We're now well into our 36th week with Baby #2. The homestretch! Just a few more sleepless nights to go! Yey! They say that every pregnancy is different, but with the added factor of adjusting to the way of life in this country, I can definitely say that being pregnant in Saudi has been a most interesting experience: 1. Goodbye, baby belly! For a pregnant woman, the abaya is both a blessing and a curse. As a blessing, you only need to buy a few maternity dresses since they will all be under the abaya anyway. I brought with me all my maternity dresses from my first pregnancy, and I think I just bought one new dress this time around. Under the abaya, I can dress however I want. When going to the supermarket or during my hospital visits, I can dress up in comfortable pj's and a tight-fitting top, exposing my belly, and nobody would even know. But this is also the part where I miss dressing up in cute maternity clothes and showing off my baby belly. There's also a dearth of maternity dresses sold in malls and department stores. I was aghast when I was looking for a formal maternity dress to wear to an embassy event, and all I found in one department store under the Maternity Section was denim overalls! That's why whenever I get the chance, I do dress up in cute maternity clothes and take pictures of my pregnant self. Otherwise, Baby #2 will someday look back at my pictures and won't be able to see my pregnant belly underneath all the black robes.
3. Access to incredible food and fruits. I do appreciate the access here to some really great pregnancy foods like salmon, walnuts, cheap fresh milk, and exotic fruits, stuff which I once considered luxuries back in Pinas. I munch on walnuts here on a daily basis, something I've never done back in Pinas because imported nuts in Pinas are expensive. There's plenty of access as well to the folate-rich fresh strawberries, whereas back home, I only get to eat strawberries when someone goes to Baguio, (hehe) or when I buy the expensive ones in the supermarket. (The one thing I miss though from Pinas are the ripe mangoes. Indian mangoes are just not the same.) Since there is no pork here, my pregnancy diet is also healthier (no bagnet, no lechon kawali, no oily stuff). Well, it's a good thing I have no craving for these unlike during my first pregnancy! 4. No random people touching your belly. Because touching other people, especially women, is a no-no! Unlike in Pinas, when acquaintances (and sometimes, even complete strangers) assume they can just rub your belly anytime without asking for permission. 5. No pregnancy massages and hilot. One thing I really miss from Pinas are the really cheap massages. There are pregnancy massages here, but way too pricey at around SAR1,000---that's around P13,000! Crazy! Whereas I was able to get a pregnancy massage in Blue Water Day Spa in Makati during our vacation for only P700! For those really stressful days, we hire the services of a kabayan who offers home therapy and massage services as a sideline. It's still expensive at SAR100 (around P1,300), but way cheaper than going to a spa. Definitely missing the cheap weekly massages Von and I used to get in Nuat Thai, Ton-Ton, or Montalbo, one of our few indulgences. I'm also sad about the fact that I could not avail of any hilot services here after childbirth. While living in Bulacan, I got a daily hilot massage for 10 days after giving birth to Elise. Although many doctors and moms would say that it's not necessary, I loved the relief it gave me from my aching muscles. My therapist also gave me a lactation massage since I was initially having difficulties breastfeeding Elise. Good thing the husband always indulges me whenever I ask for a massage at night (hey, my body is making another human here, YOUR CHILD, haha). 5. Adjusting to the healthcare system. I'm a creature of comfort. I had a great experience during my first pregnancy and the birth of Elise with my OB, Dra. Aurora Quiambao, and with my hospital Capitol Medical Centre in QC. I already know the procedure for check-up and ultrasound, my OB's consultation schedule, I even had my OB's secretary's phone number saved in my phone book. Thats' why one of my apprehensions going here was the thought of dealing with a completely new system. I had no clue as to the set-up of consultations, appointments, etc. I also preferred a Filipina OB, given the language barrier, and was concerned we won't be able to find one. We almost considered going back to Pinas during the third trimester to give birth there. Thanks to my new mommy-friends from the Embassy, I got a good recommendation for a Filipina OB with office at Sanad Hospital, in Al-Hamra District. The hospital is quite far from our place, about twenty minutes away, but the mostly Filipina OBs and nurses made us decide to go here. Now, I don't have to deal with the added stress of language barrier. The OBs and staff are, of course, mostly English-speaking, but when I'm writhing in pain, I'm more at ease knowing I can express myself in Tagalog and someone will understand me, hehe.
* * * True story: During my last scan for Baby #2, I tried to ask the Sudanese OB-Sonologist if the baby was okay. Me: The baby okay, Doc? Doc: Inshallah. A few seconds later… Von repeated: The baby okay, Doc? Doc: Inshallah, inshallah. Inshallah, I think, is a beautiful phrase to say. It means "God-willing" or "if God wills". But also, I would have wanted to hear a categorical "the baby is fine" or "no problem". Well I guess if this is sufficient for our Doctor, this should suffice for us, too. I just have to get used to using this expression. :) * * * Having found our hospital and OB, there were some other bureaucratic stuff and cultural differences we had to deal with. Like during Ramadan and the Eid holidays, we found it hard to schedule a consultation since the hospital was understaffed and many of the doctors and staff were on holiday vacation. Good thing we were in Manila then for Von's oath-taking, so I was able to schedule a monthly check-up and the congenital anomaly scan in Capitol Med. Another surprising thing we learned: even inside hospitals, segregation is strictly observed. I got to experience this firsthand when during my 32nd week, I asked Von to bring me to the Emergency Room due to the painful contractions I was having. Turned out I was severely dehydrated. For almost 4 hours while I was given IV fluids, I was alone inside my ER cubicle while Von was asked to wait outside since he's a male and there were other female patients inside the ER (although they were all hidden behind their cubicles as well). It was quite inconvenient to have no companion inside the ER whenever I needed to say something to the doctor or nurses, or I when I needed to go to the bathroom. We considered this a dry-run and now we know that once Baby #2 is born, we should get a private, not a semi-private or shared room, so that Von can definitely stay inside the room with me. Lastly, we haven't found a regular pediatrician here for Elise and Baby #2. We were surprised to learn that there is no Filipino pedia here. We loved Elise's pedia in Capitol Med, Dra. Pia Mendiola, and felt extremely sad to leave her. Eventually, we do have to search for someone we will really like. Despite my concerns, I'm still thankful that Saudi has good healthcare facilities (maybe even better than Manila's? I don't know). I can't imagine if we were posted in a country with such unreliable healthcare system that we have to cross borders to avail of basic medical services (true story, as told by the wife of one of the Embassy's officers). * * * When I married Von in 2013, I hadn't the slightest idea that I will one day give birth in another country, moreso in Saudi Arabia. The absence of family members and familiar faces like your friends can be lonely and quite unnerving at times, but I guess it's all part and parcel of living abroad. Anyway, the people at the Embassy have been very supportive, and some of the mommies I've met have turned out to be good friends. They even threw us a sweet Baby Shower at the Embassy. As a form of encouragement, I often tell myself, "Hey, I'm not the first Pinay to give birth in Riyadh, others have done the same, I can do it, too!"
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