Liam Conor!
<3 p="">
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
How to spend 3 weeks in Bangkok when you are 36+ weeks pregnant
You can follow my lead:
Read, watch Elementary on your laptop and bad crime shows on local tv, facetime home, and go out only for food and necessities because really, it's awfully hot out there.
Negatives: No Tegan or Jeremiah, the heat, dealing with the logistics of having a baby away from home
Perks: Good food, air conditioning, bubble tea just down the road, maid service
Nothing like a good case of boredom to really get you ready for the chaos that is about to come!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Destination birth
You've heard of destination weddings? We've decided to go a step beyond and have a destination birth. And while Thailand sounds like an exotic and fun location to spend a month, it's really out of necessity that we've decided to have our second baby there.
Planning ahead the timing for having babies is of course important for many families, but for us it has been even more crucial. We needed to think about where our next post would be, check out their maternity leave (some don't let you take it the first year, some you have to have completed your initial 3 year contract and other varieties of policies), determine what time of year would let us still come home for summers (there are restrictions on when you can fly), look into local health care and determine what our insurance plan will cover.
Step # 1 - get new jobs - landed us in Nepal and once here we noticed there were lots of little babies in expat families. Good.
#2 - maternity leave worked out with our timing. Good.
#3 - figure out the right time of year and happen to get lucky and get pregnant right away. Good.
#4 - local health care.... good for prenantal care for a normal pregnancy, not good for delivery.
#5 - insurance is world-wide so we can have the baby somewhere else.
Now, when I say local health care is not good for delivery, I'm saying this based on information from a few different folks, but nothing first hand because I haven't been to a local hospital. My first source of information was other staff members who have gone elsewhere to have their babies, then the doctor at CIWEC told me I should go someplace else, I got an email from an expat woman who had planned to have her baby here but then changed her mind after visiting the hospital and a Nepali person I work with told me stories of moms dying because of bad saline solution. With all of that we knew Nepal was not an option.
The two obvious next choices where either go back home or go to Thailand (great medical facilities and are well known for their medical tourism). With flight restrictions flying home (usually 28 weeks) would mean spending much of my maternity leave waiting to have the baby and not actually caring for the baby. Thai airways will let you fly from KTM to BKK at 36 weeks and many folks around here have had good experiences. This weekend we visited Sametivej Hospital - we met the doctor, saw the facilities and were given information about where we could stay nearby. It was a great experience; everyone was very helpful and friendly.
The plan is for me to go at 36 weeks, a month before the due date, to Bangkok by myself. Jeremiah and Tegan will come later in the month and then we will all stay in Thailand through our school's winter break. During that time we will apply for the baby's passport (so we can get him back to Nepal!) and other official documents - an American Born Overseas birth certificate and Social Security number.
Sometimes I tell people all that goes into this and their mouths hang open, but I guess since we've known from the beginning that this is how it will have to be it doesn't seem strange. We're just looking forward to meeting baby boy!
Planning ahead the timing for having babies is of course important for many families, but for us it has been even more crucial. We needed to think about where our next post would be, check out their maternity leave (some don't let you take it the first year, some you have to have completed your initial 3 year contract and other varieties of policies), determine what time of year would let us still come home for summers (there are restrictions on when you can fly), look into local health care and determine what our insurance plan will cover.
Step # 1 - get new jobs - landed us in Nepal and once here we noticed there were lots of little babies in expat families. Good.
#2 - maternity leave worked out with our timing. Good.
#3 - figure out the right time of year and happen to get lucky and get pregnant right away. Good.
#4 - local health care.... good for prenantal care for a normal pregnancy, not good for delivery.
#5 - insurance is world-wide so we can have the baby somewhere else.
Now, when I say local health care is not good for delivery, I'm saying this based on information from a few different folks, but nothing first hand because I haven't been to a local hospital. My first source of information was other staff members who have gone elsewhere to have their babies, then the doctor at CIWEC told me I should go someplace else, I got an email from an expat woman who had planned to have her baby here but then changed her mind after visiting the hospital and a Nepali person I work with told me stories of moms dying because of bad saline solution. With all of that we knew Nepal was not an option.
