Reasons to opt for a delivery abroad instead of India ?

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/pregnancy-and-labor/243831-why-women-staying-abroad-have.html

 

Op. I decided to deliver here in US for convenience. It was not with to travel 24 hrs deliver and come back. Above all I work full time so can't take too much time off and I know we are kind of settled here so no point in delivering in India and struggling for kids citizenship here. In short our decision was simply on convenience.

 

OP,

My most of the friends who are planning to settled in USA delivered baby in USA only for citizenship (with hope in case if they will not get any chance their kids will be settled). For working ladies, leave can be one reason. I don't see any reason (medical facility etc) to deliver kid in USA. I delivered my kid in India and seen my friends in USA, honestly no difference even I got more help in india what they got here. I had my family without much hassle, hired maid and a good doctor who was available on phone at any time. Parents were also happy as they were able to see grand kid. and that's major reason to deliver in India...other can be (if you are planning to back), higher education as most of the institutes take more fee for NRIs.

That's my 2 cents only.

 

In usa, For working moms, going to India is not an option. In us your maternity leave is either 6 weeks or 12 weeks according to your company policy.if it's 12 weeks, Only 6 weeks is paid leave. In India you can take 6 months/1 year of job protected leave).so traveling to India/ and coming back is not an option at all, unless you are ready to resign.

Now let's take stay at home moms.if I am a stay at home mom, then also I would have delivered in USA. There are many reasons to it. 1) I wanted my husband to be my near during the pregnancy and labor. My parents were ready to come here and help me. It's an added bonus. I doubt if I go back to my native, even if I was in india for the same reason unless I am in a part of world where medical facilities are not better than my native.
2) I don't want to change my gyn during the middle or end of the pregnancy. I will be more comfortable if she know me from the beginning and know my history.

3) I still believe facilities are much better in USA than india.
Simple example, if I went into the labor suddenly and unexpectedly I can call 911 and a fully fledged ambulance with medical team will be in front of my doorstep within minutes. In India I don't think the ambulance (leave the medical team)will arrive even after 2 hrs (read the traffic in india).

I don't want to deny the citizenship part. It's an added thing. I have heard many people travel at their 7/8th month
to us from India with their husbands 3 months projects to just deliver baby in USA for citizenship. If you ask me will I do that if I am I settled in india, my answer would be no.

I am not sure about European countries. I know in UK it's NHS, a govt thing. Not sure how that works. But heard that it will be very difficult ultimate to meet the dr/specialist etc..

 

There is no one size fits all answer for this. Are you trying to prove your friends double standards or do you have a decision to make for yourself?

If its for your friend, you can't answer for her as you haven't walked on her shoes.

If its for you, the question needs to be asked differently.

- Martian

 

I live in the UK and we didn't want the citizenship. Having had gynec tests in India and in continental Europe, in comparison, I find it much better outside india

1. The empathy I have found in the medical professionals here is much much higher than in India. They are more approachable than the ones in India.
2. My husband has a better, more supporting role to play here.
3. The sensitivity shown by the staff here - from the meal deliverer to the specialist- is brilliant.
4. My privacy is respected. No ayahs asking weird, impertinent questions
5. I am treated as an individual with my own views and feelings I'm allowed to share. any concern I have has been looked into - not once was my physical and emotional pain trivialised by stating that lots of women go through childbirth/ lose a child.
6. There is no stigma associated with delivering/ expecting a girl - in one of the top hospitals in a metro, my friend was laughed at for celebrating the birth of her daughter a few years ago!
7. The overall hygiene is much higher
8. The hospitals and staff are more trustworthy - in India I'm never sure whether the doctor advises something because it is genuinely required or just because they'd get more money. I'm sorry to say I'm too cynical now as we have experience with money-grabbers in the past.
9. I didn't want a barrage of well-meaning relatives descending on me as soon as I delivered. Perhaps that's just me

 

For me it was because I wanted my mom to take care of me for the entire post partum period. My mom is very career oriented and she asked me to come to India for delivery and said she will take care of me during the nights and will go back to work 2 weeks after I deliver. She said she'll let my granny whom Im not v.comfortable with to stay with me during the day. She would have never taken 4 months off to be with me if I was not here. She did not take that much of time off even when she had me and my brother.
I dont regret the decision one bit. My son will not have to worry about visas and the immigration tensions that we are going through. If we wish to go back and have him study in India, that is alwayz an option.

 

Hi

I would think the primary reason to give birth abroad is citizenship (where applicable). For people who are at a level to be able to make a choice whether to deliver abroad or in India, I think would be in a position to go to a hospital with stellar facilities and good doctors, so the question of better facilities etc., I guess becomes secondary.

Of course, then there is the desire of the dad-to-be to be present for the grand event of the birth of the baby. I can't think of too many companies that would let the dad take a 2 month sabbatical to be with the wife. So, it is more convenient for the wife to deliver where they live.

And then if the mom-to-be is a working mom, she only gets so much maternity leave, which is not really sufficient for a to-fro international trip. So it's convenient again to just give birth here.

In the absence of any desire for citizenship, I think these are the reasons why some people choose to deliver in India -

1) Better support system. The parents may not be in a position to travel to the new country to help. The husband might not be in a job which allows benefits like parental leave etc. So weighing these options, the couple might choose for the baby to be born in India, amidst family.

2) Affordability. For some, especially consultant type jobs, they might not be able to afford a medical insurance, without which none of the stellar facilities and compassionate doctors would be so stellar or compassionate. So in such cases, home is best! I know a guy who has the most basic insurance which covered the pre-natal visits, but was super high in deductibles for hospitalization. So in the 7th month or so, he sent the wife to India where she had a very comfortable delivery experience.