# Pregnancy and Delivery Experience in Veracruz or Oaxaca



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey all,

My husband and I are considering moving to Oaxaca or Veracruz (He is from Mexico, but from a different state). I was wondering if anyone who lives in Oaxaca or Veracruz has been pregnant/delivered there and if so, how did you find the experience? Any learnings would be appreciated! I am also curious to learn more about people's general experience with the healthcare system in Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Thanks!


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mc1234 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> My husband and I are considering moving to Oaxaca or Veracruz (He is from Mexico, but from a different state). I was wondering if anyone who lives in Oaxaca or Veracruz has been pregnant/delivered there and if so, how did you find the experience? Any learnings would be appreciated! I am also curious to learn more about people's general experience with the healthcare system in Oaxaca and Veracruz.
> 
> Thanks!


I don't live in either state, but I would imagine that healthcare is better in a large city than in a small town or village.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

I'm not familiar with things regarding childbirth in those places, but what you need to be aware of is that Mexican doctors love to perform Caesareans, regardless of whether they are needed or not. Also, a friend who had her baby in a Mexican hospital said she would never do it again- it was her third baby, she was quite familiar with being in labor, and hadn't had any complications with the first 2 births. They wouldn't let her walk around or squat, they kept shoving her back flat on her back in the bed. Also, they had told her that her husband could be present in the delivery room, but when the time came, they wouldn't let him in.

My daughter had a baby in a hospital in La Paz, BCS and it was fine- she had a nice, older, laid -back doctor, who had done several home births for friends of hers, and it all went fine. They allowed me, her husband, her other kids, and several of her friends to stay with her the entire time (we spelled each other off and took turns sleeping), both during labor and delivery (which all happened in the same room) and there was no unnecessary intervention.

Other women I know went to Guadalajara for water births. So in a larger, progressive city you're likely to find more alternatives. You'll just have to do your research as far as doctors and hospitals to assure yourself of a situation you're comfortable with.


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

surabi said:


> I'm not familiar with things regarding childbirth in those places, but what you need to be aware of is that Mexican doctors love to perform Caesareans, regardless of whether they are needed or not. Also, a friend who had her baby in a Mexican hospital said she would never do it again- it was her third baby, she was quite familiar with being in labor, and hadn't had any complications with the first 2 births. They wouldn't let her walk around or squat, they kept shoving her back flat on her back in the bed. Also, they had told her that her husband could be present in the delivery room, but when the time came, they wouldn't let him in.
> 
> My daughter had a baby in a hospital in La Paz, BCS and it was fine- she had a nice, older, laid -back doctor, who had done several home births for friends of hers, and it all went fine. They allowed me, her husband, her other kids, and several of her friends to stay with her the entire time (we spelled each other off and took turns sleeping), both during labor and delivery (which all happened in the same room) and there was no unnecessary intervention.
> 
> Other women I know went to Guadalajara for water births. So in a larger, progressive city you're likely to find more alternatives. You'll just have to do your research as far as doctors and hospitals to assure yourself of a situation you're comfortable with.


This is so helpful, thank you! I am trying to understand how it works in terms of cost as well. From what I've seen, it looks like you pay a price to deliver at a hospital, and then any extra prenatal appointments would be at your expense (assuming you don't have coverage). Also, I was curious on how she went about finding her doctor. Thanks again!


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

To start with there are private clinics and hospitals and the public hospitals and everything in between so you really need to find what you want when you know where you will be living. My neighbor in Chiapas for exemple has a private clinic with midwives and regular doctors.. so you can start with one and end up with the other.. Nost of his patients are indigeneous and the husband is there and the whole family waits on the sidewalk outside.. .. I have a young friend who delivered in Oaxaca in a private institution but she had problems and ended up with a cesarian. I know many women who deliveredoth in Oaxaca and in Chiapas in the public hospitals, private ones and with midwives.. I think you can find a place you will like if you have money, if not it maybe more difficult.


