Once a woman learned that she is pregnant, one of the many things that she needs to decide on is the place or hospital where she will give birth. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing the right place, such as the facilities and location of the hospital, costs of the maternity package, the doctor who will perform the delivery of the baby and I think the most important is how comfortable you are giving birth at that place.
We were in Qatar and Pio was about to turn one, when I learned that I am pregnant once again. I considered giving birth in Qatar but after a lot of thinking, I decided that I will be more comfortable if I will give birth in the Philippines, particularly at Chinese General Hospital (CGH) where I delivered my first two sons and where my OB-Gyne, who has been my doctor since I was a teenager, is affiliated.
It was in December when I arrived in the Philippines and made an appointment with the doctor right away. We agreed that I will be having an elective cesarean section since I had the same procedure before. Regular check ups and ultrasounds were done until we finally decided on the date.
Hospital Admission
As instructed, I was admitted the day before my chosen date of delivery, but a few days before that, I already reserved a private room wherein I deposited Php 3,000. Since I was still feeling well and did not experience any contractions, I did all the paper works and payment of deposit (additional Php 5,000) prior to my hospital admission.
Admission Kit: Consists of basin, water bottle, towel, measuring cup, medicine cup, straw, thermometer, tissue roll, cotton, spoon and fork. This will be given to you upon your admission and included on your bill.
Room
I have chosen a private room located at the hospital’s new building. It is bigger and better than the rooms on their main building, with ensuite bathroom and equipped with air conditioner, television, refrigerator, sofa, cabinets and telephone.
Private Room at Php 3,700 per day.
Food
I was served with hospital meals 3 times a day based on the diet instructed by my doctor. There were times when Tep was the one who ate the food since I was not allowed to eat anything yet after the CS procedure. The food served were pretty decent and the taste was not bad at all.
There were restaurants within the hospital premises, such as Jollibee, Chowking and Pancake House, that can deliver food directly to your room if you happen not to like the hospital food or if you have a companion who will be staying with you. But if you want something else, then I guess Food Panda or Grab Food can help you.
Cesarean Section Procedure
Upon my admission, laboratory tests were done, medical interviews were conducted and instructions were given to me in preparation for my CS procedure. The thought of going through the same procedure for the third time left me feeling nervous even though I was trying to relax. Good thing I was still able to have a good sleep that night.
My doctor and I agreed to have the CS procedure at 8 in the morning. We made our way through the operating room and preparations were done. Anesthesia was given through my spine and after a while, I did not feel anything from the waist below. I was high with some medication but I was still aware of what was happening around me. It took them a while before they were able to get the baby from my tummy.
My Baby Migo was out around 9:00 a.m.
Our first picture together.
Afterwards, I was sent to the recovery room for a while until I was able to move my feet. Then, to my room in order for me to rest. The following day, they have already removed the IV and catheter, I was also instructed to get to my feet and start moving around so the wound from the procedure will heal faster. After pooping, I was able to eat, first with soft food, but the day after, I was already on a regular diet.
Baby Room In or NICU
CGH is a baby friendly hospital, meaning they won’t allow you to bring feeding bottles and formula milk because they promote breastfeeding. Once the baby is born, they usually give it right away to the mother for the skin to skin contact and for nursing, and they will also be roomed in with the mother. However, in my case, my Baby Migo was not well when I gave birth to him. I was also told that he had a cord coiled around his neck thus the need for a surgeon to be present during the delivery. Migo stayed at NICU for the next seven days so he can complete the whole course of medication given to him.
Cost
It was a good thing that all expenses incurred from our hospitalization were covered by our insurance from Qatar. They do have a partner company here in the Philippines who took care of the payment, except for Migo’s NICU expenses which I paid and eventually reimbursed from them. Here’s the breakdown of our hospital bill.
These hospital expenses does not include Philhealth deduction since I was not able to update my contributions. I guess it will be around Php 20,000 less if only I have paid.
This was my experience giving birth at CGH. It was actually the same if I will compare it with my two previous C-Section deliveries with them, the only thing that changed was the cost, haha. It was higher ofcourse than my first two.
Have you experienced giving birth at CGH? How was it? Let me know on the comment section below.
