# Have a baby in the UK or Ireland



## Imjuststupid (17 Jan 2010)

Hopefully this is the right forum.

Here is the scenario. We are an Irish couple living in the UK for over 5 years now and we are planning to have a baby this year.

So should we have the in Ireland or the UK. What are the issues if any that we should consider - short, medium, long term.

We plan moving back to Ireland within the next 5 years.

cheers


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## Allen (18 Jan 2010)

If the child is born in the UK I suspect it will be entitled to a British and an Irish passport.


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## Lak (18 Jan 2010)

Allen said:


> If the child is born in the UK I suspect it will be entitled to a British and an Irish passport.


 
Only the Irish passport will cost you lots more.


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## thedaras (18 Jan 2010)

Pop over to France ,their healthcare is second to none!!


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## Fatphrog (18 Jan 2010)

legs-akimbo said:


> Only the Irish passport will cost you lots more.



€80 vs £77.50


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## Lak (19 Jan 2010)

Fatphrog said:


> €80 vs £77.50


 
Things must have changed I took a british passport rather than Irish as it was so much cheaper, this was five or six years back.


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## Ann1 (19 Jan 2010)

My husband just paid €143 for a 10 year British passport


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## Ann1 (19 Jan 2010)

Do you mean you are working and living in the UK and intend to stay there for the term of the pregnancy.? Then return to Ireland to give birth.?


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## Staples (21 Jan 2010)

legs-akimbo said:


> Only the Irish passport will cost you lots more.


 
In fairness,it's worth much more in the black market.


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## Black Sheep (23 Jan 2010)

Are you a married couple. 
Child/father's rights (for unmarrieds) are different in Ireland from UK


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## RMCF (25 Jan 2010)

To take this thread away from a debate on passports, I have recently just had a baby in Ireland and to be honest, comparing it to my friends experiences in NI, the standard of service in the UK/NI seems to be much better. Better post birth checks, visits and care.

If you can have the baby in the UK, I'd go for that.


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## csirl (26 Jan 2010)

RMCF said:


> To take this thread away from a debate on passports, I have recently just had a baby in Ireland and to be honest, comparing it to my friends experiences in NI, the standard of service in the UK/NI seems to be much better. Better post birth checks, visits and care.
> 
> If you can have the baby in the UK, I'd go for that.


 
I'd have to disagree with this. I've friends who live in the UK and have been shocked by the lack of monitoring during pregnancy that there is in the UK compared with Ireland. Maybe NI is different to the UK mainland due to the policy of employing loads of extra public servants so as to keep unemployment low (as consequently reduce terrorism). 

Also, apparantly Dublin is the safest place in the world to give birth - [broken link removed]


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## Bazoo (13 Feb 2010)

thedaras said:


> Pop over to France ,their healthcare is second to none!!



Really practical suggestion, thedaras.


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## sandrat (15 Feb 2010)

csirl said:


> I'd have to disagree with this. I've friends who live in the UK and have been shocked by the lack of monitoring during pregnancy that there is in the UK compared with Ireland. Maybe NI is different to the UK mainland due to the policy of employing loads of extra public servants so as to keep unemployment low (as consequently reduce terrorism).
> 
> Also, apparantly Dublin is the safest place in the world to give birth - [broken link removed]



In ireland unless you go private you could have to wait up to 22 weeks for your first appointment. They don't offer certain types of screening such as measuring the nuchal fold or testing for strep b. Post natal care is poor with little or no breastfeeding support and the heel prick test does not test for cystic fibrosis like in the uk. Maternity leave should be taken into account too because if the mother is working in uk then she will be entitled to paid leave and i think she would need to be working here for a certain period before being entitled to maternity benefit. There are also keeping in touch days in uk maternity leave and better acceptance of breastfeeding in general and in relation to breastfeeding support when returning to work


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## Magpie (15 Feb 2010)

Imjuststupid said:


> Hopefully this is the right forum.
> 
> Here is the scenario. We are an Irish couple living in the UK for over 5 years now and we are planning to have a baby this year.
> 
> ...