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

citlali said:


> To start with there are private clinics and hospitals and the public hospitals and everything in between so you really need to find what you want when you know where you will be living. My neighbor in Chiapas for exemple has a private clinic with midwives and regular doctors.. so you can start with one and end up with the other.. Nost of his patients are indigeneous and the husband is there and the whole family waits on the sidewalk outside.. .. I have a young friend who delivered in Oaxaca in a private institution but she had problems and ended up with a cesarian. I know many women who deliveredoth in Oaxaca and in Chiapas in the public hospitals, private ones and with midwives.. I think you can find a place you will like if you have money, if not it maybe more difficult.


Thanks very much, this is helpful. Do you have any recommendations for private hospitals/clinics in Oaxaca?


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

no , I do not but I can ask my friends down there and let you know.By the way the AXA insurrance company has a list of all the hospitals they approve of and the hospitals are all rated so that is a good list to start with, When I moved to San Cristobal de las Casas AXA did not have one hospital except for one in Tapachula up to their standards , now they have 2 or 3 in Tuxtla as well..


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

citlali said:


> no , I do not but I can ask my friends down there and let you know.By the way the AXA insurrance company has a list of all the hospitals they approve of and the hospitals are all rated so that is a good list to start with, When I moved to San Cristobal de las Casas AXA did not have one hospital except for one in Tapachula up to their standards , now they have 2 or 3 in Tuxtla as well..


Thanks so much. I will check out AXA as well!


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

mc1234 said:


> Thanks so much. I will check out AXA as well


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

AXA has 3 levels
the Diamente which is very expensive and the hospital are like luxury hotel , the second level is esmeralda and the third Zafiro both the second and third leve hospital are fine by US standards, actually they are better than the hosptals I have been to in the US.. I have experienced the 3 levels and they are all nice, the top level is over the top nice..and usually are only found in bigger cities and wealthier areas.

Hospital del Maren Puerto Escondido and clinica quirurgica Huatulco are both rated superior


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

citlali said:


> AXA has 3 levels
> the Diamente which is very expensive and the hospital are like luxury hotel , the second level is esmeralda and the third Zafiro both the second and third leve hospital are fine by US standards, actually they are better than the hosptals I have been to in the US.. I have experienced the 3 levels and they are all nice, the top level is over the top nice..and usually are only found in bigger cities and wealthier areas.
> 
> Hospital del Maren Puerto Escondido and clinica quirurgica Huatulco are both rated superior


Thanks very much for the info!


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

citlali said:


> AXA has 3 levels
> the Diamente which is very expensive and the hospital are like luxury hotel , the second level is esmeralda and the third Zafiro both the second and third leve hospital are fine by US standards, actually they are better than the hosptals I have been to in the US.. I have experienced the 3 levels and they are all nice, the top level is over the top nice..and usually are only found in bigger cities and wealthier areas.
> 
> Hospital del Maren Puerto Escondido and clinica quirurgica Huatulco are both rated superior


Hey, do you know where I could find the list of hospitals in the AXA network? I tried to Google it, but I wasn't able to find it. Thanks!


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

mc1234 said:


> Also, I was curious on how she went about finding her doctor.


She's lived in her town for a long time and had several friends who had used that doctor for their pregnancy and childbirth.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Every woman has her own idea about pregnancy and delivery and also has a different tolerance level for pain.. add to that that everyone has their own expectancy on docotrs and hospitals and you have a situation where it is difficult to give recommendations.. had a doctors everyone recommended to me when I got pregnant and I went to him, ended up having the baby by myself at home because he did not believe I was in labor and the baby died after 2 weeks and yet everyone thought he was a wonderful doctor . My husband pulled the baby out and then we went to the hospital to be checked and so on and we still were billed for delivery... That was a long time ago in Oakland California.. I think any Mexican hospital would have been better for me no matter what their level was and it would have been a whole lot cheaper.. I did not have insurrance in the States as my husband had started a new job and the insurrance refused to put in on because they consdered pregnancy a precondition and I ended working for 4 years to pay for the hospitals and the doctors..
It pays to do your homework ahead of time but everyone has a differnt experience.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

here is the site for AXA hospitals
aseguratemexico - AXA ¦ Listado de Hospitales


but a Chiapas doctor once told me to remember that what is important is the doctor, more than the hopital,, and I tend to agree with him.. Once yo know which town you will be in start looking for a good doctor by asking around ,,,I have been in privaye hospitals that are super good and some pretty bad.. I also accompanied indigenous friends into the the public hospitals that were overcrowded where one peon has to be with the patient and only one person i admited ,,, experiences vary widely even in the public hispitals where some women were happy of the way things went and some very unhappy..


