Welcome to the second installment of the Seoul Expat Series! Today I’m sharing my experience with childbirth in Seoul. I realize this is very specific topic, but it’s something I’ve been asked about quite a bit. My story will be different from anyone else’s, and a few years dated (June 2018), so of course take this information with a grain of salt.

For context, I have two children (edit: now three!). I gave birth to my oldest in Philadelphia (U.S.A.) at the end of 2015, and my second was born in Seoul (South Korea) mid-2018. Because my labor & delivery experiences were fairly similar, I found it interesting to reflect and spot the differences– some cultural, some perhaps just first time around versus second.

Brief Background Birth #1:

I gave birth to my first son in Pennsylvania Hospital, which is the nation’s first hospital actually! It’s a beautiful old brick building with fantastic staff and quality of care. I had a vaginal birth (with an epidural) after about 23 hours of labor, start to finish.

Brief Background Birth #2:

I had my second son in Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, a modern 22-floor building located in the central Banpo neighborhood of Seoul. It’s a Catholic hospital, well-known for its emphasis on academia and research. I had another vaginal birth (with an epidural) after about 24 hours of labor, start to finish.

General Tips for Giving Birth in Seoul:

• Find a hospital or birthing center with an excellent international healthcare center. Even if you found a doctor that speaks decent English, you’re going to need to talk to billing about your insurance claims. Nurses may speak very little English. Having a system in place to help translate and guide through the system is very important. It also signals the hospital is foreigner-friendly and may be more open to various cultural differences.
• Double-check information your doctor tells you. This isn’t because your doctor is incompetent; medical care in South Korea is fantastic. However, there might be some communication issues on nuanced topics. Although I had a great experience with my particular OB, I was once prescribed a medication that was the exact opposite of what I had asked for. I could’ve saved myself a big headache with a quick google search (and finally did, after a couple of long months).
• Along with that: Trust your gut. In South Korea it’s common to listen to a doctor as the final word and not question their judgement. Although you may receive some push-back or dirty looks (or maybe not! I had a wide range of experiences during my time abroad) don’t hesitate to stand up for yourself and ask as many questions as you need to.

Prenatal Decisions & Appointments

Where do I start??

In Seoul, you can either decide to have your maternal care through a large hospital or smaller local birthing center in Korea. I’ll cover the differences below. Obviously the distance away from your home/apartment is a factor–for all of the many appointments but also for delivery! Seoul is a very spread out city and it can take 60-90 minutes to get from one end to the other.

Is a large hospital in Seoul right for me?

Typically, women that are a bit older (mid 30s- low 40s) or women with a high risk pregnancy choose to go through a large hospital. The lines are admittedly longer in larger hospitals, and you’ll have to go from one end of the building to the other for blood draws, sonograms, OB visits, and more. However, you’re likely to get top-of-the-line care and better English support at billing & check-in. And you’ll be ready to go with various medical specialists in-house in case anything goes wrong.

At age 28 I was decidedly the youngest mother on the floor when I delivered at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital (there was a chart displayed that listed each mother and some personal info). I had no complications and in hindsight probably would’ve been equally suited for a smaller, local clinic.

There are a handful of wonderful hospitals to pick in Seoul if you go that route. A few that I’ve personally heard mentioned a lot include: Asan Medical Center in Jamsil/East Seoul (we went here for many pediatric appointments and urgent care situations and highly recommend); Samsung Medical Center Seoul in Gangnam/Central Seoul; and Severance Hospital in northwestern Seoul/Sinchon neighborhood.

I would recommend Seoul St. Mary’s wholeheartedly though for anyone considering a hospital birth! It’s a lovely building with excellent medical care, and the international clinic is fantastic. I’m not Catholic, but as someone that believes in Jesus I enjoyed the crosses & reminders of faith in the building! Nothing brings one to their knees (quite literally) like labor & delivery 😉

For the record: other than the symbols displayed, I didn’t notice anything religious about the medical experience itself. I was never asked about my religion and it seemed irrelevant to all of the patients’ care.

What does care look like at a smaller, local clinic?

The wait times are shorter at a smaller, local clinic. You’re also more likely to have the same OB at every appointment, right up through the birth itself. The care will be more personal, and you probably won’t have to travel as far from home for each appointment and the delivery. Many younger mothers (20s and early 30s) and those wanting a natural birth choose this route.

I had friends that were very happy with Medi Flower, a natural birthing center by Seoul National University on the orange line. That’s by far the most recommended clinic for international english speakers in Seoul. I took my son there for an appointment once and was very happy with the experience.

