We're Pregnant! Will Give Birth In Thailand. Advice?

[johnnymoretti]

Well, my Thai wife and I are pregnant. Due in July 2009. We are currently in San Francisco and will travel to Bangkok in May to finish out her trimester there. We think we may give birth at Thai Nakarin Hospital in Bangkok. We have a home in Bangplee, but will likely rent a serviced apartment near the hospital.

We then will return to USA in October (I need to return to work, though we are building a house in Khao Lak).

SO>>>>>>>>

We hope you will have advice on what to expect regarding healthcare, prenatal care, what to bring with us that we can't find in Thailand, stroller or NO stroller, infant formula from US...and just about anything you can think of.

We are quite excited (our first baby!) and like all parents, hope for the best.

Please fill this topic with anything that might help...and even just a 'hello' would be great!

Thank you!

John and Roong

[capco1]

Hi John & Roong,

I've seen this movie before, my Thai wife and myself ( American) also had a daughter which was born in Thailand (korat). Everything went just fine and the hospital took excellent care of both my wife and daughter, if anything she was given extra special care when they found out the father was a farang. The best part was that my daughter cost me a whole $500.00 in medical bills! One really funny thing that happened on the way out of the hospital was an elderly Thai lady stopped my wife and asked her she was able to get such a great job as a nanny for farang baby? lol.......As long as you use a well known hospital everything will be fine and you're wife will love all the attention she'll receive. Good luck!!!

Edited November 18, 2008 by capco1

[johnnymoretti]

Hi John & Roong,

I've seen this movie before, my Thai wife and myself ( American) also had a daughter which was born in Thailand (korat)....

Capco1,

Thank you so much! That is funny about the nanny. My wife was quite amused, too! We are looking forward to this new adventure. Can you tell me how you registered the birth of your daughter (both US and Thai)...that is, if you did. Thanks again!

J & R

[capco1]

I registered her as an American citizen with the embassy in Bangkok. I just felt more comfortable with doing it that way. We are however planning on moving back to Thailand within the next year to raise the kids (we have two daughters). Keep us posted on how everything goes!!

Capt & Nok

[capco1]

Also, I almost forgot....Regarding buying items for the baby....I wouldn't worry about bringing anything with you. We bought everything in Thailand and it was way cheaper, we even bought the stroller there and when we flew back to California we just gave it to my wife's niece. I will give you a small piece of advice.....prepare yourself for your wife to be spending a lot of time in front of a mirror!!.....drove me crazy.....we couldn't even walk by a window without her looking at herself! I will say over all it was a great experience and I wouldn't of missed it for the world!!.....as you can probably tell, my kids are my pride and joy and your life will never be the same again.....Nothing like the unconditional love from a child!

[kingwillly]

Well, my Thai wife and I are pregnant. Due in July 2009. We are currently in San Francisco and will travel to Bangkok in May to finish out her trimester there. We think we may give birth at Thai Nakarin Hospital in Bangkok. We have a home in Bangplee, but will likely rent a serviced apartment near the hospital.

We then will return to USA in October (I need to return to work, though we are building a house in Khao Lak).

SO>>>>>>>>

We hope you will have advice on what to expect regarding healthcare, prenatal care, what to bring with us that we can't find in Thailand, stroller or NO stroller, infant formula from US...and just about anything you can think of.

We are quite excited (our first baby!) and like all parents, hope for the best.

Please fill this topic with anything that might help...and even just a 'hello' would be great!

Thank you!

John and Roong

pretty much get everything here.

[johnnymoretti]

Thanks Capt and Nok,

Great advice! We've been living in both San Francisco and Khao Lak (Phang Nga) off and on over the past three years. We're in the middle of her permanent residency files. We should have that done by next month. She already has her work permit. We should be in Thailand in May and then return in October so we keep most of the year in the US to keep her residency. We eventually will return to Thailand in a few years to complete the home and live there most of the time. Sounds like you may be 'retiring' there, too!

We may bring a stroller with us to Thailand since I'm a junkie for finding the best deals and Thailand may be limited in selection. The airlines usually allow a stroller with no extra charge.

