Midwives
 

Hello,

Me and my partner are moving to Portugal (Region: Proença-a-Nova) and we are searching for an English speaking midwife, as i am giving birth to our first child there. We have done some research but haven't found much.

We are planning to have a home birth. Any tips and advice about this topic would be very helpful.

Thanks a lot in advance and look forward to conversing with you all.

:thumbsup:

Re: Midwives
 

So what information are you basing this very important decision on?

My suggestion would be to move away from Google and Facebook and talk to a doctor. They actually know something about this!

Re: Midwives
 

Hi from the France forum!
Some one who has given birth in Portugal will correct me if I'm wrong, but there's only a very small percentage of home births in South European countries, and, in France at least, midwives take care of mothers pre- and post-birth in collaboration with the Gynaecologist/Obstetrician and in accordance with the national Social Security procedures.
If Portugal is as bureaucratic and institionalised as France, you may do well to consider having your baby in the UK and moving later. Not only you'd apparently have the option of a home birth and you'd have no problem communicating with the midwife, but also there'd be no issue with healthcare insurance, registering the birth etc... , and you'd have family/friends around to support you (both).
Moving to a country without speaking the language is full of pitfalls at the best of times, let alone having a new-born baby to care for on your own.
As suggested, ask your present Doctor and if you still intend to move while pregnant, get your dossier together, sort out your future healthcare coverage, and consult an English-speaking G.P. or Gynaecologist as soon as you arrive in Portugal. He/she will advise you as to your options....

Re: Midwives
 

You can run into trouble if the system thinks that you are not providing medical assistance to you and the fetus. If things go wrong the law will go after you and you may find yourself having to face prosecution

Re: Midwives
 

Food for thought

No Cookies | The Advertiser

Re: Midwives
 

It appears that the function of midwives - "parteiras" may not be clearly defined in Portuguese law.

See item 4. here: (all in Portuguese)

http://www.ordemenfermeiros.pt/docum...m_Portugal.pdf

The technical equivalent of a midwife in Portuguese is

“Enfermeiro Especialista em Enfermagem de Saúde Materna e Obstétrica” colloquially known as "Parteia".

THis site may also help:

Mães D'Água ~ Listas de Parteiras em Portugal

This a website for mother seeking water births or births at home.

List of midwives here...

Mães D'Água ~ Listas de Parteiras em Portugal

The nearest to Proença are those based in Coimbra.

However, I would agree you should visit your nearest Centro de Saude as soon as you arrive and discuss it with a Doctor.

Re: Midwives
 

Hello...
ive been living in portugal for 3 years now. And last year had my first baby ... we met with a well know midwife in the porto area and planned to have a homebirth but in the end it was very expensive for us €1500 but The midwife has worked many years in hospitals and assisted in many homebirths... she is also a leading midwife in trying to educate the people of portugal about the benefits of home birth. I know a few people who have used other midwives for home birth in different areas of portugal. Personally i ended up giving birth in the van on the way to the hospital ;) as natural as you can get and i did it all by myself. Im now a couple of months away from my second birth and am having the same questions go through my head about where and how. The thing you should know is portuguese are very closed to the idea of homebirth. My doctor even told me it doesnt exist here in portugal. Most doctors you speak to will be completely against it and have no information about it.hospital centralar Povoa do varzim is the best hospital in portugal for natural births... its close to porto. If you have a healthy pregnancy and feel comfortable for a homebirth then you will definitely find what your looking for. Otherwise england is very open to this option and can provide midwives to assist for free, i even considered returning for a few months just to give birth. You can apply immediately for the passport and travel soon after. My personal experience also showed me that having no family around was very difficult in the initial months whilst you adjust and heal. I wish you a great birth and if i can give more info let me know.

Re: Midwives
 

Re: Midwives
 

Hi Buttercakes Whilst I applaud your wish to have a home birth with all the benefits it entails I'm afraid you are living in 2018 where it has been virtually wiped off the map by the medical profession. who totally believe being in hospital and treating you as a patient is by far the safest option. That statistics don't entirely back this up ,is beside the point. Its a lucrative business now.
I tried, many yrs ago to have a home birth with both my D's I ended up in hospital for both. I won't go into the details Lets just say I was grateful for the first and I managed to get most of my own way with the second.
The thing is .what we want...and what actually happens is often two different things. Whats paramount is the baby. If you cannot ensure that all safety routes are in place before the birth ,than its up to you to bite the bullet and go the hospital route. I hate saying it. but your baby comes first and your wishes last.
I have actually just gone through this with my ED. She lives on an island off the coast of the USA. She went through all your going through right now. Wanted a home birth ( she's a mature mum ) No facilities on the island.Decided to use a doula from a nearby island and go for a natural birth at a centre on yet another island. She was deemed 'at risk' as a mature mum( had all the intrusive tests etc ) her iron was low so again they wanted her in hospital.
To cut a long story short. They ended up renting a cottage on the island next to the birthing centre two weeks before her due date ( of which they gave her THREE ahh ). When she went into labour however ,the midwife felt she should be in hospital and they took her across by boat to a hospital in Seattle just a half hour away. They had a natural birthing centre of the highest quality. She got her cake and eat so to speak. Had an easy labour of 8 hrs and a natural birth with no drugs.
A lot of research and 'option' finding went into this though. As it didn't turn out how she expected it would. and it didn't in my case either. This is the norm in fact. I do hope you get the birthing experience you wish for ,but don't be too upset or disappointed if you don't .Having a healthy baby in a safe place is your goal. Thats your job now to research all your options . I do know that there is a state of the art centre in Faro in the Algarve but it does cost around 2,500 euro's for a basic package. ( OH can stay in a private room with you and get meals etc. ) It may be paid for by UK insurance ?( not sure on any of this but could find out for you if it was appropriate.I'm guessing its too far away though )
I wish you all the best for a happy healthy birth for both of you whatever you decide