Worried mum to be

S

Smallcat

New member
Hi everyone

I moved to HK with my fianc?e about 8 weeks ago and last week (to my surprise!) I found out that I was 20 weeks pregnant.

Having got over the initial shock and excitement we are now starting to think about the practicalities of living with a baby here. There are a number of things I'm worried about including:
  • Air pollution
  • Getting around
  • Health care

I live on HK island and there is no way I will be walking around with a pram! Surely there is only so much you can carry with nappy bags and a baby that's getting heavier by the day!

Does anyone have any experiences of coping with a new baby and can help ease some of my worries!

Thanks
 
many people use a pram in hk... it's not the easiest but it is possible, and once baby hits about 15lbs, that is all there is to do. before that time, most people use a baby carrier. if you breast feed, you only need to carry a couple of nappies and some wipes. not too much. if you bottle feed, then you need a lot more stuff!
 
Hi Smallcat,

I feel your concern I'm currently 24 weeks! I was worried about the exact same thing... thinking about pollution especially.
Try not to stress yourself out, it seems there are far worse places to be bringing up a child in the world consider yourself lucky to be living somewhere where healthcare is excellent! (Especially the public system)

Getting around seems stressful yes I agree with you 100000% but I imagine when the baby is born you wont want to be taking him/her everywhere within the first few months.. then when the baby is a little bigger you can use a baby carry that straps onto you (which is ideal for hong kong life!).

Congrats!! :)
 
And it is easier to get a place nor even at private hospital

Baby carrier is useful and my baby is now 18lb and I still can manage to carry her using the basic babybjorn for up to 15min then after a break can carry her for another 10min and I am 98lb and 5'1", you can invest in a better carrier if you don't want to use a stroller most of the time.... And there are lighter weight and smaller stroller also you can get which makes going to places alone with your baby easier

Good luck and enjoy!!!
 
Hi Smallcat, don't be worried. I found getting around tough at first (I'm in Pok Fu Lam, so only buses from here), but you will work out what is best for you :)

I think the thing I found most useful was the Geobaby Due Date forums, if you can get a group together to meet up, it's a great way to share your experiences, find a OBGYN / hospital, or have a general moan about the pollution! I found some of my best friends here in Hong Kong that way and we still arrange playdates for the kids.

Good luck, you will be fine.

GFM x
 
Thanks for your replies everyone. I'm living in Sheung Wan so registered with Queen Mary.

I'm sure it will all work out ok in the end! Just dreading being 8 months pregnant in the middle of HK summer!!
 
Dear Smallcat,

There is nothing much you can do about it, but I am not discouraging you, having a baby is a wonderful thing however having a baby in HK is tough. So people with infants normally don't go out often or prefer to go in places nearby. If you have a helper its much easier for you. In my case, I usually get around with a pram but I always had a problem in MTR stations, some doesn't have an access for prams and you will find it are narrower, so you need to get the baby out from the pram for you get to through. And also their lift sometimes is not on the street level so you still need to go in staircase or an escalator. I always bring my hubby with me so I have someone to help me especially in the staircases, I am also a petite woman so its much harder for me. If I am alone, I usually bring a backpack so I can put all my baby's essentials there and I got a free hand to move with the baby in a sling. I'm sure you'll get along. Regarding the hospital, we find public is practical and I recommend it. Not only its cheap but their services is quite good once you get in the system.

I hope you enjoy your pregnancy! Cheers!
 
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We use a pram and have had no issues with the mtr - most have lifts, and you learn quickly which don't. But if you're going to be using buses it's more difficult.
 
Hi Smallcat,

Just to give another perspective, I didn't find having a newborn in HK tough at all.

I carried my son in a sling for about 3 or 4 months with no trouble (and he was a big baby, so not particularly light). After that I used a push chair - an iCandy which is big and heavy, but both my son and I loved it. I've read many posts about how you can't use a push chair in HK (or one of any weight), but I didn't have any problems. Admittedly I have a car so it was is easier for me in terms of car transport, as collapsing a heavy push chair when using taxis isn't so easy, but I still found getting around okay. I just found the MTR stations / walking routes that were push chair friendly and used those. Learning which MTRs to avoid because they are too hard etc., but really most transport problems can be overcome. To be honest, I think it's a matter of attitude as well.