What about the little things, like pacifiers, milk bottles, certain medications (butt butter or infamil) since they are not as strictly regulated like our FDA? For example, we don't allow plastic bottles, pacifiers, etc that have BPA plastics that can cause neurological problems and possible cancers later in life. Do you, or anyone reading this, have any input??

Thanks...I love this forum!

John and Roong

[kingwillly]

What about the little things, like pacifiers, milk bottles, certain medications (butt butter or infamil) since they are not as strictly regulated like our FDA? For example, we don't allow plastic bottles, pacifiers, etc that have BPA plastics that can cause neurological problems and possible cancers later in life. Do you, or anyone reading this, have any input??

We enver used pacifiers. but as to bottles and things, can get them all here, usually importted form Aus or states anyway, if you are particularly fussy best to bring some of your own.

[2008bangkok]

Hey John, congratualtions to the both of you i hop everything goes okay..

I had a little boy 4 months ago in Thailand and it was my 1st aswell so i know how your feeling..

Everything that you will need you can buy here in Thailand which will pretty much meet up to the standards you will find anywhere in the western world especially if you shop at Mothercare.

We opted to have our son at the goverment hospital purely because if i was back at home i wont go private so why should i do it here but then everyone to there own, my total cost was about 15.000 and as i work here i was able to claim 12,000 back of the tax people in cash..

A couple of things to note 1stly when the baby is born he or she is registered at the hospital house paper' as legally all thai citizens need to be registered somewhere so this needs to be changed to you wifes family house paper ASAP.

i would definately ust leave the stroller until you got here you really can get some decent ones http://www.all-4-baby.com/

As far as prenatal care goes it was ver good... the clinic we went to would show us a scan every month we went there which for 1st time parents is a blessing in discuise as i to was really nervous about complications, compare that to the UK were you get 2 scans one at 12 weeks and one at 9 months.

Good luck with this

[MyphuketLife]

I just 4 months ago had my first child (son) in Phuket, Thailand (also an american... from portland OR)... I would not worry, as long as you use a large hospital, we recieved excellent care, everything we needed (car seat, stroller, formula) I was able to find just fine in Thailand (although really check your car seat before purchasing, allot of cheap crap out there)....

Registered the birth of my son at the US embassy and applied for his passport, all went fine....

The best part is we got really good care (probably better than that in the US hospital), and what we paid here in full was less than the co-payment would have been for my health care insurance back in the US....

[MyphuketLife]

We opted to have our son at the goverment hospital purely because if i was back at home i wont go private so why should i do it here but then everyone to there own

You are brave, the standards at the goverment run hospital compared to the international private hospitals in thailand is night and day.... Every Thai person I know, if they can at all aford it go to the private "international" hospital as opposed to the government on because of the care.... But then again its not heart surgery its a birth of a baby and for the most part things don't go wrong...

[Boo]

Most everything can be bought in Thailand BUT.... you can pick up better quality bargains in sales in the US than you would find here, so if you can find a decent stroller in the US in a sale then it will more than likely be much cheaper than an equivianat stroller bought in LOS. You can get cheap strollers in LOS but they are generally cheap quality too IME.

One thing that is essential IMO to bring is a childs car seat. The availability in LOS is very limited & for a proper, safety standard one (and some sold in los have no safety standard at all) will be much more expensive in LOS. My sons car seat cost me 2k baht in UK & a the closest quality one was being sold for starting prices 4.5baht in LOS.

Congratulations

[mizzi39]

We opted to have our son at the goverment hospital purely because if i was back at home i wont go private so why should i do it here but then everyone to there own

You are brave, the standards at the goverment run hospital compared to the international private hospitals in thailand is night and day.... Every Thai person I know, if they can at all aford it go to the private "international" hospital as opposed to the government on because of the care.... But then again its not heart surgery its a birth of a baby and for the most part things don't go wrong...

Totally untrue. my son was born at a Govt. hospital. Both my wife and baby received exceptional care. What many fail to realize is that the same doctors have contracts with both Govt. and private hospitals, so the quality of care is same same. Private hospitals are big business in the LOS, and spend a lot of money on fancy advertising. This is about the only thing that separates private and Govt.

