Expat Health Insurance & Healthcare Guide to Hong Kong

Delivered at Matilda International Hospital. Stayed 3 nights. Delivery was induction and Epidural. Hospital was fantastic.

I am a midwife myself and wanted a homebirth for my fourth child. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and a very peaceful, unmedicated home birth. I used my midwife from Australia and flew her into Hong Kong two weeks before my due date. My baby was born ten days overdue in the early hours of the morning by candlelight!

I hired a midwife from the U.S. to do a home birth for me. We paid for her airfare and $3000 . She stayed in our apartment with us and was there when I went into labor. We had a beautiful, uncomplicated labor and delivery and it was wonderful to not have to leave our apartment! We did have a back up plan and had met with an OB in HK, just in case.

My husband, our 3 year old son and I (7 1/2 months pregnant) moved to Hong Kong in 1987. I gave birth at Matilda War Memorial Hospital, a private hospital on the Peak, though my Dr. also delivered at the Adventist hospital. It was reported that the food was better "on the Peak".

New Years Day 1988 was spent laying around and enjoying the quiet. Two weeks earlier I had the worst case of the flu, my husband was in Singapore and my son luckily, kept himself busy with Duplo Blocks. I couldn't handle the 30 min. taxi ride into Central to see the Dr. So I rode it out. I called the only person I knew of in our area. We had never met. She was on her way to Nepal and brought me over the food she had left in her fridge. This is what my son and I ate for the next few days. I also had a major case of "Culture Shock" which was increased because of the flu. This did pass.

On January 2 we were scheduled to interview a young women who would stay with our son when I gave birth. I went into labor at 3am and about 4 am we headed for the hospital, the three of us. The "sister" (nurse) asked what were we "going to do with the boy"? At 9 am my husband rang the young girl and she was hired on-the-spot.

I was in labor for the better part of the day. Everything was fairly relaxed and laid back. They even brought me meals - which I was in no shape to eat. My husband enjoyed them. Around 3pm the Dr. thought we should move things on. She had a dinner engagement.??? I was ready to get it over with. So, with a little help from an injection, we finished delivery. On that final push, as our daughter was being born, the Dr. shouted, "Will someone grab my trousers, the string broke and I need to catch the baby?" I will never forget it.

I was in the hospital with our new very healthy baby for nearly a week. I actually asked to go home. It was definitely not the case with my first child, home in two days.

The food at the hospital was great, though I was asked to back off on the Indian courses and to not have too much tea, as it was causing "wind" in the baby.

Everyday the new Mums would gather in the hall with pillows and we had exercise time. The cute petite young Chinese lady in her very cruse ship-like attire would lead us in our sit-ups and stretching. I ask her if she had any children. The answer was No. I wanted to be there when she did these exercises after her birthing experience.

I also learned what "Detol" was: A sterilizing solution good for many needs.

Having a baby in Hong Kong was an interesting experience. I missed having family near by, but the care was wonderful and the baby, she is now a lovely young lady finishing her Senior year of high school in Italy. This is our third overseas experience.