Moving to HK pregnant

C

charlietwo

New member
Hello,

I am in Austrlia and in early stages of pregnancy (first child). My husband has been offered a role in HK starting early next year. I have lots of questions about having a child in HK. I know the health care is good and we need insurance for this but can people let me know..

Can it be isolating over there, no family and not working and having a baby? How can I avoid this??

If I want to go back to part time work after a while is there good child care available or is it best to get a good nanny who lives with you who can care for the child a few days a week? Is part time work easy to get in HK??

How hard is it to get into obstetricians & private hospitals? Do I need to get moving on this now? I am due in May 2008.

Thanks for any advice & help you can give me..
 
Hi,
If you do a search on the previous threads on most of the info you need is available in detail.
Also check your PM.

:gl:
 
charlietwo,

yes it will probably be very isolating here initially with a new baby and no established friends and family. it would probably be best if you could arrange for someone to come and visit you for the first few months after the birth to help you out. That being said, there are lots of playgroup and get togethers you can attend with your baby as long as you put in the effort to look for them. Also, since your baby is born late spring, be ready to face the Hong Kong summer. Some people find the heat and pollution insufferable.

From what I have read, it is NOT easy to get part time work. Hong Kong is not the most child friendly city when it comes to working moms. For example, the government only requires full time employers to give 10 weeks of maternity leave. However, if you are comfortable with the idea, you can very easily get a decent live in housekeeper/maid/nanny for a reasonable price. The current rate for live in helpers is HK$3480/month. Even if you think they are not up to par with their childrearing abilities, they are a great help with household chords and you can get a professional nanny to babyshit when you want to go out.

As for booking hospitals, you would be safe to book early if you want a popular private hospital. From another thread, it seems that HK Sanatorium and the Matilda are both full for the month of March already.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for your help. I am a bit petrified about the whole thing to be honest but it looks like it is going ahead (we got the offer yeaterday) so I am sure I'll have more questions over the next few months until we go. I have already called to book into a hospital but it seems a bit difficult from over here. they said they would email me a form but I havent received anything yet.. i think I'll have to be persistent!
 
I am moving to Hong Kong pregnant too, will be 28 weeks pregnant. My husband & I could wait until after the baby is born to move, but it seems like a better idea to move now and get settled (we have a 17 mth old toddler too).
Looking into hospitals and doctors from here (US) has been hard, and Canossa and Matilda are the only hospitals covered by our insurance. Did you register at Canossa? (I know Matilda is full until May 2008) How did you do that from abroad? I read on their website that you have to have your OB register you, but I am assuming that must be your Hong Kong OB, am I wrong?
Also, lots of threads on the forum mention costs for delivering at the hospitals...is this without insurance? I paid only US$500 total in NYC for the delivery of my son (includes all appts. leading up to birth). If you are insured, do you still have to set aside US$10,000 as it seems the average costs have been in the threads?
Any information is helpful, I have been searching the forums and end up only more confused.
 
Matilda takes a letter form your insurance company and will not require you to pay the deposit after they make arrangements with the insurance. You would be able to arrange this after you get your confirmation from them.I don't know about canossa.
 
I called a Hong Kong OB and they sent through forms to book into Matilda. As I am due in May apparently I should be OK but time will tell..
 
Your HK OB must register you with the hospital. When I gave birth in October 2006 it was just a case of turning up at the hospital when you went into labour, but hospitals have gotten awfully crowded since then and you must now it seems book in avdance, or your OB must.

The average cost of delivery in the Matilda is probably more than US$10,000- our bill in the Matilda was, HK$100,000+

Some insurance policies cover 100% of the bill, others less....you would have to check with your individual policy.

When you are admitted to hospital, the hospital will require either a cash/credit card deposit OR a gurantee letter from your insurance company promising to cover all costs, or whatever percentage of costs they cover.

Hope that helps!
 
Hello everybody,

I am moving to Hong Kong in December 08.

Charlietwo, I am also due in May!
NYCMOM, I have a 17 month toddler too!


I will have to use the public system, as my health insurance does not cover maternity services.

As far as I have researched, there is hardly any childcare for under twos (except for live-in helpers). I have been working part-time in the UK since my son turned one, so it will a bit strange now to go back to be being full-time mom again. But given that I am changing countries, I am sure I'll feel busy until I get settled, and soon after that the other baby will arrive.

I think the best way to avoid feeling lonely is to find somebody who is in the similar situation like you- no family, new country, new baby. So lets keep in touch!
 
Welcome Neringapri!

Do you know yet where you will be living in HK? I am a stay-at-home full time mom, but really looking forward to finding a live-in helper with a new baby in January. It will be quite an adjustment to have help like this since I am use to doing everything on my own, but being free of cleaning dishes and bathrooms will leave any more time for me to be with the kids, so I am thrilled about that! We are looking at Pokfulam, Repulse Bay, and Tai Tam areas to live, they all seem very expat friendly with lots of child-friendly activities and preschools/playgroups and away from the pollution of the main city area.

Feel free to PM me, stay in touch!
 
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