The two obvious next choices where either go back home or go to Thailand (great medical facilities and are well known for their medical tourism). With flight restrictions flying home (usually 28 weeks) would mean spending much of my maternity leave waiting to have the baby and not actually caring for the baby. Thai airways will let you fly from KTM to BKK at 36 weeks and many folks around here have had good experiences. This weekend we visited Sametivej Hospital - we met the doctor, saw the facilities and were given information about where we could stay nearby. It was a great experience; everyone was very helpful and friendly.
The plan is for me to go at 36 weeks, a month before the due date, to Bangkok by myself. Jeremiah and Tegan will come later in the month and then we will all stay in Thailand through our school's winter break. During that time we will apply for the baby's passport (so we can get him back to Nepal!) and other official documents - an American Born Overseas birth certificate and Social Security number.
Sometimes I tell people all that goes into this and their mouths hang open, but I guess since we've known from the beginning that this is how it will have to be it doesn't seem strange. We're just looking forward to meeting baby boy!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Round 2
Pretty sure the last time we had so much dead air here was around the time we announced this. I have an equally good reason to not be blogging this time around too - we're preparing for Oh, Baby O.2! Baby is due beginning of December and we couldn't be more excited!
So, what have we been up to? I had a bit of a hiatus there where I was too tired and sick to do much other than play with Tegan from the couch - she's a trooper. Jeremiah hiked Annapurna Base Camp, no big deal. I'm hoping he'll write a bit of it here, we'll see, at the very least share some of the pictures. Warm weather has come, as well as some crazy monsoon rains. Rain means more electricity though so I'm all for it. We've also been wrapping up the school year; at the end of the week we fly home for what I'm sure will be a fun-filled summer!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Where the heart is
We've been parents for a whole year now - it's been a year of awesomeness. Most of that year has been spent living abroad, in 2 countries no less. As we navigate expat living, we are making a conscious effort to make sure we have strong roots in family, traditions, and an idea about what "home" means. Yes, our daughter is only one, and yes, she won't remember this early stuff, but we are setting the tone for what living overseas looks like for our family.
How are we doing this? It's definitely a work in progress but here's what we've got so far:
1. Spend time in the Portland area, what we consider our "home" - when we talk about home, we want Tegan to have connections there. It may not be what she considers home, but she'll know what we're talking about.
2. Have consistent traditions - it's easy to have events and celebrations be different each year when you are abroad, we're making an effort to set things in place that can be the same each year.
3. Have relationships with extended family - we skype a lot with family, and we're creating a book this Christmas break with everyone's picture in it so while we are in Nepal Tegan can look through it. I also like the idea of reading night time books over skype as well as recording people reading books aloud to play when we can't skype.
4. Have things in our home that are the same no matter where we go - pictures, decorations, special books and toys
5. Story-telling - we want Tegan to know about the places she's lived, where we are from, who has been a part of her life. We have books from the countries, pictures, our blog - all to record memories of her life experience and we will tell her stories of the parts of her life she doesn't remember.
6. Read about and discuss with other families Third Culture Kid issues - I deal with this a lot in my job as a school counselor but of course things are always different when it's your own family.
These things will inevitably be adapted and change as Tegan grows up, but isn't that really what living abroad is all about? Learning. Being flexible. Change. But within that constant state of flux, we want everyone in our family to feel grounded, both in tangible and intangible ways.
If other families have recommendations about how they do this we would love to hear them!
How are we doing this? It's definitely a work in progress but here's what we've got so far:
1. Spend time in the Portland area, what we consider our "home" - when we talk about home, we want Tegan to have connections there. It may not be what she considers home, but she'll know what we're talking about.
 |
| Oregon zoo |
2. Have consistent traditions - it's easy to have events and celebrations be different each year when you are abroad, we're making an effort to set things in place that can be the same each year.
 | ||
| Birthdays, St. Patrick's Day, Sunday morning breakfast - all important traditions |
3. Have relationships with extended family - we skype a lot with family, and we're creating a book this Christmas break with everyone's picture in it so while we are in Nepal Tegan can look through it. I also like the idea of reading night time books over skype as well as recording people reading books aloud to play when we can't skype.
 |
| Skyping with her uncle |
4. Have things in our home that are the same no matter where we go - pictures, decorations, special books and toys
5. Story-telling - we want Tegan to know about the places she's lived, where we are from, who has been a part of her life. We have books from the countries, pictures, our blog - all to record memories of her life experience and we will tell her stories of the parts of her life she doesn't remember.
6. Read about and discuss with other families Third Culture Kid issues - I deal with this a lot in my job as a school counselor but of course things are always different when it's your own family.
