Giving birth in USA or UK
#47
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
but recently, I met a Canadian, who had her first child premee in the UK and her second in the US, she said she paid for a private room in the UK $350 for 2 weeks. her birth in the US with health insurance $3000! and she said the British birth was better as she had just a midwife, the American birth was a doctor, and he was in and out of the room, and not with her?
With my last child I had complications and ended up with an emergency c-section, and severely hemorrhaged. It was a scary time, but the doctors did a good job. My midwives after the fact were very good, the only issue I had was that unfortunately they were spread very thin and I rarely saw one. The first few days I was hooked up to a few machines and slept almost non-stop. The rules were that babies stayed in with their mothers and while that is a good thing, I wasn't awake most of the time and thankfully my baby stayed asleep as well. I was told it was due to the extreme loss of blood, that I was so sleepy. At night time the baby went into the nursery. But I stayed in the hospital for 7 days and they wanted me to stay longer.....by this time I was paying for the private room and I wanted to go home anyway. I had very good care when I got home.....something they need to do in this country for sure. It would have been extremely nice as a first time mother to have a midwife come and visit, unfortunately my mother died when I was a young girl, so I didn't have a mother to ask questions.
At any rate, I had good care on both sides of the pond. Years ago when I had my first children, my ex-husband and I were not well off financially, thankfully we had medi-cal (a replacement to Medi-caid in California) to fall back on and didn't have to pay for any doctor bills..... Unfortunately it isn't the same system as it was years ago.
#50
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
It really depends on the hospital. Midwives do deliver at some, especially if the doctors are already busy with more complicated patients. If it's a teaching hospital, all of the doctors & students want their numbers so will do their best to be in the room for the delivery.
#51
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
It really depends on the hospital. Midwives do deliver at some, especially if the doctors are already busy with more complicated patients. If it's a teaching hospital, all of the doctors & students want their numbers so will do their best to be in the room for the delivery.
I must add that although I had decent doctors on both sides, its the nurses/midwives that are the real angels. Even when I had to go into the hospital in the UK for a minor surgery (after my last child was born) I really had great care from the nurses.
#52
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
When my daughter was born the doctor came in after she was born. The doctor was a pediatrician and not an OBGYN.
Last edited by Jerseygirl; Oct 18th 2009 at 4:32 pm.
#53
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
I never thought it was otherwise..... I had a doctor because I had major complications and was moved to an operating theatre for an emergency c-section.
#57
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
Do not confuse residency meaning 'where you are living' with residency for immigration purposes.
As far as the "dreaded" NHS is concerned, you are not resident in the UK and thus not entitled to NHS care unless you return to live there permanently and pass the Habitual Residency Test, or if an emergency were to befall you on a visit there.
As far as the "dreaded" NHS is concerned, you are not resident in the UK and thus not entitled to NHS care unless you return to live there permanently and pass the Habitual Residency Test, or if an emergency were to befall you on a visit there.
#58
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
So if the baby is born in the UK what legal right does he/she have to then come and live in the US? Will that be a whole new VISA/green card process?
#59
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Americ...en_Born_Abroad
If not a US citizen, Immigrant Visa will be needed, usually.
#60
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Giving birth in USA or UK
Child may be a US citizen:
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Americ...en_Born_Abroad
If not a US citizen, Immigrant Visa will be needed, usually.
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Americ...en_Born_Abroad
If not a US citizen, Immigrant Visa will be needed, usually.
?2 yrs of birth + becomes a perm resident on entry to US.