Book Review - French Mamma's Pregnant in France

Book Review - French Mamma's Pregnant in France
http://www.frenchmamma.com/pregnant-in-france-book/

Need to know what to expect when expecting in France?  This is the book for you! 

Pregnant in France has everything you will need to know to feel confident and prepared on your big day!  French Mamma includes helpful medical vocabulary, quizzes, information on the French Healthcare System and even her personal experience (the good, the bad and the ugly). 

I wish French Mamma had written this book before the birth of my second child (YES which was in France) it would have saved me many, many, many sleepless nights (mostly from doing Google searches ;-)!  READ IT!

having a baby in france

Hmmm...

I think it is more natural here.  Maybe it was my doctor that I choose?!?  Or the fact that they have Midwives assigned to every woman rather than OB Nurses?

Little Miss's birth story...

I had Gestational Diabetes (for Little Man's Pregnancy as well).  I was controlled (i.e. no medical issues nor a big weight gain - I gained 8 pounds total for the pregnancy) but my doctor was worried Little Miss would be a large baby like Little Man (9 lbs 8oz) and we also had an abnormal result on one of the ultrasounds.  So we had an induction scheduled for a date in mid October.

My Midwife gave me some tricks that I could do induce labor naturally as I really wanted to experience a spontaneous birth (I was also induced with Little Man)...but nothing seemed to work :-(

So we went in for our scheduled induction date.  At noon I was 2 cm so they broke my water to induce labor rather than start Pitocin.  I was getting some contractions but I did not dilate any more from them.

At 1pm the Midwife started me on the Pitocin.  After 20 mins on it I started to have real contractions (mild).  She asked how I was doing and check me again...I was at 4cm.  She said if I was ok she would get lunch (30 mins max) and if I wanted to get my epidural we could start it when she returned (we discussed that I would want a light one since the doctor informed me Little Miss would be just as big as Little Man was).  I agreed but after 20 mins I was in severe pain.

The epidural was ordered and when the Midwife returned the Anesthesiologist was there to start the epidural (I was still only 4 cm).  I was only pain free for 10 mins because Little Miss was on her way and it was time to push.  My Midwife was amazed that I had progressed so fast!  I was just at 4cm - 10 mins ago, we only just started everything 2 hours and 20 mins ago and the bag of Pitocin was only 1/3 done!

She called the doctor over from the clinic across the street.  She said I could push if I needed to in the meantime.  And if he wasn't here she could do it.  I waited for the first few pushes...but once he was in the room I started to push.  He just had the time to remove his watch and wash his hands and Little Miss was on her way into this world ;-)  My husband recalls I only pushed once but I remember it very differently haha!  I do agree that it was definitely less than 10 minutes of pushing for sure.

Little Miss

The major thing like I said earlier is that it is more natural here.  My doctor preferred that I did not have an epidural...but we both agreed if I did want one that I would receive a light one to help with the labor pains but where I would still know when it was time to push.  And MAN did I ever feel the need to push.  I also did with Little Man...but this was a different feeling.  There was a burning that I had not felt with Little Man.  Also, I KNOW I had a very light epidural because afterwards I needed a local anesthesia for the sutures.

I wish I had known how fast it would have been because I probably would have skipped the epidural all together.  From the moment my water was broken till Little Miss's delivery it was only 2 hours and 40 minutes and she was ONLY 8 lbs 4oz which is NOTHING compared to 9 lbs 8oz ;-)!

Another example of it being more natural here is that my doctor assisted more manually with getting Little Miss's head out.  I felt that in the US my doctor just reached for the knife way too quickly.  I don't even think the French doctor even cut me at all!  He allowed for natural stretching and tearing.  I did have a lot of stitches but that is normal with the majority of deliveries (no more than in the US).

Here is a pic of our view from the hospital room ;-)  YES the Eiffel Tower!

The after care was basically the same.  After a few hours they moved us into our room.  The care was about the same.  They checked on the baby for the post diabetes check ups around the same times they did in the US for Little Man.  They checked my temperature, legs, wound etc...throughout our stay.  They checked the baby once a day, They gave us some basic infant care instructions, feed me and assisted with breastfeeding.

The differences were:

• They did not allow me to bathe the baby or myself for 24 hours!  GROSS...they just wanted us to relax and rest.  I see the reason but I did not want Little Man to see us with blood all over ourselves.
• They did not have a Breastfeeding Consultant on staff.  It was just the nurses who could give you tips but not someone dedicated to it.
• We had to pay extra for a single room (which is the same in the US) BUT there were a few differences in types of rooms (we do have a secondary insurance who paid for a portion approximately 40%).  Some of the singles did not have pull out couches for the fathers (if we opted for the smaller rooms the our secondary might have paid the entire cost).  We opted for the more expensive one with the bed.  It was 300 euros per day (day not night)!  Needless to say we did not stay long (2 nights/3 days)...you CAN stay up to 6 but we did not need it nor wanted to waste the money.  When we could do just fine at home in our own bed.
• The cost of delivering a baby.  In the US I did not pay a dime because I had great insurance.  But the insurance's total cost in the US for the hospital and all doctors involved was $28,000 (more than my college eduction by the way!).  Here the total paid to everyone was 3500 euros!  I am not sure if the hospital received more money via their bills directly to the gov't but I believe this is everything they get.  So the hospital received 900 euros (3 days x 300 euros), OB/Midwife 1900+ euros, Pediatrician 53 euros x 2 visits and Anesthesiologist 500+ euros!  I will go into greater detail on how the French Health Care system works in another post.

