you are x
Pickinguptoys recently posted…One hell of a week!
It’s really interesting to hear you felt a little pressured out of hospital, I’d never considered that….definitely not a nice feeling! I almost felt the opposite that I was being kept in!!
This was a fascinating read! Especially since I’ve just had a caesarian here in the UK. Looks like it’s pretty similar care except that my husband was allowed in the theatre with me.
Aftercare for the baby differs though. Since being released from hospital we’ve had a midwife here everyday to check on me and baby.
I honestly can’t believe that they hung him upside down by his feet to measure him!! Poor love! #PicknMix
Becster recently posted…The Story Of Us – Our Wedding
Glad you liked it 🙂
Wow can’t believe you’ve had someone every day that’s great, although I’m sure frustrating at times too!!
Ha I couldn’t believe when they did it, I tried very hard to act like I was ok with it….after all I had no idea whether that was the norm or not!!) x
Just a little bit different than the UK then?! I’m not sure what I would have said if the midwife started hanging one of my upside down lol. It’s good they kept you in to keep an eye on you both but hon it must’ve been hard having him taken away at night and them making all the decisions for you!
My oldest sister lives in Turkey but came home to have both of hers mostly due to the cost as they didn’t have any insurance at the time and of course so we all got to meet them so I’m so glad she did!
Stevie xx thanks for linking up to #Picknmix
A Cornish Mum recently posted…Pick ‘n’ Mix Fridays Blog Link up Linky – 17th July 2015
Haha I had to keep my cool, I had no idea if that was the normal thing to do or not at the time!!!
Definitely had mixed feelings about being in for that amount of time, it’s been really interesting to read the comments on this post and comparing other people’s experiences about it too!!!
Must have been lovely for you, your sister coming back to have her baby!! Xx
Wow what a birthstory! I cannot believe how different it is from the UK but then I guess that can be said for every country of the world. All that matters is that baby is delivered safely and mummy is well, no matter where you are. Great post xx #PicknMix
theloveofacaptain recently posted…My Captured Moment #1
Thanks for your comment 🙂 I totally agree with you, as long as baby is okay and mama too then it’s the most important thing….something to remind myself when I’m in hospital in a couple weeks 🙂 xx
Wow that was an impressive birth story Chantelle. What a lovely place to bring up your son though. I love the way you got presented with the bill on departure, do you have some kind of medical insurance that covers childbirth? I guess you know what to expect for this time around. You are going to be a busy lady aren’t you. How long does your partner get off to spend time with you? Thanks for sharing. Nicky #picknmix
Thanks for your comment Nicky 🙂 we absolutely love bringing up Arthur here it is a wonderful place for small kids!!
Our insurance won’t cover us for anything that is elective (I,e pregnancy haha!) the cost really isn’t too bad compared to some places in the world I suppose!!!
My husband has just started his summer holidays and he is off with me now until September which is amazing 🙂 xx
Fab to read your story! Gosh 6 nights is amazing – you’re in and out in the UK, well that’s how it felt for me, but I did have a natural birth. It is so interesting to hear the different policies in different countries – they all have their different quirks. I’m glad Arthur’s birth has given you a clear idea for number 2 too. That must be reassuring. I had so many appointments with the community midwife once Sebby was born. They were totally there to check out the house, which makes sense, but did make me chuckle at the time. I thought -surely you’re here for the baby – not just to size us up! Ha, ha! #picnmix
Jen @ 4,128 miles recently posted…GRIEF IS…
This is so interesting, I love reading how different it is in different countries. I had stitches and my scar is all bumpy, I can imagine it looks gross however they do it, but staples would have freaked me out! I stayed in for 4 night because Ava developed jaundice however I would have gone home after 2 I think. Thanks for linking up to #PickNMix @ http://www.mummyandmonkeys.com
Mummyandmonkeys recently posted…A birth story with a huge surprise at the end
Hello,
Thank you for this blog, it has answered a few of the questions I had. I would love to ask a few more questions, we live in South Africa and are considering to move to Seychelles next year. I am pregnant with our first baby. So as you may know, we have a lot of unknowns.
If possible, can you contact me on my email address?
Thank you!
Hi Lianda, I can’t see your email address but feel free to drop me an email and we can chat 🙂
Thank you for your reply, my email adres is liandavdb@gmail.com if you don’t mind sending me a mail so we can talk
Dear Chantelle, Thank you. This helps a lot…