For many pregnant women, a pre-birth checklist might look like this: assemble the crib, buy extra bibs, pack essentials for the hospital. But for a growing number of expectant Chinese mothers, the list also includes buying a plane ticket to the U.S.
Felicia He, 27, shelled out tens of thousands of dollars and planned meticulously before hopping on a plane to give birth in California.
"I started getting ready for the trip around the end of my first trimester," she recalled. "I asked my friends who have given birth before in the U.S. for a doctor recommendation; then I found a place to stay in the area for a few months, and purchased my plane ticket."
Pregnant Chinese moms are flocking stateside to give birth, lured by rules that grant American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. A booming birth tourism industry has sprouted from coast to coast to cater to growing interest -- in 2012, about 10,000 Chinese women gave birth in the U.S., more than double the 4,200 in 2008, according to Chinese state media.
Many of the families want an American kid because a foreign passport could be the family's ticket out of China if they grow weary of pollution or food safety scares. President Xi Jinping's widespread anti-corruption campaign has given rich Chinese yet another reason to be on edge.
"If things become economically or politically uncertain in one's country of origin, the children have a place to come to," said Leti Volpp, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. The children can "then sponsor their parents when they turn 21."
The desire to leave China is especially pronounced among the wealthy. Almost two-thirds of Chinese with more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in the bank have emigrated, or are planning to, according to a Hurun report released last year.
They are of child-bearing age.
