Expat Pregnancy Club Meets!

6 of us foreign pregnant/recent moms from 5 different countries met up for lunch on Sunday. We all met through the blog or through someone else that found the blog, though, subsequently, other common connections have been found.

The information exchange was awesome, hence the rash of posts yesterday and there is more to come. If you have good info on maternity/baby related things, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail. We are particularly interested in affordable products and classes, support, playgroups, doctors, etc. Your hospital/doctor experience including the cost and type of insurance you have would be helpful for people to have an idea about cost. If you have foreign insurance, how was the reimbursement process? Is there anything you need to be sure to request from the hospital for documentation to make that easier? More importantly, how were you treated? Would you recommend your doctor/hospital to others?

********This small group has transformed into a Expat Parents Club Forum.

Go here to join:
http://expatparents.50.forumer.com/index.php

Pregnant in Korea, Episode 4: 1st Appointment at the Army Hospital

I had my first appointment at the Army Hospital today. They were running really behind, but the wait didn't seem that bad. I was afraid Ian might be frightening the first-time parents in the waiting room, but a few couples seemed to get a kick out of his antics.

The doctor was very nice, but when I asked about the VBAC policies he said,"Oh we have plenty of time to talk about that." I told him I was planning to get the surgical record and he said,"Yes, we definitely have to see that." I wonder how long he would have waited to tell me that was necessary.

They weighed me, checked my blood pressure, did a pap smear, breast exam and sonogram. Everything looks normal and fine. It was cold and under florescent lighting, reminding me once again of why my plan to go with the midwife is much more appealing than the doctor/hospital.

I have an appointment on Thursday with the Korean doctor. I am just going to get my records copied and and talk to her, then transfer my care to the Army hospital. It is too expensive to go there. I am worried about what the insurance will reimburse. With the Army hospital, it is a US facility and they bill insurance directly.

Hypnobirthing in Korea

My Hypnobirthing class starts Sunday, August 24 and runs for 5 weeks. Each class is 2.5-3 hours. The instructor is a certified instructor from Australia and used Hypnobirthing for the birth of her third child. Classes are taught in her home in Hannamdong. The cost for the class is 630,000 won. This session will run fro August 24 - September 15. The session after that will start mid-October. If you are interested, contact Patricia Cumming at patriciacumming@hotmail.com or call 010-6820-0701.

Seoul Expat Pregnancy Club Expanding!

Just got an e-mail from another foreigner who is pregnant in Seoul and looking to explore the childbirth culture and options here in Seoul. She is from Singapore, has a two year old and is about as far along as I am.

Any other pregnant or trying-to-conceive foreigners out there who would like to join our little informal group and share information, just send me an e-mail: mamaseoul at gmail dot com

Also, if you have had a baby here and have any opinions/advice/resources to share, please e-mail me as well.

*******This small group has transformed into a Expat Parents Club Forum.

Go here to join:
http://expatparents.50.forumer.com/index.php

Dirty, Dirty Shopping Trip

My nausea was better today. I was able to eat pizza. Then, I wanted snacks so I went to the PX and bought dark chocolate, mixed candy bars, peanut m&ms, pop tarts, potato chips and rice cakes. I bought small amounts so I can indulge without going too overboard. I don't eat any of that stuff normally, apart from the dark chocolate which is, of course, medicinal.

I think this snacking phase happened after the nausea phase last time. The nausea phase lasted a lot longer with Ian so I am not counting on this being over for sure, but I will keep pressing the anti-nausea pressure points just in case!

Pregnant in Korea, Episode 2

I had my second appointment with Dr. Sung today. The baby's heart rate is 171 and the measurements are on track. Due date based on LMP is March 7, based on sonogram is March 9.

They offered me IV fluid for the nausea, a $600 watch that electronically stimulates the accupressure points or these accupressure point band-aid-like things. I took the last option. She also suggested boiling ginger root and tea. I am feeling a little better.

They took blood this time. The visit plus blood test was $430. Yikes! I think I will get a copy of the blood test results to take to the Amy hospital. I will switch to the Army hospital if I decide to go back to the US, because they will submit to insurance so I don't have to pre-pay. Still, I don't want to repeat things twice, so I will bring my records back and forth until I decide which course.

The other issue I asked the doctor about was a TB test which the Army hospital is requiring. Koreans do a sputum test, but it is not part of the standard protocol. It is good to know, because I don't want to do the skin test. If the Army hospital insists, I will get the sputum test done at the Korean doctor. Nice to have options. There is also a blood test. The korean doctor called the lab and there are two tests they can do, but she said the sputum test is cheaper and more accurate. Fine with me.

After my appointment, I went to a farewell lunch for Ian's friend, Karuna. All four women were c-section moms. Mine was for breech. One had a previous surgery less than a year before delivery and that is why she a section. One had a long protracted labor and failure to progress. I don't know why the last one was a cesarean, but it was her second child so it was probably a scheduled, repeat cesarean.

