Israel - Page 5

[Netanya]

Newbie

Hi - I'm new here. My friend from BabyCenter sent me here because I told her I was interested in cloth diapering and didn't know where to look for advice.

I live in Jerusalem and G-d willing my first baby is due in 22 days!

If anyone can recommend a hospital, I'd appreciate it. I know I'm cutting it a little close, but I am just not thrilled with any of the options here (either because of no rooming-in, father's visiting hours, the recovery room (or lack thereof) situation at Ein Karem, etc). I just found out that Tel Hashomer has a natural birthing center and would love to go there but they make you sign up by 30 weeks. I supposedly have gestational diabetes so they probably wouldn't let me give birth there anyway. (I say supposedly because the baby is B"H measuring small, my sugar levels seem ok, and DH is convinced the whole diagnosis was a conspiracy. And then today there was an article in Yediot about a guy whose glucometer - the exact same model I use - kept giing him crazy readings even after he traded it in for a different one, and his drs did tests and ofund that he was fine! My levels were all over the place at first, but then I started double-testing and found that the machine was just extremely inaccurate.)

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Basically I have no idea where I am going to give birth and am very stressed out about it. My doula recommended a "home birth" center run by Ilana Shemesh (birthathome.co.il), who I plan to call tomorrow - I'm not sure if she'll let me birth there either because of the GD...

I wanted to respond to Rachel's request for an OB/GYN recommendation. I was very unhappy with my first one - after my second misarriage and second round of "it's normal, don't worry about it," I asked around and switched to Dr. Ernst Voss (pronounced Foss). He was great, esp with infertility issues. Unfortunately when I was diagnosed with the GD he told me I had to switch to a high-risk dr (apparently other drs would have continued to see me), but overall I was very happy with him.

Anyway, I'm excited to get to know you ladies. I made Aliyah from Detroit 4 years ago and got married 3 years ago. I have had a different job (or several at once) every year (typical) - mostly in teaching/special ed/childcare - and hope to stay home with my little one when s/he is born.

Thanks for listening,
Netanya in Jerusalem

[3daughters]

Welcome Netanya!

Sorry, but I don't have any good recommendations for hospitals in J-m. I had my oldest at Hadassah Har Hatzofim and it was a disaster. Zero support from the midwife and a nasty episiotomy. I did, however, have a beautiful view of the Chomot from my room..

I would suggest hiring a doula to accompany you to your birth. You will need the support since the midwives do not stay with you (they are responsible for many laboring women). She will also be able to advocate for you and help you stick with your birth plan.

If you are comfortable with a homebirth/birth center birth and can afford it then do it!!!

I doubt that the GD diagnosis will be a problem especially if your readings have been normal. My friend was just diagnosed with GD by her OB in Israel but her midwife in the US told her that her results were NORMAL!

Where in J-m do you live? I lived in the Katamon area for about a year when I was single. I met and married dh in Israel but we've living in the US for 4 years now : . Planning our return for summer 2008 be'H.

[sunshinestarr]

Welcome Netanya!!

[LookMommy!]

Hi from Arnona

Hi, I live in Arnona (Talpiyot). I came on aliyah 15 years ago and my 3 children (dd12, ds10, and dd5) were all born here. The oldest at Har Hatzofim with a wonderful midwife and labor coach (but no rooming in or nursing help), the second at Misgav Ladach (labor coach didn't make it in time - I was there for 7 minutes), and third at home with Ilana Shemesh (waited an hour for her, then gave birth an hour later).

I have plenty of LLL friends and new mom friends (crunchy and otherwise) if you want to give me a call at 672-0845.

Best of luck, Lisa

[twinkltoes]

Hi,

I am collecting info on various communities up north in the hopes that someday we can move there. Where do you live? Can you give me details? Population? Percentage religious and what stream? Religious school options for (now) 5th grader and another one behind her? Public transportation yes/no? Shuls? Nearest city? Cultural events? Percentage of Anglos? Etc. Etc.

