As you prepare for your child’s birth, you may find yourself wanting to learn more about different birth strategies. Here are questions that may help start your thinking:
Where can I give birth?
- What kinds of hospitals are there? You can choose to birth in a public or private hospital. More about hospitals in Bangkok and Chiang Mai
- Are there independent birthing centers? No, there are no birthing centers in Thailand.
- Can I have a home birth? Currently, home births are extremely rare in cities in Thailand mainly because of the lack of skilled professionals willing to attend the birth.
Who can attend the birth?
- Can my partner or other family members attend the birth? This varies from hospital to hospital. Most private hospitals allow a woman’s partner and/or relative to be present during labor and non-emergency cesareans, though they may limit the number of people attending. Some private hospitals also allow children to attend the birth. In public hospitals, fathers or family members are not always allowed. For more information, see our table on hospital policies.
- Can a midwife deliver my baby? In private hospitals, it is the doctor that is always called to attend the birth. Midwives are present to assist, but are expected to play a supporting role. In public hospitals, midwives generally attend the births and deliver babies – doctors are only called in case of complications (this likely contributes to the lower rate of c-sections in public hospitals compared to private hospitals).
- Can a doula accompany me during labor? Doulas, or trained labor companions, are increasingly available in Thailand. Many private hospitals allow a doula to accompany a woman (couple) at her birth, but you will need to reconfirm this beforehand with your doctor.
How can I give birth?
- Natural vaginal birth (no medications). A natural birth refers to a birth with no use of drugs and minimal use of other interventions. There are doctors that support natural birth here, but even among these, not all doctors and nurses are familiar with all of the different methods for easing labor, and many will encourage the use of epidurals. Again, if you want a natural birth, make sure that your doctor is aware of this and ask how often he/she has attended natural births in the past. (Strictly speaking, completely natural births are not an option here as drugs are almost always used after birth in order to deliver the placenta. However, if your main concern is to deliver the baby without medication, this is possible.) More about the pros and cons of natural birth.
- Medicated vaginal birth. This refers to a vaginal birth where drugs (such as epidurals) are given for pain relief, as well as other drugs that are commonly used to start and speed up labor. The hospitals in Bangkok are all up to date, and have all of the standard medications that you would expect to find anywhere else in the world. In general, doctors here follow a more ‘active management’ model of childbirth, and are more likely to suggest medical interventions. More about the pros and cons of epidurals.
- VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) VBACs are possible but not common in Thailand, so it is essential to find a doctor that specializes in VBAC and is experienced in handling them in the past.
- Elective cesarean section. Elective cesareans are widespread in Thailand, especially in private hospitals, as many Thai women prefer c-sections. These are typically scheduled in advance; most doctors will not hold off an expected cesarean until labor has naturally begun. Here are some usefulguidelines for planning for your c-section.
- Unplanned cesarean section. Having a cesarean after attempting labor is very common in private hospitals in Thailand where labors can be classified “failure to progress” more quickly than they would be elsewhere.
What are my options for natural birth?
- What positions can I assume for labor? Many of the private hospitals will allow you to move around and use different positions during labor if you have not had any drugs. However, many doctors still prefer a woman to lie on her back to actually deliver the baby – this is something you probably want to ask your doctor early on. If you have had an epidural, you will probably be more restricted in your ability to move.
- May I have a water birth in Thailand? Yes, there is one hospital – Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital – which has the facilities to offer water births. Not all doctors in the hospital practice water births; however, the majority of them will allow clients to use the birth pools during labor as a form of pain relief. If trying for a water birth is important to you, be sure to discuss this beforehand with your doctor and ask how often he/she has done water births in the past.
- Where can I learn more about different techniques for pain relief? Breathing, relaxation, visualization, hypnotherapy, massage, and other techniques have all been shown to be powerful aids during childbirth. You can learn more about these by attending a childbirth education class or discussion group, or working with a doula and/or hypnotherapist.
Further Reading
In the article above, we’ve linked to several broad introductions to different topics. If you’d like to pursue some of these topics in more depth, we’ve listed some more specialized resources under Pregnancy & Birth links
Thanks again for the blog.Much thanks again. Much obliged.
My wife was a perfect candidate for natural childbirth, and it was one of our main reasons for choosing Samitivej, having heard (wrongly) that they had a low c-section rate. We discovered, too late, that they are a C-section factory, where every sigle person in our birth class had a C-section… I have done a ton of research, and I feel very strongly that my wife did not need to have the c-section, but in the moment of birth pain, any doubt gives the doctor a chance to do their “job” and tell you to have a c-section. The WHO recommends a 10-15% c-section rate, one Samitivejj nurse told us it was 50%, but since I can not find even one natural birt parent here, I think it is much higher. There are some blogs, which influenced our choice to give birth at this Samitivej, but I now believe they are propaganda , paid for by this hospital to generate business. whatever you choose, please be strong, know what is supposed to happen, do NOT go to the hospital too early!!!! It is your choice, don’t let the doctors, or anyone else control you against your will.
Hi Lincoln, Congratulations on your baby! I am sorry that the birth did not go the way that you and your wife had hoped. You were not wrong to choose Samitivej – in fact they have do one of the lowest rates for c-section among private hospitals in Bangkok. Unfortunately, as you say, it’s still a very high rate. It also really depends on which doctor you have, as there are only a few doctors who have much experience with natural childbirth at all. It is very important, as you say, to inform yourself as much as possible, surround yourself with as much support as possible (in addition to the hospital, this can also include doulas or friends), and labor at home as long as you can to establish a good rhythm and progress. I encourage anyone wishing to have a natural childbirth here to talk to as many mothers/parents as possible – if you can, go to Bumps & Babies, Breastfeeding Cafe, and especially the Choices in Childbirth meetings run by the Doulas of Bangkok (formerly ‘Meet the Doulas’). Don’t be shy about asking people about their birth experiences – for the most part, they know exactly why you’re asking and will be happy to share any information that can held you.
I know that it’s not always possible to attend these meetings in person, which is why we have the birth stories section on this site (and I can personally vouch for all of them). I’m pleased that we have a lot of positive stories, since it’s important for parents to know that this can happen, and to take some of the fear away. But I agree with you that this creates an unrealistically positive impression about the birth situation in Bangkok as a whole. My experience in soliciting stories has shown me that it is generally the people with positive experiences who are eager to share their stories – people with more negative experiences are still processing their emotions and prefer to keep them private. I have been looking for some time for stories similar to yours, which is quite a quite common path, but people have been reluctant to share them. Hopefully over time we will find more examples of all different kinds of stories to help people understand the many different paths that birth can take. Anyone who wishes to submit their story may contact us through the contact form on this site.
I’m a Thai living abroad and I’m considering going back to Bangkok for my first child birth. I’ve done some research and I know that I want a drug-free/ minimal intervention birth (of course unless it’s absolutely neccessary). I don’t have much reference locally for natural birth since most of my friends and relatives in Bangkok nowadays seems to choose c-section. Would you have a pro-natural birth doctor that you can recommend?