Having a Baby in Mexico | Things We Learned

Our family loves to take our kids on adventures and learn through travel experiences. We’ve explored Europe with our 3 kids, homeschooled for 7 years, and found ways to work virtually. So it may not be surprising to learn that I delivered our baby girl in a private hospital in Merida, Mexico. Here are a few things I learned through my OB-GYN care and experience having a baby in Mexico.

Was Having a Baby in Mexico a Good Decision?

I’ll introduce our story with a question. Was having a baby in Merida, Mexico a good decision? For us, absolutely yes! This life experience came together in a series of events. First, my husband planned a trip for our family to visit the Yucatan Peninsula in March of 2024. The summer before, we decided to try to have another child. I quickly got pregnant, and my due date landed during our trip to Merida. We decided to travel anyway, because our family homeschools and my husband works virtually.

We choose to fly to the Yucatan Peninsula when I was 35 weeks pregnant. Our family planned to stay for 3 months. I would deliver our baby girl in a Merida private hospital. Before we left, we gathered documents, researched and chose the private hospital, and booked our flights to begin our adventure!

Wonderful Private Hospital Experience

The first thing I learned was the private hospital in Merida exceeded my expectations. Shortly after we arrived in Merida, I toured the hospital with my husband and an English-speaking guide. The facilities were impeccably clean and modern. The staff was friendly and eager to accommodate our needs. We saw a postpartum recovery room which was very spacious with a bathroom, sleeper couch for the partner, and lots of natural lighting. We learned I could easily request an epidural, and a c-section would cost an additional $300. The hospital had a peaceful environment and was hardly busy at all during our visit.

Furthermore, my specific care at the Merida private hospital was personalized to my needs. The hospital gave me a list of English-speaking OB-GYN doctors. I choose one and saw her for my first appointment within the week. Then I saw my OB-GYN doctor every week until my baby was born. My OB-GYN visits cost $60 US dollars, which included an ultrasound every appointment.

I was surprised to learn about the ultrasounds every appointment. In the United States, I typically only had an pregnancy ultrasound at 20 weeks, and possibly once more. These frequent ultrasounds during my OB-GYN appointments in Merida revealed something important, which I will explain in more detail below.

Easy Communication with Doctors

Additionally, I found it very easy to communicate with the doctors in Merida. My main two doctors spoke very good English and were very considerate in their communication and recommendations. Alternately, the Merida hospital had enough English-speaking staff we could speak with, or who could translate when talking to other staff. My OB-GYN doctor also frequently messaged us on WhatsApp, giving me a direct way to stay in touch with her and share updates.

Frequent Ultrasounds – Having a Baby in Mexico

I learned that a pregnancy ultrasound is commonly included at each OB-GYN appointment, at the private hospital we chose in Merida. The knowledge I gained through these frequent ultrasounds helped me avoid some possible complications when giving birth to my daughter.

In Merida, my OB-GYN doctor gave me a thorough ultrasound during each appointment to monitor my baby’s growth and position. In my third trimester, we saw her on sonogram every week. The ultrasounds revealed that my baby girl was turned face up and her umbilical cord was wrapped around her. My doctor monitored my baby’s position for several weeks but she did not turn. Eventually at 40 weeks, I reached 8 centimeters dilation, my baby girl hadn’t moved, and labor wasn’t beginning. I wasn’t having regular contractions.

My final OB-GYN appointment was on a Saturday morning. I had an exciting decision to make, and I chose a scheduled c-section for later that Saturday evening. I didn’t want to risk long labor, stalled labor with baby face up, or complications due to the umbilical cord. The information I’d gained from frequent ultrasounds allowed me to make an educated decision

I was actually very relieved. I wasn’t looking forward to being in labor for the forth time. Also, I thought it would be interesting to experience having a c-section. I could not have known, my c-section experience would once again exceed my expectations.

Unique C-Section Experience

The next thing I learned from having a baby in Merida, Mexico, is that not all c-sections are the same. I imagined a sterile environment, with bright white lights and a straightforward surgery procedure. Instead, I was delighted to be wheeled into a room filled with mood lighting, a star projector, aromatherapy, and spa music playing in the background. I sat very still for an epidural, as I have four times now. After this, I lay back and looked up at a colorful purple and blue ceiling with twinkling silver stars. The white sheet in front of me blocked the view of my c-section, which my husband Andy could view from the other side.

I had two doctors, several nurses, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician, and several assistants on hand. I barely noticed that several of the staff were filming or taking photos from tasteful angles. This was so the hospital could gift me a professionally edited birth video of our baby girl. All and all, I loved every minute of my c-section experience.

After baby was born, I held her while the doctors expertly stitched me up. I couldn’t feel a thing from the waist down because of the epidural. Then baby went with my husband Andy, while I recovered and slept lightly for about an hour. Nursing assistants took me to a comfortable postpartum recovery room, where I had to stay for 48 hours after my c-section. For the next day and a half, I cuddled my baby, ate three well-balanced meals a day, and steadily recovered without any complications.

Affordable Cost of Having a Baby in Mexico

Next, I learned that having a baby in Merida, Mexico was very affordable, even at a private hospital.

The cost of having a baby, which turned into scheduled c-section, was a major reason we chose to experience having a baby in Mexico. In total, my private hospital delivery cost $3,200. This included the doctors fee, anesthesiologist fee, and a $300 c-section fee. Of course, we also paid for the cost of living in Mexico for 2 months, for our family of 5. We often off-set travel costs with income we earn by renting our own home on Airbnb as a vacation rental.

While in Merida, We took our three kids to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and several cenotes. We also visited a Maya museum, a wild animal park, and the beach — all while I waited to have our baby in Mexico. Our adventures in Merida with kids became an important part of our homeschool year and worldschooling experience.

In contrast, our US medical deductible per person is $7,000 per year. My pregnancy spanned two calendar years. I would have paid $10,000 to $14,000 to have my baby at our US hospital. Additionally, our US OB-GYN may not have noticed the medical concern of my baby’s position and cord. Without the third trimester ultrasound data, I may have had an emergency c-section or experienced other complications. Regardless, we felt that God led our family through the unique experience of having a baby in Merida, Mexico. Additionally, God protected me and our baby girl, who was born perfectly healthy.

Official Documents We Brought

We did have to bring a number of documents to Merida in anticipation of having a baby, and bringing her back to the United States after birth. In addition to our passports, we obtained and brought the following documents to have a baby in Merida, Mexico.

• birth certificates for each member of our family
• our marriage license
• apostille of each birth certificate and marriage license, from the states that issued the documents
• Spanish translated copies of these documents
• passports for each family member, as previously mentioned

These documents allowed us to get our baby’s Mexican birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and her US emergency passport. To receive her passport, we scheduled an appointment with the US consulate in Merida, Mexico.

Overall, I am very thankful for the personal care I received while having a baby in Merida, Mexico! My experience exceeded my expectations. Now our family has another wonderful story to tell about our international adventures with kids.