Can anyone with experience/knowledge about giving birth in Taiwan provide some information. If a woman were to have a baby in Taiwan, is Chang Gung hospital a good hospital or a bad one? Are there any particularly good doctors or hospitals? Ones to be avoided? Things one should look out for?
What about alternative methods – home birth with a midwife? Does anyone have knowledge of that in Taiwan. I once met a foreign woman with Taiwanese husband who gave birth in a bathtub in Taiwan. Anyone know about that?
I heard some Taiwan hospitals try to prevent the mother from breastfeeding for some ridiculous reason – true? Or that they try to separate the mother and child. Anyone have trouble letting the father watch the birth?
I understand that many moms-to-be bring a birth checklist in with them and discuss it with the docs and nurses in advance. Any trouble having them comply with mom’s requests? Other significant birthing issues? Circumcision? Etc.?
After the birth, I understand that the 40 days of being cared for by the inlaws is pretty much required, and silly as it might sound at first, it’s probably a good thing. Any tricky issues regarding that?
My wife has had two in Taiwan without experiencing any of the procedures mentioned above. Our first was in a small clinic and the second was at the Yang Ming Hospital. She is Taiwanese if that makes any difference.
On the subject of breastfeeding in Taiwan, there is an organisation promoting it. Web site: [url=http://www.taiwanbreastfeeding.org/]Breastfeeding Association Taiwan
Ditto Sharky’s last post. Having had one in Europe and one at Chung Shan with Dr. Jean Chang, the latter experience was infinitely better than the first (more personal relationship with the doctor, good care without unnecessary intervention by the nursing staff…)
I have a Taiwanese friend who had two children at Chang Gung hospital, and she was happy with her experiences, but I know of very few western women who go there. Most tend to go to Chung Shan or to the Adventist hospital.
Go to parentpages.net as mentioned above for plenty of discussion about where to give birth, midwives, birthing techniques, separation and breastfeeding issues in Taiwanese hospitals etc.
