talk to me about having your baby back in the UK

[PrincessSnowLife]

How many of you have gone home to the UK to have your babies? And if so, how do you go about that?

I just know I would feel so much more relaxed and safe to be having another baby back at home rather than here. For so many reasons. I don't know any expats here to run this by, or to find out any birth stories. Obviously, women have babies all the time and I haven't heard of anything going wrong for anyone in the time I've been here. But something in me says that I would much rather be at home for another birth.

Paying for a private birth in the UK is not an option. So I'm guessing that I would have to move back for a while to be registered with the NHS again? Anyone know how these thing work? Any experiences?

I'm not pregnant btw. Just that we would actually love another LO now but it feels like there is too much stacked against us for it to be that realistic. So I'm thinking that if I at least know whether or not I can go back to the UK for a birth, then we can take it from there.

I rambled, didn't I?

I think the discussion was about where to give birth and not a nationality issue.

No I am not bothered by contributions, I don't lose sleep over it. I have paid a lifetime of it in the UK and I have only really ever used it for having my bins emptied.

Bear in mind the UK is also a part of the EU. Every EU citizen/resident can use the system as long as they have their EU identity/health card.

Hi Bonnetscotch
Travnik is well worth a visit. If you go and visit the fort on the hill try and time it so that you on the upper parts of it during the calls to prayer - there are about a dozen below you from there (and those are just the ones you can see) and the sound of all the muezzin starting up together across the valley is magical. Pure Bosnia. The unusual painted mosque in town is ever so pretty - a stencilmaker's dream!! And for the best cevapi in the world ever try Ajla's in the town centre, close to the painted mosque. OK, Travnik plug over . If you decide to visit and would like to meet up, give us a shout .

ZamMummy - can I email you too? Will probably be later in the week though because I'm a bit hectic with work at the moment and really shouldn't even be on here .

MrsS - I truly understand what you are saying and a lot of this thread is, for me, a bit of an exploration of whether this is the right thing to do. I think I touched on that further up the thread with one of the other posters. Nothing is final, I am just trying to find out what options are available to me. Who knows, we may end up deciding that we are not able to have the second child we would like because the reality of it is too complex and risky given my first birth experience . We'll see. To be honest, going home to spend some time with the family just to alleviate homesickness is attractive at the moment (it must be a winter thing ), even without a potential pregnancy, and I guess that if I spent long enough over there I would re-register with the NHS because of my son.

Anyway, I'm rambling now because I'm hungry. Bye!

Zammummy so how does this work for child benfit then..........if you come back here to give birth becuase you have been away for less than 5 years but you go back abroad and dont pay tax / NI or have any property in the UK can you still get Child benefit ?

What about the Child Trust Fund ? Can I claim this ?

Sorry to ramble but I really need to know. DH and I are on posting abroad and would love a child but we are broke and would need the extra money to help with everything.......the job over sees was suppose to be a pot of gold for us but somehow it hasnt worked that way.

In reality Im not sure we could ever afford a child as we would struggle to survive on DH's salary back home and I suffer form very bad depression and struggle to hold down any job (sad)

Mrs Shadenfruede-I agree if you're not paying NI contributions ,don't reside here,how are you entitled to the NHS?

The UK has clamped down on health tourists. So it is not easy for just anyone to walk in and get free treatment. Saying that if a woman in labour turns up at a hospital - they have to attend to her...they can't let her die.

My DH pays taxes within the EU and we both have EU health card. This entitles every EU citizen to treatment in all EU member countries. I am therefore entitled to treatment in the UK.

Don't think you would be entitled to Child Benefit though...MBlackberry. That would be catastrophic for any country UK to sustain I am sure. Just imagine how many claims they would get!!

MB, we live abroad and dh pays NI but I can't claim Child Benefit. I think you have to be resident in the UK.

madameblackberry - re the child trust fund, the child would have to be born in the UK. My DS has one and it will continue to be there for him (afaik) until he is old enough to access it. Because he was born in the UK.

Bonnestscotch - not utterly clued up on this (but you have reminded me to check the current situation - thanks! ) but bosnia only has some reciprocal agreements on health since it isn't a EU member yet. Worth looking in to though.

Suedonim's right. You can't claim child benefit if living abroad. Those payments stopped immediately when we informed them of our move (but they took months to update our change of address etc LOL!!).

PrincessSnowlife - DH is a EU country and he pays taxes there as well as insurance for both of us.

Opps - Meant DH - is from an EU country!!

Got it! Sorry, I misunderstood your previous post

Hey, isn't this fab snow! Definitely in for a white christmas now, aren't we! We can't even leave our hill without four snowchains and digging!! Pity I have to go to work!!

If you only left a short while ago it's worth calling the DWP and asking them whether you are entitled to have continued coverage in the country you are in. We were entitled to 2 years' coverage after we moved to France and had the right to go back to the UK to give birth. This was based on the NICs we had paid while in the UK.

many thanks for that, ib
that might be an idea for you, bonnetscotch, since you've left the UK more recently?

Indeed!! Thanks for that ib. I should certainly look into that!

Hows the snow treating you Princesssnow?

