Vicky González - Doula
Recommended by chriz van de graaf
Doula Vicky González is based in Barcelona
vickydoula@gmail.com
Tel 687.98.69.13
Comments:
"Vicky is the best thing that could happen to us After the birth of our first daughter Keet we searched for a doula. We decided to choose for Vicky, because she is warm, well-grounded, caring, thoughtful, English speaking and above all very professional. Most doulas are the spiritual yoga type of people. Vicky is down to earth and very practical. “I’ll do what your mum would do for you”, she told us. And that’s what she did, and much, much more. Vicky showed us how to take care of a newborn baby. She helped us with breastfeeding and shared her practical and medical knowledge and experience with us. Thanks to her, we learned quickly how to take of our baby. That gave us much more time for the enjoyment of Keet, without worries. We are Vicky grateful for that. I wish all new parents to have their own ‘Vicky’. And if you look for a doula, I advise you to give ‘the real Vicky’" (CVDG, April 012)
Barcelona Wellwoman
Recommended by Alice Byram
Barcelona Well Woman Clinic is an integrated health practice, combining both medical and complementary care. They aim to help women achieve optimum health at every life stage with a particular expertise in natural fertility.
C/ del Bruc 38, Barcelona 08010. clinic@barcelonawellwoman.com Tel +34 622 720 499 www.bcnwellwoman.com
Comments:
"I knew I was pregnant because of the terrible migraines I was having. What was supposed to be a positive experience quickly turned into a succession of days off work and an awful quality of life. Uby has reduced me the frequency of my migraines to a level I didn't have before becoming pregnant. She has also brought a tranquility to my life which I'll admit is too stressed. I can highly recommend her calming influence during pregnancy and at any other time when you may need to regain a more healthy life style." (AB, June 08)
Clinica Sagrada Familia
Recommended by Isabelle Vaningen
Private clinic in the centre of Barcelona. Used by Sanitas, Mapfre, Winterthur health insurance companies.
Calle Torras y Pujalt, 11, 932122300
Comments:
"My experience was perfect. Especially if you know that in Holland women give birth the natural way, without any pain killers, at home.Of course this also depends on your insurance. I would recommend every woman who wants to have kids or already has them, to take a private insurance, for yourself and the baby. There are many specialists and hardly any waiting lists" (IV, Jan 08)
Dr Leila Onbargi
Recommended by Rebecca Laidlaw
Dr Leila Onbargi is an English speaking gyneacologist operating at Teknon Hospital, renowned for its gynaecology
Teknon Hospital, Calle Marquesa de Vilallonga 12/Vilana 12, 933933161 www.teknon.es
Comments:
Does not accept many insurance policies. Best to check before arranging appointment if you are covered or whether you will have to pay privately. Excellent Doctor, who comes highly recommended by many.
Please click here to read an interview with Dra Leila Onbargi
Dr Claudia Pedain - Clinica Sagrada Familia
Recommended by Karen Reiter
Dr Claudia Pedain is a private Gynaecologist at the Clinica Sagrada Familia
Clinica Sagrada Familia Torras i Pujalt 11-29 (4th floor - Room 4.1) http://csf.com.es/index.php.
Comment:
"I can highly recommend her" (KR, Jan 08)
Fertility Clinic
Recommended by Lou Melotte
Brooke Philips and her husband are both specialist acupuncturists and practitioners of natural medicine - and the
only ones in Europe to offer a system of testing called Total Body Analysis. Their main objective is to help couples to prepare
for creating a baby by working at detoxifying both wife and husband. A mix of acupuncture, massage, and breathing techniques is used.
Avda. Catalunya, 38 - 5.3, 08290 Cerdanyola V
& Calle Consell de Cent 265. 936925269 brooke@fertilidadnatural.com www.FertilidadNatural.com
Comments:
"I had gone through an IVF treatment with negative results and I was anguished and nervous. Now after a frozen embryo transfer I am 12 weeks pregnant! The acupuncture treatments and the recommended exercises helped me to relax and to become conscious of my body. I recommend the Programa de Fertilidad Natural because I think it is a very important complement to the IVF treatments to compensate for the negative effects and alleviate the tension that it entails" (C.B., Sant Cugat, Feb 08)
"I came to the Programa de Fertilidad Natural because I was looking for a non-aggressive natural alternative for infertility treatment. I did not want to take hormones or medications and my gynecologist wanted me to take medication to help me ovulate. The treatments with Brooke and Ferran were great. I was able to relax and prepare my body. In five months I was pregnant I recommend the program for other women and couples. This week I am ready to give birth and I am very happy!" (V.G., Cerdanyola del Valles, June 08)
Home Birth - Marenostrum
Recommended by Zoe Koumbouzi
Marenostrum uses homeopathic medicine and is one of the few places which can help you prepare for a home birth
Centro de Salut C/Fontanella 16 - Pral, 933022915 marenostrum@comb.es, www.marenostrumcsf.com
Comments:
"I had a fantastic homebirth with the Mare Nostrum center. Before giving birth I hadn’t heard about the fact that birth was so medicalised here, or any of the horror stories that I know now, I would have chosen homebirth in any country" (ZK, Aug 08)
"I would recommend to any woman who wants to give birth naturally to do it in a birth centre or at home. I would do all this again it was worth the many hours. After this I knew that in a hospital I would have had a total different experience, they would not have given me the time and the care I needed and wanted." (NS, July 08)
Click here to read Nicola´s experience of a homebirth with support from Marenostrum
Hospital del Mar
Recommended by Jessica Mackay
Based in Barceloneta, this is a popular choice for Maternity care. It also has a highly respected children´s A&E department
Hospital del Mar, Pg Maritim 25-29, 932211010
Comments:
"I have nothing but praise for the team at Hospital del Mar. I