Thanks
Avigayil
Rehovot

[twinkltoes]

Oooops, my last post was directed to BelovedBird......re: northern community.

Still trying to figure out this site.....

Avigayil

[twinkltoes]

Question re: breast cancer screening

Hi,

I'm 34 and at my last gyno appointment I was given a (routine) referral to have a mammogram done. I am suspicious of the radiation risks involved and haven't done anything about it but it's on my mind.

Does anyone know anything about thermography as a screening method? I know it's done in the US. Doesn't any place here do it? If so where and how much does it cost? Any idea?

Thanks
Avigayil
Rehovot

[jul511riv]

avigayil,

I'm so glad you are on here. there is a HUGE Tzfat population up north on these lists, which I know we've talked about. Not sure what else is up there... anyways, Sunshine Star is up there too...that is my friend with the brand new baby!!! MAZEL TOV!!!

And again a reminder to the group...Natural Jewish Parenting gathering is coming up. Sure would love some company there from the Mothering boards.

[merpk]

Hey, Avigayil, don't leave Rekhovot till after I get there ... b'e'h this Wednesday, to be sorta precise.

Back in Nakhla'ot for Shabbos (we were in Rekhovot last Shabbos, but in Nakhla'ot for the next day after that) and finally have Internet. Yay. Staying at the merkaz klita in Beersheva is ... um ... Internetless. Putting it mildly. Am in awe at what a spoiled American I am. There are folks staying there for years (despite the 6mo maximum we were told about by the Sokhnut). Learning experience it is.

Hoping y'all northerners are doing okay and that you came home to, well, reasonably intact homes.

[jul511riv]

amy,

Grrl, why didn't you call me?!

Merkaz Klitah living. All i can say is I was there in Arad. Umhum. (nodding head face, but too lazy to look it up in the smilies) Hang in there. Can't WAIT till you are here.

[merpk]

No good reason for not calling. Just feeling homeless and stressed, and so is my family, so ... not that talkative.

But looking forward to feeling differently by the end of the week. Bli ayin ha'rah.


Totally irrelevant note, but the folks we're staying with actually experienced "anti-religious" discrimination at the airport tonight (he and their DD were supposed to fly to the States after Shabbos, and DH drove them there, and they did not end up flying out tonight ... the discrimination was really eye-opening. But anyway, it's annoying.

[sunshinestarr]

Wild about the discrimination. That stinks.

I'm glad that your new apartment rocks, though.

Re: the reasonably intact homes, B"H, our house looks the same as it did when we left (except messier - but that's taken care of now) .

[jul511riv]

I don't get it. What was the discrimination?

It's okay, I hibernated for a LOOONG time. The only person I wanted to talk with was SSS. I couldn't bear to talk with anyone else. Finally when we moved here, my friend was like "you are hibernating, and that is fine, take as long as you want...but realize that you need to get out and hang with the girls to feel better."

She was right.

But it takes time.

[3daughters]

Originally Posted by sunshinestarr

Re: the reasonably intact homes, B"H, our house looks the same as it did when we left (except messier - but that's taken care of now) .

Welcome home! How's does the babe like his 'real' surroundings?

[Netanya]

Thanks, all, for the welcome.

Welcome, Amy! Sorry you are feeling homeless. I never lived in a merkaz klita so I can't relate, but I hae heard stories... You are welcome to come to us for a Shabbat in Baka any time it isn't too hot to walk. I will invite you to sleep over sometime when I am not expecting a baby any minute.

DH has vetoed the Ilana Shemesh idea. He thinks the hospitals here can't possibly be as bad as our birth teacher says they are, and that we'll never know unless we try. Personally I don't want to find out by being traumatized... But I am also scared of giving birth without a doctor's presence, so I think I will just give in.

Any advice about cloth diapering? We have not decided whether or not to go for it, but are willing to give it a try. I think I read that Dalia is a distributor. Any suggestions on how much to buy, how to get started? What should I know?

