Having a baby in Puerto Rico

I just want to add a little info. For normal hospital stays (no idea about birthing), hospitals expect you to buy this hospital kit (I think around 35 dollars), provide your own pillows, your own blankets, and care, so husband must be ready to stay with you and see to your needs. I am told Nurses do little care of patients, they are too busy with too many patients.Also I am told that the hospital keeps very low temperatures so a couple of warm blankets and a sweater or two may come handy.

So come prepared, ask the hospital for what you need to bring prior to your birthing.

Worry not about the Quality of care, millions have been born in the island. Training for doctors is the same as the US.

Sorry,  wouldn't do it.  Have your baby where you are a fly afterwards.   Safe yourself hassles and dont have a baby here

Err on the side of caution.  Stick with your doctor and home hospital.

After you and the baby are recovered and well, then travel to PR.  Best wishes 😎

Children are born in the island every day, we are not defective children.

Yeah I’m not worried about it. I just want to find the doctor that will allow me to have the best birth experience possible. And I would go through the same process if I were having the baby here.

Go to the website www.ca2pr.com. They detail their first pregnancy experience in P.R. It is a few years old but should help you gain some perspective.

Rankings can vary for certain, but the attached might give you a useful comparison. Locate one or more hospitals in your area and then examine Puerto Rico.

Here's United States (presumably excluding PR):
http://hospitals.webometrics.info/en/No … %20America

Here's Puerto Rico:
http://hospitals.webometrics.info/en/La … rto%20Rico

I heard good things about delivering a baby in Bella Vista Hospital in Mayagüez. One American FB friend delivered her baby there 2 years ago and was very happy with the experience she made.

If you visit lifetransplanet.com the woman there just recently had a baby and she outlines her experience. There is another woman who lived in Dorado as well who had a baby here, her website is https://highsandlowsofexpatlife.com .

I can tell you one thing, PR hospitals are run differently than hospitals in the mainland US. However, the doctors are trained in some of the best schools of the US, like Harvard and others.

Most doctors know and can speak English. Do not expect Nurses and other hospital staff to be fluent in English, the primary language in PR is Spanish, the Native-English speaking population in the island is the minority.

Some people will tell you that the hospitals are wonderful, some will tell you that they are horrible. I will tell you they are different.

If you expect the island, its doctors, hospitals, restaurants, transportation, and others, to be a mirror reflection of the US, you will be sorely disappointed. Expecting to change the island to your expectations will not work, the country supports its population.

So if you want to live here, relax, accept the customs and embrace the Spanish language.

While PR is a territory of the US, it is run as a country and people are very nationalistic about the island, their language and their customs.

Hi Rey, how are you doing? How you like your "new"life?

Marion-Olga wrote:

Hi Rey, how are you doing? How you like your "new"life?

Loving it, no more winters, I go hike a few miles most days by the sea for exercise, eat my PR food, very easy quiet life, visit some of the neigborgs to chat and coffee, sometimes dinner. Visiting my brother and aunt, it's good to be home again. Visit also with other Expats friends and do an expat activity once in a while. I avoid the metro areas like the plague, too busy, too much traffic there, like to be in the small towns and country roads and mountains best.

You returned to Germany, are you coming back to PR?

I would love to visit Germany one day, I lived in Hidelgerg for about 2 years around 1980 and traveled around to many places in Germany, Loved the country.

Congrats to you and your husband on the new chapter you’re both about to begin in Puerto Rico. Seeing that you both are bilingual it will be a huge help with transitioning on the island. 

My family is originally from Puerto Rico so I’m writing more as someone (like Rey) who grew up on the island. You may find some “transplants” tend to have an end all be all mentality. As in the states, there are good hospitals and bad. As in the states, you want to research first before choosing a hospital or doctor. There are slimmer pickings on the island seeing many migrated to the states. However, there are good doctors and hospitals still around. Research.

