Latina Leaves US To Give Birth in Mexico,  Saying ‘Quality of Care’ Is Better for WOC

A woman on TikTok just went viral for sharing her decision regarding childbirth. She described how she traveled from the United States to Cancún, Mexico, to give birth to her baby, explaining: “The things I was ready to fight for in the U.S. were just standard practice here.”

While the woman’s TikTok biography indicates that she is Dominican-Mexican, she lives in the U.S. Still, the woman, whose username is @hispanahippie, listed all the reasons why she preferred having her baby abroad.

In the video, the woman said one of her major reasons for giving birth abroad was, “The quality of care is infinitely better for [women of color].”

By this, she seemed to refer to the startling U.S. statistic that Black women are three times more likely to die from complications from pregnancy than white women. Another study shared by KFF found that Indigenous, Hispanic, and Black women reported higher rates of mistreatment by medical staff during their pregnancy.

As one person commented on @hispanahippie’s video, “As a Black woman, this was an amazing decision. You were treated with human decency and your pain was taken care of.”

Other reasons the woman considered when deciding to give birth in Mexico? “Nicer climate,” “less processed” food, lower healthcare costs, and her baby “automatically” getting dual citizenship.

While some said her story was “so refreshing,” others said they wished all women in Mexico had the same experience. “I’m glad you had a good experience with birth in Mexico, I wish that was the case for my family members in poorer areas of Mexico.”

The TikTok user described her birth story as “beautiful” and “absolutely worth leaving” for

The woman’s TikTok video explaining her “beautiful” birth story is at three million views and counting. With many people disgruntled with the healthcare system in the U.S., it seems like @hispanahippie’s decision struck a chord.

As one commenter put it, “Every woman in the world deserves a safe and peaceful birth like this.”

The TikTok user described, “I left America to give birth in Mexico, and it was so amazing, I would do it 10 times over again.”

“I got to the hospital when I was eight centimeters dilated, and quickly decided I wanted an epidural. I got that sucker at nine centimeters,” she recalled. “It was amazing because I could still feel my body without any of the pain sensations. So, I knew when to push with my contractions.”

“I didn’t have to part with my baby until the very next day, when I asked the nurses to finally wash the vernix off him.”

The woman said her doctor gave her pain medications for her swelling, and antibiotics for her stitches. The pediatrician also gave her their cell phone number for any questions.

“All in all, postpartum, I feel like even more of a rockstar than I did pre-pregnancy. And I can’t wait to do it all over again.”

Many commenters say they feel inspired by @hispanahippie’s video. “It is so refreshing to hear a good labor and delivery story im so happy for you and baby 🥰❤️.”

Another user said the U.S. healthcare system makes them want to do the same. “I thought about this because the way the health care system is set up. Just let me go live abroad for 3 to 6 months and give birth to my baby.”

Meanwhile, yet another wrote that the TikToker’s story reminded her of her at-home birth. “I hired an at home midwife and had the most amazing experience, I truly can’t imagine doing it in a US hospital.”

However, some Mexican users are comparing @hispanahippie’s birth story to that of their family living in “poorer areas of Mexico.”

One person wrote, “Half of the women in my family gave birth at home because the nearest hospital was two hours away.” Another added, “My uncle’s wife had her son prematurely and they sent her home instead of keeping the baby in the NICU and now he has severe health problems.”

One TikTok user wrote in the same thread, “Hopefully Mexico steps it up for those in pueblos and gets them better access to healthcare too.”

The woman said she took her “healthy pregnancy” in consideration when deciding to give birth abroad

As you can expect, many of the users who saw the woman’s TikTok video had questions. For example, one user questioned whether giving birth abroad could put their pregnancy at risk, whether because of travel or otherwise.

To that, @hispanahippie replied, “Luckily, I had a healthy pregnancy, so after consulting my OB in the States about my decision to have my baby abroad, I was able to do so without any emergency medical intervention.”

However, most of the questions directed to the TikTok user related to two things: costs and citizenship. Well, in regard to the former, @hispanahippie gave a full breakdown of what she paid for childbirth. And how she did it, step by step. The total cost? $3014 USD.

She explained that she found her doctor in Mexico through an app called Doctoralia. “I scheduled my first visit at 37 weeks for 900 pesos [around $55 USD].” She later scheduled three more visits with him at the same price, which she seemed to pay out-of-pocket.

Her doctor’s fee, $30,000 MXN or $1818 USD, was separate from her hospital fee. Still, she said her doctor’s fee included an anesthesiologist and pediatrician.

Moreover, she said the hospital charged from $16,000 to $30,000 MXN to give birth, depending if you have a vaginal, Cesarean, or water birth. She and her child’s father chose Hospital Azura in Cancún, and a package that cost $16,300 pesos, or $988 USD.

That included “one night stay for mom, crib in the room for baby, materials and medications for the birth, meals for mom, and standard tests for the newborn.”

Many people were just as curious about her baby’s citizenship, and what that process looked like. One person asked in a comment, “Do they get to have dual citizenship when they’re born in Mexico?” to which the TikToker replied, “Yes.”

In fact, she posted a video of her and her child’s father getting a Mexican passport for the baby. According to her, it took just “three hours” and seemed like a more efficient process than in the U.S.

Similarly, the one posted another video getting her child’s U.S. passport. She explained that they went to the U.S. consulate to obtain it, which took eight hours:

One user commented, “Truth be told, most countries are more efficient than America.”