Ruth gave birth to her first baby in Qingdao, China in 2010. While the pregnancy and birth were relatively uneventful, doing everything in a foreign country added an extra layer of stress! At that time, it was common for expats in her city to travel to a larger city to give birth at an international hospital with western practices. After deciding to give birth in a brand new hospital in her city instead of traveling to Beijing, it became a waiting game to see if baby would be born in time to make their international flights back to the USA.
From first meeting her baby bundled up in layers of blankets, to shocking the nurses by taking a shower the day after birth, to having to travel across the country for passports, Ruth’s experience was truly a mishmash of east-meets-west! Ruth couldn’t have had such an empowered birth without the support of her devoted husband who stood by her side and let her know he would protect her and their daughter from unwanted interventions.
For Ruth’s second birth she decided to forego the translators and work directly with the hospital. A few humorous (in hindsight!) linguistical mishaps occurred, but the fast and smooth birth made up for it! In the time between her first birth and second, Ruth had become informed about the benefits of immediate skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping. After another expat had asked for and received both, Ruth felt confident to request them and was delighted to experience receiving her son directly to her chest instead of hearing his cries from across the room.
After these two births, Ruth became passionate about helping others around her navigate the Chinese system so that they can make informed and empowered decisions for their own bodies, babies, and births. Her clients now hail from every corner of the world, from South Africa to Brazil, to New Zealand to Scotland, from Zimbabwe to Korea, and Ruth counts it an honor and privilege to walk along side families no matter their culture, religion, or background.
Ruth Greene Bio
Ruth Greene CD(CBI) is an American expat and a full-spectrum doula living in Qingdao, China, supporting birthing families since 2013. She is co-owner of Having a Baby in China (HABIC), founder of the International Birth Workers of China Annual Conference, married to her high school sweetheart, and Mom to four beautiful children.
Connect with Ruth via IG: Having a Baby in China, Wechat: GirltravelOR, or Email: ruth@havingababyinchina.com.
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