We are still waiting for LMO to come through from Edmonton for hubbie, been 10 weeks now so hopefully not long, and house sale should hopefully complete here soon. We are hoping to move over to Edmonton on a work permit before the end of November.
Only thing is, I have just found out I am pregnant... we are over the moon after 2 and a half years of trying and not getting anywhere... but I am very worried about the kind of healthcare I can expect when we get there...?? Anybody know anything about this???
Not sure how far along I am yet until been the doctors.
Not told anyone and dont want to until know everything ok due to having 2 miscarriages previously... so can only really turn to this forum for advice.

Well I 'll be the first to say CONGRATULATIONS A few deep breaths and stay calm, all will work out. Great news!

Congratulations Sarahad. Fantastic news. I can only speak from my experience at Swindon hosp which was fab. But, there is a dire lack of midwives in GB as well as a dire lack of health visitors for after the birth follow up stuff. A lot of maternity units are downsizing or closing all together. I can't imagine a country like Canada would have anything other than first rate maternity care, but the question is would you be covered on the health insurance on a work permit?

Anyway, very best of luck and if you want a great parenting site check out http://www.mumsnet.com

Sarahad - Well first off, congratulations - and fingers crossed for you for a smoother time of it, this time around. And great timing ! Bet your head is spinning !

Will await any updates from the Edmonton bunch, but I'm sure the care you would receive would be absolutely fine / good / excellent. Try to stay calm (yeah, like that's easy). To a huge extent, what will be, will be ... you're going somewhere modern and 'enlightened' and I'm sure you will find all kinds of heathcare and options available to you.

There will always be good and poor ante-natal experiences, but you're just as likely to find those in your home town - most people (women !) will have something positive to say. Don't panic and lots of best wishes to you.

Hi my name is Mags and we have been living in Calgary for 8 months. We were also on a work permit but our residency has just come thru horayyyy!!!. Dont worry about the health care here in Canada it is excellent. My kids caught chickenpox on the flight over and were really poorly we took them to a health centre which was open 24hours and they were dealt with there and then. We have been in hospital with our 7 year old also as he developed stomach pains and thought his appendix had burst. The doctors done every scan possible and really took great care of him, luckily it was nothing too serious. All i can say to you is that it is going to be very stressfull for you at first, take one day at a time and ENJOY!!. We love it here and would never go back .

Thanks everyone! As I say we are absoloutley over the moon... its kinda the icing on the cake... but obviously it is a worry. I do not mind if we have to pay if we have to then we do... but would like an idea of the kind of costs involved. Have tried searching various websites to find some healthcare info but not getting anywhere.

Sarah

Congratulations and Celebrations to you and hubby !!!!

Really chuffed for you

Remember when my cousin had her little girl - in Canada there seems to be a much more relaxed way of dealing with ante-natal care. Also from what I remember when she was in labour it was alot more relaxed to something like an anything goes kinda attitude.

OOOH now will have another kiddie winks besides hubby

Gaynor

Congratulations, Sarahad.

In about twenty five years of living in Calgary, our family has had slightly mixed experiences of the health care system. Sometimes we have received exceptionally good treatment, and sometimes our treatment has been so-so. We do not have anything really terrible to report. Overall we have found medical treatment to be good. That includes the births of two children by C-section.

You will be eligible for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) coverage from the day you land. That is applicable to any person who has a legal right to live in Alberta, so it includes work permit holders and their family members.

AHCIP covers the cost of drugs administered in a hospital setting, but does not cover the cost of drugs outside of a hospital (e.g., prescription drugs that you buy from a pharmacy). AHCIP does not cover dental treatment. While AHCIP does cover maternity care that is provided by a doctor, it does not cover the services of a midwife.

When my kids were born in Calgary over twenty years ago, it was typical for a mother and newborn to stay in hospital for three days in the case of a normal delivery and five days in the case of a C-section. I've heard that typical hospital stays for Calgary mothers and newborns now are one day for a normal delivery and three days for a C-section. Some time after I got home with each baby, I received a home visit from a community nurse. I understand that still is the practice now. Also, there was a community health clinic, which was run by nurses, to which I could take my baby for vaccinations and check ups. The community health clinics are still in operation.

When my kids were born, the hospital provided all of the baby's bed linen and clothing. The only thing we needed to bring to the hospital for our baby was an infant car seat and an outfit in which to take him home from the hospital. I've heard anecdotal accounts that Calgary parents now have to supply their own baby clothing (and if I remember correctly baby bed linen too) for the newborn's hospital stay. I don't know if that is true of Edmonton too.

One advantage that you will have is that this will be your second child. So you will have at least some idea of what to expect. That will make it easier for you to be assertive and ask for what you want.

For my C-sections I chose an obstetrician who was a cold fish in the personality department. However, he had a high reputation as a surgeon. I decided to base my choice solely on his technical reputation, not on his bedside manner. But then I knew in advance that I was going to have to have C-sections. If there was any chance at all of having a normal delivery, I think I would have placed a higher value on the doctor's bedside manner.

To corroborate what I said about your eligibility for AHCIP, see their Who is Eligible? page.

To see what services are excluded from regular AHCIP coverage, see their Exclusions page.

To find answers to other questions you may have about AHCIP, see their Frequently Asked Questions page

Hope that helps.

Hi Mags again.
We pay $88 month for a family of 4 and also we have private health care with AB blue cross which you need as it covers dental,most prescription costs, ambulance rides etc etc, this costs $150 month for a family of 4. Hope this helps you. Alot of company have health plans so you may get away with the AB blue cross

Thank you so much for your help and advice.

Cant offer you any advice whats so ever, but can say CONGRATULATIONS. HOpe many sleepless nights and dirty nappies to follow

Who do I need to tell when get to Canada? Like in UK you go to your doctors and they start the process of midwives and scans etc... Do I just need to go and see a doctor on arrival in Edmonton?
My husbands work gives health/dental etc cover after 3 months, will that be for whole family? Do we just get 3 months cover for when we come over?

Hi dopey Mags from Okotoks here.
Im new to all this and not very good with computors ( hence my next question ) i think ive figured out how to reply to all you guys but dont have a clue how to read mail ???? any help !.

Do u mean private messages? if so it should show in your top right corner I will send u one now to check

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS
Secondly we are also here on Work Permits, although my hubby got group benefits from day one he had to wait three months before he was entitled to Alberta Healthcare. $44 for a single person $88 for a family per month. Saying that my hubby was rushed into hospital and had an emergency op a couple of weeks before our Alberta Healthcare kicked in and they honored it. Also My daughter and I were on visitors permits for the 1st 6 months and had to wait the 6 months plus the 3 months (when we swapped to longer permits) before we got healthcare. So far the medical service we have used have been absolutely fab - no hideously long waits or anything.

Once again CONGRATS I hope everything goes smoothly for you.