Giving Birth as a Foreigner in Mexico - What You Need to Know
Giving birth as a foreigner can initially feel daunting. As newborn parents, you are away from the comforts and familiarity of home, and you must figure out a whole new set of processes. But, if you decide that you want to leave home, there is probably a compelling reason. We wanted to consider another citizenship for our daughter and spend her first few months of life escaping the Canadian winter.
If Mexico is one of the places you would consider for birthing, here are some details to consider.
Much like the U.S. and Canada, under Mexican nationality law, all people born in Mexico are Mexican citizens, as long as the parents are not employed by a foreign government (embassy workers for example). There are no restrictions on foreigners traveling to Mexico to give birth.
Parents can choose either a doctor or a hospital first. The hospital can provide you with a list of accredited OBGYNs. From there, you can make an appointment directly with the doctor of your choice’s office for consultations, ultrasounds, and tests to monitor the baby's heartbeat and mother's contractions.
We saw one OBGYN throughout our entire process. At the upper end of private hospitals, most doctors can speak English. Private care in Mexico is very client focused. Doctors are generally reachable by WhatsApp, and you can ask questions anytime, before and after the pregnancy.
Most private hospitals with maternity departments have birth packages, typically for a C-section or natural birth. The hospital packages only include the hospital facilities, equipment, and nurses, along with accommodation and meals for the mother and care support for the newborn.
They do not include doctors' salaries or optional tests and vaccines for the baby. Salaries are charged by each doctor individually, and you can expect the following staff to all charge separately for their services:
o The OBGYN,
o The OBGYN's assistant team
o Anesthesiologist (for an epidural)
o Pediatrician/neonatologist
Each package also offers suite upgrades and extra nights. Epidurals are generally included, but a discount is typically provided if you choose not to get one. Suites are not worth the additional cost since they are meant for families with lots of visitors (unless you have lots of family coming over of course).
A bed for a partner is usually included in the standard packages, but their meals are not included. Patients can stay at the hospital for as long as they wish because they pay the hospital and support staff for each additional day.
Hospital fees in Mexico can vary widely but generally are still reasonable in comparison to the U.S. Here are three examples (prices are approximate and as of August 2022)
HOSPITAL MEDICA SUR - TLALPAN, MEXICO CITY
Standard hospital natural birth package: 25,000 pesos
OBGYN’s salary: 30,000 pesos
OBGYN’s assistant’s salary: 5,000 pesos
Anesthesiologist’s salary: 7,500 pesos
Pediatrician’s salary: 7,500 pesos
TOTAL: 75,000 pesos (about $3,750 USD)
HOSPITAL CRISTUS MERGUEZA, PUEBLA
Standard hospital natural birth package: 16,000 pesos
OBGYN’s salary: 15,000 pesos
OBGYN’s assistant’s salary: 3,000 pesos
Anesthesiologist’s salary: 5,000 pesos
Pediatrician’s salary: 5,000 pesos
TOTAL: 44,000 pesos (about $2,200 USD)
ABC HOSPITAL, SANTA FE, MEXICO CITY
Standard hospital natural birth package: 49,000 pesos
OBGYN’s salary: 45,000 pesos
OBGYN’s assistant’s salary: 7,500 pesos
Anesthesiologist’s salary: 12,500 pesos
Pediatrician’s salary: 12,500 pesos
TOTAL: 126,000 pesos (about $6,325 USD)
For C-section packages, you can expect a price increase of between 40,000 on the high end to 15,000 on the low end, with a 25,000 peso additional fee as a good median.
Mexico is notorious for encouraging C-section births, mostly because they are easier for the doctors to time and take less time to complete, but don’t feel pressured into one. Many of the high-end private hospitals do not encourage c-sections unless the doctor deems it necessary or the patient requests it.
In the run-up to your delivery, you will meet with your OBYGN weekly to monitor the progression of your baby. The doctor will typically do an ultrasound and check the cervix and fetal heartbeat. Some doctors will also watch for contractions. The cost of each visit ranges from about 700 pesos on the low end to 2,300 pesos on the high end.
If you elect for a C-section, you will typically schedule your surgery date in advance with your doctor. Even though Mexico has a high incidence rate for C-sections, our doctor suggested a natural birth and noted that we would only have a C-section if there were complications.
You should text your doctor immediately when you feel contractions for a natural birth. Don't be afraid to call your doctor, and make sure you get their personal cell number at your first appointment. Our doctor was generally responsive to WhatsApp texts.
The day our daughter was delivered, we messaged him in the morning. He suggested we come into his office after the contractions started coming closer together.
Admission typically is from four centimetres and onwards. By the time we went in, we were at eight centimetres, and our doctor had to assemble his team on a whim.
Our doctor asked again at the last moment whether we wanted an epidural, to which we agreed. In our experience, the pain was managed just in time, despite being eight centimetres dilated.
Post-Natal Care Experience
Hospital care in Canada and the U.S. is focused on mother-child bond-building. Hospitals encourage skin-to-skin contact – the "golden hour", and moms can keep a baby for as long as she wants.
In Mexico, babies only stay with their parents for a few minutes before being taken to the neo-natal area for monitoring and testing. Mothers are then taken to a recovery room for about two to three hours. If you have concerns about bond-building for breastfeeding, you should discuss this beforehand with your doctor.
Be aware that there will be a process to being with your newborn. Security is high in Mexican hospitals. Every time we wanted time with our daughter, she had to be escorted by two nurses and a federal police officer to our room, and we had to sign off on legal paperwork matching our I.D. bracelets.
At least with Medica Sur, expect exemplary service. Nurses check on you reasonably often – to take your blood pressure, ask if you need anything, help you with going to the bathroom, and change you if you are bleeding.
A lactation coach will visit on the second day to answer any questions. Our delivery team also all dropped by to ensure there were no concerns. Upon leaving the hospital, expect follow-up appointments a week after for both mother and baby.
RELATED ARTICLES
