I Gave Birth to One of My Children in New York and the Other in San Juan

I had a baby in New York and in Puerto Rico. Both experiences were different in many ways. Wait times for doctor appointments in Puerto Rico were longer, likely due to physician shortages.

I had to buy my epidural and some supplies in advance, but my husband had more access to amenities. When I moved from Brooklyn to Puerto Rico two years ago, with my husband and then-3-year-old son, we were firmly one and done. Life with a toddler in New York City was too hard; we spent weekends at chain-link fence-enclosed playgrounds that were either shadeless and sweltering in the summer or freezing and depressing in the winter, struggled to find affordable childcare, and didn't have the village it takes to raise a kid.

Moving to Puerto Rico changed our tune. The near-constant sunshine, excellent and affordable bilingual schools, easy access to beaches, and welcoming people who instantly became our community had us considering a second. Fast forward to April 2026, and we welcomed a baby girl in San Juan.

My first child, now 5, was born in Southampton, New York, in August 2021. From the moment I started looking for an OB-GYN in San Juan, my experience being pregnant and giving birth in New York and Puerto Rico was strikingly different. Here are some of the biggest contrasts I noticed. In Puerto Rico, I had a hard time finding an OB-GYN open to new patients, and my appointments took forever.

After moving to Puerto Rico, our family grew. I kept hearing from friends and fellow parents from my son's school that they were taking entire mornings or afternoons off work for standard doctor appointments — multi-hour waits were that common. I didn't believe it until I regularly found myself waiting three hours to see my obstetrician.

In Southampton, I considered a 30-minute wait a bad day. A potential reason is Puerto Rico's severe doctor shortage. Lower reimbursement rates and wages than on the mainland have contributed to a long-running physician exodus, with many doctors leaving for better pay and working conditions.

Those who remain can end up juggling a lot of patients and overscheduling themselves to keep up, leading to the long wait times I (and many others) experience. On top of that, it took me quite some time and a lot of searching to find an OB-GYN who was taking new patients in the first place. Things I took for granted in New York had to be purchased from the hospital pharmacy in Puerto Rico.

I had to make a few key purchases before giving birth in Puerto Rico. In Southampton, I just showed up to give birth — I didn't really have to think about pillows, epidurals, or diapers. In San Juan, patients must purchase these items from the on-site pharmacy.

Pillows were $8 a pop, so I brought my own from home. I also brought my own blankets instead of buying them. I ended up buying a mandatory baby care kit (containing things like a T-shirt, swaddle blanket, and diapers) and a delivery kit (with a hairnet and scrubs for my husband) for $35 and $25, respectively.

I was offered a bedpan for another $15 but declined. Had I had a boy I wanted circumcised, I would've had to purchase a circumcision tray for $100. I had to buy my epidural in advance — and getting it was a whole process. In Southampton, I didn't fill out any forms before arriving at the hospital, asked for the epidural once I got there, and received it with no fuss.

As far as I remember, it was fully covered by our insurance. In San Juan, I went through pre-admission, in which I filled out tons of paperwork a week before my due date. Part of pre-admission included purchasing an epidural.

Many fellow moms who had given birth at the same hospital warned me that it sometimes runs out of epidurals, and to make sure they know I want one (and boy, did I want one!) well in advance. one and done.