I gave birth in both Puerto Rico and New York. There were several striking differences.

I gave birth to one of my children in New York and the other in San Juan.

Sophie-Claire Hoeller 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.

Sophie-Claire Hoeller 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.