Posted by
ExpatMum
19 yrs ago
Has anybody had a baby in Seoul? Who was your OB and which hospital did you deliver at?
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Hi ExpatMum -
am 34 weeks pregnant currently. depending on your health insurance you have some options and depending on where you live there are some other options.
If you are under the national Korean health plan any of the public hospitals will take care of you. If you have some sort of international insurance, I highly recommend Dr. Sung and Yonsei Clinic in Hannam dong. (I can send you the number if you need it.) She is expensive, but speaks excellent English (and Korean too) and incredibly kind. I had some bleeding and she came out in the middle of the night because I was hysterical to take care of me. If it is your first pregnancy, she is also particularly detailed in explaining everything. The only problem is that she no longer takes you through delivery. At 25 weeks I had to transfer to another hospital and to a new OB/GYN. I chose to go to Samsung Cheil since it is close to my house - this is a public hospital and so it's a bit different than the personal care I received from her. There are some other issues having to do with your husband being able to attend the ultrasounds. (my last ultrasound I did alone, and my husband got to watch a 30 second clip.) But it's MUCH cheaper - although my Ob only speaks Korean, there are a few doctors at most of the major big hospitals who speak English, and Dr. Sung is happy to recommend them to you.
Hope this helps - feel free to ask more questions if necessary. This is my second baby - and I had a very different experience in HK.
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Thanks for the info. We are thinking of TTC number two. I have spoken to someone who used Dr Sung but then returned to Australia to have the baby. I am a little concerned about whether to try and find an OB who I can see all the way through or to go back to Australia for the birth. I will need to have another c-section and am a little concerned about aftercare in a Korean hospital.
My work will pay for the medical costs so money is not an issue. I have heard about the Cha Hospital in Gangnam. It is supposed to be similiar to a western maternity hospital. Have you heard of it?
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ExpatMum -
definitely have heard of Cha Hospital. My father is an Ob.gyn in the states and has actually trained some of the doctors there for some specialized surgery (not for Ob stuff though.) His friend is the head of the hospital and had I lived CLOSER to that area, I probably would have opted to go to Cha because it is more westernized. It is considered one of the more premier maternity hospitals even amongst locals here in Seoul.
i went back and forth about having the baby here or in the US under my father's care - but decided that it was fine. It's my second, I know what I want, and as long as someone is willing to listen, it wasn't a big deal. I have buried somewhere a list of doctors from Cha who speak good English and are recommended by Dr. Sung. Let me know if you want it - otherwise I can ask my father.
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also - sorry for my ignorance - what is TTC? Trying to Conceive? (just guessing.)
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Thanks for that info hkchoichoi.
Yes TTC is trying to concieve. I want to know all of my options before we try for number 2.
I had heard that the Cha is the maternity hospital of choice for wealthy Korean women who want c-sections. As I have already had a c-section (and will need to do so again) I really want an OB who is experienced at doing them, who will let me hold the baby while he stitches and allow the baby to either stay with me in recovery or with my husband in the nursery. This is how we did it in Aust.
I recovered very well from my ceasar and put it down to my fitness and the OB's skill. We are in Hannam-dong, so not too far from the Cha (depending on peak hour traffic!)
I can speak some Korean but tend to prefer using English when talking to Doctors as I do not know all the medical terminology. If you could locate that list of English speaking doctors, that would be really helpful.
I think I will give them a call and ask about aftercare. In many Korean hospitals family are expected to provide aftercare but with a c-section I would prefer to have the care provided by medical staff.
Thanks for your help.
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Expat mom -
There also is some specialized care for people after birth - they go to this special "place" where they are taken care of in the traditional korean post-partum manner - sort of in the countryside somewhere. If you are Korean, and speak some Korean, many people find this a great option - as the traditional postpartum korean method means that you do no work, eat well, and they help you take care of your body.
They also have some people who come to your house to offer this service - I can find some of those out for you if you need to as well.
i'll have to dig for the doctor's names - but I should find them for you in the next day or so.
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Hey -
found out the name of the ONE doctor who speaks English at Cha - or is familiar with such things. his name is Dr. Cha Dong hyung - his direct number is 3468-3133
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Thanks for the doctor's details. I can speak some Korean but I am not Korean. I would prefer to have a few days in hospital then go home. It is really the the first 24 hours post c-section that I am concerned about.
