A Matter of Choice

According to the Greek Orthodox Church, every  day  of the year is dedicated to the memory of at least one (usually more than one) saint or martyr. If someone is named after a saint, then there is a big  celebration  on his or her   name day .  Since we have been in Cyprus we always have a small celebration on the boys name days, as they both have their own - Leonidas is 15th April and Loukas 18th October.  We don't celebrate them as we would a birthday but they get a card and a small present and we usually meet up with friends for a picnic in a park, and of course there is always cake! Louka loved his card, especially because it had his 'face in the circle', and his new Fireman Sam sticker book that he let Leo do with him. They spent quite a while doing it together with very little moaning between them which is a very rare occurrence in this house! The boys spent the morning playing and watching tv while I prepared some food for the picnic a...

I've had a fantastic response to my plea for stories of pregnancy and birth in Cyprus, and it's been really interesting for me (and hopefully will be to other ex-pats facing the same situation now or later)  Today I'm sharing Sarah's story with you. Like many other ex-pats I've come across she has experienced giving birth in both the General hospital and a private clinic, once again I'm pleased to say that the General wins out! I'll hand you over to my questions and Sarah's answers.... Did you have your baby in a private clinic or in the general hospital?  I have 3 children, all of them born in Cyprus but my first was in the Napa Olympic Clinic (Private) as Paralimni general hospitals maternity ward wasnt open at the time, and it would have meant travelling to Larnaca for all appointments and the birth. Both my 2nd and 3rd children were born at the General hospital with all appointments and scans there too. Although I did pay for the 4...