Pregnant

[biffa]

B1D's maternity experience was in the last millenium don't forget.

[scanny]

If you live here, in the Algarve, and you find out you are pregnant, what is the procedure? Do you go to the Centro do Saude or the Barlavento Hospital.If you dont speak Portuguese and dont have Residencia can you get midwife/antenatal visits or help? Or is it best just to go back to the UK? Any advice appreciated. Muito Obrigada

I had my son here 11 years ago in what was the old Portimao Hospital. What the new one is like I do not know but from my experience with the old one well one I will never forget. My doctor at the time was Dr Pertl who is a very good doctor.
All my paperwork from England I had and my doctor from England wrote and told them here that they must perform a Caesarian due to the difficulties from my middle child.
Two weeks before I was due I had pains and when I went to the hospital the doctor said that I was not due and not in labour. I told him to look at the letter that my doctor from England had sent that on no account must I go into Labour.
I was sent home and just over a week later had really bad pains where my husband got his friend to take me in. I was taken to the operating theatre where the surgeons etc put the screen across my stomach, they were all washing and preparing themselves even marking my tummy where my other scar was. Me well I had my hands out either side of me and tied and I do not think I needed an enema to clear me out because I was shit scared that they were going to start cutting me open without any anaesthetic. The nurse by my side when I asked about this said he will be there soon. Me in the meantime thinking hope it is bloody quick as they are ready. I did get the anaesthetic and afterwards was told that they do this because they give you tha amount needed due to costs. They make you breastfeed which with me only came around the next day and my baby would not take from me and I had nothing there. I insisted on a bottle as the baby was very hungry and they were absolutley disgusted which I had a woman doctor lecturing me that it is good for the baby and it will never be ill. I told her that my other children were bottlefed due to me having no milk and they have never had any illnesses at all even down to having colds. They gave in to me in the end but had a face on them each time they fetched it. Hospital food well never knock food from the English hospitals. It was horrible. When I explained to my husband who is Portuguese about the choice of meals when I had my other two children in England he said that it sounds more like a hotel I gave birth not a hospital. In fact after 6 days I signed myself out. Went to Doctor Pertl who examined me only to be told that there was a very small gap in my scar and I had an infection becuse the stitches inside were not the soluble ones and ended up in bed for a month after with a lot of gunge coming out. A million thank to Doctor Pertl because without going to him I would hate to think what would of happened.
What the new hospital is like I do not know but the experience I had was not a pleasant one.

[Helen]

I had a baby one year ago so don't often get a chance to go on the internet but I saw this topic and felt I had to reply.

All during my pregnancy I went to see Dr Souchon every month at the German clinic up restaurant hill who was fantastic. I did have a couple of appointments at the health centre in Lagoa and also I registered with a Dr Fernando Guerreiro at Portimao Hospital. It's always best to have a few appointments there as they don't take too kindly to you just turning up at the hospital for the first time when you're about to give birth. If you don't want to know the sex of the baby let them know or they'll tell you automatically as I found out.

As for the birth! I went in at just past midnight and spent the next 17 hours stuck lying down on a bed. They wouldn't let me walk around and let gravity take its course, they wouldn't even let me sit up, giving me some absolute rubbish that it interferes with the baby's heartrate. The nurses who dealt with me were cold and miserable especially one old battleaxe who came in and threw my face flannel in the bin. I had taken a TENS machine in with me as they don't have gas and air and they took that off me eventually because they said it would interfere with my contractions, also they didn't allow me to eat or drink anything. In the end I had to have a caesarean and I'm convinced if they'd let me get up and walk around I'd have been able to have a natural birth. They don't let your partner come in with you for the caesarean and you lie there arms out to the side strapped down in the crucifix position! You have to ask for an epidural or else they'll give you a general anaesthetic. The staff there were much nicer as were the nurses on the ward afterwards. Another thing, there is no aftercare here, you have to drag yourself and your baby to the health centre afterwards, no home visits here from caring midwives. If I was to do it over again I'd either insist on doing it my way, or, the better option, go back to England. The outcome was that I had a beautiful baby boy, Struan, weighing 9lb 5oz.