Shopping for C-sections in Bangkok

I had told myself that I wouldn’t write about this, because well, how many people are trying to figure out what country to have their next baby in? It’s kind of the most absurd problem to have — traveling full time, wanting more children, and not wanting to go home to have them. “Oh I’ll just stop off somewhere and have the baby, apply for a passport at the local US embassy, and continue on my way.” It’s really not that blasé but sometimes it certainly looks like it from a distance.

I was struck by this fact when I contacted Gap Adventures to see if they allowed small children on their tours to Antarctica. To me, the trip just seems like a big cruise: 10 days on the boat, two days of walking around on ice… how hard could it be? Sorry, no. They were really nice about it, explaining to me the legal/insurance/lack of medical e-vac problems. When Cole is seven I can take him. I had run into the same problem when I inquired about booking a tour with several different agencies to the Galapagos. No babies. No way. No how.

I could say that the world isn’t ready for me. Honestly I just think it’s the insurance companies.

So screw it. I have no idea where this will go, but it’s my life, it’s real and yes, I am a little amused by it.

Bumrungrad International

We landed in Bangkok with two weeks downtime to allow for jet lag.   The baby ended up adjusting faster than me, sleeping through the night, while I sat, illuminated by the glow of my laptop screen.  It was afternoon on the east coast and everyone online was chirping about articles they had read or how much they hated work or what they planned on doing that night.  I was in a hotel in Bangkok, listening to the disco beats of the club below our room and a little pained by the Thai chilies that were eating their way through my digestive track.  I googled, “Best country to have a baby in” and guess what — no one has written that article yet.  Come on Parenting Magazine!  Oh, wait, normal people don’t need this information.

The idea of medical tourism isn’t exactly new.  Cheap plastic surgery has drawn US tourists to Mexico, Colombia, Brazil.  Increasingly major surgeries for the uninsured are being done overseas too (or often under-insured, when you find out that some technicality allows your insurer to deny coverage for a certain procedure, lifesaving or not).  Overseas it’s often America-trained doctors, using state-of-the-art equipment with certified facilities, stellar service and the best part — at a fraction of the cost.  Anyway, that’s the dream and when my husband was laid off, making us an uninsured family with a sole income earner (me and this blog) more than one person cheerfully reported, “Hey you can always have your next baby overseas and pay out of pocket!”

The best hospital in Bangkok is Bumgrangrad, at least that’s what the internet says.  It was the first Asian hospital to be accredited by the JCI — the Join Commission International, which is the international arm of the same organization that evaluates American hospitals.  They have over 200 US board certified doctors.  It’s the largest private hospital in Thailand and SE Asia.  The nurses are trained in English.  There are over 100 interpreters.  They were featured on a 60 Minutes segment.

So at about 2 AM local time, I sent them an email.  “How much would it cost for a c-section?”

I should note, I don’t want a c-section.  I want a natural birth with a healthy baby.  Sometimes I don’t get what I want so I’m planning for anything.  To put this into perspective, my emergency c-section with Cole last year cost over $20,000.  After insurance I paid $500.  My midwife was not covered and I paid $3,000 out of pocket.  Total cost: $3,500 with insurance.

Within 24 hours later they sent me back an email.  There were three attachments.  The email was brief, thanking me for my interest and warning me, “These prices are for planning purposes only to assist the patient in understanding the possible range of costs. Actual estimates for care cannot be accurately provided until the patient has been examined by the BH physician.”

Ok, got it.

Vaginal birth without pain relief: 44,800 baht ($1,493)

Vaginal birth with spinal block: 54,900 baht ($1,830)

Elective C-section: 64,900 baht ($2,163)

To put this into perspective, the c-section at this world class hospital cost about 10% of the cost of my US-based birth.  I won’t go into all the details from the pdfs they sent me but that price is a fixed package that includes the surgery, 3 nights stay in the maternity ward, lab tests for mother and baby, pre-natal classes and even a baby photo, gift pack and breastfeeding apron .  They include baby swag!  All for LESS than what I paid AFTER insurance in the US.

Will I have my next baby in Bangkok?

Maybe.  It’s definitely an option.  It’s nice to know that no matter what happens, I can hang out in Bangkok for a few months, eat crazy spicy food and have my baby in a place that’s safe, speaks English and is incredibly affordable.  But what the hell am I talking about?  Cole is only nine months!  He can’t even walk yet!  This is all in the semi-distant future.  In the meantime, I have to figure out if I can bring him trekking to Everest Base camp with me in Nepal.  So far, the internet says, “Yes!”

Pic: uwebkk