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alicia13 said:
It was not a "guarantee" that things will turn out perfectly, just an encouragement that most of time things work out one way or the other. I was faced with a hospital bill for the birth of my baby, it wasn't easy to come up with 5K with only my husband working but in the end things worked out. A bit of optimism with a dash of realism can make the world of a difference when faced with a tough situation. Being negative and expecting the absolute worse benefits no one. I don't understand why you took offense to something that wasn't even directed at you.

I didn't take offense, but childbirth is something that requires good planning, not optimism. Yes, childbirth is natural and largely safe; but the potential to go wrong is always there. My grandparents live in an island close to Vancouver without roads, ferry access, or medical services -- a young couple next to their house planned to give birth there. Childbirth usually can work by itself, but this one didn't and the baby died that night. Their plan made perfect sense if you think that everything will come out like it should -- why not have the baby in a beautiful island location? -- but it makes no sense if you think that childbirth sometimes requires immediate referral to a medical specialist. The poster is worried about the cost of complications, and they should be -- as noted above, receiving an 80,000 bill can spoil a life for many years, and they need to develop a plan to avoid that. I think encouraging them to plan based on the assumption that all will be well isn't helpful, that's all.
 
Hi dear, I have just been reading your posts and there are a few things I will want to clarify. I am a visitor in canada and I am 7months pregnant. My husband is also a visitor. My question is if I give birth in canada and we pay the bills.. Will the baby be a canadian? I am just confused because people say the baby will only have a birth certificate which does not make the baby entitled to health card and a passport to go back to Africa. Please advice
 
Sofaya said:
Hi dear, I have just been reading your posts and there are a few things I will want to clarify. I am a visitor in canada and I am 7months pregnant. My husband is also a visitor. My question is if I give birth in canada and we pay the bills.. Will the baby be a canadian? I am just confused because people say the baby will only have a birth certificate which does not make the baby entitled to health card and a passport to go back to Africa. Please advice

If the baby is born in Canada it will be Canadian. It will be entitled to a health card and a passport.
 
Sofaya said:
Hi dear, I have just been reading your posts and there are a few things I will want to clarify. I am a visitor in canada and I am 7months pregnant. My husband is also a visitor. My question is if I give birth in canada and we pay the bills.. Will the baby be a canadian? I am just confused because people say the baby will only have a birth certificate which does not make the baby entitled to health card and a passport to go back to Africa. Please advice

your baby is going to be canadian citizen. but if you and husband are visitor you cannot apply for health care. the baby is not going to have health care. because is about the parents status here in canada.

if you pay or not pay the bills the baby is going to be canadian.

when the baby born in canada the hospital give you some pappers to fill and they send them to the registry. them you need to go to the registry to pay and apply for the birth certificate.

the passport you need to have a guarantor who know you for 2 years and have canadian passport. if you don´t have a guarantor then you have to go to a lawyer to fill another pappers to apply for the passport.
 
alicia13 said:
Don't worry! Everything will be ok
If your gf is pregnant already I would recommend looking for a midwife as soon as possible according to your postal code(they are very strict about jurisdiction), here is the link- https://www.aommembersonly.ca/find_a_midwife_iframe/Search.aspx

It is possible that she will be waitlisted as they book up very very quickly but they also free up quickly when some women have to be transferred to an OB for high-risk pregnancies etc.
There is a midwifery practice in Etobicoke that helps a lot of women who give birth as visitors, it's called Midwife Alliance. They also gave me the name of a clinic that has OBs that help people with no OHIP but I can't remember what it's called, sorry!
If you are a PR or Canadian then your child will have OHIP, usually what causes huge bills to accumulate is the time that non-OHIP babies spend in the ICU, that is very expensive if both parents don't have OHIP.

Send me a message if you have any further questions! I was in your shoes not too long ago and would have appreciated meeting someone who had been through it before me :)

Thank you so much for that link!
I called up Midwife Alliance and they were super helpful about this. They said they didn't know of a midwife clinic that works with an OB though.

