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Now it's my turn to share....

As some of you may know, my wife and I just had our first child, Leo. From the get-go, we wanted to have natural birth. We had heard that in China that this would be a challenge as upwards of 50% of all births in China are Caesarian, a figure much higher than the West (see here for some background).

Leo was delivered at Peace Maternity hospital in Shanghai (国际和平妇幼保健医院). During labor, Leo was not positioned perfectly for natural birth. At this point, the hospital would have had justification for suggesting a C-section, and at that point in time, we probably would have accepted the suggestion from simply not knowing any better.

But Dr. Fan (范 医生), our doctor and director of the maternity ward, reassured us that it could be done if my wife relaxed. She made it clear to all the staff that she strongly believed that my wife could and should have a natural birth. Later, Mid-Wife Li (李 苑助产士), who actually delivered the baby, spent over 45 minutes talking to my wife, soothing her, and massaging her belly to gradually make the baby turn to the proper position. Her presence and actions made my wife truly believe it was possible. And in the end, it happened, and it was amazing.

Based on the attitude and professionalism of the entire staff, it is clear to me that Peace Maternity has developed both the culture and the people of a world class maternity hospital. Kudos and thanks to Dr. Fan and the entire team that worked with us. I am now a big fan of this hospital and happily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a maternity hospital in Shanghai. Tell them that Sam sent ya.