Expat flying home to deliver baby

Hello all,

We are currently based in Singapore and just found out we're pregnant - I would really like to come home (Sydney) to deliver the baby. Am trying to hunt down some information on what to do now if I want to do so in terms of finding OBGYN and booking at a birth center or hospital?

I'm working at the moment so wouldn't be able to take much time off than the standard 3 months and will probably be flying in last minute if all things permit.

Any advice or information would be much appreciated!

(Couldn't seem to find a thread on this, but if there is one, moderator, please advice)

Hi there

Welcome to BB and congratulations on your pregnancy.

I personally for one wouldn't be planning on flying home at the last minute for several reasons including that a lot of airlines won't let you fly after a certain time (varies internationally) unless you have a Dr's certificate and even then there is a hard cutoff (I think it is 37 weeks). Also, if you are planning on flying home for the birth and it happens a month early you won't be prepared and have booked hospitals in Singapore etc. So I would really suggest being home several weeks before bub is due. And that is of course without considering the comfort of travelling with an enormous pregnant belly (is business class an option?)

Do you know if you want to go public or private or which hospital you want to go to? I think the best thing to do would be to identify where you would like to go and then contact them directly and ask them the best way. But also remember that a lot of places fill up really quickly so you should start contacting them now.

You will still need to find somewhere in Singapore to get your tests and checkups done - but often hospitals or Obs have relationships with people in different cities.

I'm sorry but I don't have any recommendations for Obs or hospitals in Sydney - but I am sure that there are plenty of people on BB who do.

Best of luck with your pregnancy.

hi there - congratulations on your pregnancy!
i think it will be hard logistically for you to come home to deliver, unless as the poster above said you can plan to come quite a lot before your due date - which would be hard with only 12 weeks off. i would recommend coming back no later than 34 weeks. i think the worry of coming back at 37 wks would be too much - at later stages you will worry what if the baby comes prem, what if you need to be on bed rest, what if you are just too exhausted to pick up and come home. it wouldnt feel like that now but by then you may think differently.
a friend of mine was an expat in manila when she was preg and chose to deliver in melb, but she would have made about 6 trips back for key OB appts etc and then came home at about 32 weeks. They also did not go back to manila for a year after the baby was born. so itcan be done to see an OB virtually and then have them deliver but it is expensive and not easy. if you really want to do it you could call a few good OBs in Syd and see what they think - maybe they know an OB in Singapre you could see for all your tests and pre delivery care and then they can take you on in the last weeks. e
what are you reasons for wanting to come home? could you spend the $$ bringing some suport over to you instead? or plan to come on an extended trip when the baby is little - newborns are easy to travel with - just some other ideas.
On the other hand, i have a friend from here who is living in Singapore and had a baby there recently - she doesnt work so i thought she may came home to have the baby but she was v happy with how it all went there - if you want me to find out who she used and what hosp etc let me know.

I too had a friend give birth in Singapore - it was all covered by their insurance through their work and the hospitals and staff there were amazing she said. She had pre-eclampsia in the end with an emergency c-section.

I am in Tokyo and am staying here for the birth for the same reason. I am a bit worried about immediately afterward without my mum:o but she is coming over shortly afterwards.

Good luck with your decision!

International airlines will not let you fly after 33 weeks on an international flight...you can fly later domestically but not international......the only way they would let you fly on a long haul flight after 33 weeks if there was an exceptional circumstance like someone in the family died AND you could prove you were fit to fly...that would mean absolutely zero pregnancy issues, no swelling even etc...they are very very strict on long haul flight issues as if something happens they can't exactly land the plane in the middle of the ocean!

So you will need to rethink how much time you take off work both before and after to allow for this....

Hi all,

Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions.

The pregnancy is still in very early days. I don't even think I've hit 5 weeks yet according to FF, and feels rather surreal and not wanting to jinx it! Though I guess this is going to be a complicated issue and hence never too early to start thinking (stressing).

Don't get me wrong, I would love to deliver in Singapore, have heard the facilities here are top notch and so much less hassles! But the fact is my husband holds a singaporean passport and citizenship would be passed on immediately to the child. Singapore doesn't recognise dual citizenship and we would rather the child have Australian citizenship since we are more bonded to Australia than here and will probably move back there sometime in the future.

I'm erring on going through the public system - a couple of my friends delivered at RPA and seemed happy with it. I do have private insurance but it's on suspension since we moved here last year. I guess the next step (after the pregnancy has sunk in!) is to find a OBGYN that would take me on in late pregnancy over in Sydney, be it private or public. I will have normal checks here as per delivering in Singapore, and if in any case the OBGYN decides it's no wise or what not, then too bad, Singapore it is and the child will just have to deal with his/her nationality issues later on.

Singapore Air flies up to 36 weeks with medical certificate. If I have to take no-pay leave, so be it! Baby comes first! :)

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice once again!

Ahhhh National Service! I was thinking that after my post.

Another friend at work here managed to find an OBGYN in Brisbane who looked after her for the last two months - like you, she saw the OBGYN here for all other appointments and then had her medical records transferred. So it can be done. I also had a friend deliver publicly at RPA and had no issues.

Qantas also lets you fly up to 36 weeks. I am not sure where the other poster got her info from about flying. Even Lufthansa is 36 weeks and German doctors don't like pregnant women to fly at all.

yes, I have been doing a bit of travel in my pregnancy!