How I’m Feeling About Giving Birth in my Host Country 

The Plan

Tomorrow, we start our birth journey in our host country. I’m currently 36 weeks pregnant.

Here’s what it will most likely look like…

One moment I am in go-mode and pumping out productivity as we pack and prepare to leave our home in the Himalayas. The next moment, I am flooded with a whole bag of jumbled emotions like a variety pack of jelly beans. Anxious. Excited. Nervous. Peaceful. Adventurous. Calm. Confident. Accepting. Apprehensive.

Adding a little one to the family is normally considered a big life transition but as an expat, there is often so much more involved than having a baby and coming right home. Our life is filled with more transitions than we can count.

During yet another life transition, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or blow things out of proportion, but the key is keeping the right perspective and remembering the truth.

Yes– our life is complicated. There are many hoops to jump through just to have a baby such as passports, visas, and if your city is even equipped with the environment you’re looking for to bring your child into the world. The truth is you probably signed up for this life in some way, shape, or form. You were called to it and might as well make the most of it instead of wishing the time or season away. We get an opportunity during every transition to lean into the Father in new and fresh ways. To embrace his promises. To see the Word from perspectives we never would have noticed before.

May we see each transition as an opportunity for delighting in the process instead of dreading the journey.

Here’s what I am choosing to delight in during my upcoming life transition.

The Truth

~Many expat women have gone before me and we aren’t the first to do all the back and forth. 

~God WILL provide— he is in the details. 

~God has already provided a sweet sister friend who is also giving birth around the same time and chose the same place to give birth as me. We are both new to the city and are going to help each other through this journey as much as we can. 

~God provided an amazing set-up and provider that aligns with the way I want to give birth. There is truly nothing else like it in our entire host country. 

~God provided a nice space for us to make our own for the next two months that is in a great location, has all the space we will need, and even has access to both a washer and dryer (something that can be difficult to find).

~My husband is amazing and will help me every step of the way. We will figure things out. 

~Kids are adaptable and Eli will be okay, despite all the transitions to come. 

~It is truly a privilege to be able to have another child.

Choosing to delight in the process doesn’t mean you have everything figured out. Here are some questions that are still running through my mind that I continually have to give to the Lord.

The Questions

~Where exactly will we take our son if someone needs to tend to him while I am in labor? 

~What will it be like to labor in a taxi? (I guess we should show up to the birth center earlier than I did with Eli—57 minutes before he was born)

~Will cooking American cuisine with one electric burner, a microwave, a rice cooker (and the instant pot I’m bringing) be difficult?

~(I know it’s not about “stuff” but…) Will we have enough to keep Eli occupied and provide him with outlets to play in such a different and temporary environment? 

~Will anyone be able to bring us a meal? —We know of a few people in the city but don’t know anyone well. The city is also big so it’s probably difficult to “drop off a meal real quick.” 

~Will I really be prepared and have the energy to travel so much after giving birth? 

The Sweet

~having another baby – truly a gift from God!!

~family time together 

~not having to make the long trip back to the States 

~hiring a birth photographer for the birth and a newborn family photo shoot a week afterward —something I have thought about for a while and am excited for this time around

~going to a big city with amenities we’ve never had in our host country since we live in a smaller city. Some of the “fancy things” we are looking forward to are grocery delivery, healthy food delivery options, chain restaurants like Starbucks and Chili’s, and having access to salmon, avocados, and real cheese (things I’ve greatly missed). 

~supporting and being supported by my dear friend who is giving birth at the same place around the same time— hopefully we aren’t in labor at the exact same time 

~being in an Airbnb that isn’t too far from the birth center

The Sour

~we are far away from extended family and they have to wait to meet the baby 

~my parents had to postpone their visit since we have to travel soon after the birth (they would have come sooner) 

~being in an Airbnb and not my own home. I am trying to think through everything I will need and want to have with us.