Another factor to consider: Prenatal appointments in South Korea are pretty frequent and somewhat involved. You aren’t able to bring young children (at least I wasn’t), so make sure to consider who will be watching any older children, and how long travel + the appointment itself will take! For this reason I chose a hospital right by multiple expat friends that I knew would be able to watch my toddler for an hour or so during the appointments (Thank you thank you again, Banpo friends//all the friends that kindly watched my son).

What happens at prenatal check-ups??

South Korea:

• SO MANY SONOGRAMS. A billion black & white printed “photographs” of baby to take home after each appointment.
• Very few urine samples! I’m not sure if this was particular to my hospital.
• Regular third-trimester hook-ups to fetal monitoring equipment.
• Do-It-Yourself blood pressure (via the machine) & weight checks; take your own notes to hand to the OB
• occasional blood draw
• the lovely glucose test towards the end of the second trimester

USA:

• 1-2 sonograms first trimester to confirm due date, a major anatomy scan halfway, and another towards the end of the pregnancy.
• urine sample at each appointment
• no hook-ups to fetal monitoring equipment (until the very very end perhaps, and when you check in during early labor)
• Nurses personally take your blood pressure & weight and give those notes to your OB
• occasional blood draw
• the lovely glucose test towards the end of the second trimester

So…when and how did you find out gender??

South Korea:

This varies a lot from practice to practice, but in general gender is not spoken of very much at prenatal appointments. This dates back to the struggle Asia has experienced accepting both male and female babies equally. For many years, boys were preferred so that they could carry on the family name, and grow up to take care of their parents.

Now, girls are definitely what parents hope for. Multiple hospital staff reminded me of this both during and immediately after my birth to my second son, so it’s a very real thing. Ha! Apparently girls are “easier to raise” as young children, and continue to keep in contact better once adults. [I am sharing these as commonly-spread stereotypes in South Korea, NOT fact! Any baby born is a blessing and a miracle!]

As a foreigner I knew I could push a bit more than normal, and asked pretty bluntly during the big anatomy scan about the baby’s gender. The most information I got from the ultrasound tech was a reference to a “strong” and “masculine” fetus. This is pretty common from friends I’ve talked to- healthcare workers are hesitant to explicitly say “boy” or “girl”, but they will use adjectives to give you just enough info to plan the nursery & start a wardrobe.

USA:

I was offered a genetic blood test at 12/13 weeks that would also inform us of the gender of the baby. We decided to do this (we were in the middle of a cross-country move and job change and wanted all the info we could to help plan) and found out very early on that our baby was a boy! I know it’s equally common in the states to wait for the big anatomy scan around 17-20 weeks, though. There are also lots of companies that will offer ultrasounds around 15-16 weeks for an earlier gender reveal.

Labor & Delivery in Seoul

Getting to the Hospital:

So…our situation will differ from others’ based on a million different circumstances (time of day, planned ceserean or unexpected contractions, ownership of vehicle, distance from hospital, etc.). But for us, how we got to the hospital was remarkably similar both in Philadelphia and Seoul.

We happened to be car-less in both situations since we lived downtown in the cities. In Philly it was an Uber driver and in Seoul it was a taxi driver: an older, jubilant Korean woman that danced to the music our whole drive (about 30 minutes long). It worked just fine for us!

We took only a small bag with the essentials once I was feeling semi-regular contractions (in hindsight we went to the hospital way too early– but I’d heard babies can come fast the second time around, and I didn’t want to be stuck delivering in a taxi in rush-hour traffic). Paul went back later the next day to get the car seat and some other items.

Labor & Delivery: How?

My delivery experience in Seoul was VERY similar to the one in Philadelphia, as highlighted above. I was within 3 days of my due date in either case, and my body started contractions naturally (although incredibly slowly). My first contractions started about one full day before the baby finally arrived.

Honestly, my experience in Korea was much more pleasant. I felt more prepared, in control, ready, and present. Admittedly, much of this was because it was my second pregnancy and I knew what to expect, I am sure.

But for what it’s worth: I was able to walk around and move for much of my labor & delivery, as requested. The epidural was inserted competently (like in the USA) but wasn’t too strong, so I was able to feel contractions the way I wanted to, and properly push. Bonus: I didn’t have to be on oxygen while pushing for multiple hours (like in Philadelphia with my first son).

BUT I just want to encourage anyone considering giving birth in Seoul: It’s possible to have a very successful birthing experience despite the minor communication difficulties & cultural differences. I’m so grateful for the nurses and doctors that took care of me, listened to my wishes, and brought my son safely here.

A Note About C-Sections & Vaginal Deliveries in South Korea vs. USA:

The major cultural difference I noticed between labor & delivery attitudes in the U.S.A. versus South Korea was: South Koreans tend to favor elective C-sections, and have C-Sections in general at higher rates. Korean women have had children at increasingly older ages in recent years, which is thought to be part of the reason behind this trend.