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

Although my daughter quite liked her doctor, something quite disturbing happened about a week before the baby was born. She called to make an appointment with the doctor, as she was a few days past the due date he had come up with (although by her calculations, she wasn't past it). He said on the phone that his son, who was a young ob/gyn, wanted to take that appointment if that was okay with her. She didn't really see any reason why not, so said okay. I had just arrived the day before and went with her.

The son was totally different from the father. He hooked her up to the ultrasound, hardly looked at her at all, just at his machines. Then he gave some big scare story, saying that the placenta was calcified and there was hardly any amniotic fluid and that she needed a Caesarean right away and wanted to book her in. We told him we needed to think it over and discuss it, and went home, a little freaked out. What my daughter did at that point was call the midwife in Canada who had delivered her other two babies. The midwife said that it was perfectly normal for the placenta to show calcification the closer it was to the due date, and that unless my daughter had experienced some fluid leakage or could feel all the baby's bones, which she couldn't- it was all cushy, there was plenty of amniotic fluid.

So my daughter called her regular doctor back and told him she never wanted to see or talk to his son again and that we'd just see how it went for the next few days. In fact, she went into labor a few days later, the birth was natural and normal, and the baby was strong and healthy.

My impression, from his terrible bedside manner and his misdiagnosis, was that the son had little respect for women, would always choose to push a Caesarean over a natural birth, and it was all about the money, not the welfare of the mother or the baby.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

citlali said:


> Every woman has her own idea about pregnancy and delivery and also has a different tolerance level for pain.. add to that that everyone has their own expectancy on docotrs and hospitals and you have a situation where it is difficult to give recommendations.. had a doctors everyone recommended to me when I got pregnant and I went to him, ended up having the baby by myself at home because he did not believe I was in labor and the baby died after 2 weeks and yet everyone thought he was a wonderful doctor . My husband pulled the baby out and then we went to the hospital to be checked and so on and we still were billed for delivery... That was a long time ago in Oakland California.. I think any Mexican hospital would have been better for me no matter what their level was and it would have been a whole lot cheaper.. I did not have insurrance in the States as my husband had started a new job and the insurrance refused to put in on because they consdered pregnancy a precondition and I ended working for 4 years to pay for the hospitals and the doctors..
> It pays to do your homework ahead of time but everyone has a differnt experience.


What a horrible thing to happen to you, Citlali. FYI, the US has the highest infant mortality rate of any developed country.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Well after my experience, I believe you surabi and it is also true that some doctor here are just about money so you have to watch out for that too and take charge of your health and situation and get a second opinion.. A doctor tried to put on a pacemaker to my husband who did not need one, that was several years ago and he still is ok without one.. I saw 5 doctors who wanted to have surgery on my back and I am still not buying it.. and so on.. yes , you have to question any extra procedure that doctors want to do on you..


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

citlali said:


> I saw 5 doctors who wanted to have surgery on my back and I am still not buying it.. and so on.. yes , you have to question any extra procedure that doctors want to do on you..


Yep, I had a horrible back issue and was in excruciating pain and the neurologist wanted me to have surgery. Instead I tried chiropractic, acupuncture, and a few other things, none of which helped. I spent a month and a half, alone, on my couch, in the only position that afforded me any relief. Heavy duty painkillers, nerve blockers, barely touched the pain and only worked for about an hour. I was literally crying sometimes all my myself. I didn't get more than 45 minutes sleep at a time for a month and a half. 

I went to a really good physiotherapist who gave me some exercises to do, but those made the pain worse, although her treatments did help a bit. It was sciatica that felt like someone was plunging a knife in the back of my upper thigh and dragging it down to my heel, nonstop, 24/7. The only thing that did really help was a neighbor who did aromatherapy came and did a session on me and that night I slept for 8 hours straight. She also taped me with some special kinetic adhesive tape and that seemed to help.

All the time I was trying to do the exercises I had been given, and other things that were recommended, there was a voice in my head that said "Just let me heal". So I stopped doing all those things, which weren't helping anyway, and just let it heal.

