water birth

Does anyone know anything about this in HK as it is so common in the UK. In London at least many of the hospitals have birthing pools and if you have a home birth, you can hire a pool.


I haven't been able to find out any info here.


My first baby was 6 weeks early and I would have had my water birthing workshop on the NHS in the UK two days after he was born and as it was he came so fast naturally - there wasn't a chance to try to give birth in a pool but if I can I would love to have a water birth this time.


Are there any supportive gynaecologists? Have my name down at Matilda as we have medical insurance and they told me no facilities for water birth nor were they encouraging about hiring a pool.


Anyone got any ideas? Due early feb so I can still change gynaecologist and get a pool hired if they are available

At Matilda International Hospital we do not do waterbirths for safety reasons therefore none of the obstetricians would be able to do so here. There is a bath in the delivery rooms and can be used during labour but ladies deliver on dry land.


Maternity Unit 2849 0321

Matilda International Hospital

Hong Kong

http://www.matilda.org

thanks for responding. Looks like this won't be a water birth - what are the main safety concerns as so many hospitals in UK are actively encouraging water births? - it would be helpful to know.

I have heard that home births are illegal in HK?

people have been prosecuted for having a home birth - how can this be!?

I also heard that home births are illegal in HK. I knew two women who gave birth at home accidently (the baby came too fast) and they were told off by the policeman, and the birth place was still written as the hospital they were taken to.


BUT... I have just met a woman who will be having a home birth in HK with a registered mid-wife. So it is legal. I suppose it just needs to be "arranged". She needs to take a photo after she gives birth, holding the baby, holding a newspaper to show the date, and presumably the photo must prove that she's at the address she said she would give birth at. She will need to provide these documents when she registers the birth.


Presumably these measures are to prevent mainland women registering the birth of their child in HK to get HK citizenship, and pretending they gave birth at a hotel/home here, when they didn't.

Slammy is correct. I had a home birth in Hong Kong 4 years ago - today!!

It was planned and I had no fuss made at all. I had no police at my home, can't work out why they would even come along?!

You do need to have photographs of you pregnant and take a couple after the baby is born to be sure that the baby is yours (thier reasons for this are pretty logical when you think about it) we ristered our daughter when she was 5 days old. When they asked what hospital she was born at my husband told them she was born at our home. When they asked why she was not born in a hospital, we told them we wanted a home birth. No one battered an eye lid, we had to sign a statement to say she had been born at home and we needed a witness (I have two domestic helpers that were at home for the birth and they signed that the baby was ours and birthed at home). pm me if you want to know more, it is not for everyone but I am happy to discuss it in more detail if you pm me.

Bye the way, I flew my midwife over from Australia (we had worked together in birthing centres and she had supported me with my other births. You can not have a Hong Kong registered midwife assist you at home as that is deemed illegal for their registration and of course they are not legally covered if anything goes wrong. I would only ever use an experienced home birth midwife for my first birth or a vbac home birth, a midwife with a busy caseload and lots of experience.

In the end our homebirth was unassisted, which is what we wanted and our midwife had a great holiday living with us for three weeks (our baby was 10 days overdue!)