Would it be harder moving abroad while pregnant or with a young baby?

[AD1929]

Sorry I wasn’t sure where to post this!

My partner and I looking to relocate to Dubai and looking for opinions on whether people think it would be easier/less stressful to move while pregnant or if we should wait until we have a young baby?

I’m not actually pregnant but we have been trying for a while now so I’m hoping it will happen for us soon 🥰

There would be a lot for us to deal with and sort and I don’t know how if it’s a good idea to do all of that while pregnant? I could be 6 months pregnant by the time it comes around. But then having a young baby isn’t going to make it easy either!!

I know everyone deals with pregnancy differently which is why I’m just interested to hear your opinions on what you would do please 🫶🏻

Are you married? How does it even work having a baby in Dubai if you’re not married? I would look into the legal position on that.

Not being married - big no no

Baby born in your own country with a legal passport - bonus

If you split you may have to leave baby behind. Me have more rights in some countries

You need to do your homework and work out what’s best should the worst happen.

100% easier when pregnant! Everything is so much harder with a baby to consider!

What about health insurance? Wouldn't that be expensive if you were pregnant?

What is your partners nationality? No one moves countries with their partners with the expectations of breaking up, please don’t think that will never happen to you though. I have seen so many threads on here where a woman has done just that, the partner has cheated and left her for someone else, and she is then stranded in the country where she had the baby as she has no legal rights to take it back home

While pregnant - 100%. But definitely get married if you are moving to Dubai.

No experience with Dubai but we had this with US and moved when DD was 6 months old. Advantages were got to have her in my own country, didn’t have to get to grips with a foreign healthcare and insurance system on day 1. I had time do all the prep for the move whilst on mat leave and there’s a lot of admin- visa, shipping, renting the house out, finding a new place to live, opening foreign bank accounts etc. which I think I would have found really overwhelming whilst working FT and heavily pregnant! Then I found it easy to meet people when we arrived as did every baby group I could find and just struck up conversations at the swings in the play park 😂

Partner? No living together in Dubai!

My friend moved to Dubai whilst pregnant. She and her partner had to come back to the UK to get married before she gave birth as giving birth as an unmarried woman would not have ended well. I think lashes were mentioned 😬

That aside, moving anywhere I think would be easier when pregnant, presuming it's not in the third trimester as then you wouldn't be able to fly. Newborns are quite portable, but need a lot of "stuff".

Blimey, wasn’t expecting a grilling on my marital status lol.

For info, we are both British and technically engaged but no wedding planned any time soon. Whilst I understand that it is now legal in Dubai to cohabit and even give birth as an unmarried woman, we would get married anyway before we went. Wouldn’t want to risk it!

For more info… I grew in Bahrain and still have family there so I’m very familiar with laws and customs in the Middle East.

As for all of the advice on moving while pregnant/with a baby, thank you so much, please keep them coming 🥰

I moved with a 7 week old, I don't recommend it as it was tricky registering for the essential childhood vaccinations. I would think it's easiest to either move very early in pregnancy (under 16 weeks for sure) or around 6months after birth

I've done both. The biggest issue is being sure the country will let you in if you're heavily pregnant and that you can travel (ie. it's not delayed) and then that you'll be able to get medical care set up when you're there.

It probably won't be a problem, but it can be.

Otherwise, TBH, travelling while pregnant can be miserable, travelling with a new born can be differently miserable (and if you're travelling pretty soon after, that might also be delayed if something goes wrong and you need more time to recover)

What nationality is the dad?

Hmmmm tough one....I'll let you know in a few months

I had DD1 in the UK and moved abroad with her when she was just under 8 weeks old. She was a dream on the flight, slept most of the way etc.

4 years later I'm pregnant again and now looking to return to the UK (likely when I'm 6-7 months pregnant)