Food is Gross

I have developed an aversion to garlic, onions, spice. This is a major problem in Korea. Korea has the highest per capita garlic consumption in the world. It is everywhere. I walk in to the elevator and it smells of garlic and sweat (thank you, summer). Ian's breath after eating pasta: garlic. Everything I usually cook has onions or garlic. It has been rough.

Today, I made a Campbell's soup casserole. Ian refused to eat it. I thought it was good, but I usually don't make that type of food.

The first trimester was rough with Ian as well. I love to eat so it is really hard to push through this. It is hard to feed Ian because I can't stand food.

The Korean doctor said there are some things she can do for me. That is a nice change from the States where they just say, "Eat crackers". I'll post Thursday if anything helps.

Pregnant in Korea, Part I

Updated on March 12, 2010: If you are pregnant in Korea and came upon this post through Google, please feel free to contact me at mamseoul at gmail dot com or join the Expat Parents Forum.
Be sure to check out Birthing in Korea as well.

Back to the original post:

My first delivery was by scheduled cesarean due to breech. Ian was breech the last three months of my pregnancy and never had any big movements. My due date was somewhere between September 8 and 14 and we took him out on September 6, so he was 39 or 40 weeks and in very good shape. It was an easy surgery and recovery. Still, it was not what I imagined. I didn't really have the birth experience. My surgeon separated my muscles instead of cutting them and double stitched me. With the type of incision, stitching and reason for cesarean, I am an ideal candidate for VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). Unfortunately, it is often hard to find doctors who will let you try, even though the research shows that VBAC is safer than a repeat cesarean for mother and baby in most cases.

I have two choices for delivery in Korea: at a Korean hospital or at the American Army hospital. The American Army hospital won't see you until you are 12 weeks, so I have started with a Korean doctor. Between the two options, I have to pay with insurance for both because my husband is a civilian. The advantage of the military hospital is that they will submit the paperwork so we don't have to pay upfront. Also, everyone speaks English. The disadvantages are that they are not reputed to be open to alternative birthing positions or natural birth. The hospital is small and old and you do not have private rooms.

My first appointment with Dr. Sung in Hannam-dong (the doctor all the expats go to) was when I was 5 weeks along. They weighed me, the doctor talked to me and the did a sonogram. The technician showed me my sonogram, identified the parts and showed me photos of good 5 week sonos and bad 5 week sonos. Mine matched the good sono. Dr. Sung does not deliver anymore, but she does prenatal care to 25 weeks and then transfers you to another doctor. She also gives a labor class in conjunction with a doula and the Hypnobirthing instructor. That seemed like a good sign, but then she gave me the VBAC talk. There are no VBACs in Korea for Koreans (Update: I have learned this not true, some English-speaking doctors will do VBAC and Women & Children's Hospitals will do VBAC. The Women and Chikdren's hospitals may not be ideal for expats because most of the doctors/staff don't speak much English, but there are options and a doula who speaks English and Korean can help). They are all repeat cesareans. Of all the hospitals in the area, there are two that allow VBAC, but one is not recommended for English-speaking patients. There is one doctor that will worked with expats for VBAC and the Hypnobirthing instructor knows of a recent Hypnobirthing VBAC with that doctor. Also the cesarean rate in Korea is 40%. They separate the muscles with their hands and do double stitching so I am sure my cesarean would go well, but since I am looking to VBAC, it doesn't bode well. What if that one doctor or hospital changes policy before I deliver?

Disappointing to say the least.

My next steps. I have an appointment with Dr. Sung on Thursday. I am meeting with the Hypnobirthing instructor on August 13 to discuss birth culture in Korea and talk about my options. I start Hypnobirthing class the this week of August.

I also go to the Army hospital's OB Orientation on August 4. I plan to explore this option even though I think I will find my current impressions are correct. Everyone who has delivered there says,"It's ok". No resounding endorsements.

The other options are to go back to Erie and work with a doctor or go back to Erie and work with a midwife for a homebirth. My friend, Heather, has already agreed to let me have the birth at her house. She is very close to the hospital if something goes wrong. Labor can be long and is much more comfortable done in a house rather than a hospital room. With a skilled midwife to check on me and the baby I feel confident that I could give birth safely. It just seems like the most appealing option. My parents could watch Ian and I would have a lot of support.

The downside to the Erie plan:

1. Separation from Curt: He has a lot of built up leave, but I would probably be gone for at least 3 months

2. Expenses: My trip to the US would be on us. Roxxy (the dog) would need to come back because Curt isn't home enough for her, that is both an expense and a trauma for her. Homebirth would probably not be covered by insurance.

3. Stuff: All my baby stuff is here in Korea. Of course, I wouldn't need much, just a carseat and some clothes, but my breast pump is here and all of my stuff.

No decisions have been made, but my gut feeling is that an Erie homebirth is my best shot for a VBAC. I guess we will just see how things go. Of course, the baby could be breech again or I could have some trouble that would lead me to a repeat scheduled cesarean, but I have a good feeling this time....