These things will inevitably be adapted and change as Tegan grows up, but isn't that really what living abroad is all about? Learning. Being flexible. Change. But within that constant state of flux, we want everyone in our family to feel grounded, both in tangible and intangible ways.
If other families have recommendations about how they do this we would love to hear them!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Leave the stroller at home
Travel and strollers just don't always go together very well. Many of the places we've visited/lived have had uneven roads, non-existant sidewalks and crowded areas that made stroller usage impractical, if not impossible (ramps and elevators no where in sight!). They are also often just another thing you have to cart around, send through x-ray security and maneuver when your hands are full. So, much of our travel thus far has involved babywearing (our baby, Tegan, is just about to turn 1 and we've lived and/or traveled in Taiwan, Thailand, Nepal, and the states with her).
When Tegan was little we used the baby bjorn a lot while out and about. She fit in it well, it was cooler than the moby wrap and easier to take on and off (we alternate carrying her depending on the situation). She hated slings and I used the moby a lot at home and around our town but found it bulky and time consuming for traveling.
As she got bigger, we've moved to the Ergo because it's better for baby's hips (they sit rather than hang) and I personally find it more confortable. Tegan didn't like this carrier until she was big enough to really sit in it, but they do have newborn inserts and our good friends used their Ergos practically from day one with much success. Sometimes she sits in front, sometimes on the back and occasionally when she's more antsy I put her on my hip.
In countries where everyone wants to touch and hold your baby, a carrier is a great way to hold off over eager admirers and help keep baby feeling safe.
We've recently added another carrier, for our longer hiking, the Osprey frame backpack. So far only Jeremiah has carried her in this one as it's a bit heavier.
I highly recommend babywearing, for anytime really, but especially as an alternative to strollers when traveling. I like having a variety, and Jeremiah and I each have different preferences, so the more the merrier in this house (I just bought a sling to try out with Tegan on my hip and I'm pretty sure she is going to love it).
Some tips:
-Practice at home first. Walk around, put it on and take it off, put the child in and take them out, do some chores, bend down, get stuff out of your pockets, etc. You'll get the hang of it and see what works for you.
-If you don't love it at first try again, or try a different style carrier. Everyone has a preference.
-If you go with a wrap style, you can pre-wrap it so you are ready to go when it's time to put your child in.
-Some airports will make you take the child out of the carrier when going through security, others won't.
-Many airlines will make you take baby out for take off and landing as it is safer to have them in a car seat or in your lap if you have a lap-seat ticket.
Any other babywearers out there have advice?
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A rare family photo
We're on holiday from school for the Dashain festival, my mom is visiting and we're hitting up the sights around town. Most of our family photos are taken by Jeremiah with his phone, so I had mom take one while we were at the stupa in swayambhunath.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Weekend hike
Yesterday we hiked from Sankhu to Nagarkot (link to map, we didn't make it all the way to Hotel Sunrise though). We hired a school van to take us to the starting point and pick us up at the end. The scenery was beautiful and it was great to get out of the city, my first time to do so in fact (Jeremiah's gotten out on a number of bike rides so he was excited for me to see it). The hike was uphill, and by the end we were exhausted, but it felt good to be active. Jeremiah was awesome (even after his quick food poisoning bout the previous night) and carried Tegan on his back the whole way and for almost the whole 3-4 hours we walked she was content to hang out up there and see the sights.
Clearly from the photos I took, you can tell I was enamored with all the green. It's such a stark contrast to the concrete and construction rubble of the city. We will be going back out soon for more hikes for sure!
PS - Dad, that sun shade on the carrier was amazing. She would have fried without it!
Friday, August 10, 2012
International flying with an infant
With two long international flights under our belts, and a few domestic ones also, I feel like we may have some advice to offer those who are about to undertake it. None of this is new information, it's spattered all over the internet, but here you go just the same:
1. Bassinet seats - they didn't work for us since Tegan is not a great sleeper and was pretty big by the time we flew back to the states. If your little one can sleep on their own in new places though, make sure to reserve a bulkhead bassinet seat! Airlines vary in their bassinet reservation practices.
5. Pre-boarding is great for getting your stuff on the plane without everyone breathing down your neck to get past you, but not an easy time to sit on the hot plane with baby waiting for takeoff. If there are 2 of you, have 1 pre-board with all of the stuff and the other hang out with your tot and board towards the end.
