Pregnancy in Barbados

How does it feel, as a European expatriate, to be pregnant in Barbados? What are the positive and negative aspects? What do you need to know to prepare yourself to be pregnant here?

We moved here, I was 23 weeks pregnant.

In terms of follow up, I had already had in UK the 2 ultrasound scans that you would usually have in England or in Barbados for the whole period of a normal pregnancy. I would probably have another 7 consultations until the end of my pregnancy + I had to chose a place where I would like to give birth, a private Doctor or a Midwife led governmental follow up, and I had to enquire about my health costs and possible benefits or support available with health costs.

First week here, I found out that my health costs would not be taken in charge by the employer of my partner. Be aware, it can be the same case with many employers on the island. The health cover is not as good as in Europe (at least, not as good as in France or UK). The reason my pregnancy is not taken in charge by the employer is because they do not take in charge 'pre-existing conditions'.

So, compared to UK, I was losing:

• a full health costs covered pregnancy,
• my benefits for free medication at the chemist,
• my rights for a pregnancy long + a year of free consultations at the dentist,
• the additional financial support that I got after Noa's birth during 6 months to cover my maternity 'leave'.

On the personal 'comfort' side, I had to adjust with 30 degrees more than in the country I had just left and I had to adjust to the mosquito bites that would regularly make my right foot react and get it swollen.

On the other hand, I was now in a country where:

• you cannot do much else than relax,
• the sun was giving me plenty of Vitamin D,
• I could get into the sea as often as I wanted,
• I could get as many fresh coconut milk drinks, fresh mangoes and avocados as I'd like.

Regarding the follow up and "delivery locations" to give birth, here are the several options we have considered:

1. A private Doctor delivering at the General Hospital (QE) or at a private clinic (Bayview)
2. A polyclinic and hospital governmental midwife and doctor on duty led follow up
3. A private midwife birthing centre

Considering the costs of consultations + private Dr fee for the birth + private paediatrician fee + hospital fee for Non National + potential private anaesthetist fee + potential extra costs for a caesarian + some potential additional nights at the hospital...

We found out that the first option would cost us between BBDOS $ 5,000 for a simple birth at the QE to BBDOS $ 10,000 for a more complicated birth at the Bayview clinic. The 2nd option would cost 3 to 4 times less. The 3rd option was in-between in terms of costs, a more relaxing environment, but less safe in terms of equipment available and in terms of rapidity to react if we would have to arrive in an emergency state at the hospital. So, we decided to go for the 2nd option, which seemingly is a more unusual choice for an expatriate here or for some of the persons we had made friends with around us - shall they be Bajan or not.

So, now, I'll describe how the follow up with the 2nd option has been so far...

(to be ctd...)

Barbados - Settling in

Barbados - Settling in or Settling in a new country? I've been hesitating a long time between those 2 titles...These are actually 2 different issues and I wonder what I shall start with...

A friend once told me: " Second after a divorce, the most stressful strain on a family is a house move"...Well, I'll confirm one point here: a house move and especially a move with a family towards a country located very far away physically and "culturally" from what you are used to, and offering less 'comfort' than what you've been having so far...is certainly a challenge.

Another friend told me: "The most beautiful clay pots have to go through fire. What your family is experiencing now is the fire. After that, it will be beautiful."

Well, to be honest, thinking back about the motivations that have led us here, we were starting to feel a bit too 'comfortable' and wanted to experience a challenge. The result is achieved. We do experience this challenge.

Barbados itself, to be fair, offers to a tourist coming here on holidays, the eternal and guaranteed sunshine and heat all over the year, the certainty that you will have an accessible beach from any point on the island, a good range of extra activities such as diving, snorkelling, surfing, 'yachting', watching a polo or a cricket match, or simply relaxing which is what most people seem to do here...partly per pure choice or partly because the heat does not allow much efforts or movements to be made around mid day unless you are in an air conditioned hotel or car...

Now, living here, is a different story..."Living" but not "holidaying" implies in my sense that you want to be active and do things. Living implies that you have to fit in the society, that you have to deal with different administrative bodies for sorting out your paperwork, ID issues, bills, post, banks, relationships with your employer...then, add to this living here while pregnant and about to give birth...means you have to add the health cover issues and rapports with doctors, nurses, midwives, hospitals...As you see, we decided to make our challenge a very interesting one!;-)

I'll pass the full details of our issues with:

• Work permit and visas being delayed and still not sorted after 6 months after the date where they should have been sorted,
• Post partially not delivered and some delivered randomly after more than a month that it had arrived on the island,
• Employer not answering our requests or answering vaguely or wrongly and letting us finding out that we actually do not have any health cover for pregnancy once we arrived here or doing the same with the house hunt issue or the car hunt issue...not to mention the numbers of CVs from me that have been lost and the promises to hire me as a guest lecturer or as permanent staff that have kept going on for more than 3 months without a single progress...

This list could extend on and on for long...but most importantly at this stage is what we've learnt so far out of this...The system is slow and you have to get used to it.

• People do not like emails - you need to talk face to face - emails are rarely answered.
• There is a particular way to communicate - if you show any tension...it will just delay everything a lot longer.
• At the end of the day, a lot holds in your own attitude...