The Birth

Find out what your options are when the time comes for the birth of your baby in Cyprus...

Choosing How and Where to Give Birth

The concepts of midwife-only assisted births, water births, home births and birth plans are not common in Cyprus. Caesarean births are frequent. It is recommended that personal preferences are discussed with the doctors early on in order to avoid disappointment at the later stages of pregnancy.

Births in a public General Hospital will follow the hospital's common practices, which will not necessarily take a patient's wishes into consideration. Depending on the hospital's size, a different gynaecologist may be attending to a pregnant patient on each visit and the actual birth could be handled by a gynaecologist whom the mother to be has not met on a previous appointment.

All obstetricians and gynaecologists in the private sector are affiliated with a specific private clinic or hospital, and the birth will take place at that establishment.

Breastfeeding

With the creation of the Cyprus Breastfeeding Association in 2009, breastfeeding has only recently been actively encouraged in the public hospitals. Nurses very often routinely still give the baby a bottle, especially at night time during the first days in which the baby is in their care, both in the public and the private care sector.

If a mother wishes to have her baby with her at all times and ensure it is fed only breast milk, she should not hesitate to communicate this request clearly. She can then have her baby next to her in a separate baby bed throughout her stay at the hospital.

The Association holds regular Breastfeeding Support Group Meetings in all major towns across Cyprus, and meetings are in both Greek and English, depending on demand.

Information provided by Carine Khoury of 'Mums in Cyprus' Address: PO Box 56811, Limassol 3310 | Tel: 7000 3077 www.mumsincyprus.com email Copyright © 2013 Mums in Cyprus. All Rights Reserved