It took about a year and a half to resolve itself and it hurt a lot but after the first month and a half I could actually function again. I can feel that place in my sacroiliac tweak if I try to lift something that's too heavy, so I pay attention to that and do stretching exercises.

Never did get my back sliced open.

It's a strange thing I've thought about- in every other profession, the customer expects to get something in exchange for the money they paid. When it comes to doctors, you have to pay whether they make an incorrect diagnosis, or don't help you at all.


----------



## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Not just in it for the money. About 15 years ago, I knew (socially, not medically) a pediatrician, and I was quite taken aback by two things she happened to mention in passing on different occasions: (1) a caesarian is _always_ better for mother and baby (not just in at-risk cases and complicated births); and (2) breastfeeding past 6 months is harmful to the baby.

To the best of my knowledge, backed up by global experience and contemporary medical research, both of these are false, yet apparently it is what this Mexican doctor and her peers were being taught in med school.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

maesonna said:


> Not just in it for the money. About 15 years ago, I knew (socially, not medically) a pediatrician, and I was quite taken aback by two things she happened to mention in passing on different occasions: (1) a caesarian is _always_ better for mother and baby (not just in at-risk cases and complicated births); and (2) breastfeeding past 6 months is harmful to the baby.
> 
> To the best of my knowledge, backed up by global experience and contemporary medical research, both of these are false, yet apparently it is what this Mexican doctor and her peers were being taught in med school.


That's very disturbing. I hope the medical school curriculum in Mexico has been brought up to date by now!


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Interesting since indigenous kids are breast fed until they do not want to anymore... I have seen the little malinche in the danza de la pluma who was 3 or 4 at the time being breast fed in between dances... She is now 20 and does not seem to have had any problem.. The women in the communities I go to, feed the kids whatever they want to eat and breast feed them until the kids is not interested any longer and the kids are doing fine..Better mother´s milk than cocacola..

A a side comment , the kids that are breast fed in the communities seeem to cry a whole less than the kids I know in France.. They are either on their mother´s back or the back of another woman and as a result they do not seem to cry nearly as much.. It is rare to hear a healthy baby cry, if they do there is usually something wrong with the baby but it is a 24/7 job and the women help each other with the babies,,

Marsha , I am happy to hear your pain went away, yes it is horrible and the exercices do not seem to help , actually it hurts to do them ..in France they believe that surgery on sciatica may help 50% of the people, many time the pain continues so they only do surgery when the leg tart showing signs of paralysis or numbness..But then the State pays for the surgery there.. here in the private practie they are eager to get the money for surgery.. so the trugh has to be somewhere in the middle.. No surgery for me until I cannot move..


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

maesonna said:


> Not just in it for the money. About 15 years ago, I knew (socially, not medically) a pediatrician, and I was quite taken aback by two things she happened to mention in passing on different occasions: (1) a caesarian is _always_ better for mother and baby (not just in at-risk cases and complicated births); and (2) breastfeeding past 6 months is harmful to the baby.
> 
> To the best of my knowledge, backed up by global experience and contemporary medical research, both of these are false, yet apparently it is what this Mexican doctor and her peers were being taught in med school.


Yes, some of the attitudes I've encountered in Mexico seem to be about 60 years behind the times. Doctors in the US and Canada pushed bottle feeding back in the 50's but it's been decades since they changed their tune and started encouraging mothers to breastfeed, as it is scientifically proven to be much better for the baby, both emotionally and physically.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I have a friend who had three children quite a few years ago now. When she was pregnant, her doctor told her that drinking wine was good for the baby. It is 40 or 50 years later now, and she still maintains it is correct.


----------



## mc1234 (Dec 12, 2011)

This is all very helpful, thank you. I was doing some further research, and it seems that if you join the IMSS plan or even a private plan you may need to wait a certain amount of months before your plan would cover delivery costs. Does anyone know if this is correct?


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

no , I do not know. I think that the various insurrance have also various plans so you may want to talk to private insurrance companies in the area you want to move to. I will ask people tomorrow about IMSS but all the people I know have had children and had their tubes tied so I do ot know if they know.. 
You also have Seguro Popular... Check the clinics where you are going I have heard some great comments on IMSS mostly in large cities and not so great in smaller places so I think the quality can vary a lot..


