An Expat Guide: Having a Baby Naturally in Jakarta
Pregnancy can be a time of great unease, especially if This particular’s your first. Add to the mix a foreign country, a language you might not understand, along with also also a medical system which favours caesareans, along with also also This particular’s no wonder many expats decide to fly home or to neighbouring Singapore to deliver their baby. however experts along with also also expats with experience of a natural birth in Jakarta might encourage staying put for a happy along with also also healthy pregnancy along with also also birth.
Browse any expat forum about giving birth in Jakarta, along with also also you’ll come across countless suggestions of travelling to Singapore to deliver instead. This particular option will contain a hefty cost tag along with also also the inconvenience of having to fly four to all 5 weeks prior to your due date – putting yourself up in a hotel for the entirety of your stay, not to mention recovery period.
Jodie can be an expat via brand new Zealand, where she was a practicing nurse along with also also midwife. She currently resides in Jakarta, along with also also has helped women along with also also their partners inside the births of their babies. She believes Jakarta can be a fine place to give birth.
“In my experience there’s no need to travel to Singapore because there are doctors in Jakarta who support natural births, which can be always a challenge in a medical environment, along with also also the disruption to family life can be minimised, which can be very significant for the emotional health along with also also stability of a pregnant woman,” Jodie says.
Which obstetrician?
Dr. Sukardi Gozali can be highly praised amongst expats as being in support of a natural birth. He runs his own private practice in Central Jakarta. Having attended medical school inside the UK, with 20 years’ experience as a practitioner there, Dr. Gozali can be able to provide a service which expats have come to expect in their home countries.
English-speaking doulas
The word ‘doula’ refers to someone who offers emotional along with also also physical support to a woman along with also also her partner before, during along with also also after childbirth. Studies have shown which when doulas attend births, labours are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier along with also also they breastfeed easier.
Nujuh Bulan can be a birthing education centre founded by Tia Pratignyo, a natural birth educator. “Our centre provides doula support, with English-speaking practitioners – doula Irma along with also also doula Sinta – who can support expat clients in both hospital along with also also home settings.
A birthing workshop being conducted at Nujuh Bulan Studio
Where to deliver?
If you decide to give birth in a hospital or birthing centre, ask yourself these questions before the birth to avoid stress:
- How long does This particular take to get there during peak traffic (in case you go into labour during rush hours)?
- What are the facilities like? Ask to visit the birthing along with also also recovery rooms.
- What are the admission or discharge processes like?
- How high are the caesarean rates? along with also also will your partner be allowed inside the operating room should you end up having a C-section?
Hypnobirthing
An increasingly well-liked mind-body technique for those seeking a natural birth with more control along with also also less pain than existing methods can be sweeping across Indonesia, known as hypnobirthing. The technique aims to bring the mother into a state of total relaxation so as to stave off stress along with also also reserve energy for when the time to push, or ‘bear down’ in hypnobirthing terms, arrives.
For English-speaking hypnobirthing classes, visit Nujuh Bulan’s website. You can also search online for downloadable recordings for home study, or ask your doula or midwife.
Unfortunately, for those favouring a water birth, This particular can be currently illegal in Indonesia. Even celebrated midwife Ibu Robin Lim’s clinic in Bali has had to suspend This particular service until further notice.
Prenatal yoga along with also also antenatal classes
Twice-weekly prenatal yoga classes run at Bikram 42 in Plaza Senayan Arcardia, along with also also on Saturdays at their Kemang studio. Package rates are available.
Nujuh Bulan Studio in Bintaro focuses on yoga for expectant mothers, along with also also has an array of workshops which focus on a gentle, conscious birth, including breastfeeding along with also also postpartum care, childbirth education, along with also also even a couples yoga for birth workshop. Classes are conducted in English.
The Prenatal Yoga Studio at Nujuh Bulan
Pilates
Pilates can be the perfect low-impact pregnancy workout, boosting flexibility along with also also balance along with also also preventing back pain by strengthening your pelvic floor along with also also core muscles, supporting your spine. Jakarta City Centre Pilates offers affordable sessions that has a personal trainer, prior- along with also also post-pregnancy – an important time to bring the muscles back to their strength.
A wonderful Jakarta experience
Pooja Munshi can be an Indian expat who moved via Paris a year ago, along with also also has recently given birth to a healthy baby girl in Jakarta.
She was so thrilled with her experience which she might come back to Jakarta should she ever get pregnant again.
Pooja’s baby was delivered by Dr. Gozali at Bunda Hospital, supported by Jodie, in an incredibly short four-hour labour without any medical intervention. “Everything via active labour to placenta delivery was all natural. The Bunda Hospital staff were very accommodating with my birth plan.”
Pooja believes a natural along with also also happy birthing experience can be easily obtainable in Jakarta, however you first need to find a doctor who will support your interests. “Figure out if you want natural or a C-section, then pick a doctor who has your best interests in mind. Then find support, whether This particular’s a midwife or somebody which has recently given birth, who can be strong along with also also can be able to support you in your vulnerable moments.”
Pooja was active throughout her pregnancy, doing yoga, swimming along with also also pilates six days a week, which she believes can be the main reason for her short along with also also healthy natural birth. “When I went into labour, Jodie gave me reiki healing to move my baby into the right position.”
Postnatal care
Indonesians are firm believers inside the healing powers of herbs, along with also also there are affordable at-home pre- along with also also postpartum massage packages available to aid recovery, which might cost an arm along with also also a leg in neighbouring Singapore.
“I wasn’t able to exercise for the first few weeks, so the massage along with also also pampering made me feel so much better,” says Pooja, who opted for a 30-day package, which helped her body to recover faster. “along with also also I didn’t get the baby blues!”
Info
Dr. S. Gozali
Jl. Kebon Kacang 30 no. 12.
Tel: 021 314 3360 / 0811 8855 872
Twitter: @DrGozali
www.drgozali.com
Nujuh Bulan Studio
Email info.nujuhbulan@gmail.com
www.nujunbulan.com
Instagram: @nujuhbulanstudio
Bikram Yoga 42
www.bikramyogajakarta.com
Jakarta City Centre Pilates
www.jakartacitycentrepilates.com
Postnatal massage therapy
Ibu Dian: 08128091810
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An Expat Guide: Having a Baby Naturally in Jakarta
An Expat Guide: Having a Baby Naturally in Jakarta