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ExpatMum -
how long have you been in Korea for? impressive that you speak enough - even though not the medical terminology. I don't speak a lot of the medical terminology - I ask these mixed langugage questions - using the medical terms in English and the question itself in Korean. In all cases my doctors all seemed to understand.
That being said, I would consider seeing Dr. Sung on a consultation basis - just ask her what the system is and the process is. She's very good at explaining it all - and telling you. i'm supposed to see her again in a week or two and she's going to go over how to get what I want out of the Korean Health System - which doesn't always do what the patient says. So - I'm hoping that she can offer some assistance into that.
I think for C-section, it is standard to be in the hospital for 2 days, and you can request to be in longer if I remember correctly.
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I had to study Korean for my work. Are you in Seoul or HK?
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was in Hong kong for a few years - now in Seoul - guess I should change my location, eh?
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Expat Mum -
found out from my OB since I am in breech presentation, that recovery time in hospital post c-section is 5 days four nights - that is post the surgery. It is similar to HK.
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Good luck hkchoichoi. Let me know how you go. I will be interested to hear of your experiences.
I had my first baby by c-section in Australia and the norm was to stay 5 nights in hospital. Remember to have the OB make the incision well below the curve of your belly - in the pubic area if possible. A lot of male OB's make the incision too high and it results in an overhang of your stomach.
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thanks for the advice - I'm hoping that the baby turns as I am loathing the idea of surgery. My father keeps telling me not to worry - but i'm not so keen. I have another appt tomorrow - so maybe I'll have some good news?
In the US, you are only in the hospital 3 days after a c-section - they discharge you after 24hrs vaginally - crazy eh?
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Expat mum -
baby turned. Set for VB. But discovered other complication - amniotic fluid is quite low. I have one more appt and they seem to think that I should be admitted after this next appt.
My father questions the doctor's decision - according to US pregnancy care, I should have been admitted today and induced today. It's interesting - we'll see how it all turns out.
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hkchoichoi.
Wishing you the best of luck. Hopefully you wont need a c-section but if you do, well at least your baby will have arrived safe and sound. Let me know how everything turns out.
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Hi,
my husband and I are trying to concieve our first baby here in Seoul. I'm pretty sure I want to go back home to deliver, but I'll have to see doctors here until then. I haven't looked much into health insurance, so I wonder: if I'm not covered, how much does it cost to see a good doctor who speaks english here in Seoul for the duration of the pregnancy?
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Hi Elle23 -
are you covered by Korean National Insurance? For the most part, if either you or your husband work for a company in Korea, foreign or local, the government takes about 6% of that and that goes towards national insurance. They've just changed the law so that you CANNOT opt out of it - which means you are paying for this insurance whether you use it or not.
i'm currently attending Samsung Cheil Hospital - also known as the baby factory. So many people go there to have their babies - doctors there see about 60 patients in one day. The more famous doctors can see almost 100 in a day. On average, I pay about 20,000 W per visit. If I have a scan, or some series of tests, sometimes the price goes up to 200,000 W. This is including urine tests, blood tests, ultrasound scans. Thus far, the most expensive appointment was 200,000W. I am paying out of pocket right now, so none of this is subsidied by Korean National Insurance (although technically I am covered by it, but am choosing to use the original private insurance we had signed up for earlier.)
My doctor supposedly speaks good English. (I speak Korean so he uses Korean with me.) I saw recently there, an expat who was not Korean visiting with him, and was informed that his English, although not totally fluent, was quite all right.
Before attending this hospital, I used a doctor in Hannam Dong - Haeree Sung - whose English was VERY good - but on the flip side - her prices were about 100,000-500,000 per visit. She is very detailed and very conscientious about spending lots of time with you...my current doctor barely glances up to see me.
Hope this helps - keep writing if you have more questions.
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Thank you, hkchoichoi. That was very helpful.
I'm sure I'll have a million more questions when I (hopefully) get pregnant. For the moment I don't know if I am yet...I might. In fact...do you know if I can buy a "first response" pregnancy test in Seoul?
I read some of your previous messages...Good luck for your delivery!
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if you visit any of the local pharmacies - they have a number of pregnancy tests. None of them are the "first response" brand if I remember, but my father says that most pregnancy tests, for the most part are all equal. I used one of the ones that they handed to me - and it picked up my pregnancy just fine.
