Reviews written by Sarawan

Best birthing unit in Bangkok

I switched from Bumrungrad to Samitivej when I became pregnant with my first child. I actually liked Bumrungrad - I have relatives who are doctors there, and had been going there for years, all my family go there. But after looking into it, I felt like it just didn't have the facilities or the general staff support for vaginal birth (I have also heard that the cesarean rate there is close to 90%, though that is often at the request of the patient). The natural birth facilities at Samitivej are just much nicer, and the birth unit staff (as well as the doctors) and more experienced in and committed to natural birth.

In addition, there's more support postpartum, including a breastfeeding clinic - I didn't think about that much beforehand, but this support is very valuable. Samitivej is the only hospital in Bangkok that is WHO-certified Baby Friendly Hospital (meaning that it follows established procedures for promoting breastfeeding, etc). I've later learned that standard procedures in many other hospitals here (keeping mother and baby separated after birth for "observation") pose real obstacles to a successful start to breastfeeding.

Since giving birth, I've continued to use Samitivej, because I find the experience (atmosphere, setup) overall more friendly and relaxed than Bumrungrad, which can sometimes feel like a factory. I was very happy with my birth experience and postpartum care, and wouldn't consider delivering a baby anywhere else in Bangkok.

Still, no place is perfect, and not all doctors at Samitivej have the same approach. And even though it's got a better cesarean rate compared to other private hospitals here, it is still astronomically high compared to rates recommended by the WHO (15%). I'd encourage anyone considering giving birth here to research you options, figure out what you want and find a doctor that supports your approach. The Parent Vine Thailand (parentvine.net) is a good starting point to get oriented if you're looking at giving birth in Thailand.

Overall very satisfied

I decided to go with Dr. Nisarat when I first became pregnant, after talking to a few different doctors. My main concern was to find a doctor who was supportive of natural childbirth. I also talked to Dr. Sankiat, but the 'fuzzy uncle' personality that other reviewers mentioned was just not a good fit for me.

Dr. Nisarat is very straightforward and no-nonsense. She's not someone who will spend a lot of time hand-holding, and if you have questions, you'll have to bring them up, but if you do, she will take the time to go through them with you. Our appointments were very brief (which is why I gave her a 3 on that score), but as far as I could tell, this wasn't her fault so much as the hospital's - she was really scheduled back to back with appointments.

What I especially liked about Dr. Nisarat is that I felt that she said what she meant - yes means yes, no means no, and maybe means maybe. She won't give you indirect answers or vague promises, which are more typical of Thai style communication, and so frequently the cause of misunderstanding with Western patients.

Although she is very confident in women's ability to birth naturally - and is miles ahead of most Thai OBGYNs in that respect - I think she is also still conservative about some practices - water birth, letting you go more than a week past your due date, etc. But again, if you take the time to discuss what you do or don't want, she'll be very straightforward about where she stands on those issues, so you will have the information you need if you want to change doctors. I had toyed with the idea of a water birth, and was very happy using the birthing pool for pain relief, but in the end, she got me out of the water to deliver the baby. I don't regret that, but next time I might try more persistently for a water birth.

But overall, I had a very good natural birth with her (and with the assistance of a doula), and would probably go to her again if I become pregnant again while in Bangkok.

If you want more information about childbirth practices and support in Thailand (also doulas and childbirth educators), I recommend visiting The Parent Vine Thailand (parentvine.net).