We moved to Thailand 3 years ago to teach English at an international school and travel around Asia. I received maternity and labor care in Thailand.
Looking back, I think the maternity care I received was good. I found myself stressed during my pregnancy because my care was a little different (ie less appointments) than other women in a twin pregnancy Facebook group I was part of. However, now I know that I received exactly the care that I needed for my pregnancy. The language barrier didn’t cause many problems during the pregnancy. Doctors speak English really well and most nurses spoke enough English to understand my needs. Plus there’s always google translate!
Thailand didn’t require any referrals or insurance hoops. I was able to make an appointment with any doctor I wanted to see. I was also able to walk in and get ultrasounds whenever I wanted (which was nice considering the anxiety I had with a twin pregnancy following a miscarriage). I walked in for ultrasounds at 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks to try and find out the sex of my babies.
Becoming parents during covid times while living abroad has been extremely difficult on my family. In fact it has been so difficult that we have decided to move back to our home country. We know this wouldn’t be the case if we were able to visit home freely (Thailand requires a two week quarantine upon re-entering) and frequently like we originally planned to do. With that being said, I am happy that I didn’t have to worry about having visitors during the newborn period (especially with covid). I was happy to soak up all the time with my babies with just me and my wife, especially since I had the baby blues pretty badly for a few weeks. I needed privacy.
My advice to families who are in the same situation as me would be to make decisions for your family that are best for YOUR family. Don’t let pressure from family/friends back in your home country factor into your decisions.
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