OUR CLIENT IRINA, WHO RECENTLY BECAME A MOTHER OF A CHILEAN SON, IS A DOCTOR. WE WERE INTERESTED TO KNOW HER OPINION ABOUT CHILDBIRTH IN CHILE AS A WOMAN AND AS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!
The charming Irina flew to us from Thailand, where she has lived for a long time and is engaged in her own business. What made an elegant business-woman fly from one exotic country to another in the last weeks of pregnancy and was it possible to give the newborn a second passport in the midst of a pandemic?
– Irina, what determined your choice? Why did you give birth in Chile?
– Chile allows you to obtain citizenship by “right of soil”. So the main reason why we decided to give birth here was the desire to give our child the opportunity to choose the country where he wants to live in the future. A Chilean passport will also allow him to travel with virtually no visa problems.
— What surprised you in Chile?
– — I was impressed by how dramatically the landscape changes over a short distance. I was pleased with the freshness of the fruits and their variety. We mostly have exotic fruits in Thailand, I was happy to enjoy Chilean fruits and berries! In general, Chile is a delightful country, a little like Europe, but with its own flavor.
— At what stage did you arrive and how did you feel during the flight? The question of transatlantic travel often scares our clients…
— The main thing here is self-confidence. I fly a lot, pregnancy is no exception. Apparently, thanks to my habit of long flights, I felt great. I can’t remember any difficulties.
—You immediately have to get involved in preparing for childbirth, finding a clinic and a doctor after landing. What was the criterion for you in this process? How did you choose?
— Since I am a doctor, the most important thing was the trustworthy staff, reasonable pregnancy management tactics and the ability to give birth naturally, without anesthesia. The last but not the least was the doctors’ ability to communicate with me in English. As well as comfort was also important.
— Speaking about childbirth tactics, how does it happen in Chile?
— The pregnant woman undergoes screening, a prenatal examination, and a birth plan is drawn up. It was a cute surprise for me when the doctor asked: “How do you want to give birth? Do you want music to accompany the birth, do you need aroma candles?” This was absolutely surprising.
I really liked the doctor, he was in constant contact with me and emits calm and positivity. In addition, I liked his reasonableness and ability to justify every step he took.
— What advice would you give to other women planning to give birth in Chile?
— The most important thing is to really want it! If you want it, just do it. It was such a wonderful experience to spend the last weeks of pregnancy in the city of Viña-del-Mar, on the ocean coast and at the same time give the child the opportunity to acquire a second citizenship. Even during a pandemic, I think it is a great place to give birth and the first weeks with a baby, it has everything you need.
As for the pandemic… After you were discharged from the maternity hospital, quarantine began in Chile. How did your life change?
Unfortunately, life has changed for people all over the world. Fortunately, my baby and I had the opportunity to walk, which was amazing for us. The only thing that was sad was that we couldn’t immediately fly out of the country and reunite with our family, but otherwise everything went very easily.
— What will you miss after leaving Chile?
— It’s not that I’ll miss it, rather, I’ll regret that I couldn’t see the country because of the pandemic. I’m just sure that we’ll come back here again. In fact, it’s been my long-standing dream to travel around Chile, as the country is such interesting.
I’ll miss walking with a stroller by the ocean — there are excellent opportunities for that here. I’ll miss the people that fate brought me together with here. I’ll also miss the local avocado — it’s an avocado paradise here! The unusual Chilean sky — the sky here is a masterpiece.
We thank Irina for the interview! We hope that she and her family will visit her son’s second homeland more than once!
