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Knocked up abroad: getting pregnant in a foreign country
My first clue that something was different came when I woke up one night on vacation in Kiev at 3am, proceeded to eat 3 slices of toast with caviar spread, went back to bed and woke up a few hours later wondering if they made blueberry muffins in Ukraine (tragicially, they do not). That "time of the month" hadn't happened but flying tends to always mess with your body, so I didn't give it much of a thought. Since moving to Istanbul from New York in May 2010 for a work project, my husband and I take frequent trips around Eastern Europe (see my Weekending posts) and that week we spent exploring Kiev and Warsaw while Turkey celebrated Kurban Bayramı (the Muslim festival of sacrifice).When we arrived back home in Istanbul a few days later, I dug out the Turkish pregnancy test I had purchased a few months earlier after a previous false alarm. Though the instructions were in Turkish, peeing on a stick is fairly universal, and the "POZITIF" results were hard to misinterpret. Excited and nervous to be pregnant in a foreign country, my husband and I wondered what a mountain of paperwork we'd have to provide U.S. Customs in 9 months, what the medical system in Istanbul would be like, and if we could get away with having a baby in Turkey not named in some way for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of modern Turkey and namesake for millions of Turks. Being pregnant in a foreign country is the ultimate way of "going native," the most "authentic" travel experience you can have. It's also challenging, sometimes scary, and limits where you can travel, but can be a great way to discover a culture, their hospitality, and traditions.
Once I confirmed that I was in fact hamile with bebek, I noticed how child-friendly Turkey is, though not without challenges for the expecting expat. I could only find one English-language pregnancy book (co-written by Oprah's fave, Dr. Oz, who is of Turkish descent), I've heard C-sections are pushed on many women as the only option for childbirth, and I've found maternity clothes are mostly limited to childish t-shirts and denim overalls. Turkey's also a dream for the pregnant traveler: fresh fruit juice is cheap and easy to find at most cafes, vaccinations aren't needed to visit, and Turks treat pregnant women with the utmost respect and care.
Having a baby, especially a first, in a foreign country isn't for everyone. My family and support system is far away and I don't know where to go for things I can find easily in my hometown. My doctor speaks excellent English but many of the nurses and hospital staff do not, and my Turkish is hardly fluent enough to cover every situation. Though the cost of domestic help is low, I'm not sure I want a lady with whom I can't fully communicate telling me how to raise a baby.
Pregnancy also changes how you look at travel, both where you go and how you do it. I've been fortunate not to have morning sickness, but I'm just as at risk for disease as other pregnant women and have to weigh the risks of visiting countries with suggested vaccinations or food- and water-borne illnesses. Growing a baby is tiring work, and it's hard to reconcile my usual travel self (lots of walking, few breaks) with my pregnant self (tired and hungry almost all the time). The best part about pregnancy travel is learning how each culture values pregnant women and mothers, hearing childbirth experiences from locals and foreigners, and seeing how kind strangers really can be. And all the food cravings help you discover the local cuisine, too.
Stay tuned for more on pregnancy travel, including Turkish superstitions and customs, the lowdown on prenatal medical care in Istanbul, where to travel in each trimester, what to eat when pregnant abroad, and more on having a baby in a foreign country. Check here for further updates.
Having a baby, especially a first, in a foreign country isn't for everyone. My family and support system is far away and I don't know where to go for things I can find easily in my hometown. My doctor speaks excellent English but many of the nurses and hospital staff do not, and my Turkish is hardly fluent enough to cover every situation. Though the cost of domestic help is low, I'm not sure I want a lady with whom I can't fully communicate telling me how to raise a baby.
Pregnancy also changes how you look at travel, both where you go and how you do it. I've been fortunate not to have morning sickness, but I'm just as at risk for disease as other pregnant women and have to weigh the risks of visiting countries with suggested vaccinations or food- and water-borne illnesses. Growing a baby is tiring work, and it's hard to reconcile my usual travel self (lots of walking, few breaks) with my pregnant self (tired and hungry almost all the time). The best part about pregnancy travel is learning how each culture values pregnant women and mothers, hearing childbirth experiences from locals and foreigners, and seeing how kind strangers really can be. And all the food cravings help you discover the local cuisine, too.