Congratulations OP. You will find that the cost of having your baby in Thailand as opposed to the US is night and day. I worked in health care in the US for 10 years. Privatization (like we have in the US) does not mean better care and that goes for private hospitals in Thailand. The US is ranked 38 worldwide for its standards. Sorry to be off topic!

[torrenova]

Am I missing something here ? Why not just have the kid in the USA as you live there ? Surely there would be nationality advantages ? Or is cost such an issue ?

As for what to bring then it is ok as you will be in Bangkok. You can get everything here. I brought things from the UK 18 months ago and was glad for some soft towels and all in one suits. Some things of quality are hard to find even in Bangkok.

I was in Emporium on Sukhumvit the other week and they have a great selection of Avent stuff but not the microwave steamer which I really suggest you get. They have Mothercare stuff as well and Enfant and De Bon for clothes. Robinsons has some decent stuff as well.

For the short time you'll be here and the age of your baby you'll hardly need a stroller so just get a cheap one here. If you will have a car then consider bringing a set like Maxi Cosi and a 3 wheeler base. That would then work as a car seat.

Best of luck but don't fret as you'll be fine.

[hereata]

Hi! John and Roong,

Congrats to both of you.

Regarding BPA free bottles, I saw some here in Bkk at Paragon - not many places have it tho and I can't comment on the price as I don't use them coz I switch from plastic bottles to glass bottles by Evenflo - very "sturdy" when I heard about the BPA thing. Bought most of them from the States via www.babycenter.com as it's a lot cheaper - if not mistaken it was less than USD2.00 per bottle. As for the bottle nipples I use Dr Browns (you can get them here but I'm not certain about the price difference) - not certain if they're BPA free.

Pacifiers - I have yet to see a BPA free pacifier here. We didn't use pacifier earlier, only started recently to help my son sleep. Hmm ... now that you mentioned it, I think I'll get a pacifier fr the States.

The other stuff that I bought mainly from the States are board books. So if you're into reading English books for your baby in the early stages, I would suggest buying from there - we got most books from Amazon. Someone from this forum suggested Seri Center at Bangna but I have yet to check it out thus can't comment on the prices and selections.

We registered our son at the American Embassy. He's having dual citizenship - American and Thai.

Hope this helps and congrats again It'll be a whole new world when the baby comes

Regards,

Ruth

Edited November 20, 2008 by hereata

[LadyinRed]

I was told by my OB that c-section is very common among Thai ladies.

If you want a truly unforgettable experience, encourage your wife to give birth naturally.

Also for the first few months you're probably breast feeding so no hurry to buy bottles, etc., or get 1 or 2 - just in case.

Ditto on car seats - they have limited and overpriced ones here.

Finally, congratulations!!

[thaihome]

Probably a bit early, but here is the process for Birth of a U.S. Citizen in Thailand.

TH

[johnnymoretti]

I want to thank you all for replying!! We truly appreciate the time you've taken to help us out!!

We've made some tentative decisions based on our research and your responses:

1. We will bring our own quality carseat with us (and leave it in Thailand for subsequent visits).

2. We will bring a quality/sturdy stroller with us (and leave it in Thailand, too...my family will pick us up in US with new one).

3. We will bring a few glass bottles/BPA-free nipples and BPA pacifiers.

4. We will bring some onesies (one-piece suits) from US that are flame retardant/resistent (a standard requirement in the US).

5. We will likely give birth at a hospital where we are comfortable with the doctor, not the level of fanciness.

6. We reserve the right to change our minds about anything noted in 1-5! Ha!

We are very excited, as much as can be expected.

To respond to Terrenova's question: "Am I missing something here ? Why not just have the kid in the USA as you live there ? Surely there would be nationality advantages ? Or is cost such an issue ?"

There is no nationality advantage...the baby will have dual-citizenship. Cost is an issue, as we don't (personally) have maternity healthcare here in the US. And we live in both Thailand and the US, so we can share the love!!

Thanks everyone!

J&R

[torrenova]

My baby (UK / Thai) also has dual nationality but there is some potential issue about the next generation being able to pass down nationality which would not arise were the baby born in the UK. I don't really see that as an issue and in our case we had no choice as we have been living in Thailand permanently for a long time.