had difficult pregnancies before Moira and long stays in hospital....and they actually
saved my life on one occasion - dramatic but true. The head of Obstetrics
there, Dr Toni Payà is quite simply the nicest, most caring doctor I have ever
met anywhere - and Elinor wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. We had
fertility treatment with the team headed by Dr Checa, and although unpleasant,
their success rate is amazing" (JM, Feb 08)
Hospital de La Maternitat
Recommended by Elinor Ridler
The Maternity Hospital is more sympathetic to women who would prefer to opt for a natural birth
Hospital Casa Maternidad, Calle Sabino Arana 1, 932275600
Comments "Sarah was born at the Maternitat hospital and although I had an episiotomy and she was pulled out with forceps in the end, we felt happy with how we were treated. It was pretty slow and they didn't rush us into doing anything we didn't want: my plan to have a 'natural birth' didn't quite work out, but it was our decision to have the epidural in the end rather than the hospital staff. We paid about 80 euros for a room to ourselves which was worth every cent as Phil, Sarah's dad, could stay quite comfortably on a sofa bed rather than on the floor. There's not always one free but it's worth asking when you first arrive at the hospital. The only thing that I wasn't too happy with was the conflicting advice on breastfeeding and staff didn't really have time to help too much. If we have another one I'd be happy to have it here, either at home or the Maternitat again." (ER, June 08)
Private Clinic - Corachan
Recommended by Melissa Cokely
The Corachan private clinic specializes in obstetrics and paediatrics
Calle Buigas, 19, 932545800 web@corachan.com, www.corachan.com
Comments:
"It was fantastic! I loved my doctor (Carmen Guasch) and had a great experience here. I've heard mixed things from a lot of moms so I feel very fortunate to have had excellent care through the whole pregnancy and birth" (MC, May 08)
Teknon Hospital - Barcelona
Recommended by Ellen Menzies
Founded in 1994, Teknon is one of the leading hospitals in Barcelona and houses many medical and surgical specialists for adults and children alike. Many of the Doctors working at Teknon are international such as highly recommended gynecologist Dra Leila Onbargi and paediatrician Doctor Faust.
Centro Médico Teknon. C / Vilana, 12. 08022 Barcelona 932906262 info@teknon.es www.teknon.es
Comments:
"We just had a baby at the Teknon hospital and I just wanted to share that the post-natal-care there is very good. They have what they call a "nurseri" with specialized nurses. Their care for the babies is excellent and they are a huge help and encouragment to breast feeding moms and their partners." (EM, March 08)
Women´s Health & Maternity Clinic - Dexeus
Recommended by Marissa Macdonald
A private clinic specializing in fertility and gynaecology which comes highly recommended.
Dexeus, Gran Via Carlos III 71-75, 93 227 47 00 info@dexeus.com www.dexeus.com
Comments:
"I had to have surgery in my first trimester of pregnancy last year. I HIGHLY recommend Dexeus and the entire OB/GYN department there. I was treated wonderfully and couldn´t have asked for more from them" (MM, Jan 08)
Zoe Prendergast - Hypnobirthing educator
Zoe is an acupuncturist and chinese herbalist specialising in fertility, pregnancy and obstetrics. I am also a HypnoBirthing educator.
Tel 93 319 7414
Mobile 654986735.
E mail zoeprendergast@gmail. com
Comments:
"I started seeing Zoe Prendergast for acupuncture during my pregnancy early on as I was concerned that I would have to have another caesarean like I had with my first birth due to non dilation and so was determined to do all that I could to deter this and i had heard that acupuncture would help prepare me. Zoe mentioned during my first visit that she was also a hypno-birthing practicioner and that it would primarily help me eliminate my fear of going into hospital or of having another c-section and mostly that it would help me during my labour pain. So I started the hypnobirthing course with zoe on a weekly basis that included my acupuncture too and was so impressed by her calm, informative, gentle voice and manner and also her knowledge on health in pregnancy, nutrition and babies! The sessions became my oasis of calm away from running a business and running after my 3 year old!
I really did fall into a complete trance as zoe took me in to the no pain zone and no fear dimensions and gave me wonderful visualisations of a natural joyous vaginal birth. At bedtime I did the rainbow relaxation technique on c.d which again entranced me into a wonderful sleep dreaming of my easy birth and baby being born into my hands. When I went into labour at home zoe came over immediately and gave me more hypno birth affirmations instilling in me a sense of security and self belief that my birth would be a safe passage and an easy labour just as I had wished it to be…a natural vaginal birth. She also gave me acupuncture to soften my pelvis and cervix and even spoon fed me honey!!! I had had very easy contractions throughout the night, then they became fast and furious after zoe had used acupuncture in my ears! but I concentrated on my hypno birth breathing techniques and the visualisation that all was well and baby was following the normal path of gravity, my dilation was extremely intense (during the black hole moment I felt id fallen into I had my rainbow relax tape on and was concentrating hard on it!) and I cannot say that there wasn’t any pain but I’m sure it was aleviated by my self belief , no fear and calm disposition. The babys descension was little by little which lasted an hour while I breathed her out instead of doing any pushing. It was my midwifes first vaginal birth after a caeasarian at home….A triumph for all! Now my daughter seems to recognise the sound of zoes voice and lights up, zoe has become a dear friend and my baby’s name is frida willow after a willow tree which was my favourite place to go whilst doing the birthing visualisation. I owe a lot to zoe and hypnobirthing and recommend it to everyone as a great technique to use in labour and pre natal care." Lulu melotte. 2009
