[Tentun]

Hi everyone

Just been giving this New Zealand move a lot of thought lately and am trying to decide some things. Wondered if anyone could share their views on this decision.

We have just received ITA but have not submitted it yet - we have til August to do that and we're not rushing as we don't have a job offer or anything.

So we're thinking that the earliest we should know about PR is this time next year (2008) so the earliest we could move to NZ is then (assuming we don't find work there in the meantime but we're not actively looking at this stage) and the latest we could delay that move is probably about this time 2009, which gives us 2 to 2 and a half years to actually be in New Zealand.

Now our son is 20 months and we want to have another child sometime soon. Not getting any younger and want to have the gap between children smaller rather than a big gap.

So big decision is - should be delay the move to NZ as much as we can, have the 2nd baby here in the UK (we know the system, we are financially stable, we have family and friends to support us) and then move to New Zealand when our 2nd child is about 6 months . . . OR

Do we look for jobs in NZ, get a job offer, move over there as quickly as we can to establish ourselves and have the 2nd child there in New Zealand. We won't know the system and how pregnancy and birth works in NZ and we won't have family or friends and it might be hard financially as I guess we won't have any health care benefits as we do in the UK - don't know. But it means only making the move to NZ with one child to worry about and our second child will be born in NZ so the least disruption to it's little life.

Don't know!!! What would you do? Or what have you done? I'd love to hear your views on this.

[Oregonkiwi]

Deciding when to have a baby is such a personal decision... but since you asked.... I'd wait to move, and have the baby in the UK, where you're familiar with the systems and have your family and friends around. (I had mine a long way from those support systems and it made it harder, I think.) I don't think you need to worry about disrupting your baby's life by moving - I don't think a little baby would even notice that you've moved. Even older kids seem to take it all in stride.

[Trigirl]

i can't help with the decision itself - as oregonkiwi says its a very personal one. but if you look at previous threads by people who have given birth in NZ you'll find lots of info on the systems over here. one things for sure if you come over here with residency you are entitled to the same healthcare benefits as a kiwi.

[nippa&pippa]

Agree with other it is your personnal decision.
I am currently 22 weeks pregnant in NZ, so far I am very impressed with NZ's maternity care and love idea of midwife's care of one to one from pregnancy to labour to birth and 6 weeks afterward.
Jubjub, Tia maria and I have wrote posts about pregnancy and birth in New Zealand, they are found in Health, Education and Family section may help you get some ideas of maternity care in NZ.
Only one things that I will miss out during pregnancy and birth is family support....Like others, I have to deal with it without my mum's support.
In the end of day, it is your and your OH's decision.

[Lupin]

It's your choice but we came travelling in NZ and went home to have the second baby. Came back five years later with 3 yr old and no regrets :)

[Tia Maria]

Tentun

If you haven't already spotted it this is what I did:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9491

Sorry I couldn't work out from your post whether you are the future mum or the future dad :o but the tone of your post looks like you already think delaying the move is best for you and as long as you are both in agreement then I would go with your instinct.

As long as you are happy with UK health care then there are a lot of advantages to staying in the UK particularly if the pregnancy isn't straightforward.

So I think the only other question you need to ask is whether there are any disadvantages to delaying your move?

I am really pleased with the route I chose and I suspect if we had waited till after the baby was born we would have stayed in the UK.

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

Yup, only you can truly decide, we were meant to be having baby one year, and moving to NZ the next. Well, the plan did not work out and I got pregnant about three weeks after we got our PR, so we just went along with it, came over as planned, and had baby here (much to future grannies disgust....). Here is the thread I did at the time.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3136&highlight=pregnancy

Couple of things to bear in mind though is the lack of babysitters (assuming you have folks to help out in the UK), although if you are already here and settling in, then I am sure you will meet folks through your other childs activities who may well be willing to chip in. Preschoolers and babies are THE best way to meet folks I reckon.... you get to go to so many things and generally everyone is very friendly.

Good luck whatever you decide!

[Sam B]

Well a british friend of mine said that having a kid in NZ was the best thing she ever did, because it was a really good way to make friends and get to know the community. Generally opinions about maternity services here seem v positive.

[Tentun]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your posts - they have certainly given me something to think about.

In answer to your question Tia Maria, I'm a mum. In fact, we are not native to the UK so we don't have our parents with us here but we have lots of friends who offered us much support with our first baby and it would be a shame to not have their support during my second pregnancy and birth - that said, having a baby is a great way to meet people - I have so many more friends now that I have my toddler than before when the only people I ever seemed to mix with were work colleagues so perhaps being new to NZ it would give us a chance to fit straight in.

Hmmmm - perhaps it's something fate will decide for us anyway.

[incredible hulse]

We had our second baby in NZ. The midwife system here is very good we found, although we were lucky this time that everything went smoothly so cannot vouch for the extra care facilities.
One possible positive is that the baby will have NZ citizenship (and will then have access to OZ and NZ as well as the EU in future), but the slight flip side to this is they do not have full UK citizenship from what we have learnt - this is in the form that their future children would not automatically become UK citizens