Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you choose one of the private Chinese hospitals, such as Amcare Women's & Chil-
dren's Hospital, Mary's Hospital, or Beijing Alice Gynecology Hospital, visit ahead of time
and compare. Find out if the hospital has an ICU or NICU unit (not all do), and what the
level of English is with staff. You may need to hire a translator for dealing with your doctor.
At times this can be done through the hospital. For extra help or advice, an extremely handy
place to contact is email group Beijing Mamas. Simply post your question and someone
who has used that hospital is bound to reply.
The more local you go, the less memorable—or perhaps more memorable—the exper-
ience will be. In a local hospital, after checking in, the expectant mother will find herself
sitting side by side with other puffing, uncomfortable women and their families, waiting in
line to be the most urgent before being wheeled off to the delivery room. It is considerably
cheaper, however. A complication-free natural birth in the local ward of the China-Japan
Friendship Hospital may cost around RMB3,000-5,000, including delivery and three days
of care.
You may hear of various Chinese traditions surrounding birth—such as women needing
to stay at home and keep their feet up for 40 days after the birth, or the mother-in-law rather
than the father being present in the delivery room—however, things are changing. Women
often return to work soon after giving birth, and while most Chinese hospitals won't let the
man into the delivery room, some do. One thing that is entrenching itself into the culture
here at an alarming rate is the caesarian birth. The World Health Organization recommends
that a country's national rate for C-sections be under 15 percent. Today, however, many de-
veloped countries average around 20-30 percent. China, nationally, is a little over this fig-
ure. Beijing, however, averages around 50 percent. It's estimated that a third of these are
medically unnecessary. Research shows that the primary reasons for the concerningly high
figures include fear of pain and women wanting their baby to be born on an auspicious day.
Eight, for example, is considered an extremely lucky number, while four is considered ex-
tremely unlucky. Additionally, financially, C-sections bring in much more money. So while
women in Beijing are not only more likely to request a C-section, but hospitals are also
more likely to suggest it. If a local hospital suggests a C-section, consider it with skepticism
and get a second opinion.
Knowing the Sex
Chinese culture favors males over females, in part because the male is seen to be the one
who will continue the family line and increasingly because the male will also be a bigger
breadwinner and take care of the parents as they age. With this mindset still firmly the norm
in society, the one-child policy has created huge problems. Abortions are not only excess-