  • So, a baby that is born and let's say (God forbid) the baby has to go to the ICU = will it cost? (asking because the baby is essentially a canadian citizen so the costs should be covered?)
  • I have OHIP, will that make any difference for the babies care?

Thanks again for your help. Your words of encouragement are definitely appreciated.

on-hold, as real as your concern is and I agree that planning is needed... words giving confidence, especially in healthcare are quite often needed. Imagine it to be a situation where a healthcare professional delivers bad news to you with a very expressionless face showing absolutely no remorse or sympathetic emotion. On a level of humanity would it not be appreciated if there was some sympathy?
 
a couple points on midwives - they neeed to be booked like well in advance!

and… they aren't free if you don't have OHIP. Budget $2500-4000 +++ (according to the clinics I talked to)..
 
Bunintheoven said:
a couple points on midwives - they neeed to be booked like well in advance!

and... they aren't free if you don't have OHIP. Budget $2500-4000 +++ (according to the clinics I talked to)..

In Ontario they are free for OHIP and non-OHIP women. I just gave birth with one in May and didn't have to pay her a dime.
 
Yourname said:
Thank you so much for that link!
I called up Midwife Alliance and they were super helpful about this. They said they didn't know of a midwife clinic that works with an OB though.

  • So, a baby that is born and let's say (God forbid) the baby has to go to the ICU = will it cost? (asking because the baby is essentially a canadian citizen so the costs should be covered?)
  • I have OHIP, will that make any difference for the babies care?

Thanks again for your help. Your words of encouragement are definitely appreciated.

on-hold, as real as your concern is and I agree that planning is needed... words giving confidence, especially in healthcare are quite often needed. Imagine it to be a situation where a healthcare professional delivers bad news to you with a very expressionless face showing absolutely no remorse or sympathetic emotion. On a level of humanity would it not be appreciated if there was some sympathy?


You're more than welcome. You having OHIP is crucial in this case, be sure to bring your card with you to the hospital when your gf gives birth. My son stayed 5 days in the ICU for a minor issue when he was born and seeing as my husband has OHIP, my son did too.
I'm trying to remember the name of that clinic, I googled what I remember and I think it's called Access Alliance. One other tip, for the ultrasounds, go to private Xray clinics, not big hospitals! It literally costs three times more for the exact service as the hospital will charge you an "admittance fee" or something.

All the best!!
 
I am married to a Canadian citizen leaving abroad, 6 weeks pregnant and would want to travel to Alberta in March to have our baby on visitors visa. My medical Insurance cover delivery but the value is FAR less than what is being quote here. Is there any any suggestion? I already know the baby will be citizen by birth, but I am more concerned on the medical care/attention in alberta.
 
JCP411 said:
I am married to a Canadian citizen leaving abroad, 6 weeks pregnant and would want to travel to Alberta in March to have our baby on visitors visa. My medical Insurance cover delivery but the value is FAR less than what is being quote here. Is there any any suggestion? I already know the baby will be citizen by birth, but I am more concerned on the medical care/attention in alberta.

Well, you might be eligible for the first day coverage in Alberta. I suggest you to review eligibility requirements on their Official Website.

As for your pregnancy inquiry, you may apply for a private health insurance plan, if you are not eligible for the day one coverage by the government plan in Alberta.

If you are not yet pregnant, such plan covers up to 80% of the cost for prenatal care, delivery, physical examination and nursing care for a maximum of $10,000.
In order to receive such benefits you will have to wait at least 1 months after the effective date to fall pregnant, otherwise it will not be covered.

There is another option for Visitors to Canada, who got pregnant before the effective date set on the policy. A private medical insurance plan that regular emergency case as well as pregnancy related emergencies such as abdominal pain, miscarriage, bleedings, premature birth, etc. up to the 31st week of your pregnancy period.



Hope it is helpful.
 
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