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

This may be out of date now, it has been over a decade since I joined IMSS. But at that time the time period and things that were excluded from coverage were:
6 months
• benign breast tumors
10 months
• pregnancy
1 year
• lots of surgeries, some of which I would have to use a dictionary to translate
2 years
• orthopedic surgery


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> Interesting since indigenous kids are breast fed until they do not want to anymore... I have seen the little malinche in the danza de la pluma who was 3 or 4 at the time being breast fed in between dances... She is now 20 and does not seem to have had any problem.. The women in the communities I go to, feed the kids whatever they want to eat and breast feed them until the kids is not interested any longer and the kids are doing fine..Better mother´s milk than cocacola..
> 
> A a side comment , the kids that are breast fed in the communities seeem to cry a whole less than the kids I know in France.. They are either on their mother´s back or the back of another woman and as a result they do not seem to cry nearly as much.. It is rare to hear a healthy baby cry, if they do there is usually something wrong with the baby but it is a 24/7 job and the women help each other with the babies,,
> 
> Marsha , I am happy to hear your pain went away, yes it is horrible and the exercices do not seem to help , actually it hurts to do them ..in France they believe that surgery on sciatica may help 50% of the people, many time the pain continues so they only do surgery when the leg tart showing signs of paralysis or numbness..But then the State pays for the surgery there.. here in the private practie they are eager to get the money for surgery.. so the trugh has to be somewhere in the middle.. No surgery for me until I cannot move..


I believe it was Surabi whose pain finally went away.


----------



## alan-in-mesicali (Apr 26, 2018)

Dear MC1234.... I would like to tell you a story... 38 years ago yesterday, my first son was born in Mexicali, BC at the Seguro Social Hospital.... my wife had a rare blood type and their "blood bank" had an HIV issue so I had a "blood donor" with me constantly... Did I tell you that I am a "******" and at that time spoke very little Spanish... My donor and I went out for something to eat [second day in the hospital] and they changed "desk nurses" while we were eating... I came back and asked the young lady how my wife was doing... her response, "Why do you want to know ******?" I EXPLODED.. I sort of picked up her desk and shook it at her... she called security but my "donor" [and business partner] explained to security what she said, how she said it and that we had been there two nights with no sleep and damn little food... a couple of minutes later, my wife, pushing multiple IV drips came to the door and said she was OK... "Please be good"...[she looked like death---- dead white] That night the did a caesarian delivery due to the size of my son... the largest baby ever born in the hospital [they put him an crib/incubator next to a …premature baby... looked like David [the premi] and Goliath [my son] .... OK time to leave the hospital... a nurse was to take our son to the exit while I helped my wife... we get to the exit.. NO SON... I go back up and they say they don't know where he is....My partner called the police [at this time babies were being "stolen" from hospitals in Mexico] Police lock down the hospital ... took over an hour for them to find our son.... SCARY? Damn sure!


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Alan, this sounds like a horror story..
My cleaning lady hsa IMSS and she told me she did not think the pregnancy was covered the first year.. to be checked but she says that if you go ahead and pay the year then your baby is covered.. 
She says that the private doctors charge 5000 pesos for delivery and 15000 for c surgery.That is obviouly a low ball park but that may give you an idea..
I think from what she says that yes you need to wait a year before you are covered for pregnancy, but you and the bay will be covered for ailments if you join..


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

mc1234 said:


> This is all very helpful, thank you. I was doing some further research, and it seems that if you join the IMSS plan or even a private plan you may need to wait a certain amount of months before your plan would cover delivery costs. Does anyone know if this is correct?


While things could get expensive if there end up being complications, it's generally quite affordable to pay for medical care out-of-pocket in Mexico. That might be preferable to going through all the application process for IMSS, taking whatever tests they require (I think IMSS requires a lung xray, among other things). When my daughter had her baby in the hospital in La Paz, she just paid for it out-of-pocket. I don't remember how much it was.

And as you and your husband are young, you should investigate some of the private medical plans- they are quite expensive for older folks, but you might be surprised at how affordable they are for young folks. And with a private medical plan you have a choice of doctors and hospitals, which you don't with IMSS or Seguro Popular.
Of course those private plans also have some exclusions and waiting periods for you to be covered for certain things.


----------

