Mothers Who are Preparing to Give Birth Abroad:

I'm passionate about delivering my next child abroad and became curious to get vital information on this matter.  So, I contacted experts  to gather reliable information on how to give birth abroad and I found it worthy of sharing on this blog.

Here are my tips for Mothers who are preparing to give birth abroad:

1.   DO YOUR PRE-BIRTH RESEARCH: Which country?  Which location? What type of extended housing and transportation is available at the location? Also, remember to check the visa requirement for such country. You can ask around other expats, search the internet and don’t be afraid to reach out to those expats bloggers with your questions.

2.    GET A STANDARD HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY OF YOUR CHOICE: Register with a standard and affordable maternity hospitals in the country of your choice and after finalizing with the hospital proceed to the country Embassy in your home town to get your visa with the original documents to proof your reasons for traveling to the country. After getting visa, you can book a flight.  Do not forget to get an affordable health insurance and make a budget for your trip.

3. CHECK FLIGHT REGULATIONS FOR FLYING WHILE PREGNANT: If you are planning to fly to another country to deliver your baby, you must find out the airline’s regulations for flying while pregnant. Regulations are not the same for all airlines and all airports. Airports policies are different depending on whether they have a clinic to do the pre-flight check. Some airlines let you fly with a doctor’s note until you’re 35+ weeks pregnant. Other airlines won’t even let you on the plane (even with a doctor’s note) if you’re 33 weeks pregnant. Do your research on the regulations and make sure the note from the doctor is dated no later than a week before your flight.


4. GET YOUR BAGS PACKED FOR THE TRIP: Since you might have to fly out a month before your due date and then you’re looking at another month or two after you deliver to take care of passports and visas, you’re going to want to put a little more thought than usual into your packing. It is important to pack smartly (travel as light as possible) to avoid any inconveniences in your journey.

5. SECURE A PLACE TO STAY:  By the time you have passport and visa in hand combined with flying restrictions you may find yourself relocated for 2 to 3 months. You want comfortable and affordable accommodations. Check with other companies/organizations that have home offices in the city you will be staying. Maybe if they have vacancies you can get a cheaper rate than through a private rental. Also, check with the hospitals themselves, especially, if the country is known for medical tourism.

6. HAVE A BIRTH PLAN READY:  There are many different cultures and many different religions. This means that people have a lot of different cultural and religious preferences when it comes to the birth of a child. Prepared to tell the hospital staff what you want and what you do not want. Please, remember to ask your doctor to provide you a pre-typed birth plan, this will help you indicate your preference.

7. DON’T BE AFRAID TO PESTER PEOPLE WITH QUESTIONS: If you aren’t sure of anything  ask questions from experienced people and when you get to the country also ask question from your Doctor and Nurses.

8. REPORT THE BIRTH TO YOUR EMBASSY AND APPLY FOR THE BABY’S PASSPORT: Not many moms have to pack up and head to the embassy with baby in-tow a mere week after giving birth. Lucky you! It’s not ideal but it has to be done. You’re required to make an appointment for this so don’t just show up to the embassy unannounced. There are also a good bit of documents you need to have ready to turn in once you’ve made your appointment. It is crucial to ask for the list of the needed document and be sure if you are to bring photocopy or original copy of such document to the Embassy.

9. LOOK FOR INTERPRETER: If you don’t deliver in a city where all nursing/doctor/staff speaks English well, to have a friend in the city come and help interpret. Or take advantage of a hospital’s interpretation services (many hospitals with high expat patient numbers have this service). Or, if you already know the language, brush up on some terms you might encounter.

10. ASK A FRIEND TO “PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE” PICK YOU AND YOUR FAMILY UP FROM THE AIRPORT ONCE YOU RETURN HOME:  Nobody wants to take a taxi (or maybe even 2 with all of your luggage) once you get back to your home city.  Don’t underestimate how much others want to help you. When there’s an opportunity to hold a precious little newborn baby, people are going to be quick to offer you some help. You might feel guilty asking someone to drive way out of the way to come and get you but trust me, people want to help. Don’t rob someone of the joy that comes from helping others. Speaking as a person who likes to give, it really does bring me joy. So let the givers give and the helpers help.


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