Stay tuned for more on pregnancy travel, including Turkish superstitions and customs, the lowdown on prenatal medical care in Istanbul, where to travel in each trimester, what to eat when pregnant abroad, and more on having a baby in a foreign country. Check here for further updates.
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
mike Feb 18th 2011 2:13AM
one of my sisters was born in the phillipines in 1981 on a military base . her citizenship was never questioned comming back . she is a citizen .
Liza Feb 18th 2011 11:27AM
BS, I have bunch of turkish friends with dual citizenship and it works perfectly fine
Bron Feb 18th 2011 2:21AM
JR is incorrect. As a Turkish national myself living in the US, I know that Turkey does not acknowledge dual citizenship. They will recognize the baby as a US citizen born in Turkey. The baby will not be considered for Turkish citizenship.
mike Feb 18th 2011 2:34AM
move to canada then . you need to realize most countries have been taken over in the last 300 years alot of their history is not what you are used to . this nation was the only one founded on the indivual rights not gvt. authority . in the last 300 years the goverments have risen and fallen in most of these countries . in the last 100 years about 3/4 are new our dammaged form of gvt is still there . so take yourself give up your citizenship and apply to canada to be a citizen.
Tony Feb 18th 2011 5:59AM
I want to know if it is possible non-us citizen to have a child in the united states. is it still accepted?
Nilgun Feb 18th 2011 3:37PM
As a Turkish woman I can tell you Turkey is really heaven for everyone especially pregnant person. Enjoy it.
JoanneVLavender Feb 18th 2011 4:46AM
Didn't you think to contact the US Consulate to have your questions about the citizenship rights of your unborn child answered?
Do that NOW.
Lala Feb 18th 2011 6:09AM
For a worldly, educated, and well-traveled person such as yourself, Meg, you should no better than to call Ukraine "the Ukraine".
Ukraine is the name of an independent country. There are only two groups of countries which require the article in English: Those with plural names such as the United States or the Netherlands. The others have names with adjectival or compound forms which require the article, such as the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada, or the Ukrainian SSR.
Ukrainians also object to the term "the Ukraine" as it is "patronising and colonial".
The use of "the" before Ukraine was by Moscow to eliminate Ukraine and Ukrainians as political and cultural entities. Soviet translators, who knew the patterns for country names in English, deliberately translated the name of this area with the article "the" because it then sounds to English-speakers like a part of a country rather than the name of an individual, independent country.
Since the Soviet Union broke apart, Ukrainians have been pushing very hard to have the article "the" removed from the English translation, so as to be linguistically correct, ie to show that Ukraine is a separate, independent country, not part of another country."
So stop calling it "the Ukraine" and set an example for the rest of the ignorant or un-educated world.
ignorantpplsck Feb 18th 2011 5:47AM
To the poster saying Turkey is a "turd" world country is showing just how ignorant people are and unfortunately, they want to share this quality with the world (or at least on a website comments section). Grow up, get some education, get some world experience, at least get some kind of knowledge before trashing a whole country. Obviously, this poster/commenter has never travelled to Turkey, as they are factually incorrect in their posting.
Here's to not being a mean-spirited and ignorant person.. cheers!
McBaby Feb 18th 2011 6:07AM
Reading these posts only tells me that sadly America has a lot to learn. Btw, John McCain was born in Panama and (ironically) many who voted for him question Obama place of birth which happens to be Hawaii. As for the article many American service personel; military, diplomats etc., often wind up having their children overseas. Babies don't care where they are born and if you want to speak facts American does have a high infant mortality rates compared to other nations. No one is asking anyone or suggesting that they have their babies delivered overseas but in case you do, do it without fear and chances are that the care you recieve will equal or surpass the quality back in the US. Peace!
Stacey Feb 18th 2011 9:49AM
Meg - congratulations on your pregnancy. I'm a doula and childbirth educator living in Turkey and also in the middle of my 2nd "Turkish" pregnancy. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. Not sure how to give you my contact info???
Stacey
Shane Feb 18th 2011 4:41PM
Still better than getting pregnant BY a turkey, gobble gobble gobble : P
mike Feb 18th 2011 5:16PM
liza , please read the responce , my sister is a citizen , what is bs about that ? i dont care about dual citizenship , thats irrevlant to this . who cares , the topic is us citizen.