6. Nurse, bottle, or pacifier on take-off and landing to help their ears. We also used a straw sippy cup when Tegan wasn't into nursing. I recommend waiting until the plane is speeding down the runway to take off before starting any of these otherwise they are done before you are in the air. Nursing is tricky in those tight spaces - watch their head sticking out into the aisle! Bonus - sometimes these things combined with the rumble of take off will put them to sleep. On the way down we started once we noticed our own ears popping.
7. Those things you don't want them to do on a regular basis at home (watch TV, play with your phone, eat sweet puff finger foods)? I say go for it on the plane!
8. When the seatbelt sign is off walk and stretch as much as you can - you never know when you will be in turbulence and for how long.
9. Your baby will cry, it's ok. Most people we've talked to say they feel for the parents more than anything else.
10. Some immigration/passport checks have special lines for pregnant women, families with children and elderly - look for them (Taiwan and Bangkok both have them).
11. Bring a blanket to lay out and play on during layovers.
12. Find the other babies/kids on the flight. Let the kids check each other out; commiserate with fellow parents.
13. High fives all around when you land - you made it!
1. Bassinet seats - they didn't work for us since Tegan is not a great sleeper and was pretty big by the time we flew back to the states. If your little one can sleep on their own in new places though, make sure to reserve a bulkhead bassinet seat! Airlines vary in their bassinet reservation practices.
2. Get a seat for the baby if you can, the extra space is invaluable.
3. We packed 2 diaper bags, one we kept at our feet and the other in the overhead as back up. During layovers I restocked and rotated out toys.
4. Bring some favorite toys and some new ones to entertain. Also, the seatbelt or safety card can be fascinating new objects to explore (side note: some safety cards are better laminated than others, check yours before your sweet one eats the corner off the first page).
5. Pre-boarding is great for getting your stuff on the plane without everyone breathing down your neck to get past you, but not an easy time to sit on the hot plane with baby waiting for takeoff. If there are 2 of you, have 1 pre-board with all of the stuff and the other hang out with your tot and board towards the end.
6. Nurse, bottle, or pacifier on take-off and landing to help their ears. We also used a straw sippy cup when Tegan wasn't into nursing. I recommend waiting until the plane is speeding down the runway to take off before starting any of these otherwise they are done before you are in the air. Nursing is tricky in those tight spaces - watch their head sticking out into the aisle! Bonus - sometimes these things combined with the rumble of take off will put them to sleep. On the way down we started once we noticed our own ears popping.
8. When the seatbelt sign is off walk and stretch as much as you can - you never know when you will be in turbulence and for how long.
9. Your baby will cry, it's ok. Most people we've talked to say they feel for the parents more than anything else.
10. Some immigration/passport checks have special lines for pregnant women, families with children and elderly - look for them (Taiwan and Bangkok both have them).
11. Bring a blanket to lay out and play on during layovers.
13. High fives all around when you land - you made it!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Top 10 Taiwan posts
According to google analytics, these are our top posts about Taiwan over the last 3 years:
Rainbow Village
Leofoo Village Theme Park
Simply adorable (oh my how she has grown since this picture!)
Guava
Sun Moon Lake
Guo Nian
House of Unique Stink (I can still taste it...)
Having a baby in Taiwan
Modern Toilet
Musings (this one was fun for me to re-read since it was from the very beginning)
Rainbow Village
Leofoo Village Theme Park
Simply adorable (oh my how she has grown since this picture!)
Guava
Sun Moon Lake
Guo Nian
House of Unique Stink (I can still taste it...)
Having a baby in Taiwan
Modern Toilet
Musings (this one was fun for me to re-read since it was from the very beginning)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Having a baby in Taiwan
In the last year we've learned a lot about having a baby in Taiwan, heck, we've learned a lot about having a baby in general! We went the doctor/hospital route, so I don't know anything about other forms of prenatal care and birthing. I'll outline what we learned... if anyone has questions feel free to contact me.
Medical
When we decided to have a baby here we didn't know where to go at first. A representative from Kuang Tien had come to our school and explained their international program for foreigners - translators and specialized services offered. Translators in particular caught our attention - if we were going to have a baby we wanted to make sure the doctor and we were communicating clearly (not always the case when you go to the doctor here, though most do speak medical english). The hospital was a bit of a drive away from us, so we decided to try it and see if it was worth the drive - it was. There are, however, lots of hospitals and clinics available.
