In the past few weeks, I decided to switch hospitals. I now plan to give birth at a specialty hospital in Qingdao. All they do is deliver babies, so I trust they know how to do it.

I picked the obstetrics hospital after becoming dissatisfied with the Municipal Hospital here. The doctors didn’t speak English, so I had to communicate with them with the help of nurses from the International Clinic, who acted as translators. At least, they were supposed to act as translators. Most of them would have conversations with the doctors, and then give me an abbreviated summary. It was an ordeal to get any of my questions answered.

The obstetrics hospital is much better. It is private, funded by a Japanese company, and it definitely has the feel of a private hospital. The couches in the waiting areas are over-stuffed and luxurious compared to the hard seats of the Municipal Hospital. It is a good thing the couches are so comfortable. I have to wait for hours every time I go, since the doctors spend so much time with every patient. Then when it is my turn, they spend just as much time with me. They can answer my questions in my own language, too.

And my baby will be able to go swimming, which I am sure she will enjoy.

Some people are surprised to learn that I would choose to give birth in China, even at a posh, private hospital. They think it seems too risky. To people who say that I would point out a new trend in the US and Europe - Freebirthing.

For those of you who don’t frequent the mommy-sites, Freebirthing means childbirth without the assistance of any medical professionals at all. That means no doctors, no nurses, no midwives. As one advocate put it, “We were the only people there when she was conceived, and it felt absolutely 100 percent right that we were the only people there when she was born.”

Let me weigh in by saying, I think these women are nuts. If they want to go back to nature they should start by making their own shoes and growing their own wheat. When it comes to childbirth, enlist the help of professionals.