Having a Baby in China

Here's another question I got today from Kristene in Seattle, WA USA:

Myra,

Hi, my name is Kristine and I currently live in Seattle, WA with my husband. His job has recently offered a job opportunity for him in Beijing and I am not sure where to turn for some advice. We are currently trying for our first baby which gives me some hesitation on moving to China. I saw that you moved back to the states before you had your son and I didn't know if you could offer me any incite.

Thanks for your question and for taking the time to look at my blog! 

The following will be a mix of my personal experience/advice and even though I don't know your entire situation, I hope we'll have enough in common so that it's helpful to you.

There were a few reasons why we decided to return to the US for our son's birth. First, we didn't have health insurance that would cover prenatal and birth expenses in China. 

A Chinese friend and I when I was almost 7 months pregnant
in Beijing. I looked ready to pop even then!

For the first seven months of my pregnancy, we did stay in Beijing and I paid for a prenatal package through Vista Clinic which is in the CBD area. It was Western style care where everyone spoke English. When I went there for my appointments, I almost forgot I was in China. I felt like I needed that. It was our first child, and I wanted to make sure I could have clear communication with my OB. The package was around a $1000 US, and covered everything up to birth. I was very happy with the quality of care I received from my doctor. Prenatal care and birth at a Westernized hospital, like AmCare or Beijing United, was anywhere from $15,000-30,000 and we definitely could not afford that out of pocket. So a return to California was made more financial sense for us. 

Second, our son was the first grandchild and great grandchild on either side of our families. It was such a big deal, we wanted both of our families to feel like they were as involved as possible. 

And lastly, I was a bit hesitant to try to give birth in China since I didn't know what to expect with the whole birth process. I decided I would be much more comfortable giving birth at a facility in my hometown that had an excellent reputation for supporting natural birth and water birth. I was happy my doula was with me and all my family was so close, so they could see me and our son as soon as he was born. 

I know the decision we made was right for us and I wouldn't change anything about my entire pregnancy and birth experience. 

The care I received in China was excellent. If I ever moved back to Beijing, and found myself pregnant again, I am confident I could stay there now that I know what to expect and the options I would have.

Some things to think about before you make this big decision to move to China if you're trying for a baby:

1. What will your visa status be for you and your husband? Will you have a Z or F visa? If so, then it should be fairly easy to get a visa for your child after it would be born. After birth, you are given a period of time to get in touch with the US Embassy to get a passport and Certification of US Citizen Born Abroad (birth certificate) for the baby. Then, you must complete paperwork for a Chinese visa for the baby. 

2. What kind of health insurance will you have? Will it cover any hospital of your choice? 

3. If you have health insurance that covers Chinese hospital care only or do not have health insurance at all, would you feel comfortable receiving prenatal care and giving birth in a Chinese hospital or spending the money to go to a Western hospital? 

I have a friend who is pregnant in Beijing right now, and she has decided to stay there for the birth. Her husband found a Chinese hospital that accepts foreign women and has experience with them (in that they know us foreign women have different ways of doing things sometimes and they're cool with that). It sounds like the she is receiving excellent care and since they both speak Chinese, I doubt they will have any communication problems with the doctors and staff if English is not sufficient to clearly communicate something. 

Consider too that Chinese and Western birth practices can be very different when deciding which kind of hospital to choose.

It will take planning and a lot of investigation into your options. be prepared to do a lot of homework. If you decide to move to China, ask other expat moms lots of questions. You can even tour and check out different hospitals before you are pregnant. 

There's no wrong choice when it comes to deciding to have a baby in China or the US...the options are endless!

Even though it's a little older, Beijing Kids magazine had a good article about pregnancy and expats here.

Thanks for your question! If you have more, don't hesitate to ask. :)