Where will Baby Boyd be born? Part I

Joe and I visited Mediflower Women’s Clinic and Natural Birthing Center on Saturday, April 23^rd. It took us a little over an hour to get there- about the same amount of time as it takes to get to Asan Hospital, but it requires a lot less walking (not sure if that is a good thing or not). We arrived early so we scouted out a place for lunch. We don’t eat out very often, so whenever we do we get pretty excited. We settled on a small Korean restaurant because they had naeng-myun, one of our favorite dishes. Naeng-myun consists of buckwheat noodles in an icy cold broth, topped with cucumber, carrots, a boiled egg, and red pepper paste for seasoning. The first time I tried it I was a little scared, but now I crave it all of the time, especially during the summer when it is hot.

When we finished lunch we headed to Mediflower. It is a very impressive facility on the second floor of a large office building. It consists of 2 separate wings- the doctor’s office and the birthing facility. The lobby was modern and comfortable, and helped create a very friendly environment.

When it came time for our appointment, I double checked that Joe could accompany me (you never know in Korea). They assured me that the husband was encouraged to be a part of all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. We talked with the doctor for around 20 minutes and he made a very good impression on us. Not only did he speak great English, but he came across as very friendly and kind. It was easy to see why expats rave about him. As I have said before, I am preparing to have a natural pregnancy without an epidural, however the doctor did explain that I could have an epidural at Mediflower if I wanted one. He did say that because Mediflower is focused on natural birth and the women who give birth there often follow the hypnobirthing method, women do not request them. We also talked about induction if the baby is late. He informed us that if there are no complications he will wait 2 weeks, and sometimes 3 to induce labor. Obviously, if our baby is more than a week late it is going to cause us some problems (no housing or insurance after August 31^st), but receiving an induction increases your chances of c-section, and that would be even more problematic. We are just hoping she comes around her due date, and if she doesn’t, things will work out… somehow.

After we met with the doctor, we toured the birthing facility. It consists of 4 regular sized rooms and 1 large room. There is also a giant tub if you are interested in having a water birth (additional cost of 350,000 won- $325 USD). Everything is new, clean, and comfortable, and medical equipment is completely absent from the rooms. It looks more like a hotel than a hospital, and definitely gives off an immediate comfortable vibe.

We really liked everything about Mediflower, but we are not sure we can afford to have the baby there. Actually, we can afford to have the baby there, but we don’t know if we want to “afford to have the baby there.” Considering we are coming home in late August/early September and won’t have any income until November after I have gone back to work, we are really trying to save as much money as possible.

Estimated Costs at Mediflower… (pretty sure these aren’t covered by insurance)

2D1N room fee- 800,000 won ($744 USD)

3D2N room fee- 1,200,000 won ($1116 USD)

Doctor’s fee- 1,000,000 won ($930 USD)

Birthing fee- 600,000 won ($558 USD)

Looking at 2.4-2.8 million won, and that is if there are no complications ($2,232-2604 USD)

If I have to be transferred to a hospital, the costs will likely double or triple (because most likely I will only be transferred if I need an emergency c-section)

If I am going to have a natural birth, and it seems that the only way I can avoid giving birth at a Korean hospital is if I have a natural birth, then it may make more sense for us to give birth at home or in a less expensive birthing center. Mediflower is a beautiful facility, but there are more cost effective options that wouldn’t vary that greatly in the experience. Not to mention, depending on the circumstances, I could have to be transferred to the hospital no matter where I have the baby.

So, we still haven’t made a decision about where to have the baby, but our goal is to have everything figured out by the end of May. While we haven’t ruled out Mediflower, we are definitely going to explore a few other options before we make a decision.