We are walking around Busan every day trying not to burst with the most wonderful secret we have ever kept — and we are not very good at keeping it.
Our little “dot”
This is very cool. Daddy and I have a secret and everyday we walk around our big city trying to to burst and tell everyone you are inside!
You must be growing ALOT! During the day I am always starving and exhausted. I think it is because you are sleeping and grow more when you are asleep then awake.
You are just a little over 5 weeks but already wipe me of my energy, but it’s okay, I am loving my long naps (Eunee too)
Today we went to the Doctor and and she said that you are getting bigger and healthy. “Full Nutrients,” she said. There was no doubt that we saw you this week. You have grown almost 100 times bigger since we saw you last week! Although we communicate very little, we understand enough.
I do have to tell you, here in Korea, the baby doctors office is different though then back in America. I go straight into the doctors office itself and sit in a dentist type chair. They put my legs up basically by my ears (good thing I do yoga) and then remote control the chair into a relined position. They wrap a divider across my lap so Daddy can’t see my business, and then they let him stand by my head and look at the monitor. We are really lucky because in America you make your first doctors appointment at 8 weeks… we did it at 4! And in America you only get 2 or 3 pictures and we get one every week!! (don’t worry they are harmless…they are from a wand that the doctor puts inside me in order to see you)
I am no good with secrets 🙂 Everyday it seems to slip up and I tell one more person. Today we were able to tell our favorite restaurant owners down the street about you. Although they don’t speak any English but “Hello,” the wife started crying and hugged us so tight in her arms.
We had to go to the bank today to get your “Go Mom” card. It is your very first credit card. The government here gives you 500,000 Won to spend on medical bills and our weekly visits to the doctor.
Our banker also was super excited. He even gave us a yogurt drink and told Daddy that it was to keep us healthy.
This week we also told your Aunts and Uncles and they are all so excited to meet you! They are super excited to love you, spoil you, make you laugh, and give you hugs and kisses.
Next week the doctor said we should be able to hear your heart beat! Daddy and I can’t wait!
You also went through your first Typhoon! Bolaven was a category 3 Typhoon that went right up the Western side of Korea. Luckily we live on the East side and just had a ton of wind and low clouds.
Baby D we love you!
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Q: What is prenatal care like in South Korea compared to the US? A: Remarkably different and in many ways significantly better for early pregnancy monitoring. In Korea we had our first appointment at four weeks — in the US the standard first appointment is at eight weeks. We received an ultrasound photograph every single week compared to the two or three total that most American pregnancies include. The appointments themselves happen in the doctor’s office on a specialized chair rather than a separate scan room and the intimacy and frequency of care felt genuinely extraordinary.
Q: What is the Korean government Go Mom card for pregnancy? A: The Korean government provides expectant mothers with a dedicated medical benefit card loaded with 500,000 won — roughly $450 US dollars — specifically for pregnancy related medical expenses. It covers weekly doctor visits ultrasounds and related prenatal costs making early and frequent prenatal care genuinely accessible and affordable for all Korean families. It was one of the most impressive social benefits we encountered during our time living in Korea.
Q: What does a 5 week ultrasound look like? A: At five weeks the baby appears as a tiny dot — remarkable mostly for existing at all rather than for any visible features. What is extraordinary is the growth rate — our baby had grown nearly 100 times in size between week four and week five visits. The heart will begin beating around week six and hearing it for the first time the following week was one of the most emotional moments of our lives.
Q: Is it safe to have weekly ultrasounds during early pregnancy in Korea? A: Korean prenatal practice uses transvaginal ultrasound in early pregnancy which is considered safe and allows for much clearer imaging than external ultrasound at such early stages. The frequency of monitoring in Korean prenatal care is higher than Western standards but is widely practiced and our doctor confirmed there were no concerns about the safety of weekly monitoring.
Q: What is it like sharing pregnancy news in South Korea as a foreign expat? A: Genuinely moving in a way we did not expect. Our favorite restaurant owners down the street spoke almost no English but when we shared our news the wife burst into tears and hugged us both so tightly. Our banker gave us a yogurt drink and told Adam to keep us healthy. The warmth and genuine joy that Korean people showed us at every stage of our pregnancy is something we will carry forever.
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[…] Growing Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestEmailMoreDiggStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Posted in Baby, Family, Living in Korea, News, Our Life Together, Photos | Tagged Announcements, expat, life, Little Elephant, Pregnant in Korea […]
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[…] Week 5 Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestEmailMoreDiggStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Posted in Baby, Family, Living in Korea, Our Life Together | Tagged baby, doctor, expat, family, life, Little Elephant, pregnancy, Pregnant in Korea […]
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Oh congratulations!Wish you a very happy pregnancy *Big hug*
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