Developing a good relationship with your doctor or midwife is key in having a positive birth experience. The more you like and understand one another, the more smoothly things are likely to go in the hospital. It is essential that you do not wait until the day of your baby's birth to start discussing important issues having to do with your privacy but that you do so just as soon as you know you are pregnant and have your first pre-natal appointment. Yasmine did not have a regular doctor and neglected her pre-natal visits. She had never had problems in the hospital with her other births and assumed that things would be the same the fourth time around. But she soon found out that it is very difficult to communicate one's needs while in the pain of labor and that hospital staff are less sympathetic to special requests when they do not have complete access to a woman's health records. Pre-natal care is important, not only for the sake of the health of you and your baby, but also so that your doctor can be on your side when it comes to meeting your needs in the hospital.
Work over the course of your pregnancy to educate your doctor about the concerns of Muslim women in the hospital. This should be done in a polite manner without lecturing her. If she seems genuinely interested in what you have to say, asks questions and makes notes in your chart, this is a good sign that she is open to working with a Muslim patient. Keep in mind that you may be the first Muslim woman to whom she has attended and that she will need reassurance from you that you will allow a male doctor to intervene in the event of an emergency in which there are no females available to do the same job. My own doctors have always stressed this point with me and I have always told them that they have my permission to do whatever is necessary in such cases. No one knows what will happen in the delivery room and every second counts when it comes to the well-being of a newborn baby and his or her mother. The more flexible you are, the more comfortable the doctor will feel working with you and your family.
Even if you discuss your need for privacy early on in your pregnancy, make sure to do so again towards the end of it. This will serve to
