Korean Job Discussion Forums

earthbound14 · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Location: seoul

Just wondering what it's like. The wife and I have been planning a family, saving money, sorting out the nest...that sort of thing.

Just wondering what to expect from the health service folks and how much money things cost here. So far, seems pretty good and since the wife feels more comfortable being in Korea...this is where we shall stay.

bbonthec · Joined: 07 Nov 2007

There are some special hospitals you might want to check up on, which cater only to birthing mothers. I visited a friend who gave birth in one of these hospitals. It seemed like a great place. It was extremely clean, nice and warm (hot actually, like being in the common room of a jimjilbang), quiet, no weird smells, very relaxing. The doctors and nurses all specialize in taking care of new mothers and babies. Pretty swank, if you ask me. I bet the price-tag is somewhat higher than a regular hospital, but I think it'd be worth it.

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Due to the declining birth rate, Korean health insurance is taking on a lot more of the costs associated with prenatal and postnatal health care, so giving birth does not have to be expensive.

In my experience, there is a wide variety of quality in health care in Korea. It can be exceptional and it can be wanting. As with many things, going to a good hospital can make a difference. Choose wisely.

There are many exrtas you can pay for such as was already suggested, special recovery hospitals that help your wife after giving birth. Korean culture looks at giving birth as a momentous event that takes quite a bit out of the mother. IMO, Korean women just do not recover from childbirth the same way Western women do. In a sense, Korean women do not have the "birthing hips" that some Western women have and I think it does affect the way Korean women look at child birth. Your wife may really appreciate such a hospital, though I am sure it is an added expense.

Having a baby, especially your first, can be quite stressful - happy - but stressfull. Anything, you can do to help your wife, and others can do to help you, make all the difference. Having "grandparents" on either side or other family to help really, really makes a difference.

It really is a big adjustment. Your life won't be your own anymore. It is cool and I think the change in experience is very worth while in many different ways but it is also a big adjustment. While I don't believe you can ever be fully prepared for the change, being mentally focused on changing, I think does help.

All the best to you - you are in for the wildest ride of your life. Take care.

benohare · Joined: 23 Nov 2009 Location: London, UK

Both my kids were born in Korea and my wife stayed in hospital for a week afterward and it was cheap and clean and very very hot.

They have this theory that women must stay very warm after giving birth or they will end up getting arthritis or something. I don't know if Korean women are different from western women or its just folk law but they don't half turn the heat up in the post-natal hospitals.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Is your wife Korean?

My wife is several months in now, and has already put money down on a 2-week stay at the baby hospital. We expect to pay about 3-4 million for everything once all is said and done. Shes even scheduled a date for her C-section (don't even get me started on that -- I have NO say in the matter).

She goes to monthly visits at the baby hospital, and gets an ultrasound every time. I think that's a bit expensive, and not necessary on a monthly basis, but she works and wants to pay for it.

The wife was able to apply to get some kind of KB Bank card that gives her 200,000 credit (can't remember if that's total or per month for a short time?) because she's pregnant.

kabrams · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Location: your Dad's house

I-am-me · Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Location: Hermit Kingdom

Baby hospitals are a waste of money. C-sections are expensive too and not done in korea for medical reasons. If your wife is korean, then you have to follow the pack. If not Korean, you will save a lot of money just delivering regularly and going home after the birth.

sistersarah · Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Location: hiding out

There is a private discussion forum for foreign parents in Korea. Lots of info over there. PM me for more info.

Lolimahro · Joined: 19 May 2009

Please check out the following forum: http://expatparents.50.forumer.com/

There are so many answers to so many questions there it will be easy to get a little overwhelmed, perhaps.

Also, you can make some great connections with people from all nationalities and walks of life who have had their first babies in Korea, are raising older children, have had multiple births in Korea, etc.

I did not have my baby in Korea and since neither my husband nor I are Korean, we have the exprience of trying to figure things out with minimal Korean language ability, as well. We can recommend a pediatrician in Mok-dong and also tell you about stuff that you won't even need to know until your baby is older.

The forum also has links to posts on where to buy some reasonably-priced items for baby, as those are somewhat difficult to come by here. Occasionally someone may host clothing swaps, etc.

benohare · Joined: 23 Nov 2009 Location: London, UK

earthbound14 · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Location: seoul

earthbound14 · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Location: seoul

Thanks for the replies!!

We are now the proud parents of a small bean shaped thing...with pictures to prove it. Cool.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Lolimahro · Joined: 19 May 2009

Congratulations, and best of luck!

Faunaki · Joined: 15 Jun 2007

Lolimahro · Joined: 19 May 2009

I have actually heard that you are considered medically disabled for 6-8 weeks after a vaginal delivery and 8-12 weeks after a cesarean delivery. If I had not been hired while pregnant in 2008, I would have been entitled to at least 6 weeks of short term disability pay at my old company in the USA. Curse those "pre-existing conditions" when it applies to pregnancy! Like I could help losing my job 5 months into it!

Anyway, mini-rant over. You are actually technically supposed to wait until your 6-week appointment for your OBGYN to give you the go-ahead for exercise/sex/strenuous physical activity after a vaginal birth.

Some women are able to pick up and go after having a baby, but after my first (and only, so far) delivery I felt it was very difficult to get around for several weeks.

The cesarean rate is very high in Korea, but many women have been able to have non-surgical births. One of my good friends just gave birth to a 9-pound baby in a 100% natural childbirth. Not every woman has, or even wants to have, this kind of birth, but it is totally possible for many people.

If I give birth to my second child in Korea, I would think about trying to have a midwife-attended homebirth. I believe there is an OBGYN in Seoul who will attend homebirths, as well. I think that's because I'm too cheap to pay extra for a private delivery room.