Having a Baby

Childbirth in Jeddah - Guide for Parents

This is intended as a guide for AISJ families considering, expecting or planning to have children while living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This information will hopefully answer some common questions and give some guidance when it comes to pregnancy and birth. Information and advice shared in this document comes from the personal experiences of parents who have gone through this before. Please note - this is not meant to replace any legal advice or information you receive from AISJ.

The First Trimester

Pregnancy Tests

Pregnancy tests are easily accessible and affordable. Any pharmacy will have at least two different types of tests, and the pharmacists are happy to answer questions and provide recommendations. Tests are available without a prescription but you will have to ask for them from the pharmacist. Women may purchase the tests without a husband present, and vice versa.

Location: Any pharmacy, Nahdi Pharmacy across from Saudi City carries two types.

Cost: Average 10-30 SAR

PreNatal Vitamins

Vitamins for prior to and during pregnancy are also readily available from the pharmacy without a prescription. The pharmacists can recommend some general prenatal vitamins and folic acid. Once you have seen a doctor they can also write a prescription for vitamins they recommend you take. Some women choose to order their vitamins online, or bring a prescription back from abroad, choose whatever you are most comfortable with.

Location: Any pharmacy

Cost: Average 20 SAR per packet of prenatal vitamins.

Choosing a Hospital

There are a number of private hospitals in Jeddah that accept the school’s insurance plans. Each hospital offers a unique birthing experience, some of the more common ones used by staff include:

Dr. Soliman Fakeeh (DSFH)

This hospital is a good choice for parents who want to have a natural or vaginal birth. The doctors are willing to let women deliver naturally or follow her birth plan as long as the mother and baby are healthy. During labor women are able to walk around sit on yoga ball, etc. whatever they need to do to be comfortable. The hospital is older than IMC but the facility is clean, well taken care of and continues to be remodeled. Breastfeeding is encouraged and follow-up appointments with a lactation consultant are arranged for mothers. The OB-GYN clinic was just renovated winter 2019.

“I was in labor for 24 hours, and while the doctors gave me the option of a c-section they respected my decision to continue waiting as long as my baby’s heartbeat was strong. I was lucky that the birth went as planned and one day after labor began my little boy finally joined us strong and healthy!” ~Alison Zetah

Location: South of the compound near IMC. Gate 5 is the closest to the ob-gyn clinic.

Cost: They accept AXA insurance. Birth was completely covered - get epidural pre-approved.

Contact: https://dsfh.med.sa/

Recommended Doctor: Dr. Tasneem Khaled

International Medical Center (IMC)

This is a great hospital for those who either want, or need to have a c-section. Very clean, luxurious, amazing nurses, good food, encourages breastfeeding. Making appointments here is very easy.

“I had my first child in the USA, being pregnant and giving birth at IMC - has been an amazing experience. I got more care, more medical attention, more personalized help. My baby had to stay in the NICU for 5 days. Our AXA insurance didn't want to pay for day 5! IMC comped my baby's last day in the NICU and allowed him to finish his antibiotic treatment!” ~Olga Peters

“I was induced and the induction process was really smooth. Because our baby was born so big (almost 10 pounds), they took her to the nursery a lot to check her blood sugar. They would bring her back every few hours to eat, but at times, it seemed that she was in the nursery more than she was with us. I think they only did that because she was so big!” -Lexi Lee

Location: South of the compound near DSFH

Cost: They accept AXA insurance

Contact: https://www.imc.med.sa/

Recommended Doctor: Dr. Sana Tawati - female doctor. She is a consultant at IMC and First Clinic. Because she is a consultant you have to pay a consultant fee out of pocket for seeing her (230 Sar per visit)

Dr. Samir Abbas Hospital

This hospital specializes in natural childbirth. Unlike other hospitals which are quick to restrict laboring mothers in bed, this hospital provides birthing suites with room to walk around, exercise balls to bounce on, squat bars, pull ropes, etc. The hospital has both nurses and midwives. They were very attentive to our wishes and our birthing plan.

