Having a baby in China – some links

February 18, 2010

I’ve heard from a number of people that when you have a baby, you suddenly realize that everyone else is also having a baby. This has certainly been the case with me. From friends and family back home, to friends here in Suzhou, to friends out there in the blogsphere, everyone seems to be popping out lil’ ones.

And what a bonus for us it is. So much advice, sharing of experiences, and a healthy amount of warnings. So, to help propagate that knowledge, here are a few links from around the China blogsphere talking about having babies in China that I’ve found particularly insightful.

Giving Birth in Chengdu – Chengdu Living: This excellent four-part series is penned by new father Sascha and offers a lot of advice and information. Though written particularly about giving birth in the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu, the series carries with it sagacity that applies to anywhere in China.

The hellish birth of a beautiful angel – Jakob Montrasio: My talented friend Jakob in Shanghai recently endured a rather terrible experience with the birth of his daughter at the hands of the Chinese medical system. He, his wife and his daughter all came out the other side relatively unscathed, but his account serves as an excellent warning for anyone planning to have kids here.

Adventures By Design – The Elbees: My friends Ric and Gin share their experiences (albeit not as often as they should) about having a baby here in China. Lots of cute photos of their adorable baby girl, Aria. These three people deserve much of the credit in preparing Maggie and I for parenthood and we love them for it.

“Foreign Baby in China” Category – ChinaHopeLive.com: Joel and Jessica, a couple in Tianjin, share their experiences and opinions on having and raising a baby in China.

Hao Hao Report “Babies” Tag: As might be expected, I get a lot of direction for China-focused information from stuff submitted to the Hao Hao Report, a Web site I run that is a human aggregator of stories about China.

Update 1

Having a Baby in China: a fantastic resource for parents having a kid in China — complete with a rather comprehensive Chinese-English pregnancy vocab list (complete with pinyin).

If you have any other good reads about having babies in China, please help me out and leave links in the comments!

11 Responses

  1. Not in China, as you know, but my Chinese wife just gave birth here in Denmark. The whole cesarean stuff was up a few times, but we ended up having a natual birth with no painkillers (we never got around to it, even though acupuncture was planned).

    We had a son who will be named Mark, which shoule be easy to pronounce in by Chinese, Danes and English speakers. 4.2kg, which is above average. Tell that to Maggie if she has any doubts that she can pull a natural birth off 😉

    Ps.: Better gain some sleep before its too late Ryan. Trust me, you’re in for a tough (but wonderful) ride!

    Reply

  3. Jakob, glad that everything turned out OK. My first girl had an ultrasound that indicated a cardiac anomally but she was fine, a little kitten at 2.5 Kg, natural labour.

    Second was a little larger. Madam screamed “Cut it out”, got a spinal anaesthitic – I helped the doctors, wearing the gown and mask, scrubbed and gloved.

    Congrats to you, I had the snip, so no more babies.
    J.

    Reply

  5. Hi Ryan. I am a proud dad of a beautiful girl. Though my baby was not born in China, but we are finally settling here. My daughter was born in Russia. She is nine month now. I would like to get some useful suggestions on how to raise a child here. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi David,

      Congratz on your baby girl. Sounds like she’s the same age as our son Casey.

      Definitely check out the links above, but the biggest thing that’s been a benefit to us is finding delivery services. We order groceries from a local market and from the large Auchan here in town all online and delivered right to us. We are also Taobao.com super users — all our diapers, wipes, baby clothes and odds ‘n’ ends we get off of Taobao. It’s exclusively Chinese-language, but well worth it if you’re able to use it.

      Reply

  6. Hi Ryan,

    I wanted to let you know about the childbirth training and doula services that we provide for women at My China Solutions.  My wife Lisa is an experienced nurse and natural-childbirth trainer and doula services provider. She has helped a number of women and their birth-partners, local and ex-pat, prepare for natural childbirth. She can help couples negotiate the mirky waters of choosing hospital if you want, find an MD and hospital that will allow the husband to be present during the delivery, and even provide personal doula services for those who would feel comfortable having an advocate present at their birth. Look up “Childbirth In Chengdu Blog” for testimonials of satisfied Moms and Dads.

    David

    http://www.MyChina-Solutions.com 

    Reply

  7. A MOTHER’S TESTIMONIAL…When I decided to give birth in Chengdu, I thought, “surely, there are no natural birthing classes available in town.”  Thankfully, I saw a My China Solutions brochure and gave them a call.  Not only did I find an incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and experienced staff at My China Solutions, I found people who really cared about me, my family, and my baby.  The staff at My China Solutions went above-and-beyond to help make my birth experience positive.  Not only do they have many years of experience in labor and delivery rooms, they also have a thorough knowledge of Chinese hospitals and the inter-workings of the Chinese healthcare system.  They are excellent patient advocates and are able to offer much professional support and advice.  They accompanied me on doctor’s visits, spent many hours answering my questions, training me in pain management techniques, and were even on-call to offer advice in baby care once my baby arrived.  When I went into labor, they were at my house in less than an hour to help coach and monitor me.  They served as a doula at my baby’s birth and were able to give kind support and encouragement while still giving my husband room to serve as my primary coach.  I cannot more highly recommend them.  I do not think I would have had such a smooth, positive birth experience were it not for the services of My China Solutions.  If you are looking for expert advice, gentle coaching and support, and people who will be excellent advocates for you and your baby, My China Solutions is absolutely the place to look. – RC

    Reply

  8. Pingback: What To Eat While Pregnant - Advice To Help Ensure A Safe And Healthy Pregnancy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*