Hello I'm here again - been off MN for a few days as DS has been ill.
anyone want to talk this thru with someone who has recently done this, easiest way is to chat with me on Yahoo/MSN (I'm 2hrs ahead of UK) - id is eltrlzambia and email is same at yahoo dot co dot uk
also if ur not in EU worth checking to see if country ur paying taxes in has double tax agreement with UK (u can find this on HMRC website) - Zambia does and Bosnia may well do.
The left within 5 years rule was communicated to me by someone at the NI contributions agency / DWP / Inland Revenue so should be in writing on their website.
In reality if you have only left recently and didn't specifically notify your GP at the time then you are still registered with them - we left in 2004 and DH is still on books of our old GP. If you will be based somewhere else to give birth then it is an easy matter just to change GP saying you have moved - the overseas bit never need come into it.
I went to UK for 2 week visit at 6mo with DS and sorted it all out then. I'll do the same in late Jan for this baby then return at 35weeks-ish for delivery.
You'll need your antenatal notes to take with you - make sure they're in English!

ZamMummy - thanks! You make it sound lovely and easy . Going to go off and look at the websites now to start me off and may drop you a line later if I have some questions, if that's ok.

Bonnetscotch, how's it going? This is all a bit 'puno hladno' for me at the mo (too cold!). Minus 15 at night now . Staying indoors as much as poss...unless I'm sledging with DS - getting a bit addicted to that at the mo . Fantastic fun!

Bonnetscotch - your EU healthcard entitles you to free emergency treatment in another EU country. It doesn't entitle you to antenatal care, scans, postnatal care etc. We used to live in Belgium, where we paid into a "mutuelle" for our healthcare - they would only give emergency treatment to visitors. Anything else and you had to pay upfront.

Why should you be entitled to use NHS facilities, get child benefit and anything else if you're not living in UK and paying into the system?

MrsScha---I did not say I was entitled to ante-natal care and scans. I also never said I am entitled to free child benefit. Howver, if I am in the UK to have my baby, that is an emergency thank you.

I don't know where you paid and how much you paid - but I know that what I pay entitles me to teh whole nine yards if I so want it to - minus the child benefit, which we don't need it. I just read my policy - thank you very much. The UK wont be giving me anything free - there is an EU agreement where costs are claimed.

Thanks for the info Zam-mummy, you are most welcomed! You seem very informed of the legalities of the system, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

So enjoy...though why anyone would choose to give birth in the UK is beyond me.

I paid class 1 contributions in the UK, so was entitled to do what I liked on the NHS, although we'd only been out 6 months when I went back to give birth anyway.

I expect it's because we all have different experiences of giving birth, MrsS. My UK birth was positive. I was treated very well and received excellent care, to the point that my life, and my son's life, were saved by NHS doctors. But of course I wouldn't comment on, or jumpt to conclusions about anyone else's experiences of giving birth in the UK, good or bad. You seem very angry about it though - did you have a bad experience?

mamadebb in some circumstances you can claim UK CB for British Nationals born outside UK but it depends if you are able to get the equivalent paid in the country of residence instead, its agreement with UK (or not) and whether you/dh are a UK taxpayer (non resident). If you are still paying UK tax you may get some tax credits against any UK income tax liability (such as savings ineterst or rental income), but not the Trust Fund unless you are UK resident. However bear in mind rules change all the time so you should not base your decision re: having a child relying financially on any of this.

Not angry and no bad experience. I'll piss off now and let BonnetScotch have her emergency baby in the UK or wherever she wants.

But as far as I am aware - and I do know what I am talking about, but stand to be corrected - you are only entitled to emergency treatment in UK, if you pay into another EU country's scheme. If you pitch up wanting to give birth, you may well be asked to pay up front and reclaim the money from the other EU country. That's what a friend of mine was asked to do.

Have a good Christmas.

I think there is a lot to be said for continuity of care wherever you are, which is unlikely if you turn up in the latter stages regardless of funding issues. Personally I was quite hagppy to give birth to dd outside UK, having had a not great NHS experience with ds, and spent a few weeks swotting up on Maternity related vocab.

Hey MrsS, chill!!! It's not that big a deal, really, is it? We're all on here trying to share what we know of how the system works and what entitlements we have.

Glad you didn't have a bad experience. I asked if you had because you said you couldn't imagine why anyone would want to give birth in the UK.

Anyway, thanks for the greetings, and hope you have a good Christmas too.

Thank you.

It is the "NHS tourists" that get me. As the website says, it's where you're resident that counts, not your nationality.

My friends decided to go private in UK - they wanted their DD to be born there as they were both British by descent and if she was born overseas, she wouldn't be British! They already had one American DD, and had to pay loadsamoney (and loadsa palaver) to get her naturalised!

Agree with LizS on continuity of care. It was almost impossible to get to see a midwife when I went back to heave DD2 out when I was 32 weeks pregnant. I ended up seeing the practice nurse as the midwife was fully booked and the nurse had "some midwifery experience." And I had to fight to see her. The practice couldn't have cared less if I hadn't seen anyone between arriving back in UK and going into labour.