I called the international phone number at Kuang Tien and asked for an appointment with an obgyn. The man who answered the phone didn't know what an obgyn was: maybe not the best translator, but once I told him the point - we wanted a baby - he figured it out. I told them the times I could come in and he recommended a doctor for me who had clinic hours at the times I could come in - turns out he picked a great doctor for us, Dr. Su Chi Feng (we'll always be grateful for that choice).
Once I was pregnant we went in for doctor visits on the same schedule as one would go in the states. I got an ultrasound every visit so we got to see our baby a lot. At first we had a translator that went with us to each visit but our doctor's english was great so we didn't need the translator. Almost all visits and treatments were covered under the national health insurance NHI. We paid about $3US a visit, and out of pocket for a few extra optional tests (maybe $30US? - not much). I wrote more about a typical prenatal doctor visit in my last post.
We flew back to the states around 20 weeks and back to Taiwan around 28 weeks - we got a letter from the doctor in english and chinese saying I was safe to fly during that time but had no problems with the airlines. We also got copies of medical records to take back with me in case something happened while I was home.
When it came time to have the baby we requested private rooms. At our hospital women labor in a common room with curtains and then are moved into a delivery room. We preferred our own room - we paid extra for this and are glad we did. We also paid extra for a big private recovery room and again were happy with this choice.
I had asked our doctor earlier who would deliver our baby if he wasn't available - he laughed and said it was his job so our course it would be him, and it was. I'm not sure if this is always the case or if we were a special circumstance.
It was important that though labor, delivery and recovery we advocated for what we wanted and how we wanted things to go. We noticed people got stuck on doing things a certain way simply because that's how its been done before and some of what we expected was different from what the nurses and doctors were used to - anything from bigger medical decisions to simple baby care - and we had to request for things to go a certain way (I'm sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally discharged :).
Typical hospital stays after birth are 3 days or 5 for c-section. We had our baby room in with us and nurses and doctors were always coming and going. Often when only 1 nurse was required 2 or 3 would come so they could pool their english knowledge. Doctors would come and translate forms for us, and once even a young ENT resident came to translate for us. There was a place for Jeremiah to sleep and he only went to work the last 2 days (much to the nurses dismay - who would take care of me??? um.... them!). Breastfeeding was supported and encouraged.
Insurance
We have National Health Insurance - NHI. It covered almost all my prenatal visits, though when I went over the standard amount of covered visits our cost was still only about $9US each visit. Health insurance for the baby is covered under mom the first 2 months (this is the same for Taiwanese moms/babies too). However, foreigner babies have to be in Taiwan for 4 months before they can get NHI. This leaves a gap of at least 2 months (we're having a hard time determining if it is 4 months from birth or 4 months from the time they get their ARC). We looked into private insurance to cover the few months in case something went wrong but this proved difficult. We will pay out of pocket for health care until NHI kicks in for her. The out of pocket cost of the birth for us was under $100US and we had the added expense of the private rooms we requested, though this still was so cheap compared to home.
Clothes/Supplies/Stuff
I bought maternity clothes from home. Sizes and styles here didn't really suit me. I also bought my prenatal vitamins from home though I did see them available at our local pharmacy (not sure of the quality or what is in them though) and a friend bought some at costco here.
As it got closer I packed my hospital bag with recommendations from folks in the states. Some supplies needed were not provided by the hospital but we could purchase there so we did that.
We bought a Chicco carseat at SOGO. We mostly see moms here holding their babies in the car (I was told a law is changing this) and a few people laughed at us when they saw we had it in the car early in case I went into labor. We bought most of her clothes from the states - baby clothes here can be expensive or just not what we are used to. We also brought basic medicines from home as well as cloth diapers. There are many baby stores in Taichung that are well stocked with just about everything you could want - some familiar brands and many Taiwanese brands. Our nursery is furnished from Ikea.
Legal
Soon after birth we went to AIT for her passport, SSN and consular birth certificate - their website is very helpful in figuring out all you need and though you can't call to ask questions they are very quick in responding to emails. what the website doesn't say is you may have to prove that you lived in the states for a period of time (even if both parents are US citizens) and I was told college transcripts is the easiest way to do that, though they didn't actually ask to see ours when we went. Passport came in the mail in a few weeks, SSN a few weeks after that. Our employer applied for her ARC (we were told this must be done within 30 days of birth). The hardest thing about all of this was getting a suitable passport photo of a newborn - we took about 100 pictures to get one of her that met standards.
