Having a Baby in China

[kdavid]

Hello all. My wife is currently 17 weeks pregnant. This will be our first child.

In my experience, it seems to be that the Chinese overall are not very concerned with prevention in terms of pregnancy. I say this because amniocenteses don't seem to be common place at all.

I've also heard that upon birth, the child's blood will not be tested for any diseases. There are a number of diseases that can be tested at birth, and, if detected early, will not affect the child's development. It's routine in America for these tests to be done, but not in China. This worries me.

For those who have had children in China, can you opt to have these tests done? If so, where and how?

Along the same lines, I've been unable to locate any information in Chinese on storing stem cells that are acquired from the baby's umbilical cord. Back home, you can pay around US$200 for this procedure, and then something around US$100 a year for storage. Should the child ever develop leukemia or certain other diseases, the stem cells can be used to cure the child. Though I'm skeptical that the Chinese would be able to provide this service, or that they'd even do it properly, I'm nonetheless interested in looking at such options, should they be available.

Has anyone heard of such a service? If so, could you provide a link as well as the name of the procedure in Chinese.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[Meng Lelan]

I see you are in Harbin but you might want to contact Beijing United Family Clinic - I think that was the name of the international health clinic when I was in China in 2006. They seem to have an extensive ob/gyn department there.

[miss_China_so_much]

Congratulations first!

In my experience, it seems to be that the Chinese overall are not very concerned with prevention in terms of pregnancy.

I've also heard that upon birth, the child's blood will not be tested for any diseases.

China is the place that you can get all sorts of tests done before birth. Think about the one-child policy! People do everything to make sure that the only child they can have will be a healthy one.

For those who have had children in China, can you opt to have these tests done? If so, where and how?

There are special hospitals for foreigners. Normally it would be more expensive than local hospitals but should provide better services - local ones are always crowded.

Though I'm skeptical that the Chinese would be able to provide this service, or that they'd even do it properly, I'm nonetheless interested in looking at such options, should they be available.

Maybe not all local hospitals provide such a service, but sure some bigger ones do! Personally I am not a fan of such service, but I've heard from my friends and relatives that there are many people who have taken such services.

Edited March 24, 2009 at 03:26 PM by miss_China_so_much

[Hanlink]

This Hong Kong listed company has core blood bank operations in China (Beijing and Guangdong at least). From their website, it is not clear exactly, but there is enough information to provide you with a start if you want to do some detective work in this area.

http://www.goldenmeditech.com/

There is also another one called the Tianjin Xiehe Stem Cell Genic Project Company, which was co-founded by the Chinese Academy of Medical Science. Again, a bit of detective work should find you the details and a contact point from which you can ask questions of people who are really in the know by being in the field.

Based on companies in this space in Taiwan, it is very natural to move from blood banks to genetic blood testing etc., so I would expect this trail should lead you easily into that area, too.