48.8% of women giving birth for their first time in Korea had a C-section, compared with 26-31% in the USA (depending on region) source, source 2

Anecdotally, the only time that a C-section delivery was suggested to me in Korea was partway through labor when the baby was sunny side up (AKA completely reasonable). FYI: Google told me that walking & lunges may help the baby get back into proper position, and you better believe I made Paul lunge down this hallway with me for several hours. Either the lunges or something totally unrelated moved the baby where he needed to be in order to have a vaginal delivery– but I know that’s not always the case!

Labor & Delivery: Where?

In many Korean hospitals, the default situation is to spend most of your time (labor, recovery etc.) in a shared room. And by shared room I mean…like summer camp cabin status. 6-12 women per room (plus visiting partners). Obviously the delivery itself is always in a room with no other patients.

In my hospital you could forgo your community rooms and stay as a couple in a semi-private (2 women) or private (1 woman) hospital room while you labor & recover. Only in the private options can your partner stay with you during evening hours (9 pm- 7 am or so I believe?). We checked in at the labor & delivery floor of the hospital around 10 pm and my preference requirement was for Paul to be able to stay & support all night since I had no idea when baby would be arriving & it was a bit of a trek home/back. Luckily our insurance covered part of the extra cost, so we chose a completely private room.

Paul had this really comfortable bed wooden board to sleep on all night (left) while I was laboring. I had a different room for recovery (right) with a slightly more comfortable bed for Paul. 😉

Labor & Delivery: Who?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed childbirth visitor regulations worldwide, so check with your hospital or birthing center for up-to-date information.

This will be so varied depending on the hospital or birthing center in Seoul you choose, region in America you deliver, which hospital staff happen to be working, and a million other factors. Here were my particular experiences, compared side-by-side:

USA:

• My husband and both parents were allowed in and out of my hospital room when I was in early labor.
• My husband was present and involved during the epidural insertion.
• My husband was present and involved during the delivery itself.
• My husband cut the umbilical cord.
• My parents visited the baby in my recovery room during non-visiting hospital hours; I delivered around midnight, so an hour or so after that.

South Korea:

• My husband was allowed in and out of my hospital room during early labor **because we had opted-in for a private/semi-private room
• My husband was not able to be present during the epidural insertion (there is folklore about men passing out and having difficulty watching this part apparently; our protests that he had already seen this exact situation before and handled it fine were futile)
• My husband was present and involved during the delivery itself.
• My husband cut the umbilical cord.
• My parents and toddler son visited the baby in my recovery room during visiting hours.

Postnatal Care

Feeding Mama:

As you may have heard, seaweed soup (Miyuk Guk) is the famous food served to recovering mothers after childbirth in Korea…like for several weeks. Seaweed soup provides many health benefits, particularly since it’s high in calcium and iron (two things a new mom probably is lacking).

I was all geared-up and excited to have it postpartum (maybe not for every meal), but it was never served to me! At some point in the hospital journey I indicated a written preference for Western meals over Korean, and that’s all that was served to me during my hospital stay. Honestly, that’s probably for the best. I love Korean food, but familiar foods were a blessing when so many other things around had changed and my body wasn’t feeling 100% yet.

I remember the meals all being pretty good! Breakfast items were croissants or rolls, eggs, ham, fruit, milk, or yogurt.

Feeding Baby:

Babies need to eat too, huh!

Note: I know that breastfeeding & formula feeding can be hot-topic issues; I hope to share the general attitudes and approaches I experienced in each country to help educate & prepare parents to advocate for ANY choice they feel best fits their families’ needs.

I found a pretty big difference in how feeding was approached at my two different hospitals. Again, another hospital or birthing center in either country would vary significantly….grain of salt speech, etc. You get it.

USA:

My hospital in Philadelphia was extremely pro-breastfeeding. There were lactation consultants offered in the hospital and afterwards for in-home consultations. The default option at the hospital during recovery was to have babies room IN with the mother immediately following birth (to encourage breastfeeding on demand if needed). When I asked for a pacifier in the middle of the night a few hours after delivery, that was handed over pretty hesitantly (nipple confusion, delaying hunger cues, etc.).

I know this is not how every hospital or birthing center is run in America- there is a ton of variation on whether mother is encouraged to sleep alone while babe is down the hall in a nursery, the quality of breastfeeding support, and more (let alone the complex nature of NICU babies/emergency deliveries/health complications for mother or baby etc!).