Chinese General Hospital
Telephone No.: (02) 8711-4141
OB-Gyne: Dr. Zeny Malilay
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Maria Ingrid 
Waaahhh grabe 😭 I heard sobrang sakit daw kapag tinuturukan nung anesthesia sa spine huhu minsan natatakot na ko mag-anak kapag nakakabasa ako mga ganto story.. hahahaha
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Hello Amielle.. Yes true, masakit sa umpisa lang naman and ang nakakatakot kasi yung thought na kapag nagkamali yung doctor ng paginject eh magiging disabled na daw because sa spine yun iniinject.. Pero once you’ve delivered the baby, worth it naman ang sakit.. Kaya wag ka matakot mag-anak.. hehe
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HALA OMG grabe ‘yung pag nagkamali ng inject 😦 may trust issues pa naman ako! Char HAHAHA
Kumusta na nga pala, Ate? Nasa Pinas pa rin po kayo?
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Haha.. very rare naman cguro yun.. haha.. Yes, sa Pinas pa din.. hindi makatravel dahil aa Covid..
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hi mgkano mo binayaran mo normal delivery? how much po yong private room per day?
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Hi Aj after philhealth ded umabot din kmi ng 76k plus for normal delivery nagpa saddle block anaestesia din kc ako. Ska depende un sa prof fee ng mga doctor u po. Sa room semi private kmi 2200 per day ako lng nmn mgisa sa room since my covid wla msyado pasyente Pg small private 3k Po pero mdlas wla available
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Hm po nagastos nyo?
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Wow congratulations you were able to give birth to a healthy baby a midst the pandemic.
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Thank you so much.. The pandemic was just starting here in the Philippines when I gave birth, but still I was paranoid during the time that I was confined..
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Hi po thanks for d info po. Ako din po sa chinese mnganganak pero ang due ko is sa 1st week july pa. Hoping lng n di tataas ng husto ung bill since my covid ngayon at ngtataas ng prof fees dhil sa pndemic
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Praying for a healthy baby and for your safe delivery Theresa.. Nagtanong ka na ba sa OB mo ng estimated amount ng hospitalization mo if ever lalo ngaung may pandemic??
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Just gave birth last 25th Via normal delivery thanks God it all went well Nmn po. Medyo mtaas lng ngyon ung mga fees maybe because of the pndemic.
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Hello! You gave birth this may 2020 during pandemic, did they required your for covid testing? Thankyou! Godbless
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Hello Cristina.. No, I gave birth last Feb 2020.. Maybe you can check with your OB if they will require it.. Or if you don’t have any OB yet, I can ask my OB regarding it..
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Hi po! Pwede po malaman ung clinic days and hours po ni dra. Zeny malilay?
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Hello Elaine. It used to be Mon to Sat starting at 1:00pm.. Not sure if they have the same clinic days and hours right now because of the pandemic.. You can call CGH at 87114141 and tell them to connect you to Dra’s clinic, I forgot their local number. Hope this helps.
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Thank you po for the info. Nagtry po ako tumawag kahapon pero wala po sumasagot sa clinic ni dra. Try ko po ulit bukas. 😊
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Hello Ellaine. Try on monday..
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They will ask u to go for swab test on ur 37-38 weeks pregnancy po requirments po un pg sa cgh ka mnganak the earlier gwin the better kc pede ipasok sa philhealth u mas mhal pg bglaan u lng ggwin on ur labor period po sabi nila.
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Thank you so much for this info Theressa. I hope you won’t mind if I will ask how much was the swab test and your hospital bill, kahit range lang. Thanks.
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Hello po manganganak na din po kasi ako this coming oct scheduled cs dn po ako dahil cs na din po kasi ako nung una.. ask ko lang po sana anu feeling nung paglagay ng anesthesia sa likod? Katulad din po ng feeling kapag nagiinjection sa braso? Dun po kasi ako kinakabahan.. tapos nag skin test din po ba kayo? Masakit din daw po kasi yun..
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good eve po, i cant afford po ng private pwede po kaya sa charity ward for pregnant?
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Good eve po may I ask if meron pa po kaya charity ward for pregnant like sa cgh? cant afford po kasi ng private
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Hello Aeza.. I know meron.. You can call the hospital to further inquire.. God bless sa upcoming delivery mo..
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Hi Maria, i am pregnancy now and planning giving birth in CGH. Do you know any doctors or staff who can speak chinese in CHG? If know anyone please share to me, thabk so much and best wishes for your family
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Hello po. I just called the information in CGH and asked for the rooms rates.. They told me na sa old building lang daw po ang available rooms for admission and wala daw po sila rooms sa new building? Me and husband really wanted the room in the new building.. My edd is on Nov 26. Ask ko lng po mommy if paano po kayo nakapagpareserve on the private room located at the new building?
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