Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Nathalie and I, never ones to shy away from adventure, are embarking on our latest and no-doubt biggest one to date.
We’re having a baby.
If that wasn’t enough, we’re having a baby in a country where we're still learning the languages, are unfamiliar with healthcare, nor do have any family nearby.
And who said settling here in Barcelona meant an end to our adventures?
I created Go Go Global Gringo in early 2015 to document our worldly explorations. More importantly, I wanted it to act as a portal for people to learn about different cultures and experiences on far-flung corners of the planet.
Having a child in Spain in many ways lives up to this mission. Therefore, I want to share the experience that we’re going through with whoever takes the time to read it (and thank you in advance for doing so!!!!).
After all, childbirth is one of the few common threads that transcends cultures, ethnicities, income, health care systems, and countries. Why not show the curious how it works in Spain?
I’m going to do my best to cover all aspects of this new chapter of our life -- from healthcare to paperwork, to culturalism, to childcare and frustrations, and beyond. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it all, but if you have any questions, ask me! I’ll do what I can to answer them.
Of course, this doesn't mean the end of the travel blog you've all grown to know and love. I'm still committed to writing about our travels and our newest family member will accompany us whenever s/he can, or at least until s/he learns his/her way around the kitchen.
It isn’t easy being abroad and expecting, but knowing that there are people around the world caring about us makes all the difference. Thank you all for your support.
-- Elliott & Nathalie
Indeed not easy to be pregnant in a foreign country! I have experienced that in Japan so I know how that feels. I got really scared by, for example, the paper saying "if your child has down syndrome you can not do anything against". Here in Japan, those tests aren't done. So I prayed my child would not have this syndrome. Also, our lack of Japanese was playing against us but, if you add the cost of giving birth (about 15,000 EUR - the state, depending of your ku, gives you back between 3 to 4,000 eur) we decided I will go back to France to deliver. Also, I had a terrible pregnancy (I suffered hyperemesis gravidarum - it was horrible until I reached my last month) and I had to go with it and not complain! I lost 7 kgs. so I needed my family and mum. I didn't know if the dad would be on time or not for the delivery, we were apart for the last 2 months of my pregnancy and it was sad not to share this time together. So I am looking forward to see how you handle that as well as each experience is different. Should we expect a second child, I would give birth in Japan as I feel more at ease here now and also bc I don't want to be separated again from my husband. Being a first time mum is scary sometimes as you don't know much (not that you do more for the second but let's say you feel a bit more confident)
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