Dilemma: Moving to Hong Kong Before or After Birth?

My husband and I have been planning to move to Hong Kong for over a year now. We accidentally (and happily!) got pregnant while on holiday 3 1/2 months ago, which makes the whole moving process feel a lot more complicated and daunting if we do this during my pregnancy. Even if we do move out to HK before the birth (end May), I am concerned that it may be too much upheaval for us during a potentially fragile time. I'm not even sure if the airline would allow me to fly at 7 months pregnancy, seeing as they're allowed to say 'no' when they see how big you are at check-in. The last thing I would want would be to move out to HK and become/feel completely isolated, trying to find a place to live, finding supermarkets, mother's groups, navigating through a great, big city etc. all whilst heavily pregnant and possibly incredibly homesick/emotional/mega hormonal, potentially triggering some kind of post natal depression and not bonding with our baby! Oh the joys of worrying motherhood have started already ha! I anticipate that my husband will be incredibly busy in his new job, which is understandable. Have any of you in Hong Kong had to face a similar situation and succeeded, or would any of you recommend that we wait until our baby is a couple of months old before moving out there? Is HK a place that is difficult to meet other mothers, make new friends etc.? Are there a lot of mother's groups, which I can join? Is HK generally an easy place to adapt to when you move there? I know I sound like a worry wort and don't mean to sound pessimistic. I just wonder whether we would be foolish to take on so much change in an already 'Big' year & before the actual birth of our first child. Seeing as I don't know HK & won't be visiting HK before we move there, we want to make the best choice as the priority is to create a stable family home quickly and to do all of this safely, too. I would be grateful for any advice and tips! Thank you

Flying - you need a note from your doctor to fly at that many weeks, this is easy to get.


Pre-Natal classes - you can register in advance for classes at Annerley Midwifes (www.amidwife.com) - get the package that includes home visits as they are a godsend when you return home from hospital.


Insurance - be sure your insurance will cover the full cost of delivery in HK, and all associated doctors fees. If so, then you can give birth in a private room at Matilda and you won't regret the experience - excellent care and attention for you.


Pre-Move Look-See - have your husband ask his firm to pay for a Look-See trip where you do home finding, orientation, registration at hospital, etc... this way you have a lot of that complete before you arrive.


HK is a great place to live and to have children - there is the major advantage of live in full time help. There are a lot of mother baby groups for non-working mothers - Matilda Hospital has one, there are yoga mummy and baby classes, plus playgroups around town.


Good luck - it is never easy to move, but probably easier before giving birth than after.

DanishExpat, hong kong is a great place to meet people, to meet other mothers and to get a feel of a cosmopolitan city. it's easy to get around and there are many expats here so you are not alone. however, i feel that i have to say this and i hope nobody will attack me for this. my husband and i are trying to find ways to leave hong kong, looking for job opportunities elsewhere like singapore. reason being that the air quality here is really bad. before moving to hong kong i have no respiratory problem. ever since i moved to hong kong 3 years ago i have to have my nasal spray everyday because of the very polluted air. our son is now 2 year old and he has developed very bad asthma not to mention other kind of respiratory problems. we feel that for our son's health sake, we have to leave hong. kong. of course, many people will disagree with me but this is just my true feelings of hong kong.

good point on the pollution - it is very bad, and a shock to those who first arrive. But you do kind of get used to it after a few years....

hi Mother 2005,

Welcome to look for job & stay as citizens here....its cool weather although without 4 seasons....like HONG KONG.


But, its really nice that you're welcome to PM me when you found a job in Singapore (Tonnes of JOB available here)....


God bless you.


Regards,

Poseidon

If it were me, I would move before the birth. The idea of moving with a little baby, when you're not getting much sleep seems much harder than doing it when you're pregnant. I'd be worried about feeding/settling/etc as well as adjusting to a different time zone and environment all while trying to find a place and work your way around HK, with little support from your husband who will be settling into a new job. I think it's easier if it's just you even if you are uncomfortable, than having to also deal with a little baby.

I agree wtih bluered. You'll have very good medical and hospital care here and can get completely moved in, set up and organized for the baby. You can take your time about hiring a helper and find someone who fits in well with your family and has good skills in the things you would like her to do.


There are loads of baby groups. I got started with one when we were all pregnant and we kept meeting for more than a year. Some of my better friends I met through that group; it was one organized through the AWA (American Women's Association--and definately not all Americans either!)


I'm really glad our baby was born here and we didn't travel shortly after her birth. She was born during SARS when lots of people and most of my pregnant friends left, but in the end we decided not to. In retrospect, it was much better we didn't as ours was a VERY unsettled baby in the early weeks. Travelling with her would have been a nightmare for all of us. Fortunately we hired a wonderful helper who did a great job of taking care of me (meals, chores etc) while I spent 24/7 with our little newborn. Having our helper was an absolute godsend, I'm honestly not sure how I would have coped in those early weeks. It was truly exhausting. Wonderful in many ways, but truly exhausting.

although i've not moved countries during pregnancy or immediately after childbirth, in the same position as you, I'd move before my child is born rather than after. I'd move as soon as possible if I were you, as you're getting into the most comfortable period of your pregnancy, and the weather in HK right now is cool. If you move in another say 7-8months, apart from dealing with a relatively newborn, looking for a house and settling in etc, you'll also have to deal with the sweltering heat. It's no fun, believe you me.

I did a bit of both - we left HK though - at 7 months pg I packed up all our stuff and shipped to GZ, at 8 months pg I unacked it all and stayed in GZ a week before returning to HK for the birth (to a flat with virtually no furniture, which was NOT fun!!!)- we then made the final part of the move when LO was 4 days old.


So, I'd definitely say move before, and get settled and organised. I wish I could have been more settled in our new place but unfortunately lack of medical insurance meant I had to have LO in HK where I'm a resident (meaning it was super cheap!).


HK is my hometown and I'm biased but I think it's a great place to bring up a child. There are lots of Mummies around and wonderful resources and access to great healthcare, nature, shopping, culture etc. The pollution is bad admittedly but it's like that in many Asian cities TBH.


Good Luck.

I live in GZ (Guangzhou) and come to HK about once a month, so from my perspective, HK is a paradise of convenience and clean air. It may be a little polluted compared to the Alps, but when I go the skies are usually blue and the air is clear. The public transport is fantastic, so it's easy to find your way around the city even as a newcomer. I agree with everyone that it would be much easier to come now, while the weather is cool. I'm due in June and will be coming to HK for the birth since I'm a resident there. Any recommendations for doctors?