About
Photo Credit: Heather Blue van Doorninck
Justin and I moved to Nicaragua in January of 2008, having just gotten married in 2007. Learn more about our early Nicaraguan adventures here. Our original plan was to live in Nicaragua for a year, evaluate our experience, and then perhaps move back to the States, get desk jobs, set up home in an insanely expensive Boston suburb that we couldn’t afford and procreate. Well, that was my plan. But, as one year crept into two, both Justin and I began to discuss the possibility of having children abroad. I wasn’t getting any younger and the economy in the States wasn’t getting any better. After reviewing numerous birth scenarios (go home now, get jobs, get insurance, get pregnant; get pregnant here, get on a plane back to States for delivery; get over it and just do it), we decided to ignore the one piece of advice that my physician father tried to impart on us during regular visits, “just don’t get pregnant down there.” Four months later, I was pregnant and we were overjoyed. Join us on our journey as we navigate the joys and pitfalls of getting pregnant and parenting in a foreign country.
Hi Sarah, My family and I are planning on relocating to SJDS early next year. The hope is that I’ll be pregnant before the move and we would like to have our baby there. I can’t find any info on having a baby in Nicaragua. Can you give me some advice?
Thanks!
Hi Corey,
My apologies for the long delay in responding to your questions! Congrats on your upcoming move! My husband and I were fortunate to be surrounded by a community of families also pregnant during my pregnancy. I had the latest due date among 4 families, so we were able to hear about and learn from their experiences, which was tremendously helpful.
We had our baby in Managua, the capitol city, which is about 2 hours north of San Juan. Though somewhat inconvenient to get there, the hospital is state of the art, with licensed and well-qualified physicians. My sister was pregnant, at the same time, in the States and our experiences mirrored each other down to the ultrasounds, testing, etc. So, we felt good that the our doc was inline with US standards. As in the States, the rate of c-sections is increasing steadily, so if you want a natural birth experience, you do have to advocate for yourself quite a bit, but if you have good communication with your docs, it is possible! There are also 2 doulas currently living in San Juan who are wonderful (one of whom has had two children here) and the other who has assisted 5 births here. Having them is invaluable, as they know the system, but also understand and support your experience.
Check out http://www.metropolitano.com.ni/ for more info on the hospital in Managua. Let me know how else I can be of help!
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the info. Since I wrote my post to you I have become pregnant so we are looking into our options more now. I have another question for you. We spent a month in SJDS last year and my then 18 month old attended Julie’s preschool. I want to contact her to see if I would be able to re-enroll him once we’re there, but I can’t seem to find her contact info anywhere. I know that it’s a small community there and thought you may know how to reach her?
Also, who was your doctor when you were pregnant? Were you fearful of the strict abortion laws just in case the pregnancy became dangerous to yourself? We are considering having the baby in Costa Rica and then coming to Nicaragua for that reason. From what I can see online there are no exceptions which is kind of scary.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!
Corey
Congrats, Corey! What exciting news! I will email you offline so that I can answer your questions more thoroughly. Cheers! Sarah
So glad to find this. We’re planning on starting a family and then heading to Nicaragua. Nice to know it can be done.
Hi Rachel,
Glad you found us! It absolutely can be done. Best of luck to you on your journey!
~Sarah
Hi Sarah!
I’m loving your blog. I worked on the Coral Princess, which goes through SJDS and I adored my time there. My best friend and I are considering a move down there and I’d love advice on looking for work, getting moved, etc. My email is “email1229@gmail.com”.
Thanks so much!!
Molly
Hi Molly,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I’ll send you an email soon and we can chat.
All the best,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, my husband and I had been bouncing around the idea of moving to Nica for a while, late last year your blog was a constant source of envy! Well, 6 months on and we have decided that we are really open to the idea and that we want to give it a trial run. We are thinking about coming to SJDS for a month sometime June/July and see how we like it. I have a heap of questions would you mind helping us out a little. I will be 6 months pregnant at the time, and i have a 10 month old. Are we crazy to try an attempt it then? We will need to rent a house, a car, find a nanny or at least childcare and lastly find a reliable internet connection as we both work from home. Are we mad?!?! Any advice would be most welcomed.
Thanks
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for you comments! I think that you are smart to do a trial run here before deciding whether or not to move permanently. I’ve seen this town come a long way in just over 4 years, but it still lacks a lot of the basic infrastructure that we come to rely on in North America. I think that everyone’s experience is a little different – some love it and never leave while others struggle to adjust, but eventually call Nicaragua home. There are also those who just don’t click with the lifestyle and pack up and move home. One thing that I can attest to is that this is a wonderful place for kids. Children are truly cherished here and welcome in most places. If you and your husband need to work, then it’s easy to find affordable and reliable childcare. Having a baby here is a different story. I had a wonderful experience giving birth to my daughter here; however, we were with our doctor from conception and grew comfortable with him and the language barriers over time. The private hospital that we used is in Managua, about 2 hours away. Renting a home should not be too difficult so long as you have reasonable expectations. You can find something very basic starting at around $600/month, but you can also spend upwards of $2000 if you want luxury. I can help you to find some rental options if you’d like, as my friend runs a real estate company here in town. Internet should not be a major problem, but keep in mind that should the power go out, so does your internet. I work from home 3 days per week and rely heavily on a connection and I usually do not have many problems. A car might be your biggest challenge. Renting will be costly, but you can do it via Alamo or Dollar or I can put you in touch with a friend who rents out classic Jeeps. If you loan to be here long term, I would recommend buying a used vehicle. That’s another experience on its own, but there are also short term expats here who might be looking to unload a vehicle before they leave.
Nothing is impossible and I commend you for taking the first step towards this lifestyle. It is crazy and scary, but also a ton of fun. Let me know how else I can be of help to you!
Saludos,
Sarah
Sarah,
So many thanks for the reply! Yes please I would love for you to connect me with your friend in real estate. Also, you mentioned in a couple of blog posts about a lady called Julie that runs a daycare center, If you could share her contact details I would really appreciate it, i’ve scanned the web trying to find her number or a website, but all I seem to find are people talking about how wonderful she is!! I too work 3 days a week and finding a nanny or daycare for the month is my biggest worry. You really put my mind at ease so thank you! Can we continue the conversation offline?
Again many huge thanks for sharing!
Laura
Hi Laura,
Check your inbox!
Sarah
what an interesting life! i just found your blog after creeping on the gypsy mama’s page, and decided to have a look. i love hearing about people who have decided to have babies abroad…i guess the uk isn’t exactly latin america, but i studied spanish at university and my husband p and i would love to live in l.a. for a period of time. looking forward to reading more!
Thanks for the visit! I think that any time a person lives outside of their “home country,” it’s fair to consider that living abroad! You are still experiencing new culture, food, accents, lifestyles, etc! I’m terrible about updating my blogs, but please do come back – hopefully I’ll get something insightful up one of these days