“We spent 36 hours at the hospital trying to induce labor (it didn't work), and during that time everyone was exceptionally patient and encouraging. The birthing suite was beautiful and had multiple options for me to move around and be active. Eventually we chose to have a c-section due to blood pressure issues. We felt in control and supported in all of our decisions, and the staff was very attentive to our wishes and our birthing plan. Follow-up care and recovery were also excellent.” -Tamara D’Albey

Location: West of Saudia City near the big smoke stacks

Cost: You can be pre-approved and reimbursed (but AXA is not helpful or consistent)

Contact: http://dsah.sa/

Recommended Doctor: Dr. Sana Tawati is excellent. She practices at this hospital and at First Clinic. She can also deliver at IMC. Dr. Nayel Helmi (First Clinic) - Amazing experienced doctor

Personal Advice From Parents

Shop for a good doctor. A Doula is never covered, but a good doctor will be your birthing partner and helper just as well. In my experience, female doctors are very attentive and personable. They are available on WhatsApp. I consulted with my doctor in Jeddah while being on a summer vacation abroad by sending her Ultrasound scans.

Do not rely solely on HR for help with insurance claims. Get familiar with the AXA website and reach out to them directly.

It is easy to get pre-approval for insurance claims such as an epidural by visiting the insurance office located in each hospital. Once your doctor has ordered the procedure you can speak to someone in person and they can help you through the approval process. You will receive a text message as soon as you have the approval.

Planning for Maternity Leave

Women working at AISJ are entitled to 10 weeks of leave which can be taken before or after the birth. Men currently receive 3 days. You should get your leave request approved by your direct supervisor, HR and the Superintendent. For more information regarding Saudi and AISJ policies please see the below links:

Saudi Labor Law (Pg. 60-63) : https://mlsd.gov.sa/sites/default/files/LABOR%20LAW.pdf

AISJ Maternity Leave Policy (Must log-in to view): https://www.aisj.edu.sa/community/hr-policy/section-4-holidays-leaves-and-absences#Maternity

The Second Trimester

Finding a Doula

A Doula is a person, typically a woman, who supports and guides parents through pregnancy, delivery and post-birth. They are not medically trained, but typically have extensive experience and are there to support the parents, not make medical decisions for you. Some Doulas provide birthing classes for parents in addition to being present at delivery and completing post-partum checkups. They are there to support the parents emotionally and physically and be an advocate for you in the hospital. If you are interested in hiring a Doula or learning more about what they do, check-out the following resources.

Amani Birth Doula search KSA : https://amanibirth.com/find-teachers-doulas/#saudia

Obtaining Family Visas

You may want to have your family with you during or after the birth of your child. To do this you must apply for a family visa that will allow them to enter the country. The person whose parents are coming will have to provide the following documents and complete the steps below.

Documents Needed:

• Copy of your translated Education/Degree
• Copy of translated birth certificate
• Copy of Your Passport
• Copy of Iqama
• Copies of Parent's Passports

Process:

• Get the above documents (HR department might already have copies)
• Translations can be done by asking Jessica Walgraffe to send a driver to golden Lines
• Translation services. Cost: 75 SAR / Page
• Make appointment with Ayed (AISJ Government Relations), bring documents and 35 SAR.
• After the request has been made you will receive approval paperwork 1-7 days later.
• Email Perla (United States) who will give you instructions on sending payment and parent's passports in order to receive visas. (They will also need to send a passport photo, and a completed visa application that Perla will share with you.)
• Once they receive the Visa Stamp they have 3 months to enter the country.
• Cost: 300 USD for US Citizens.

The Third Trimester and Post-Birth

Baby Birth Certificate, Passport, and Iqama

Once your child has arrived you will want to get their Birth Certificate and Passport as soon as possible so that the HR department can add them to your health insurance. This process can take from 1-4 months depending on the paperwork you have and your motivation. The process may seem overwhelming at first, but take it step by step and it should be fairly easy although time consuming.

