Thursday, August 18, 2011

Giving Birth in Istanbul -- What It Can Be

I'm happy to say that for the second time I gave birth in a Turkish hospital and left a day later on foot. In other words, without having had a Cesarean section, as anyone who's lived in Turkey likely knows is the prevalent method of delivery in hospitals.

For women in Turkey and especially in Istanbul interested in a "normal" birth, as they refer to non-Cesareans here, I thought I'd give a little bit of information on the subject.
  • My hospital was Acibadem Maslak, and I found both the obstetric and pediatric nurses to be excellent -- knowledgeable and possessing excellent bedside manner.
  • The hospital, but more importantly my doctor (send me your email address if you want his details), supported my birth plan, even though much of it went against what is 'standard' here; my doctor was open to trying things he'd never done before, most notably delivering my baby in any position I chose, i.e. not lying down on a delivery table.
  • What is 'standard' here in Turkey? An epidural and Pitocin; an enema; episiotomy; hooking you up to a fetal heart rate monitor and IV, thereby pretty much forcing you to spend your labour lying down; no food or water for the labouring woman; and in the end, a Cesarean, the reasons for which are usually one of a handful, including the baby being too big. (Note: I have done no scientific research; these are my observations based on talking to women, foreign and Turkish, here in Turkey and hearing their stories.)
Me, 5 minutes after having given birth in my room -- Acibadem pediatric nurse in the background, obstetric nurse in the foreground, Baby in my arms.

I could devote a whole separate post to DO-UM, but don't have time these days; instead, I'll simply recommend you look it up and use it if you're so inclined. In brief, though, it's a natural childbirth preparation center, and I only had good experiences there.

I had to become extremely knowledgeable and be proactive, advocating for myself constantly; but it is possible to have the birth you want here in Turkey -- just make sure you surround yourself with the right people to support you!

11 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your baby. I wish you a happy time in this special first days and weeks.
    Interesting information about birth in Turkey, and it totally surprised me.
    Where are you from?
    I do like Istanbul and while traveling long time we thought a while of living in Istanbul. Finally we continued our travel and we are back in Germany. To live and work in a foreign country is still on our list.

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  2. Hello Carola,
    thank you for your kind wishes. I am Canadian; are you German? I have heard wonderful things about giving birth in Germany.
    I should add that I had my first child in Tarsus, and it was very different than this birth -- not at all a pleasant experience.
    Cecile

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  3. Hi Cecile,

    What a lovely story, I'm so happy to have read your post! Congratulations on your little one - love the pic!! Hope you're enjoying motherhood to the fullest :-)

    I'll be moving to Istanbul just after Christmas with my husband and daughter and our second child is due at the beginning of March 2012. I would love to hear more about your experiences as I would like to be as informed as possible before heading to Istanbul as I will be 32 weeks pregnant by the time I get there. Would love to get the details of your doctor so I can hopefully contact him and make an appointment - we will be in Istanbul in 2 weeks time to find a doctor and to look around for houses, etc. Was your husband allowed to stay with you during labour and delivery? And any more advice you would like to give me? Would love to stay in touch and who knows.....maybe in a few months time our babies will be able to have a playdate together :-)

    Many thanks again for sharing your experience and looking forward to hearing from you again.

    Susanne Smith

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  4. Hi Susanne,

    Congratulations on your pregnancy!

    I'd be happy to share more details with you; just email me at cecileeugenie@hotmail.com.

    Looking forward to hearing from you again,
    Cecile

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  5. Hi, Cecile,
    I read your post on your BlogSpot.
    I would like to hear more about your experiences and the details of your doctor. because I need to find one for me! :-)

    Please, I send you and e mail but I don't know if you receive it. Let me know.

    Many thanks again for sharing your experience and looking forward to hearing from you again.

    Sandrine

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  6. Hi there! Thank you for sharing your experience. We will be moving there at the end of July. I will be 20 wks with twins by then. Did most everyone at the hospital speak English? Or did anyone? Thank you! Congratulations on your lil one!

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  7. Hi,
    I have a few questions...
    Is there a nursery in the hospital? I mean - after you give birth is there an option to leave the baby for couple of hours or for the night in the nursery?
    Are the washing the baby? Provide food if you decide not to breastfeed? Do they provide diapers and NB clothes for the baby as long as he stays in the hospital with you?
    Is there an NICU for pre-mature babies?
    Thanks in advance..

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  8. Some aswers to your questions; please note that I can only speak for Acibadem ... the public hospital where I had my first baby did not provide these same services:
    Yes, there's a nursery, and the nurses will keep the baby there and just bring it to you to nurse if you want;
    Yes, they bathe the baby;
    I don' t know about formula but I would imagine they have some ... This hospital has a pro-breastfeeding policy, so I don't know how they would respond to someone choosing not to nurse as opposed to not being able to;
    they provide diapers and clothes, including a going-home outfit;
    I don't know about a NICU but you could easily find out.
    Hope this helps!

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  9. Hi Cecile,

    Thanx for sharing the information. Though a lot of time has past since you wrote it...I'm considering giving birth at Acibadem/Maslak. Was it expensive there?

    Thanx!
    Olga

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  10. Thanks for a great story. Please can you share your doctors name with me? email is taskeen@taskeen.co.za thanks!

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