Destination Birth

Destination birth or birth tourism has been around for a while for various reasons. Hear what this 2016 mum has to say about her experience. She lives in England and planned to have her baby in the United States.

1. What made you decide to have a destination birth?

Apart from good health care, just the advantages of my child being a US citizen.

[Not all countries give unconditional birthright citizenship. Remember to enquire about this before you choose your destination, if citizenship is one of the reasons for your choice]

2. How many weeks pregnant were you when you travelled? Are there restrictions on flying while you are pregnant? 

I was about 36 weeks pregnant when I travelled. 36weeks is the latest for travelling. It was only Air France that had this late option for pregnant women.  Other airlines were earlier.  

[What are the rules for your preferred airline? Find out in advance]

3. What’s the process for giving birth abroad? Do you have to register with a doctor/hospital and transfer your notes before you travel? 

The first thing to do if you want to give birth in the US is to decide which state you want to go to as medical practices and fees differ across different states. Once you decide on the state, then you shop for a doctor. Either online or through references from friends and family. Once you have decided on which gynaecologist to use, the hospital to which the gynaecologist is affiliated with is your location for delivery. However the doctors clinic will be the venue for your routine antenatal visits. 

4. Was it easy transferring your medical notes from one country to another? 

It was very easy transferring my notes. Maybe because of the handheld medical notes style of the UK. 

5.  Is it free to give birth in a country you don't reside in? (Did you have to buy international medical insurance?)

The kind of medical services you are offered in the US is the self pay type. This is because you don't have any medical insurance and not necessarily because you don't reside in the US. So you are required to pay for all the services offered by your doctor, the hospital, the paediatrician etc.

There is also the international medical insurance but I am not sure if it covers maternity. 

6. Did you have a c-section or normal delivery? Would the mode of delivery affect the cost? 

Yes the mode of delivery affects the cost;  a vaginal delivery is cheaper than a Caesarean. 

[You might have planned a natural birth but it may be a good idea to have enough funds to cover a C-section just incase]

7.What nationality is your baby? 

He is a US citizen 

8. How long did the paper work take; birth certificate, passports...?

 About a week for the passport. About a week for the birth certificate also.

9. Did you have to register your babies birth with the embassy of your home country? 

 No, I didn't register because I can do it over here in the UK.

10. In total. How long where you away for?

About 2 months.  

[remember to take enough time off work if you reside in a country that has limited maternity leave period]

11. Did you have to rent a house for the period you were away? 

We didn't rent, stayed with a family.

12.We’re there any practices you found strange or different in the hospital abroad?

The health care system is very different from the UK. It's a private health care system. So it's more like you make choices about where you want to receive  services yourself other than a public service provided by the government.

13. Over all how was your birth experience in another country? Was it what you expected, beyond or beneath ? 

It was okay. Exactly what I expected.

14.Would you recommend a destination birth? 

I think destination birth is a good idea. But it depends on an individual's choice and preferences.

15.What advice do you have for mums-to-be planning a destination birth?

My Advice, plan plan plan plan properly, I can't overemphasise that. When shopping for doctors, it's best to get one from reference either from friends or family. Pray about the entire procedure. Travel early. (It wasn't easy travelling at 36wks).