Any American Expat moms here? Need help with questions....

Hello. Any American expat moms here? It is very scary having a baby in a foreign country. How did you guys get through it? I have so many questions that I can't get answers for. Will my hospital circumcise my baby if it is a boy. In America they do it before you leave because it is easier to clean while you are only doing "tops and tails". Will I be able to get a private room? The idea of sharing with strangers who don't speak English all that often is appalling! What about the OBGYN? I am really scared about having a midwife...not like they went to med school!!

Hi, firstly, welcome to JP... I'm Tammy, an American living in America and from what I can tell things are done a bit differently there than here. I don't think you should have a problem finding people who speak English well there?? no more than we have a problem with English speaking people in America.

I'm sure the members here will be able to give you some good advise and help calm your fears, as most of them had midwives through the pregnancy and birth... it's just not as common in the US, but is the norm in UK I believe.

Circumsizing discussions could be a bit controversial as I know it's very common in the US to just have it done to boys automatically where as in the UK only if medically nescesary.

What part of the US are you from? I'm in MD... couple hours from the Eastern shore....

Hi,
I have lived in the UK for a few years and have found very few people who speak English. London is mainly made up of immigrants who can't string two words together to save their lives!! Sounds silly I know, after all its ENGLAND you would expect then to speak ENGLISH. Trust me they don't.
I'm from New York. Really starting to miss it now, and my obgyn. American health care might be expensive and only affordable to the wealthy but it was d fine!!
Miss food as well. I have cravings for pancakes but they don't have them here

Well everybody on this forum speaks English so you've found a good place for some advise, support and even friendship!

I can imagine it would be scary to have a baby outside of your normal element... I'm from MD and had my daughter living in RI and all I wanted was to be near my family around that time and none was up there so I can only imagine how it is when you're that far away from home.

You should stick around this site I think you'll love it here! Sorry can't help ya with the pancakes though

AmericanMom said:
Hello. Any American expat moms here? It is very scary having a baby in a foreign country. How did you guys get through it? I have so many questions that I can't get answers for. Will my hospital circumcise my baby if it is a boy. In America they do it before you leave because it is easier to clean while you are only doing "tops and tails". Will I be able to get a private room? The idea of sharing with strangers who don't speak English all that often is appalling! What about the OBGYN? I am really scared about having a midwife...not like they went to med school!!

welcome to Jp

Circumcision is usually only done for medical reasons and not routinely done at birth any more.

Private rooms (well in the hospital I was in) are only allocated for those who have had C-sections, multiple births or complicated deliveries. Wards are usually small (sometimes just 4-6 in a bay) you are also not in hospital for long so talking to others is not a problem- I was in the hospital for 20hours after my delivery and saw so tired I slet or had visitors so never talked to others in the bay,

OBGYN is obsectircs (baby doctors) and Gynalogical (womens problems doctors) over here they usually train in both areas.

MW's are great and allow for a more relaxed delivery without all the medical interference of a doctor. they can administer some pain relief and monitor you throughout your labour. MW do alot of training in theor field and are highly skilled professionals. If you are in a consultant led hopsital there is always a doctor near by if you need it extra assistance

AmericanMom said:
Hi, Sounds silly I know, after all its ENGLAND you would expect then to speak ENGLISH. Trust me they don't.

I agree with this. If we were to move abroad to their countires we would be expected to speak (well try anyway) their language and in alot of other countries follow their customs (things would not change to accomodate our customs like it is here)

Can I get my baby circumcised for cultural reasons if not medical? As an American we believe that an uncircumcised penis is an unsightly and dirty thing. I don't want my boy to ask his daddy why his penis looks like a snake in a cave while his fathers looks likes a nice neat mushroom.

[quote="AmericanMom"]Can I get my baby circumcised for cultural reasons if not medical? As an American we believe that an uncircumcised penis is an unsightly and dirty thing. I don't want my boy to ask his daddy why his penis looks like a snake in a cave while his fathers looks likes a nice neat mushroom. [/quote

there is no harm in asking. Ask next time you have an appointment