Other miscellaneous cultural things
-I think our baby will never be dressed warm enough for the moms and grandmas we meet.
-I was asked many times who would take care of my baby after she was born - typically the month after birth is a time for the mom to recover and she has help taking care of the baby, sometimes even staying at a special clinic. It appeased some when I told them my mom would come visit for awhile.
-No one ever came up to me and touched my belly as often happens in the states but many people were curious and had questions
-Warm water is always better than cold (as is the case also when you are sick) though I stuck to my ice water and cold drinks
-Special foods are given to mom to help her recover from birth - soup is key.
-People laughed when they saw all the baby furniture we had and our nursery set up.
-We get a lot of advice from people when we go out with the baby
I admit I was nervous at first about having a baby abroad but as soon as I met my doctor and got some information I felt very comfortable and we are so happy with the way everything turned out.
*Edit: we also found this forum helpful: Parent Pages
Medical
When we decided to have a baby here we didn't know where to go at first. A representative from Kuang Tien had come to our school and explained their international program for foreigners - translators and specialized services offered. Translators in particular caught our attention - if we were going to have a baby we wanted to make sure the doctor and we were communicating clearly (not always the case when you go to the doctor here, though most do speak medical english). The hospital was a bit of a drive away from us, so we decided to try it and see if it was worth the drive - it was. There are, however, lots of hospitals and clinics available.
I called the international phone number at Kuang Tien and asked for an appointment with an obgyn. The man who answered the phone didn't know what an obgyn was: maybe not the best translator, but once I told him the point - we wanted a baby - he figured it out. I told them the times I could come in and he recommended a doctor for me who had clinic hours at the times I could come in - turns out he picked a great doctor for us, Dr. Su Chi Feng (we'll always be grateful for that choice).
Once I was pregnant we went in for doctor visits on the same schedule as one would go in the states. I got an ultrasound every visit so we got to see our baby a lot. At first we had a translator that went with us to each visit but our doctor's english was great so we didn't need the translator. Almost all visits and treatments were covered under the national health insurance NHI. We paid about $3US a visit, and out of pocket for a few extra optional tests (maybe $30US? - not much). I wrote more about a typical prenatal doctor visit in my last post.
We flew back to the states around 20 weeks and back to Taiwan around 28 weeks - we got a letter from the doctor in english and chinese saying I was safe to fly during that time but had no problems with the airlines. We also got copies of medical records to take back with me in case something happened while I was home.
When it came time to have the baby we requested private rooms. At our hospital women labor in a common room with curtains and then are moved into a delivery room. We preferred our own room - we paid extra for this and are glad we did. We also paid extra for a big private recovery room and again were happy with this choice.
I had asked our doctor earlier who would deliver our baby if he wasn't available - he laughed and said it was his job so our course it would be him, and it was. I'm not sure if this is always the case or if we were a special circumstance.
It was important that though labor, delivery and recovery we advocated for what we wanted and how we wanted things to go. We noticed people got stuck on doing things a certain way simply because that's how its been done before and some of what we expected was different from what the nurses and doctors were used to - anything from bigger medical decisions to simple baby care - and we had to request for things to go a certain way (I'm sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally discharged :).
Typical hospital stays after birth are 3 days or 5 for c-section. We had our baby room in with us and nurses and doctors were always coming and going. Often when only 1 nurse was required 2 or 3 would come so they could pool their english knowledge. Doctors would come and translate forms for us, and once even a young ENT resident came to translate for us. There was a place for Jeremiah to sleep and he only went to work the last 2 days (much to the nurses dismay - who would take care of me??? um.... them!). Breastfeeding was supported and encouraged.
Insurance
We have National Health Insurance - NHI. It covered almost all my prenatal visits, though when I went over the standard amount of covered visits our cost was still only about $9US each visit. Health insurance for the baby is covered under mom the first 2 months (this is the same for Taiwanese moms/babies too). However, foreigner babies have to be in Taiwan for 4 months before they can get NHI. This leaves a gap of at least 2 months (we're having a hard time determining if it is 4 months from birth or 4 months from the time they get their ARC). We looked into private insurance to cover the few months in case something went wrong but this proved difficult. We will pay out of pocket for health care until NHI kicks in for her. The out of pocket cost of the birth for us was under $100US and we had the added expense of the private rooms we requested, though this still was so cheap compared to home.
