There's no place like Home...
In my situation - pregnant and miles away from the nearest blood relative or close friend other than my husband - I find myself, somewhat predictably, longing for the comforts of home. (Of course, craving my childhood comfort foods - ice cream, macaroni and cheese, mexican, and blueberry muffins - doesn't help ease that).
And yet, each time I slip into this longing, I find myself faced with the logic of the situation. Which is, simply put, that I and my unborn child are far better off going through the pregnancy and birth process here, in New Zealand, than we are in the USA.
New Zealand provides free maternity care for all residents, from day one of the pregnancy. The USA doesn't have an equivalent.
New Zealand (well, Auckland at least) provides up to three nights post-natal stay in a maternity ward, in order to fully recouperate and get the hang of breastfeeding and other essentials of infant care, before sending you packing. From what I know of delivery in the USA, it's not uncommon for a mother and baby (provided there were no complications) to be sent home within 24 hours of giving birth.
New Zealand provides free medical care for all children under 6. This includes all routine vaccinations, yearly check-ups, dental care, and even those 'not-sure-if-this -is-important' doctor visits. From ages 6 to 16, the same medical care is heavily subsidised, although no longer 100% free.
More vaguely, New Zealand is a very child friendly nation. The public schooling here is of high quality, though if you're more inclined, there's still plenty of private schools and homeschool programs around. Children are welcome in the majority of public places, and New Zealand as a countryside abounds with plenty of child-friendly activities that are cheap or free.
There are, of course, some trade-offs. In general, cost of living is higher in New Zealand, and salaries are lower across the board. And, even more significantly, all my near and dear are still in the USA.
Which must be the reason why, even on weighing all the above up, I know there's really no place like home. Even an imperfect home.
And yet, each time I slip into this longing, I find myself faced with the logic of the situation. Which is, simply put, that I and my unborn child are far better off going through the pregnancy and birth process here, in New Zealand, than we are in the USA.
New Zealand provides free maternity care for all residents, from day one of the pregnancy. The USA doesn't have an equivalent.
New Zealand (well, Auckland at least) provides up to three nights post-natal stay in a maternity ward, in order to fully recouperate and get the hang of breastfeeding and other essentials of infant care, before sending you packing. From what I know of delivery in the USA, it's not uncommon for a mother and baby (provided there were no complications) to be sent home within 24 hours of giving birth.
New Zealand provides free medical care for all children under 6. This includes all routine vaccinations, yearly check-ups, dental care, and even those 'not-sure-if-this -is-important' doctor visits. From ages 6 to 16, the same medical care is heavily subsidised, although no longer 100% free.
More vaguely, New Zealand is a very child friendly nation. The public schooling here is of high quality, though if you're more inclined, there's still plenty of private schools and homeschool programs around. Children are welcome in the majority of public places, and New Zealand as a countryside abounds with plenty of child-friendly activities that are cheap or free.
There are, of course, some trade-offs. In general, cost of living is higher in New Zealand, and salaries are lower across the board. And, even more significantly, all my near and dear are still in the USA.
Which must be the reason why, even on weighing all the above up, I know there's really no place like home. Even an imperfect home.
posted by Margo @ 10:11 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:02 PM,
Princess LadyBug said…
We miss you too, pretty girl.
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