Nervous about overseas pregnancy

[RandaPanda]

Hi girls,

So, DH and I are starting TTC in about 6 weeks. I am SO excited! However, we live overseas, and if everything goes according to plan and I actually get pregnant nearly right away, I will spend the first 4-5 months pregnant over here.

Although I'm excited, and I really don't want to put off TTC any longer (I'm 32.5 and want 2-3 kids a few years apart), I'm starting to get super nervous about pregnancy complications while overseas. We live on an island in south China, and the medical care here isn't even close to the quality of care I would receive in Canada. I'm fine with that for things like prenatal visits, but I'm starting to get super paranoid about miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and all the other things that can happen.

Since I started temping and charting, I've also found out that my luteal phase is on the short side - 10 days. I'm worried that this will increase my risk of a miscarriage.

Any advice on how to handle these feelings? I don't want to be irrational, but I'm really nervous

 

[Maddy40]

I would start looking at some bigger private hospitals on the mainland, maybe in Guangzhou or Shanghai. Maybe think about relocating to a serviced apartment in a bigger city for the final part of your pregnancy so you can be near to a place that has a good international reputation - and birthing practices that mirror your own wishes. I have lived in a number of different countries in Asia and, while a percentage of expat-women are happy to use local hospitals, even those that speak the local language fluently generally preferred to receive their care in a western-standard international hospital.

Is your DH Chinese and will he be able to translate everything for you (including in an emergency) if you birth on the island?

Best of luck! How exciting!

 

[RandaPanda]

Hi Maddy,

Thanks for your reply! My husband is also Canadian. We both work on Hainan island, but my job contract finishes up the first week of July, and we will be returning home for sure at that point (we've been here for nearly 3 years now, and have also been on the mainland for a year a while back - near Shanghai, which is SO much more comfortable for a foreigner!!!). We can't really relocate at all because of work (about 50 scheduled hours a week at an international school with a stringent contract...including no provisions for maternity/prenatal stuff...blerg!) but we are only a 1.5 hour flight to Hong Kong. I'm debating going there for my prenatal visits because I would feel a lot more secure about my health and my future baby's, but I know the cost is going to add up fast with the hospital itself, the hotel, the flights. And we would have to try to do quick weekend trips over there to be back for work. The staff at my school would be able to assist with my appointments and translation if I were to stick with one of the "better" hospitals on our island though. I guess I can just wait and see how things go. In the meantime, I'll just try to calm down

Thanks again

 

[RandaPanda]

p.s. I snooped a bit, and I see that you are due very soon! Congratulations

 

[Maddy40]

No problem - HKong sounds good! Having used our overseas private hospital for a couple of gyno-issues when we lived in Thailand, I must say I actually wish I was back there Obviously you pay for it but it was actually cheaper than a private hospital in Australia. And it was like a 6-star hotel, including being able to order room-service from the Starbucks downstairs Makes the experience of long waits at our government hospital here seem....quaint

Best of luck on your baby journey.