Midwifes

I've been considering having my baby at home for a while now, and so got wondering if I can find here in Beijing an good experienced midwife.

Has anyone actually done it in China?

The more I think about the "blessed event" the less I want it to happen at the hospital, especially due to the fact that I can only afford a rather mediocre one. Sure enough my doctor is wonderful and has the best of recommendations from some of the expat friends who had gone through the experience of having babies in China, but I've had a look at the hospital's birthing room and am positively sure that's not the place for me to have my firstborn.

I still have some time to think (I'm in my 30th week) but what I'm wondering more about right now is whether giving birth at home is even an option in this city?

Hi to all again!

Is there really no such option as homebirth in China?! Are you all seriously going to the hospitals like there is no other way??? Good grief! I thought it was more civilized here...

Well, has anyone maybe done it in your home countries?

I did it in Hong Kong six months ago.

In the end it was very straight forward.

She was my fourth baby and birthed in our bedroom by candlelight!

Registration of the birth was fine, I just notified them that she was born at home. When immigration asked why we did not go to a hospital we told them that we chose not to. They were suprisingly easy to deal with, naturally we needed to prove she was ours. We took pre and post pregnancy shots, Birth photographs (which they quickly put back in the envelope!!! lol), and needed to take two statements from two people in the house. I have two helpers and they both saw the baby after birth and so could confirm the birth took place.

I flew my midwife in from Australia for my birth, she waited in the next room, basically my husband and I did the rest on our own.

There are many other things to consider and of course SAFETY is the first and foremost. With a planned homebirth it is important to have certain things ready in case mother nature turns her hand. I had private cover but in the end that would have been of no use in the event of an emergency and so all of these options need to be weighed up. I also was post dates (10 days) and each day over is another issue with a home birth, so that did cause some anxious moments with each day that ticked by.

If you want to know what I did for safe guards, hospital backup etc. you may pm me and I will give you the low down.

Hello cubanita


I am sorry you didn't get any response but it is true that homebirth is not the subject gathering the most votes over here!!!

It is something the medical field is rather not in favor of ($$$$$$$$?) and it is a real struggle to find information and you really have to be motivated to go for it.

But as far as I know we are a few to have done it HK at least but most would chose to go back to their homecountry where homebirth is more common (Australia, UK etc..)

So what I would suggest is for you to look in your city for private midwifery services available (check also maybe the ones providing prenatal classes), and try to discuss with the midwives to make sure they are able to do a homebirth and willing to do it...

I had also heard that some women had brought their midwife from abroad to do it.. which would cost around the same of going yourself abroad to give birth..


Meanwhile I would also recommend you to have further readings on the subject (what to expect, what to prepare)..

If you need some links or some further information, you can also pm me

good luck with your search and pregnancy!


PS: was actually writing before reading midwife's post..

I came across this site a while back.


http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/


Personally though - i can't opt for it as i had surgery about two yrs back and am too worried about things going wrong..

Always been one of my favourite websites and there is a French woman currently doing a film on unsassisted birth. She must be almost finished. I know she is going to many countries. I had conversations with her when I was half way through the pregnancy, it seemed a bit strange though to have an unassisted homebirth with a film crew involved! For that reason we chose not to proceed with her venture, it should be out soon though.

Hi, everyone! Thanks for your responses and concern. I thought they might do it more in HK. Here in Beijing, however, the picture looks rather grim:) Theoreticaly I have a rather good base on homebirth so it's a weighed desision, well... would be a weighed desision if I had a chance to carry it out. I don't think it's wise to look for a midwife here having only 2 months to go, and going back to my homecountry is unfortunately not an option either. Guess I'll have to do with the hospital, although it's totally against my beliefs.