Your wife will be able to have some family around I guess which will be great for her. Hospitals here are ok but as you say, base your decision on the doctor. I don't know about you but some doctors here think that they impart information and Thais just accept. I've had a few arguments over that as I question everything and insist on all conversation in English, not translated Thai. Some doctor don't like that but hey, you're paying the bill so you choose !

There seems to be a great push for caesarian. Even though our doctor gave us loads of confidence and we knew she had taken two friends through natural births only a few months before, she did try and push for a caesarian before it was necessary and I had to be firm on this. Luckily we were able to draw on the advice of an Australian surgeon and a Japanese gynaecologist so I wasn't just googling. In the end the baby was born by caesarian as her cervix had not dilated enough to induce labour and the baby was quite large for her frame. Seeing the baby born was a shock but seeing al the stuff they pull out of her was more shocking. I'd watch some videos beforehand if you don't know anything. I wish I had.

For me, bringing things from the UK was to make life easier at start up. Sure I brought things I could have bought here but I was in Pattaya, not Bangkok so it eased trips there and back. I bought more than we needed but there were no dramas and no time wasted rushing around. I could focus on being there for her. At the end of the day being over prepared is better than being under prepared.

Best of luck to you both.

[coventry]

We opted to have our son at the goverment hospital purely because if i was back at home i wont go private so why should i do it here but then everyone to there own

You are brave, the standards at the goverment run hospital compared to the international private hospitals in thailand is night and day.... Every Thai person I know, if they can at all aford it go to the private "international" hospital as opposed to the government on because of the care.... But then again its not heart surgery its a birth of a baby and for the most part things don't go wrong...

Totally untrue. my son was born at a Govt. hospital. Both my wife and baby received exceptional care. What many fail to realize is that the same doctors have contracts with both Govt. and private hospitals, so the quality of care is same same. Private hospitals are big business in the LOS, and spend a lot of money on fancy advertising. This is about the only thing that separates private and Govt.

Congratulations OP. You will find that the cost of having your baby in Thailand as opposed to the US is night and day. I worked in health care in the US for 10 years. Privatization (like we have in the US) does not mean better care and that goes for private hospitals in Thailand. The US is ranked 38 worldwide for its standards. Sorry to be off topic!

I have to agree with mizzi39. My daughter was born in a Goverment Hospital. Where I live, if you use a Private Hospital or the Government one you can be sure you'll use the same private doctor. Only the facilities are different. Child birth is free at Govenment hospitals, you use the doctor of your choosing. Private doctor cost 1,500-2,000 Baht for the birth. 3 night private room, about 2,500 Baht. My wife's due to give birth again, to twins in April, and we will definately use the Government Hospital again. Don't listen to the doom forecasters that run down Government Hospitals. They do have standards.

Car seats here are good. If they weren't I wouldn't put my daughter in one. It's as safe as one I could buy in the UK and cost 4,500 Baht 6 months ago

Edited November 22, 2008 by coventry

[alenhan]

Congrats to you John & Roong,

Welcome to the world of busy days and nights--but so happy and tired.

Please bring car seat and stroller from US.

And buy others in Thailand.

i have my first baby girl in Greenville, Texas.

and 2nd baby in Chantaburi at govt hospital.

doctor who saw us at Chantaburi also works in private H too.

he told that at govt's has the newest tech in Chantaburi.

so, any friend in Chan may take a look at it.

my wife had c-sections though for second time.

[Richb2004v2]

Congrats to you John & Roong,

Welcome to the world of busy days and nights--but so happy and tired.

Please bring car seat and stroller from US.

And buy others in Thailand.

i have my first baby girl in Greenville, Texas.

and 2nd baby in Chantaburi at govt hospital.

doctor who saw us at Chantaburi also works in private H too.

he told that at govt's has the newest tech in Chantaburi.

so, any friend in Chan may take a look at it.

my wife had c-sections though for second time.

