Barcelona Mum

Lucy Hales

Firstly, can you tell us why you decided to move to Spain and why specifically you chose to live in Madrid?
I came to join my then boyfriend who had been moved here with his work. That was 7 years ago and we’ve since married and had two lovely boys

When you found out you were pregnant, what research did you carry out into birth in Spain?
To be honest I didn’t do a lot. My gyny is Ana Suarez, a wonderful lady who was educated at Kings and so speaks perfect English. By the time I got pregnant I’d known her for a couple of years so I was happy for her to tell me what to do. She worked in Clinica Belen so I didn’t look any further than there for a hospital to give birth in.

How did you rate the information available to you?
There was little or no information available. I had friends giving birth in England who were talking to me about birthing plans and ante natal classes and I realized than nobody was giving me any choices in anything. However Ana reassured me that I just had to follow her on the day and everything would be fine. I suppose I should have tried to find out more but I was very much go with the flow. I also realized that it was clearly very different here and it was easier not to fight the system.

Which hospital / gynecologist / doula / midwife did you choose and why did you choose them?
I chose Ana Suarez because she spoke English. I spoke no Spanish on arrival and I felt I didn’t want to have any misunderstanding when it came to the most important medical moment of my life. Ana had advertised in In Madrid, the student newspaper and has a practice up in Barrio Pilar. I would thoroughly recommend her.

What kind of ante-natal care did the hospital / gynecologist give you? Were you happy with it?
For our first baby the ante-natal care was just a joke. We were in a class with 5 other couples and we were just talked out for 2 hours at a time on a Saturday night for weeks on end. Well it would have been weeks on end if I’d finished the course but we quickly realized it was a complete waste of time. However for our second baby I went to a fantastic ante natal swimming group which included theory lessons on the birth. We did all our breathing excercises in the water and I loved every minute of it. I went twice a week and have seriously never been so fit. It still wasn’t as hands on as the NCT classes but preparing my body like that to be on top form was to be honest better than any theory classes you can have.

In your own words, as much as you can, can you tell us about the birth itself. What happened, and how was it the same/different to what you were expecting?
I went for my 39 week check up and Ana (my gyny) told me that I was severely lacking in fluid around the baby and she wanted to induce the birth. Induction meant I could organize for my mum to come out and my husband could get everything finished at work off so to be honest I didn’t mind I was being induced although I know a lot of people who think they induce unnecessarily in Spain. Since my only priority with both births is the health of the baby I didn’t mind what they did to me and if there was even a tiny doubt there was a problem with the baby I wanted the medical profession to take over. So on Thursday 23rd October 2003 I went in in the morning to the Clinica Belen where they prepared me for the birth. I have to say that the “preparation” has since been stopped, ie you no longer have to be shaved or have horrid things stuck up your bum!!!! I was then put on the fluids that would begin the induction (I can never remember the name). Everything went to plan and I was soon having contractions and the birth was in full swing. As anyone who has been induced knows the contractions are unbelievably painful so I soon succumbed to an epidural. They got quite stroppy with me because I kept moving when the contractions came along but you can kind of understand they don’t want to stab you in the wrong place. Once epiduraled up I lay back and had a wonderful two hours with my husband chatting about stuff until it was time for the baby to pop out. The birth was all very easy, I had to push a couple of times and before I knew it baby Charlie was lying on my tummy. Then however things didn’t go as you dream of. The baby was all of a sudden taken away and we weren’t quite sure why. They didn’t explain anything – he was just been taken we were told, to the “nido” to have a couple of tests. Well with my continuing theory of the baby coming first I went back to my room with my husband thinking the Spanish were all just mad and we sent elated texts to our family in England. 5 minuts later there was a knock at the door. Our baby had been born with his heart arteries the wrong way round and he had to be operated on that night. The nearest private hospital that could do this was Monte Principe in Boadilla. We had absolutely no idea where that was but we went along with everything they said. We have since learned he would have been with the same surgeons in la Paz but once you’re in the private they don’t like sending you public. So Charlie was sent off in an ambulance and operated on at 5 hours old. He was then in intensive care for 2 weeks and was then subjected to open heart surgery operated on by 3 surgeons. All scary stuff but he lived to tell the tale and now he’s a healthy five year old like any other.

After your baby was delivered, how was the post-natal care?
Well post natal care for Charlie was of course fantastic because I was in intensive care. Their priority is to get you breast feeding so I had armies of nurses on hand day and night helping me but I realize its not like that for everyone. However once we finally left hospital I did feel lost. We were told to find a pediatrician and we had no idea where to start. It took me 2 years till we moved to Las Rozas to find a pediatrician I liked and now we go to the Social Securty and have the loveliest doctor you can imagine. To be honest like everything in spain, once you work out the system the care is very good, its just getting your head round the differences. And the care for older children is excellent with annual check ups meaning that there is far more access to preventative medicine

What advice would you give to other mums-to-be thinking about giving birth in Spain?
Don’t try and compare too much with being in the UK. Its not all perfect in the NHS and the brits have a tendancy to think everything is better there. If you are lucky enough to have insurance here everything is covered so that you can be in almost hotel like accommodation after the birth something I really appreciated with our second son – I didn’t want to come home. Remember as well that the baby is the most important being in the whole birth process and Spain (according to the wonderful Ana) has the lowest birth mortality in Europe (but then she would say that!) The fact is the care for the baby is superb. Its true that mothers are not perhaps treated with the respect you may get in the UK but then I’ve had friends who’ve almost given birth in corridors in London and that’s hardly respectful! I was lucky in that I had a lovely lovely Gynecologist who explained every scan to me (and by the way I love all the scans – I loved seeing my baby that often and research I have read says that no harm is done to the baby) and in the second birth that went so well I was in a new hospital in Torrelodones and quite frankly I felt like I was on holiday. I had a friend who stayed in Spain to have her third child because her birth in London of her first child had been so traumatic. So I’d say focus on the good points because there are plenty and don’t get too het up if you can’t find exactly what you are looking for – you want the end result – a healthy baby!

Since giving birth how have you found the childcare / services / activities available for mothers and babies where you live?
Again Spain is not the UK and there isn’t a toddler gym on every corner however since I arrived things have changed dramatically. St Georges Mums and Babies changed my life when I discovered it when Charlie as 6 months. I then found out about sticky fingers and there was a music group I could have gone to but I didn’t seem to have time. Now there are the likes of gymberee and Alibombo (Las Rozas) where if you’re prepared to part with a bit of cash there are fantastic facilities for small children. Spanish mums don’t get together as a rule – that’s just something you have to get your head round so whereas I made some great friends at my ante natal swimming noone was interested in meeting up once the babies were born. You have to rely on the expat community for a social life. With my second son I go to baby Gym in Alibombo and a music group in Boadilla. In my own urbanization we now have baby music run by a Spanish mum and toddler gym but they are of course both in the evenings when I’m trying to control my 5 year old. They’re well behind here but that’s because the culture of the family is so different. In the UK we need a social life because we often have noone else we know living near by. Here they are surrounded by family and life long friends so don’t need to go out searching for baby groups and baby activities. My advice is to start with St Georges or Mountain view (both church groups) and you will find plenty to do to occupy you during the long hours you are on your own.