I do have sort of interesting situation that arose. I'm not a paranoid freak or anything like that, but last Friday, my doctor told me that my amniotic fluid was almost at the danger mark of low. (I was at 5.2 cm and low is considered 5.0 cm)I called my father in the US (an Ob/GYn) and told him the situation. My father was extremely concerned about WHY I wasn't admitted immediately and giving birth immediately. in the US, the standard is below 6 CM then it is admittance and then induced labor.
So my parents, my dad cancelling a week of pretty important surgeries, hopped onto a place from the US and came here. My father told me that we needed to get another opinion of the situation - and so we went to visit my original doctor in Hannam dong.
According to both my father, and Dr. Sung - it turns out I don't have the condition - in fact, all seems almost normal. So my father and my husband are quite upset with the public korean health system for doing this - and my father felt it was a bit haphazard. My doctor did not do the scan itself which determined that I had low amniotic fluid - rather he trusted a technician and the technicians result. My father felt that if it were such the case, because it was such a risky situation, he should have double checked. But he didn't, simply took the technicians word for it and it was as it was.
But my doctor in Samsung Cheil sees more than 60 paitents a day - so my father understands WHY it would happen.
my husband now feels that going to one of the more exclusive "baby clinics" in Kangnam is a far better option for future pregnancies to avoid such a "fast food" mentality of producing babies.
That being said, I don't know if it is necessary to go back to your home country to deliver (where are you from?) Unless of course, being closer to your family makes all the difference in the world (it could,that's for sure.) I find the care here quite all right, and if you are able to stand it, it's often nicer to be around your husband to bond with the baby than having to leave at 7 months and return when the baby is 1 month old. It's not that great being separated in my opinion.
So Elle - good luck! Keep me posted - tell me if you are!!
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Hi hkchoichoi,
no luck yet. No need for a pregnancy test either...I just had my periods.
Thanks for the update. I think, when the time comes, I'll opt for the type of doctor that doesn't rush things. I like knowing exactly what's going on, so I'd appreciate a doctor who takes the time to explain.
It's probably premature to think about it now that I'm not even pregnant yet, but I would like to go home to Italy to have the baby, mostly to have my family around, but also so that I don't have to worry about miscomunication with doctors and nurses here. I've only arrived here recently and I don't speak any Korean. It's true though that I don't look forward to being separated from my husband. I was hoping I could fly back around the 8th month.
Again, good luck to you.
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miffy
19 yrs ago
Bit off the topic, sorry, but just wanted to say to HKchoichoi - WOW, what a dad you have! Lucky girl. Good luck for the delivery, hope it is as smooth and quick as possible. Let us all know how you go!!
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Thanks Miffy - my father is pretty great. But I think he was REALLY worried. He normally doesn't freak out about anything when i'm pregnant. When I was vomiting my guts out he told me it was in my mind - mind over matter. (he's not a woman after all.) I had bleeding in my second trimester and called him hysterical and his response is "90% pregnancies after 2nd trimester continue to term - even with bleeding - don't worry." He was right. I think the low amniotic fluid really scared him though.
Elle 23 - A Lot of the new baby clinics - they are VERY western/european standard. And there are quite a few docs who speak very good English - I know the fear though - I speak Korean and sometimes I still feel like no one is listening to me - that's more about Korean culture who try to be so efficient I guess. But if you want someone to watch out for you - and go home to give birth - I definitely go with my first recommendation of Haeree Sung in Hannamdong. she was great when my father showed up and asked all these questions and procedures and standards in Korea. She maintained her calm and cool and my father scoped out all her credentials and said that she is very well educated, her machines are tip top and that she is very good. I myself find her manner and her explanations very good - so - she can watch your pregnancy until you go home. (You may be able to last in Seoul until about 34 weeks.)
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hkchoichoi, sorry to hear about your scare. I have a colleague whose very young baby was diagnosed with a life threatening illness and medevaced back to Australia where it was determined that the baby did not have the illness and was in perfect health. My colleague was less than impressed.
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Oops , I hit reply before I had finished. I was going to say that I have heard good things about the Cha hospital in Gangnam. I plan on visiting the hospital later this year once we decide when to start trying for number two.
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