Thanks.
Netanya
17 days to go and counting....

[sunshinestarr]

Originally Posted by 3daughters

Welcome home! How's does the babe like his 'real' surroundings?

We're all soo much more comfortable!

[3daughters]

Originally Posted by sunshinestarr

We're all soo much more comfortable!

Great! Its too bad you had to wait this long...Did you see that I posted to your blog that my in-laws live in Nvei Aliza (over the hill and down the way from Karnei )?

Originally Posted by Netanya

He thinks the hospitals here can't possibly be as bad as our birth teacher says they are, and that we'll never know unless we try. Personally I don't want to find out by being traumatized... But I am also scared of giving birth without a doctor's presence, so I think I will just give in.

Netanya, TAKE A DOULA! It is that bad!!! I had 2 bad experiences myself (which I will gladly share if you're interested) and my sister-in-law is a doula in Y-m and has terrible stories to tell. And, just so you know, there will be no doctor present at your birth. The L&D wards in Israel are all staffed by midwives.

[jul511riv]

what helped my husband become totally embrasing of the birth at home option (and he's Israeli "hospitals save lives. They saved mine!"), saying we could hire our OBGYN privately to come and deliver the baby at home. Which he does (see my earlier post). I've heard of OBGYN's traveling around the country for births as well. Could probably gather some names for you (outside of my own OBGYN).

Or do what a friend of a friend did, wait till the last minute and then get "stuck" birthing at home.

Might also be good to have your husband talk with other women who birthed in hospitals and check statistics about C-sections in hospitals and the rules about C-sections (ie, a baby over a certain size, I think 4 kilo, MUST be c-section, all breech babies MUST be c-section, etc...) to really see the amount of medical intervention. Also to see that in the states these are not the rules, even in hospitals, the statistics about not being able to accurately measure the size of a baby in utero, etc, and just let him do the math.

You could also read books like "expecting Miracles" where the head doula Bambi something in, I belive, Yerushaliem, talks about how medical intervention is wonderful and how she believes women should use it and that she DOES NOT allow women to make decisions for themselves cause her job is "saving lives" and women don't know what they are doing in giving birth, but she does cause she's a trained midwife. You can also read of others who said how she pressured them into interventions like epidural and iv when they were in transition or most vulnerable.

Or the story of my friend who went in WANTING an epidural and was told "you already have 4 kids, you can do this one without." When she repeated that she wanted it and had a right to it she was told that she didn't and she would not be getting one. And she didn't. She was totally denied her pain management options.

Should I go on?

[majikfaerie]

I'm back!!!
after 2 weeks of being sick with pneumonia... I can take a deep breath without coughing up a lung!

Welcome (belatedly) to the forum Netanya!
If you're interested in getting a doula, I am a practicing doula, mostly working with 'unassisted' home births (in which I have a 100% success rate of births without interventions, without tears or stitches, healthy mamas and babies), though I am willing to come to a hospital birth it needed.
I (unlike the doula mentioned earlier) like to support mothers in birthing in the way that they want to birth (even if that means pain medication or whatever), and believe completely that every woman is able to give birth.
I work on a donation basis, so cost isn't an issue, and even if you dont want to 'hire' me to be at your birth, I'm happy to chat or visit any time. I'm studying to be a midwife, so I have a HUGE store of knowledge and books on natural childbirth.

Drop me a line if you like.

and jul511Riv, I'm gonna call you to meet up soon

[sunshinestarr]

Originally Posted by 3daughters

Great! Its too bad you had to wait this long...Did you see that I posted to your blog that my in-laws live in Nvei Aliza (over the hill and down the way from Karnei )?

I did see that!! Who are your in-laws? I know that before I said that we were in Karnei Shomron but we were actually in Ginot.. A hop away from Nvei Aliza and we had Shabbos meals with some families in N.A.