Expats living in China may be in for a rude awakening — or not much sleep at all — upon realizing that in China, beds tend to be hard. In China, many people prefer to sleep on hard beds. But expats may consider Chinese beds to feel similar to sleeping on the floor. Although a firm mattress may be a good choice for some sleepers, medium firm is typically a safer choice for the average person. When you sleep on a mattress that’s too hard, it’s difficult to feel well supported and get a good night of sleep. Although more firm mattresses are believed to be better for a bad back, that’s not always the case. The fact is, you need a mattress that can conform to your body to offer the best support, and if your mattress is too hard to do that, you’ll wake up achy and uncomfortable.…
Getting a RhoGam shot in China is no easy task. Even back in 2006, when we had our first baby, the doctor looked at me blankly when I asked about getting the RhoGam shot. With the typical blood types in China and the one-child policy, getting the RhoGam shot is of little priority to most Chinese. The hospital we’re using for our delivery wasn’t able to provide us with the shot directly, but did give us the contact information of a place that could help. This is just a quick video showing how it arrived. If you’re in need of this shot, please contact us and we may be able to help you out.
Every culture has different rules for pregnant women. While we were traveling through Thailand earlier this year I was about 5 months pregnant, and on more than one occasion we were told that it was okay for me to drink a bit of alcohol, even though I was expecting. The same opinion holds for some European cultures, but that would never be accepted here in China where rules for pregnancy are extremely strict. Chinese women have a special set of rules to follow. This list in not exhaustive. It is simply the rules that I can remember hearing, or reading about, over the last 9 months of being pregnant in China. Food and Diet Pregnancy is considered a “hot” condition, so to balance the scale between “hot and cold” or “ying and yang”, so called “cold foods” must be consumed throughout the pregnancy. I was therefore told by another pregnant…
The woman’s body is a very fragile and a complex system. A woman needs to spend a lot of time for our regular checks and consultations to keep a check on our system and remain healthy. Choosing gynecologist can be slightly stressful for a woman as she needs to be prepared to share some intimate information with the doctor if necessary. On the whole, a gynecologist may play a significant role in a woman’s health. China is a country which relies on a lot on their traditional Chinese medicine along with the use of advanced technologies. Gynecology in China – China is one of the most developed countries in terms of technology, but they give a lot of importance to their traditional methods of treatment. Chinese medicine handles the gynecology as complicated procedure in which they try to take a deep insight into the problem. Apart from directly treating a…
Many Expats in China who are expecting a baby prefer to have childbirth in an international hospital, as many of their staff are fluent in English and have an international understanding of Western practices. Many doctors have international experience or are foreign doctors. Comfort of language and a similar-to-home-country experience really go a long way when having a baby in China. Though these hospitals are more expensive then local ones, expats who are covered by insurance can often pay for most if not all of the expenses. Expenses and facilities Expatriates who have a functional usage of Chinese also enjoy the option of choosing between public and private hospitals to have a baby in China. Private hospitals maintain a high level of hygiene and care for mothers and infants. That being said, public hospitals have different levels of care and accomadation for foreigners. For many expats in China, regardless of…
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Health
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The healthcare system of Shanghai is finer when compared to second, third tier cities or rural areas, as it is a first tier city. That being said, the healthcare system is still perceived as limited by many expatriates. China being a vast country, the accessibility, care and the cost vary between different places. Healthcare service China’s healthcare can be described in one word as inconsistent. Rural areas are lacking basic medical facilities as compared to urban areas. In cities, the accessibility for medical services is much easier. China’s healthcare system is deficient. This is not the case with every facility, but many factors like subsequent queues, language barrier and slow service discourage many Westerners to seek medical treatment facilities in China. The methods of treatment in China vary, but it can be said that it is in accordance with Western standards. Expats using public medical treatments in China should be…
In China, the general populace follows the vaccination schedule; still, it is recommended for travelers to get vaccinated for certain diseases before taking a trip to China. Visit your doctor 4-8 weeks before your trip and get the required shots. Here is a low-down on recommended immunization shots if you are traveling to China. In the China immunization schedule, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccines are compulsory for all citizens. Still, these are recommended for all travelers irrespective of whether they are visiting towns or cities. Hepatitis A is advised for everybody over one year of age. Vaccination for typhoid for travelers who may eat food outside of big hotels or restaurants is highly advocated. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots are suggested for everybody born after 1956, provided that they had already not been affected by these three diseases earlier. Japanese encephalitis vaccine is endorsed for travelers who would…
