Martin. congrats, being a father truely is a great thing. My wife gave birth to a baby boy 2 months ago and it has changed both our lives fpr the better.

I decided on the other option, I left my position with a MNC in HK to take care of my wife and child in Thailand. I am not looking at staying in LOS for the longterm however, we are both in our 20's and recognise that we cannot give our child the future that we want for him here.

I am a british citizen and this passes automatically to my son, so that will be our final port of call when he is of school age. Before I left my position in HK i consulted various agencies about the impact that a break for 2 or 3 years would make on my career. Apparently career breaks are now more common than they ever have been before, and provided that they are not too long you should be able to slip back into your chosen career without too much difficulty, but i guess that depends on your industry.

I do not regret moving here, it has given me the opportunity to strengthen my relationship with my wife in her home country (we met o/ seas) and get to know my son and he in turn his father during his most formulative years.

To give you a rough idea on costs ore and post birth.

Pre

Maternity Wear ( I picked this up in HK, no idea on prices)

Monthy check up - 600 - 1000 baht

Ultrasound - 1500 baht (she had 3)

Birth

St Louis Hospital - 35,000 baht

Post

Bed, Clothes, Buggy etc ....  as expensive as you want them to be!

monthly check up for my wife and son 800 baht

I guess it depends on what you want. I wanted my wife and son to have the best start and as a result the expenses have been high.

One more thing.... the support that my friends and family have given me, both here, and in the UK has been invaluable. Our house constantly has visitors which has helped us deal with the unknown!!

Good luck, whatever you decide.

5. food for mama just send wallet

:laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh: