An Expat Talks about What is Was Like Having a Baby in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

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

Calamba, Laguna

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

2 years ago

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 hospital [in Calamba] that our OBGYN worked with. It was less modern than the one nearer to our apartment but it was fine. My wife had to have a C-section so she went under full anesthetic. Apparently getting a C-section is sort of a status symbol so she had to get approval but once we got past that it was fine. She stayed there for a little under a week. Generally it was fine. We weren't super thrilled with the hospitals pediatrician but other than that the staff was great. We got a private room and I just stayed in it with her and helped take care of her and the baby.

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

We shopped around for our OBGYN as soon as we knew she was pregnant. We found a great one in a clinic near our house. She handled all her prenatal care as well as the actual delivery

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

No, not really. We had a lot of help from her family. If you don't have that sort of support available you might want to hire someone.

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

Make sure you have all your paperwork together especially if you and the mother are not married. We had to take a special trip to the courthouse so that the child could have my name. You will want to do that before you leave the hospital. If you are married, it's not really an issue.