Tag: having a baby in Tianjin

China

Having a baby in China: It’s a small world

by turners0730Leave a Comment on Having a baby in China: It’s a small world

On every visit to the hospital we always wonder if we will see any other expats. We’ve asked our translator and have been told there is only about four other western patients at this time. For a few appointments we did see another non-Chinese couple but were never brave enough to go up and say hello.

Of all places I met this other mummy-to-be at the monthly gathering of the Sauvignon Club. (Once a month we expat ladies gather for good food and wine at the St Regis Hotel.) The chairwoman had mentioned to me that she had another woman wanting to attend but not drink any wine (which is kind of the point of the club). I was so surprised to see the woman from the hospital appear and even more surprised when she said, “I know” after I introduced myself. It turns out that for about an hour into one of her appointments they thought she was me and kept calling her by my name!

It was really lovely to meet another pregnant woman and we have stayed in touch since. She has met up with our doula to go over a few things and we were able to have a birthing class together with her and her husband. I feel extra lucky to have met her as her due date is about 11 weeks before mine so she will be able to give us the low-down on labor and birth at AmCare.

-Mrs T

 

China

Having a baby in China: 20-week appointment

by turners0730Leave a Comment on Having a baby in China: 20-week appointment

We had been looking forward to this appointment, as we knew it was the time when we could find out the baby’s gender and so we expected a good view on the ultrasound.

It was a very standard appointment: vital signs, blood draw, ultrasound, Dr. consultation and FH Doppler. We had a bit of a hold up with the ultrasound as baby was not in the correct position and they could not see all the organs and get all the measurements. They asked me to go out and walk and eat to see if we could get the baby to change position. During this time we took the opportunity to have another tour of the hospital as our doula had joined us for this visit. It was nice to have a second look, knowing this time that we would actually be having a baby here. She was very interested to see what the facilities were like and was impressed with what she saw.

The funniest moment of the afternoon was after asking their policy of eating during labor (its the mother’s choice) we were told that a tray of snacks would be available including cake, biscuits and red bull. We just could not believe our ears, when we asked about the red bull the translators reply is that mum’s get tired in labor and need the energy! Not sure if red bull (especially not Chinese red bull) would be top of my list whilst in labor.

Back to the ultrasound room and after a bit of prodding baby did a little flip, which we got to see on screen (pretty amazing) and all the needed information was retrieved. In the end we decided NOT to find out the baby’s gender. It was something we had been going back and forth on since the start and we finally decided that we would like to be surprised.

Since our doula was with us we took this time to go through a long list of questions about labor and birth and were pleasantly surprised with the responses. In general they seem very supportive of natural birth and patients making decisions for themselves (taking into account that mother and baby are safe). At our 34-week appointment we will go through a detailed birth plan and tick our choices.

Four weeks until the glucose test…

-Mrs T

China

Having a baby in China: 16-week appointment

by turners07301 Comment on Having a baby in China: 16-week appointment

After a lovely Christmas holiday in the UK we were off to the hospital the morning after we had flown back. We were a bit jet lagged but as always excited to check on our little baby. What on paper looked to be a fairly boring appointment was far from it and it took a turn of events you would only experience in a country that was not your own.

The appointment consisted of blood tests (which I had been fasting for), urine test, fetal heart Doppler, physical examination and consult with the doctor.

Things got interesting whilst the doctor was looking to find the heart beat with the Doppler. It seemed to take quite awhile, I myself was feeling quite nervous and that didn’t even compare with how Mr T was feeling on the other side of the curtain. Heartbeat found and we all breathed a sigh of relief! Our translator then proceeded to tell me that the doctor was having trouble with the Doppler due to the amount of fat on my stomach. She continued to say that the doctor was surprised, as my face looks quite thin, she would not have expected so much fat on my mid-section!

WOW! This only partially explains how I felt and the expression on my face at the time. Luckily I was able to laugh it off for a few reasons: 1 – I have always carried extra weight in my middle, I have thanked my parents and grandmother many times for this. 2 – I have even experienced strangers and co-workers asking if I was pregnant years and years ago when I wasn’t even close. Finally 3 – I have been abroad and in China long enough to know that things do get lost in translation and sometimes different cultures do not always express the same sensitivity about things that they would back in the US or the UK.

To continue our amusement during the consultation time the doctor showed concern about my weight. Since the last appointment (4 weeks prior) I had gained 4 kg/ 8.8 lbs. In the moment I felt a bit defensive as I had just been on a three week holiday, in which I did spend a lot of time indulging in my favourite English treats as well as being off work which means a lot less time on my feet walking around and chasing five-year olds all day. Even though I knew this and expressed this to the doctor I did take the weight comment to heart and was already thinking about how I need to ramp up my physical activity and be a bit more conscious about what I was eating.

We asked how much weight I should gain over the whole pregnancy and the doctor said 9 kg/ 19.8 lbs. It wasn’t until after the appointment that we were able to calculate and realize that 9 kilos over 9 months is one kilo per month. At the 16-week appointment I was up four kilos from the very start, which is in line with one kilo per month. This did ease our minds a bit but I wouldn’t soon forget the weight and fat criticism from the doctor.

Four weeks until our next appointment…

-Mrs T