That's about it!

I loved my experience and would do it again (IF we were planning on having another...which we are NOT! ;-)

What was your birth experience like?  Did you have a child in France (if so share your story about France being more natural or not...I'm curious if it was just the doc I choose)?  If you had a second child, did you find the labor/delivery to go by faster/smoother? What was the approximate costs for having a baby in your area?  Any questions feel free to ask...

TN

pregnant in france

Little Miss's Room minutes before heading to the Hospital!

As promised here is my post about being Pregnant in France and the differences compared to the US.

Pregnancy Tests are not available everywhere.  You have to buy it from the pharmacy.  So NOT at the grocery store, convenience store, Target, Walmart etc...Also the pharmacies are also NOT like Walgreens or CVS.  They are not large with lots of aisles to browse through only healthcare products and pharmaceuticals.  The test is NOT over the counter meaning you have to ask in French (some speak English) for it (AND yes you have to ask for condoms also haha!).

Finding an English speaking OB/GYN and a reputable hospital was difficult.  I was not prepared...even though we planned this pregnancy.   After finding out I was pregnant I was in a scramble to find a doctor who could speak English and was at a hospital I wanted to deliver at.  Great planning I know!  I finally found an English speaking GYN via the US Embassy's recommendations.  She was not an OB and therefore would not deliver the baby but could get me started. 

She explained that in France they calculate the due date as the 41st week, I would need some initial lab work done to check everything, I would also need to have monthly lab work done to check for Toxoplasmosis, I had some official paperwork to fill out for the French Government and would need to perform my 12 week ultrasound.  Pretty much standard except for the monthly blood work.

Toxoplasmosis is prevalent here and they take it very seriously.  In the US it is mentioned but not a huge concern unless you have a cat in the household (and then you are not allowed to touch the kitty liter).  Here the raw fruits and veggies have traces of the parasite.  And therefore pregnant woman are told not to eat any fruits or veggies that they themselves did not wash (i.e. at restaurants!).

During this time with my GYN I had been researching hospitals and doctors.  But to no avail due to the language barrier as well as the lack of knowledge on how the French System worked.  Here the doctors can not advertise nor are there any recommendations available online.  I decided to join an English Mothers Group who had a very active Forum where I could ask these questions and find a proper doctor who could deliver our baby.

After a few weeks on their forum I realized that I should have been searching for the hospital and doctor way before conceiving.  ALL of the top hospitals have waiting lists a mile long!  I narrowed down my list for hospitals and had my husband start calling to see if they had a spot open for my approximate delivery date.  Out of the 5 hospitals we called 0 had spots open and only 2 put me on the list.  While on the bus one day my husband overheard a pregnant lady explain that you have to call the hospital and book your pregnancy before you even get a positive pregnancy test!  And to correct the date later saying the ultrasound read the baby smaller blah blah blah.  CRAZY huh?!?

After getting basically 5 rejections...I decided to go another route and find the doctor first.  I found the private practice of an OB/GYN that practiced at a hospital that was one of my top 3 favorites.  I called his private practice and asked for a new patient pregnancy appointment.  He got me in the same week.  After meeting with him I felt calm and knew I was in good hands.  He followed my care until the big day and so glad I found a great doctor and practice as his.

Visits with your doctor are monthly.  At week 37 he said he would see me in 2 weeks (39th week) and then I was induced 1 week after that (40th week).  I found that very strange because in the US you go monthly until week 28 then every other week until week 36 then weekly!

There were 3 ultrasounds that were paid for by the French System (week 12, around week 23 and around week 34) .  But my doctor had a small machine in the office so every visit I could see my baby!  I loved this ;-)

Everyone here gets a "Sage Femme'' aka Midwife who acts more like the obstetrical nurse would in the US.  BUT she can deliver you if you do not have a doctor...a doctor is not needed unless you want one.  I had a OB/GYN only because I have gestational diabetes when I am pregnant and had to be induced with my previous childs birth.  But even though I had a doctor I also got a midwife as well.  I could have been automatically assigned one via the hospital but I did not want to risk getting a non English speaking midwife.  So I opted to sign up with one in my doctors group practice.  She was excellent as well.  

Other than that it was pretty much the same for the pregnancy and tests.   Next post I will discuss delivering in France!