An Expat Talks about What is Was Like Having a Baby in Bridgetown, Barbados

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Bridgetown

How recently did you give birth in the country that you are reporting on?

2006

Describe your experience giving birth there. What type of facility did you go to? What (if any) type of pain management did you use? How long did you stay in the hospital? Was it a positive experience? Etc...

We went to the private hospital (Bayview Hospital), their is also the choice of the government owned hospital QEH (Queen Elizabeth Hospital). We had elected to go to Bayview as I was going to have to pay for the pregnancy no matter which hospital we used so we figured the private one would be more comfortable.

The staff was great. We did have complications from the pregnancy as my son was born not breathing. They were quick to react and perform CPR on him and once they got him breathing normally he was later transferred to QEH to remain on a CPAP machine for a while to aid him with the oxygen. This created some issues for us since my wife had to stay at Bayview (because of the surgery of the caesarian) and I had to go back and forth between the two hospitals to bring breast milk to my son at QEH. Thankfully that only lasted a few days and they were both released. All in all I have to say that the whole experience was positive despite the complications as both the staff at both hospitals and the doctors did their best to make it work well.

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How did you choose your doctor, midwife or other type of medical professional?

The doctor was recommended to us from friends of ours. We asked around to our local and expat friends to get a good recommendation. We visited the doctor regularly before the pregnancy so we got a good feel of the type of doctor she was before the birth.

If you were to have another child in this country, would you do anything differently in terms of preparation and/or the delivery?

Despite the complications which resulted in travelling between the two hospitals I think I would do it the same again. The situation is unlikely to happen often and we just happen to be that case. Besides the rooms were much more comfortable at Bayview then at QEH.

Side note: Since my son was born in Barbados he received Barbadian citizenship right away. He had his Bajan passport to travel on before I could get him a Canadian passport since it takes time to receive the Canadian citizenship through parental Canadian status.

If a friend of yours living in the same country were expecting a baby, what advice would you give her?

Talk to as many locals and expats that you can about doctor recommendations. You need to feel comfortable with the doctor in order for the rest to go well. Listen to your gut when choosing a doctor. If they don't feel like the right fit for you, try another.

Note: most of the doctors in Barbados were trained in the UK and are very well educated with the latest medicine education. Most doctors post their certificates on the walls of their offices so you can see where they studied but if not don't be shy to ask.