Clothes/Supplies/Stuff
I bought maternity clothes from home. Sizes and styles here didn't really suit me. I also bought my prenatal vitamins from home though I did see them available at our local pharmacy (not sure of the quality or what is in them though) and a friend bought some at costco here.
As it got closer I packed my hospital bag with recommendations from folks in the states. Some supplies needed were not provided by the hospital but we could purchase there so we did that.
We bought a Chicco carseat at SOGO. We mostly see moms here holding their babies in the car (I was told a law is changing this) and a few people laughed at us when they saw we had it in the car early in case I went into labor. We bought most of her clothes from the states - baby clothes here can be expensive or just not what we are used to. We also brought basic medicines from home as well as cloth diapers. There are many baby stores in Taichung that are well stocked with just about everything you could want - some familiar brands and many Taiwanese brands. Our nursery is furnished from Ikea.
Legal
Soon after birth we went to AIT for her passport, SSN and consular birth certificate - their website is very helpful in figuring out all you need and though you can't call to ask questions they are very quick in responding to emails. what the website doesn't say is you may have to prove that you lived in the states for a period of time (even if both parents are US citizens) and I was told college transcripts is the easiest way to do that, though they didn't actually ask to see ours when we went. Passport came in the mail in a few weeks, SSN a few weeks after that. Our employer applied for her ARC (we were told this must be done within 30 days of birth). The hardest thing about all of this was getting a suitable passport photo of a newborn - we took about 100 pictures to get one of her that met standards.
Other miscellaneous cultural things
-I think our baby will never be dressed warm enough for the moms and grandmas we meet.
-I was asked many times who would take care of my baby after she was born - typically the month after birth is a time for the mom to recover and she has help taking care of the baby, sometimes even staying at a special clinic. It appeased some when I told them my mom would come visit for awhile.
-No one ever came up to me and touched my belly as often happens in the states but many people were curious and had questions
-Warm water is always better than cold (as is the case also when you are sick) though I stuck to my ice water and cold drinks
-Special foods are given to mom to help her recover from birth - soup is key.
-People laughed when they saw all the baby furniture we had and our nursery set up.
-We get a lot of advice from people when we go out with the baby
I admit I was nervous at first about having a baby abroad but as soon as I met my doctor and got some information I felt very comfortable and we are so happy with the way everything turned out.
*Edit: we also found this forum helpful: Parent Pages
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Prenatal care in Taiwan - visiting the doctor
Since I have gotten many questions about what our health care is like I thought I'd share a typical prenatal appointment experience. I also posted this awhile ago on our other blog.
In the doctor's office I had an ultrasound (I have one every visit). He measured Baby O's head size, femur bone and abdomen to help determine due date (still around October 22nd). He measured the heart rate (normal) and checked for any problems (none). Finally, we discussed that she is breech and what that may mean down the road. For now, however, she has plenty of room to turn around.
After the ultrasound we went to the computer where he noted information in my file. He explained the blood test that I was to get next and sent us on our way with a nurse to get my blood test, and for Jeremiah to get his blood type determined since we didn't know it.
The nurse took us to the blood drawing area and we took a number. After about 10 people it was our turn and the nurse translated for us when needed. The nurse took us back to the obstetrics waiting area while they processed Jeremiah's blood type. 30 minutes later they called us in and told us I would need to get a shot today and one after I give birth. The nurse walked us to the pharmacy to pick up the injection (she waited in line for me to get it) and then took us to the injection room. We took a number and waited our turn. This was the craziest part of the day - I was called into a good sized room that was filled with people. One man was sitting in a chair getting bandages on what looked like road burn on his back and arms. There were 5 beds with people in them getting various treatments - a young boy getting an IV, someone getting a burn bandaged, an old man getting blood and a few others. Everyone out in the open. I was showed to a bed and while everyone else was out in the open getting more intense procedures than I was, the nurse closed the curtain around us, then gave me the shot in my arm and we were sent on our way home.
We paid about $3US and it included everything. The interactions with the doctor were all in english and the nurse who took us around translated for us when the other nurses didn't speak english. A productive and satisfactory visit. We have found that with the right doctor, who understands there are some cultural differences in medical practices between America and Taiwan, and is flexible around those differences, everything can go very smoothly. We are very fortunate to have such doctors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)