Nearly all of my friends with babies (and most of us are onto our second ones now) took them out from just weeks old, so I don't really agree that most people with infants don't go out much. I was a bit shell shocked with my first baby, and going out a lot ended up being essential to my sanity. I took him everywhere for months. Just breastfed him when I needed to, with a maternity cover (in Starbucks or breastfeeding rooms in baby shops, or even just sitting on public seating in a mall) and worked out the best places to change him (public toilets in malls that have baby changing facilities). Being in a sling was very soothing for him so it was all very easy. After that he would just take naps in his push chair, which I'd cover with some material when he seemed tired, and again it was all easy. Most malls are easy to get around with a push chair.

With regards to healthcare, as people have said, that's nothing to worry about here, and the Queen Mary is one of the best public hospitals.

With regards to pollution...well, I think that's probably a worry for everyone.

Good luck with everything anyway. Don't be daunted about getting around Hong Kong. Just be determined to do it and have your freedom, and you'll be absolutely fine. As others have said, you'll find a way whatever your circumstances.

Would love to know how you didn't know you were pregnant until 20 weeks! I'm always amazed how that can happen.
 
Thanks for your help everyone!

Yes I always thought people were lying when they said they didn't know! Normal periods (for me, I've been quite light and irregular since coming off the pill), no sickness or strange symptoms! First I knew of it was a little bulge in my tummy! I expect the move out here probably distracted me from anything that I might have noticed normally.
 
We had our little girl in QMH this January. Wonderful hospital.
Just make sure that, if you want to BF, that you're going to BF. Their policy might be that they support it, but we found that not all staff sees the importance or benefits for the baby. You don't want nipple confusion just because some nurse says it's necessary to feed your newborn 70ml on the first BF!! Actually, she told my wife (imagine a good 2 hours after giving birth) that she should be able to pump 70ml if she would only have BF and no formula! No woman can do that the first time! That's crazy.

We insisted on BF only. And they let us. Our little girl is not so little anymore!

But honestly, I couldn't have wished for more from a hospital. Especially checking out was wonderful!

Anyways, back to your talk.

We have 5 carriers for our baby. 1 that we bought as soon as we found out we were expecting.
We had this romantic image of a baby snuggled up in a cloth in front of your belly.
Well.. we had another one given to us, more of an African type carry cloth.
We tried them and used them only once. Our baby just didn't seem comfy in it.
Also; you carry all the weight on one shoulder.

A baby bjorn, wonderful for the first few months, because the baby is still very small and this one is adjustable to newborn size. She's upright in front of you and when she's older you can turn her.
Downside, I regularly feel my neck after carrying it. I'm not Chinese and I really carry this one with my upper body. If I was shorter it may have been better for me.
The good thing is that it's relatively light weight and very safe. And nice and airy for the kid.
(you'll sweat like crazy with her hot body on your belly)

We have an ergo carrier..like a backpack without the inside part, so the baby still touches you but you can almost totally hide her from the world. just her legs will hang out if you close the cover.
My wife loves this one!
The baby is nice and close. Sleeps well in it. And most importantly the weight is for 90% on your hips. Not on your back. I'm telling you ...that makes all the difference!
easy to put on, even when you're alone. When the baby is around a year old you can carry it on your back like a backpack.

I love the stroller. We have a small one that's easy to steer. I live right outside a mall and with the escalators and elevators everywhere getting around is not a problem. I don't sweat half as much and I can easily eat my meal or drink coffee without the risk of spilling.
We don't live on Mid-levels or anything, I cannot imagine the burden of walking up there with a stroller, but for the rest of HK it works fine.

So, I would say, find a stroller for the longer walks and trips and an Ergo for the taxi-rides and climbing steps. You'll do fine.

One more tip that has nothing to do with this, but I wish someone told me 3 months ago. Watch that video Dunstan Baby Language. That Australian mom that was on Oprah with her explanation of baby language.
With my baby it's spot on. I'm just finding out now. But it would have saved me a lot of worry and searching if I was able to understand the cries better.

Rick
 
Hey Rick

That baby language thing did not work on my baby.... She seemed to have her own language!
 
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