I have had an enormous amount of response from expats having babies in Brazil. We will have to start a baby club or something (actually, the INC already does have one!). Because of this interest, I will write a series on my experiences having a baby here. I will try to keep it focused on the differences between having a baby here vs. back home.
When I first suspected I was pregnant, I did some at-home tests (some ended up being faulty!) followed by a blood test (as I've written about before, it is cheaper and more reliable to get this done if you suspect you are pregnant. R$20 vs. R$35+ for an at home test) followed by a doctor's appointment as I had to hear it from someone in a white coat...
I first went to my husband's secretary's ob/gyn. I liked him at first, he was willing to do a non-c-section birth and was quite jovial. He told me I was allowed to gain 9 kilos over the course of my pregnancy (1 per month, as he put it). This was a bit scary for me right off the bat, as my mom gained well over 50 lbs in both of her pregnancies and I figured I would follow suit... He was also quite obsessed with measuring me (my tummy) at every visit. Around. The weigh in was always a stressful part of the visit.
When I was about 4 months pregnant I started having a lot of pain in my sciatic nerve. Being pregnant, I did not want to just go to any physio/massage therapist, I wanted one that was baby-doctor-approved. So I toughed out the pain until my next appointment with my ob/gyn, assuming I'd get a referral.
Rather than refer me to a therapist, he suggested I "not walk" anywhere and REST to get rid of the pain. If you read the blog regularly you know that not only am I quite active, but walking is my main mode of transportation in Rio. Besides, the pain was much worse after long periods of sitting, and was worst of all when I got out of bed in the morning. I wasn't convinced that rest without any therapy was going to help. Although I was frustrated that he was being so unresourceful for me, and making ridiculous recommendations, I just decided to find help with that particular issue elsewhere and to get through the appointment. I even tried cracking a joke - "I guess there won't be a weigh-in next month if I can't exercise..." to which he responded by looking at me incredulously and saying: "Just don't put it in your mouth!"
So now I was to not exercise or eat?? I should also mention that at this point in my pregnancy, I had NOT gained much weight at all. Certainly not the "1 kilo per month" that he allowed. Most of my weight gain was at the end of my pregnancy. So I was particularly offended that he was already harping on me, considering this.
Being pregnant/hormonal, thousands of miles from home, and in pain and feeling a bit helpless, I bawled like a baby immediately upon leaving his office (all the way to a Chinese restaurant where Mr. DRL and I proceeded to eat our second lunch of the day...) I think it was the only time since we've lived here that I really really really just wanted to go home.
So, about halfway through my pregnancy, I switched doctors. Best thing I ever did! I LOVE MY NEW DOCTOR here, she is fantastic.
A word about weight gain: the standards are different here in Brazil than North America, but they are also changing in North America (to allow for less weight gain per pregnancy). I ended up being a big rebel, gaining about 15 kilos.
I ended up gaining around 20 kilos. In the beginning, my doctor would make a comment if I gained too much in one month, but since I had so much swelling in my last month, she did not harp on me. My biggest shocker was not the ob/gyn but the pediatrician I took Kevin to when he was 5 days old. The regular pediatriacian at the 5-day post birth check-up wanted someone else to look at my son´s scrotum, which was a little discolored. So, we ended up at another hospital for a consult. Fortunately, nothing was wrong, but second the pediatrician who looked at my son read me the riot-act because my son (4.145kg) had been a vaginal birth. She told me enfatically that NO CHILD over 3.5kgs should be born vaginally. Um, lady, do you SEE my hips!! It really blew me away that a doctor could be so ignorant.
Posted by: Corinne | June 26, 2009 at 02:38 PM
Sounds like you really endured a lot with the weight issue here. And honestly, your photos show you looked just great right until the end. I don't think there should be SUCH a stress about the weight gain as long as it isn't extreme and there aren't other health issues such as diabetes or high blood pressure involved. I have read many times in the gossip mags about Brasilian celebrities gaining only 8kgs!?
I didn't have a bad experience with my OB/GYN. She was great throughout my pregnancy and never said anything except for "bom" about my weight gain, which ended up being 13.8kgs. Brasililan relatives and friends were also very complimentary and kind (and normally don't hold back if they have something critical to say). I did hear a couple of times from Brasilian female friends that pregnancy cravings were a "myth" and just and excuse to eat...but I FIRMLY disagree. My cravings were very specific and intense. Thankfully they were for things I couldn't get here!
Whether you gain 20lbs or 50lbs, in the end what matters is your health and your baby's health. I think it is wrong for Dr.s to stress weight gain so much when they should be more concerned with the overall health of the mother. Especially in your case, you are a young, very active and health conscious person!
Posted by: Stephanie | June 29, 2009 at 12:36 PM
About the pregnancy tests...you are so right! For me, the first at-home test I did was in Rio when I was about a week late and it came back negative. A week later we were in Teresina and I did three more at-home tests. One was negative, one was inconclusive and the other was nothing for about 20 minutes so I threw it away, and then checked the trash a while later to find a positive. I was going insane! The following week we were in Fortaleza and went to a clinic for a blood test. We passed the hour waiting for the result having sushi (the last sushi for 9 months it turned out). Forget the at-home tests! Complete waste of time, money and sanity.
Posted by: Stephanie | July 01, 2009 at 11:07 AM