birth experiences

I’m a doula who recently moved to Macau. For those who don’t know, it’s a former Portuguese colony that is now a region of China, although it retains some autonomy in its government.

The birth culture here is such that:

As far as I know, I’m literally the only doula in town;
Women birth on in communal wards managed by strict nurses who tell them to keep their screams quiet;
Birth partners are not welcome in the wards, there are no waiting areas in the hospital, so they are told to go home and wait for a call to let them know their child has been born;
The only other choice for prospective parents to take in managing their own births is to travel to Hong Kong to birth at a private hospital, which means a one hour ferry ride plus transit to the hospital from the ferry terminal.

Women that I have spoken to about their birth experiences have been traumatized–particularly first time mothers who don’t speak Chinese and cannot have procedures and protocols explained to them before they are subjected to them, i.e. the basis of informed consent. No tours are given of the Labour and Delivery suites, no childbirth classes offered in any language other than Chinese. Despite the trauma that some experience, many women accept this standard as the status quo, and are resigned to have any subsequent children the same way saying “at least I know now what to expect.” It has been intimidating, to say the least, as a doula coming into this scene. I am not currently welcome to practice my work on the labour wards in this country. But rather than tuck my tail and run to get a job at Starbucks, I am inspired to endeavor to change the birthing culture here to one that is more family-centred and woman-supported.

Nonetheless, I have been welcomed with open arms by several expats and an occasional local and am greatly looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion about gentle family-centred childbirth, informed consent and women’s rights. The more I do it, the more I love my job, and I am very excited to meet the challenges that await me head on. Stay tuned for updates on my impressions of the birth culture here in Macau!