I don't doubt the great experience of those using government hospitals, but I have real doubts about using them. I have heard first hand so many bad stories, although none of them involving pregnancy. My wife’s friend had a bad experience recently whilst having a routine medical check up. The specialist told her that she had cervical cancer and would need surgery and wanted to perform the operation as soon as possible. Thankfully she took the second opinion of two other doctors before proceeding. She was given the given the all clear. That was about a year ago. Conversely, my hair dresser experienced problems and visited a government doctor and was given the all clear, only for the symptoms to persist and to have to have an operation later to remove a tumor. Also a guy I know had to resort to having a specialist contact the hospital to explain a simple medical condition to them in order to get treatment. My friend is not a doctor but he just knew that were wrong.

My wife is probably older than average and therefore I want to minimize risks. I will probably pay the extra for the private hospital. My wife is due in June.

[Hogboy]

My wife insisted on giving birth two months ago in the govt hospital in her home town (small home town in Isaan) despite my concerns, but I was stunned at the high level of care there. No issues, no fuss, and no charges other than 600 baht a night for a private room. As mentioned earlier, the same doctors that practice privately elsewhere.

That said, I have been in govt hospitals in big cities, notably Surat Thani, where people are in beds in every corridor and even stairwells are full. These places are completely different entities and should not be confused with the regional town hospitals. I felt uncomfortable just as a visitor there !

Agree that a stroller etc should be bought elsewhere. Quality can be found but at a higher price than back home.

Would also advise that some pre-natal care should be sought at the proposed hospital before simply turning up in labour !

About to register my child with the UK embassy so can report later as to my experiences.

[Mario2008]

I think Thai government hospitals provide good care. However, a lot of doctors just finished their education and are still in the process of learning. Especialy in more rural hospitals. They can handle the normal cases, but lack the experience to handle more complicated cases. If they can, they will transfer these. When they can, the transfer and a new in-experienced doctor comes along.

I think you find the best government hospitals in small towns. Doctors often stay their at the hospital instead of transferring and start a private practise on the side.

For a normal delivery a government hospital is fine. If you expect complications, I would look for a private hospital unless the government hospital has experient staf.

[COSMOdude]

Hi John and Roon,

I was wondering if you could tell me about the name of your baby. My son will be born in Thailand in about 2 weeks from now in a place close to Korat and I have some trouble with Thai boy names as they sound very strange to me.

All the best to both of you!

[getgoin]

Have the baby here. It is cheap and you can register them as Thai on their Thai birth certificate. Do not forget this step. This will allow him/her to to have Thai citizenship, get a Thai ID card and allow them to have land passed to them or in their name in the future. This is important if you plan to have any property in Thailand. They can also become an owner of a Thai company and you will not have to get them a visa.

Then go to US Embassy and get a Consular Report Of Birth and get your child a US passport. This will give your child all the rights afforded a US citizen.

If you have a boy at 18 they have to do the army lottery but as with anything in Thailand, for a small price, enlisted service will be waved. With a girl there is no enlisted service required.

[FairwayJack]

Congrats and good luck John and Roong....remember to buy those little baby mittens.

[Shazza]

Congratulations.... I hope all goes well for you both at this super exciting time of life! I haven't had any babies here in Thailand but I think I'd go private if I could afford it - especially if any complications expected... mostly there are none though.

Just a plug for the 'natural' way - breast milk is free (you just need to drink loads of water) and super hygenic, and great for the develop of immunity (feeds the baby truckloads of it, drawing from the environment to make immunity), awesome for brain cell development and blah, blah, blah.... what's the Thai take on this, don't see many doing it here in Chiang Mai???

Hopefully, we'll see some photos at some stage?

[slaninaj]

Congratulations on having a baby, wish you both luck. We had our son Jan 20 this year at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok which was far from her house but Blue Cross covered all the cost except we got a private room so I can stay with her and the baby,cost us about 1,500B a night. We are talking about baby #2 now even if she is in the USA thinking about going back to Thailand to have the baby. It is a lot easier for her to understand what is going on there, then in the USA not knowing good english. I think that a good move have it there so your wife can understand all that is going on. Drove me crazy not know what the hel_l was going on haha.

Good-Luck

[JimShortz]

Well, my Thai wife and I are pregnant.

Congratulations on the impending birth, and it's great you're being so involved, but I have to tell you that WE are not pregnant, SHE is. What you have is a beer belly and I'm afraid that will still be there after she gives birth and goes back to her (I guess) slim Thai figure.

Sorry about the bad news, but somebody had to tell you.