pregnant in canada while waiting for health card/pr card

[hope17]

I would hopefully move to canada in next 1 month. My only son and hubby will fly together. I am now 9 +weeks pregnant ;D. my concern is while i waited for PR card/ health card what happens to my antenatal check up/ follow up? I am really worried about this , and I know this is not the time to be stressed as that would effect the baby. Any suggestions or info regarding this? Maybe PMM or other senior member can tell me about this? Thanks

 

[Morena]

I would hopefully move to canada in next 1 month. My only son and hubby will fly together. I am now 9 +weeks pregnant ;D. my concern is while i waited for PR card/ health card what happens to my antenatal check up/ follow up? I am really worried about this , and I know this is not the time to be stressed as that would effect the baby. Any suggestions or info regarding this? Maybe PMM or other senior member can tell me about this? Thanks

I can talk to you about my experience. I was pregnant in Canada while i was in a visitor visa. My husband make all the payments for my antenatal check up/follow up from his savings and then for the delivery he makes a payment plan with the hospital. I choosed a community clinic which is more cheaper. If you get PR before the delivery maybe you can check if the heakth plan can payback the money you spend in doctors, but i'm not sure about this. Good luck.

 

[chelley]

congrats

what province are you coming to? different provinces have different rules.

ontario has the 3 m waiting period from the date you land for health coverage so if you arrived next month, coverage should kick in before delivery... i think 3m are standard for many other provinces, some are less...

in the waiting period in Ontario you are able to see a midwife who provide essentially the exact same services as a OB/GYN at a reduced rate (might even be free, best to check with them on the conditions to have free coverage) http://www.ontariomidwives.ca/midwife/q-a

you would be required to pay out of pocket for any tests/ultrasounds so best to try to figure out which tests you might get in your home country before you come over... for example, in routine non-complicated pregnancies, ultrasounds are conducted at 12 and 20 weeks approximately... you could feasibly get a 12 week one where you are to reduce costs...

i've had both OB/GYN and midwife and much enjoyed my midwife experience better... ended up being a pre-term c-section but she still stayed with me the entire time and honoured the aftercare arrangement that they have... highly recommend midwife if you have the option... (in canada you can still have a hospital birth (with all associated drugs ) when using a midwife)...

you'd have to look into the other provinces offerings

hope that helps some

 

[annabruce]

I very much wish you well, but ....

You are still within the first trimester where risk of miscarriage is high. Wait for a few more weeks in your country of origin where you presumably have medical coverage.

My wife is in Canada with me and sadly she just went through a miscarriage and now we have a large medical bill to pay off since there is no temp insurance that covers pregnancy related issues.

If you have any pregnancy issues within Canada, realize that the system is not set up to deal with uninsured people, even if you have money to pay. You will make phone calls and get a lot of bad ( but, well-intentioned) advice.

Think your options through carefully. Good luck.

 

[hope17]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and concerns. I am also a physician but not of OB/GYN. Was never my fav topic either. But as a woman now I know how imp that branch is as I am going through the pregnancy now. @annabruce: Sorry to hear about your wife. I know how tough it is for the family , both mentally and financially. Hope your wife is doing ok now. And yes it is very likely for miscarriages to occur within first trimester. after around 5th month normally you can hope to have a healthy pregnancy and baby ( as baby also start kicking around that time). As this is my 2nd time I am kind of relaxed, not that much stressed like i was when I was pregnant for the 1st time.
@Chelley: thanks for your congratulations ;D
I would be moving to Saskatchewan, and I know it's kind of deserted and extremely cold. That also worries me, how I am going to take care of my one year old and myself in that extreme weather in winter...don't wanna think about it now. So do you know much about sk? I am also thinking that I should go through all the test available here as it would be a lot cheaper and less stressful, knowing all the important info regarding my health status. So right before I leave for canada, I would do all the necessary tests.
@morena: thanks. I will keep the payment options in mind, and will pm you if necessity arise.
Thanks a bunch everyone. Hope you all are enjoying your life in canada. Take care.

 

[TigerLilly]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and concerns. I am also a physician but not of OB/GYN. Was never my fav topic either. But as a woman now I know how imp that branch is as I am going through the pregnancy now. @ annabruce: Sorry to hear about your wife. I know how tough it is for the family , both mentally and financially. Hope your wife is doing ok now. And yes it is very likely for miscarriages to occur within first trimester. after around 5th month normally you can hope to have a healthy pregnancy and baby ( as baby also start kicking around that time). As this is my 2nd time I am kind of relaxed, not that much stressed like i was when I was pregnant for the 1st time.
@ Chelley: thanks for your congratulations ;D
I would be moving to Saskatchewan, and I know it's kind of deserted and extremely cold. That also worries me, how I am going to take care of my one year old and myself in that extreme weather in winter...don't wanna think about it now. So do you know much about sk? I am also thinking that I should go through all the test available here as it would be a lot cheaper and less stressful, knowing all the important info regarding my health status. So right before I leave for canada, I would do all the necessary tests.
@ morena: thanks. I will keep the payment options in mind, and will pm you if necessity arise.
Thanks a bunch everyone. Hope you all are enjoying your life in canada. Take care.

Hope, congratulations!!! I know someone with almost the same predicament. She got pregnant while they were waiting for her PR Card to come out. They are also in SK. SaskHealth,adviced her/them that they have to pay for any antenatal exams/doctor visits...SaskHealth also said that they'll be reimbursed of any healthcard covered expenses. I suggest you call SaskHealth too when you get here. They are more capable of helping you out.

 

[hope17]

Thanks a lot Tigerlilly.