South Korea:

So, let’s talk South Korea baby feeding norms! Despite lots of posters & brochures claiming the benefits of breastfeeding and recent government support for nursing rooms at work and in public areas, the default feeding method seems to be formula, bottle-feeding, or a mix of breastfeeding/formula.

Breastfeeding in public isn’t something I ever really saw (with a cover or otherwise)– but I’ve heard breastfeeding (in private) has increased in recent years.

Data from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) last year suggested just over 18 percent of South Korean mothers with children under the age of two breast-fed their baby for six months, well below the global average that is estimated to be 38 percent.

The Korea Bizwire

Most large hospitals have equipment for pumping (at least Seoul St. Mary’s & Asan for sure do; I needed one when my son was in the ER at 8 months old). Newborn babies tend NOT to room in with their mothers, but it was available as an option if I requested it.

My Personal Experience

I’d planned to utilize the nursery in order to get some sleep the night of delivery, but asked that the nurses would call me down the hall to the nursery to breastfeed rather than feeding him formula (hoping to start my supply). The nurses seemed pretty surprised at the request and I got phone calls through that night every time he fussed (every 45 minutes-an hour).

I was always the only woman in The Nursing Room throughout that night (in which you ring a bell and the nurses bring you your baby haha), despite the nursery being full of babes.I finally just had him room in with me after all, because… trekking back and forth down a long hallway with crazy sore nether-regions = NoThanks.

This is a long winded way to say that breastfeeding is definitely possible in Korea if that’s important to you- but be ready to make it happen if so.

Formula and bottles are widely available in big box & grocery stores throughout Seoul, which is awesome. I know of a few mothers that needed special allergy formulas specially shipped from America & European countries– but the basics are readily available. Either feeding route is totally doable as a foreigner!

Any way you feed your baby (on any hemisphere) it’ll require work and love and sacrifice…and all the best snuggles. So GOOD JOB, YOU POSTPARTUM WARRIOR!

Caring for Mama: Korean Postnatal Care Centers (Sanhujori)

There’s a huge emphasis on the mother’s recovery in South Korea, which is appropriate and amazing. In fact, it’s very common for Korean mothers to stay in a postnatal care center for 1-3 weeks following delivery. It’s an all-inclusive stay: snacks, meals, parenting classes, uninterrupted sleep, massages, and more.

The only catch (well, along with the $$) for me personally was that baby is kept in a separate area for much of your stay (I’m sure exceptions exist, but this is the majority). Visitors are very limited too, so any older siblings will be apart from mom for quite some time as well.

I was ready to go home and be in control of my own care- as well as my baby’s. I was lucky to have my parents come to Korea to help, though. It would be really beneficial for someone with less support once they leave the hospital!

Prices range from about $2800-4700 for a two week stay, according to this article on the topic.

Some mothers I’ve talked to love this time to recover, and others found it very difficult to have less control and missed the connection with their new baby.

I love that care for a new mother is such a priority in Korea, because I found it a bit lacking in my hospital in Philadelphia. Thank goodness for a my great support team who helped in both situations! (Read all of my tips for supporting a mom with a new baby HERE).

A Cultural Note on Circumcisions:

South Korea:

Hospitals don’t do this procedure on newborn baby boys. It’s more common for boys to be circumcised in Korea around 8-10 years of age– not as young babies.

Foreigner friendly birthing centers (such as Medi Flower mentioned above) will perform the procedure around 1.5-2 weeks old, once a baby has gained back their birth weight.

USA:

Newborn circumcisions are much more common in the States. Large hospitals will typically circumcise a newborn before they leave the hospital (at 1-2 days old), at the parents’ request.

What Does the Hospital Provide?

South Korea:

Nothing. I mean, a really cute two-piece paper outfit….but get ready to bring your own tissues, diapers, wipes, and much more for you and your baby. You can purchase these down in the convenience store of the hospital if you forget to bring them.

USA:

In America my hospital provided tons of stuff: diapers (the pampers swaddlers even! Scooore!), all the recovery gear for mom (witch hazel pads, nursing pads, all the pads), and sent us home with newborn hats & swaddle blankets.

Final Thoughts

I am forever grateful for the nurses & doctors & healthcare workers that cared for me and my two sweet newborn boys. Childbirth is just one of those things that is universal. Whether it happens abroad…

…or in your home country…

…Good luck!

And all of my love and support to those trying to get pregnant, stay pregnant, or who ache for their angel babies. I see you, and mourn these losses with you.

I hope that my story can empower anyone who is trepidly expecting a child while living abroad, or considering starting their family away from their family, and wondering if they can do it. YOU CAN DO IT!

Please leave a comment sharing your experience, too, so that we can build up a resource for expectant expat mamas!

More Articles Like This:

If you found this article helpful, definitely check out our other posts on similar topics…