If you are living in the UK how would you have a baby in Ireland? Pop over when the contractions start? Seems a bit silly to me. Go to your nearest maternity unit, stop over thinking it.


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## ali (15 Feb 2010)

Magpie said:


> If you are living in the UK how would you have a baby in Ireland? Pop over when the contractions start? Seems a bit silly to me. Go to your nearest maternity unit, stop over thinking it.


 
Deciding what kind of birth you would like is extremely important for many women and can have a huge impact on the possible outcome and the experience in general. Doing research and making plans in advance seems eminently sensible and not *"overthinking"* it. Very easy to move a little in advance of the birth to be as close as possible to where you plan to give birth, assuming of course you don't plan to give birth at home which is not uncommon in the UK. 

A.


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## Magpie (15 Feb 2010)

ali said:


> Deciding what kind of birth you would like is extremely important for many women and can have a huge impact on the possible outcome and the experience in general. Doing research and making plans in advance seems eminently sensible and not *"overthinking"* it. Very easy to move a little in advance of the birth to be as close as possible to where you plan to give birth, assuming of course you don't plan to give birth at home which is not uncommon in the UK.
> 
> A.



yes, but choosing to try and give birth in a country you don't live in for some perceived advantage is just odd. When choosing maternity services, one thinks "home or hospital, drugs or not," etc, not which country! Continuity of care is important.


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## moneygrower (15 Feb 2010)

Ireland is either the safest or one of the safest places in the world to have a baby. If you have no history of complications I can highly recommend the domino midwives service, free but very limited depending on where you live. 
Magpie the op asked about the short medium and long term, so presumably they are thinking of moving permanently rather than just for the birth!
The passport options are better with the U.K. passport aren't they, easier to go to Canada, Australia, US.


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## sandrat (15 Feb 2010)

Domino service not available down the country as far as I am aware. I went private (cost €2000 + VHI cover) in the end with my pregnancy because first appointment (where they do first scan, blood tests etc) was not available until between 22 and 24 weeks. 

In the UK all doctors visits are free during pregnancy (and all the time) and you even get a free dental visit during pregnancy. Here only some doctors participate in the combined care scheme and the number of pregnancy related visits is limited to 6 before you must start paying 50 euro per visit. Also the UK hugely supports the idea of a home birth if thats something you would be interested in.

In relation to long term returning here with a child you will not qualify for child benefit unless you are habitually resident in Ireland.


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## csirl (17 Feb 2010)

> The passport options are better with the U.K. passport aren't they, easier to go to Canada, Australia, US.


 
Most countries, including Ireland, do not give citizenship just because someone was born in a country - usually require parents or grandparents to be citizens. 

Each countries passport has its advantages and disadvantages. As a general rule, it is good to have the passport of the country in which you habitually live.


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## casper4 (2 Mar 2010)

Hi I would say make enquires where you are in UK and also where you intent to move to in Ireland (if possible) and find out what is available as it often depends on where you live as to what service is available to you e.g the domino midwife scheme is only available in Dublin and parts of Co Wicklow depending on which hospital you attend, community midwives are available in Limerick city up to a 2 mile radius of hospital who do post natal home visits up to 9 days after your baby is born. In some Irish areas it is true to say that you will not have an ante natal visit until you are 22weeks but not in all areas so you need to think about where you are coming from in UK (healthcare area/address) to in Ireland.It is not true to say that UK suupports home births more than in Ireland this too can depend on where you live. In some areas of London midwives offer domino scheme but if you don't live in that area then this is not available to you. The best place to enquire would be your GP or healtvisitor in UK. There are also independent midwives that operate in Ireland if you are particularly interested in a home birth. Have a look at their website. Good luck.


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## Magpie (2 Mar 2010)

casper4 said:


> It is not true to say that UK suupports home births more than in Ireland this too can depend on where you live. .



It is completely and demonstrably true. home births are far easier to obtain the UK, you do not need an independent midwife, and the UK has a homebirth rate 5 times that of Ireland.


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## lion_bar (2 Mar 2010)

all kids born in the UK get a "Trust Fund"


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