**Note: Your baby will be covered under the mother’s insurance for one month only. After that if you do not have the paperwork done, you will need to pay out of pocket to visit the doctor and then get reimbursed.***

Step 1: If the woman is on her own Visa (non-dependent) , then the marriage certificate needs to be translated into Arabic, and validated by the Saudi Embassy and Country of Citizenship Embassy. Perla can help with this in the United States. You will need the original copy of your marriage certificate.

Step 2: Get the marriage certificate stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• You need to pay for the stamp through SAAD before going. Bring the receipt of payment with you.
• SAAD: Al Madinah Al Munawarah Rd, Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Sharqiyah, Jeddah 22235

Do step 1 and 2 before the baby is born.

Bring the stamped copy of your marriage certificate with you to the hospital when you have the baby along with your iqamas and a copy of your passport.

Step 3: Once the baby comes, turn in the form with your baby’s info on it to the records section before you leave the hospital. They will issue the Certificate of Live Birth Approximately a week after the birth, you can go to birth or records office to collect. This is where they will check your iqamas and marriage license.

Step 4: Collect the Saudi Birth Certificate from the Ministry of Interior. It's only available in the men's section and he will need a translator to go with him. Ask Ayed (Government Relations) to help out. There is an application that you have to fill out, but they were able to get it at the MOI.

Step 5: The Saudi Birth Certificate needs to be translated to the language preferred by your embassy (English for US). Use Golden Lines Translation office by giving your documents to the main receptionist (Jessica Walgraffe)

Step 6: Once you have the Saudi Birth Certificate and it's translation, you can combine it with all the other documents that your Consulate requires for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and the passport. For US Citizens - You can also apply for a SSN for the baby at this time too. The Consulate makes you scan everything and send it to them before you can make an appointment. Here's a link to the instructions and Consulate forms.

• After you submit everything to the Consulate, it takes approx 2 weeks to get the passport.

Step 7: Give the passport, birth certificate, iqama photos and parents passports to HR (May Chahine), and Ayed (AISJ Government Rep) will get the baby's iqama for you.

AISJ Daycare

Infant care at the AISJ daycare is phenomenal! The teachers do a great job caring for the children and are so helpful. It is also wonderful having your child so close to you at school, this makes breastfeeding very easy to continue after you return to work. Or if you are not breastfeeding, you still have the option of visiting them throughout the day to check in. If you choose to enroll your child here are some things you should know.

Location: AISJ Elementary Ground Floor - Closest to the playground.

Cost: As of Spring 2019 - Price per Child/Month = 2363 SAR

Enrollment: To enroll your child you should complete the following.

• Speak with the Registrar (Rasha Hemoud) in Admissions to complete paperwork and submit Vaccination Records.
• Set-up payments by contacting the Business Office to verify if the cost should be deducted from your paycheck each month.
• Complete additional forms required by daycare and let them know your expected start date!
• Put together items required for Daycare - List located in the Staff Care Handbook

Contraception

Contraception options after birth can be discussed with your doctor at your postpartum follow up appointments. At about 6 weeks your doctor will discuss your options and make suggestions based on your needs. You have many modern-day choices to select from.

Oral Contraceptives are available by prescription, and while not covered by insurance are affordable costing usually 15-30 SAR per month. Ask the doctor all the questions and price to help you select the right type of contraception for you.

Infant and Newborn Supplies

• MotherCare
• Centrepoint
• IKEA
• Mamas and Papas
• Babies R Us

Maternity Clothes

• H&M
• City Max (Leggings)

Misc.

• iHerb.com (vitamins, teas, gas drops, etc.)

What to buy Abroad

Items that are either difficult to find in Jeddah or are very expensive.

• Breast Pump
• Your favorite nipple cream
• Nursing Bras
• Diaper Bag (If you want Backpack style)
• Maternity Clothes
• Reusable Cloth Diapers
• Infant Sunscreen
• Raspberry Leaf Tea
• Baby Food (If you are particular about brands/type)

Suggested Reading

• Expecting Better - Emily Oster
• Cribsheet - Emily Oster

Suggested Apps

• The Wonder Weeks
• Baby Tracker
• BabyCenter