I live in between Mayagüez and Aguadilla. Have always heard good things with the hospital in Mayagüez. Also, it’s true you will need to bring pillows, covers and a few sweaters because it is cold in the hospitals.  Whatever you decide I wish you all the best with a healthy delivery and pleasant experience.

ReyP wrote:

Marion-Olga wrote:

Hi Rey, how are you doing? How you like your "new"life?

Loving it, no more winters, I go hike a few miles most days by the sea for exercise, eat my PR food, very easy quiet life, visit some of the neigborgs to chat and coffee, sometimes dinner. Visiting my brother and aunt, it's good to be home again. Visit also with other Expats friends and do an expat activity once in a while. I avoid the metro areas like the plague, too busy, too much traffic there, like to be in the small towns and country roads and mountains best.

You returned to Germany, are you coming back to PR?

I would love to visit Germany one day, I lived in Hidelgerg for about 2 years around 1980 and traveled around to many places in Germany, Loved the country.

So happy for you!😊

We will return for vacation but not for living. Feels great to be back home! I have a job I love and Child is doing great at school.
All the best for you and maybe I'll meet you here in Heidelberg one day!😄

Hola ashbates1,
First off congratulations, secondly can you travel on an airplane @8 months pregnant?
My husbands niece had her baby in menonita cayey, she had a wonderful experience.
Alot of security on the maternity floor. Rey is right about the hospital being extra cold, so please
Bring warm clothing blankets, etc. someone has to stay in the hospital with the patient at all times.
And be their helper. Yes you do have to purchase a hospital kit.(wash basin, water pitcher etc)
Walmart sells them for 10.00 at the pharmany dept. Good luck when your little bundle arrives.
I had total knee replacement in Dec 2018, was scared as hell, same fears, about doctors,nurses,
Everything. Needless to say i had a great american surgeon, hospital was beautiful, clean, very
Nice friendly professional staff. My husband was my helper, he didn't have to do anything but keep me company.
They even feed him 3 meals a day, since it was close to christmas they came around and sang parandas.
Christmas carols. Very cute, quaint hospital. Menonita en Aibonito  (A+ A+) 😀👶🏻👍🏼👍🏼

Do you think this hood would hire me knowing a little Spanish? My goal is to become fluent

Sundaiirose wrote:

Do you think this hood would hire me knowing a little Spanish? My goal is to become fluent

Why would a hood hire anyone and how does it relates to the birth of babies?

I meant Hospital Rey, and why must you always be so argumentative. I’m a NICU nurse looking for a hospital to work at!  I actually am involved and relate  a lot to the birth of babies . Should I make a post to have you post he answer there?

Sundaiirose wrote:

I meant Hospital Rey, and why must you always be so argumentative. I’m a NICU nurse looking for a hospital to work at!  I actually am involved and relate  a lot to the birth of babies . Should I make a post to have you post he answer there?

There is a big difference between hood and hospital, your post was confusing.

Many hospitals need nurses in PR. I am sure some departments will not need as much Spanish as others, but the vast majority of the customers will not speak English. One can only try and see what happens. I would suggest you apply remotely and if accepted then move. Your job location will determine where you live and the schools your kids (if any) will attend. Just remember that salaries are a lot less in PR.

All the medical professions in PR are paid much lower salaries than in the states. This includes physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and related technicians.

Before retirement, I was the HR director at several different health care systems.  We would sometimes recruit nurses from PR to work in our hospitals (Mayo Clinic for one) as the pay schedule was attractive to the PR nurses.   

I’m the first to say that PR needs qualified medical personnel, but check out the compensation package before you move to PR. 😎

Look into the services of a midwife. Babies are not some kind of medical mystery, requiring a staff of doctors, nurses, and sterile white walls to make a delivery that does not involve complications. My experience from working in some uninviting locations around the globe has been that the midwife is as respected and honored as the doctors, some times more so. The medical affliction of childbirth didn't begin until the 1940s. We humans were wandering around a little before then.