In addition to the differences in France for prenatal care, there are quite a few differences when it comes to labor and delivery.  I had a scheduled c section so I don’t know all the differences when it comes to a natural delivery, but here are the differences I experienced:

First, the overall hospital costs shocked us as they are much, much lower than the US.  I delivered at a private hospital and was able to choose from several room options.  We paid extra to have a private room (I can’t imagine sharing a room with someone else after having a baby!) and to have cable and wifi.  The upgraded room only cost 85 euros per night which also included 4 meals per day (of course they serve the afternoon goûter…a snack around 4pm).  Our total hospital bill in the US before insurance was around $33,000 whereas here it was only 1,400 euros and after insurance we only paid 140 euros!

For a scheduled c section, you have to check into the hospital the afternoon before your surgery whereas in the US you would go to the hospital the morning of your surgery.  They monitor you and the baby every so often but mostly you are left to rest.  I didn’t really want to be at the hospital the day before, but it turned out to be a time-saver when I wound up having contractions at 4am and they needed to quickly get me into surgery!

Unfortunately there was one difference that I really didn’t like, which was that Ryan could not be in the room with me during the c section.  In the US (and other countries) the father can be in the room.  Ryan was in a waiting room across from where I had surgery and when the baby was born they let me see him for a minute and then brought him to Ryan where they waited for me to be brought into a recovery room.  We stayed in the recovery room for about 2 hours and then were brought back to my room.

The length of the hospital stay is also longer here.  For a natural birth, the typical stay is 3 days and for a c section it is 5….however, this time can be longer if you are not ready to go home.  They don’t kick you out as soon as they can like they do in the US!  The nurses actually asked me if I wanted to leave on the 4th day if the pediatrician said Reese was ok to leave.  I could have stayed longer but by that time I was tired of being in a hospital bed all day and I was lonely!

My time in the hospital was also quite different than in the US.  I did not have a hospital bracelet like in the US that they would scan and keep track of my medication etc.  Reese did not have a bracelet that would set off alarms if someone tried to steal him.  I don’t know if something like that has ever happened in France but they clearly are not worried at all about people trying to steal babies here.  I was not bothered as often by people coming in and out of the room at all hours of the day.  After the first day I was not monitored as much, they would just check my blood pressure and temperature once in awhile.  At night I was given my pain medication to take then and they would also give me my pain medication for the morning so they didn’t have to come bother me again.  My OB came to check on me a few times during my stay and on the last day he came to give me a list of prescriptions.  At this time he also asked me if I wanted to use birth control, whereas in the US they don’t even discuss this until your 6 week checkup.  Instead of having a checkup at 6 weeks, it is done at 8 weeks postpartum.

Each day a nurse would come in to help us give the baby a bath and they have a whole routine here- in addition to the bath they give the baby saline solution for their nose instead of using a nasal aspirator, then a dose of vitamin D, then 2 different products to clean the cord area and they finish with spraying a perfume on their hair (one night I sent Reese to the nursery and the nurse that night must have really liked this perfume because when she brought him to me to feed him he was doused in that stuff!).  They also don’t use the baby wipes we’re used to in the US, they use cotton pads that they wet with water and then use a liniment lotion to protect the skin from diaper rash.

A kinesiotherapist came to my room twice, once to show me core exercises and once to massage my legs.

The meals in the hospital, for the most part, were better quality than in the US.  The only thing I didn’t like was the breakfast was a typical French breakfast of tartine (bread with butter and jam) yogurt, coffee and orange juice.  Us Americans are used to eggs, sausage etc!  The coffee for breakfast was served in a bowl so you could dip your tartine in it.  The other meals all consisted of an appetizer, main dish, dessert, bread and yogurt or cheese.  The meal options were healthy and even somewhat “gourmet” compared to what you would see in the US.  The afternoon goûter consisted of butter cookies with tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

Leaving the hospital was also very simple.  Ryan just had to pay our bill and we were left to pack up and leave on our own.  Usually with a c section you have to leave in a wheelchair, but here I had to walk out which was actually pretty tough for me and I wished they gave me a wheelchair.  The walk was a little long and I had to go very slow.

Post-partum care is more like how things were done in the past in the US.  Because I had a c section, a nurse comes to my home every day for 21 days to give me an anticoagulant shot and to take a blood sample twice a week to make sure my platelets aren’t too low.  The nurse also came to my home to remove my staples.  Some women are prescribed compression stockings to wear for a few weeks after surgery.  A few days after I returned home, a midwife came to check on me and Reese.  She looked at Reese’s cord, weighed him and helped me with breastfeeding.  The midwife will also schedule another home visit or 2 depending on your needs.

Maternity leave in France includes 6 weeks before your delivery and 10 weeks after your delivery.  If you are breastfeeding, some companies will give you an additional month off.

Our baby boy, Reese Joseph Pawlowski, was born on September 5th at 7:04am!  Although I had a scheduled c section for 11am that day, I started having contractions at 4am and the doctor on call had to perform the surgery early.  Thankfully I was already at the hospital, as I had to check in the afternoon before surgery.  And I was lucky Ryan couldn’t sleep well at home so he answered his phone when I realized this baby was coming early!  Ryan brought Makenna to our neighbor’s apartment and shortly after he arrived at the hospital they started to prep me for surgery.

We had a feeling Reese would be big, and he proved us right weighing 9 lbs 3 oz!

Later in the afternoon Ryan brought Makenna to the hospital to meet Reese and I think she was a little confused but happy to meet her little brother.

During my stay, Makenna’s nanny and her daughter came to visit and brought gifts for Makenna and Reese.  It was so nice to have a visitor!

We are so happy to have our sweet boy and for Makenna to have a sibling.

(I’ve written more details about Reese’s arrival here)

It’s been a great experience going through pregnancy in France and learning how different things can be for medical care.

Normally, your first prenatal appointment is at 12 weeks here vs. 8 weeks in the US.  This is when the doctor confirms your pregnancy and you are given a document to provide to the insurance company.

Not all, but most doctors, do an ultrasound at every appointment.  My doctor even does a 3d ultrasound each time, so I’ve been able to see our little boy’s face every time which is so nice!

Prenatal appointments are only once  a month throughout your pregnancy, whereas in the US they become every 2 weeks once you are 28 weeks pregnant and then your last month they are every week.

In the US, you have to give a urine sample at your prenatal appointment and there are maybe 2-3 times you have to give a blood sample.  This is done at your doctor during your appointment.  Here, I have to give a urine sample and blood sample every month and this is done at a lab at a separate time/place from my prenatal appointment.  The urine sample also needs to be before I eat, so each time I go for my lab appointment, they give me a cup to bring home for my next appointment….that way I can do my urine sample at home when I wake up, eat my breakfast and then go to the lab later for my blood sample.

For this pregnancy, I didn’t have to do the dreaded glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  The doctor asked if any of my immediate family has diabetes and I said no (he didn’t count my grandmother who has it because it is due to her age) and because I’m not overweight he said I didn’t need to do the test.  In the US you have to do this test during each pregnancy.

Midwife services are available to all pregnant women and are eligible for reimbursement which makes it very affordable.  This includes birthing classes, prenatal yoga, exercise classes in the public pool and anything else that may be necessary/helpful such as acupuncture.

Another thing that is different in France is towards the end of your pregnancy you meet with an anesthesiologist to discuss your medical history, and then they give you a prescription to get more blood work done at the lab.  You have to have a card with your blood type on it that they attach to your paperwork, and if you don’t have this card they will request to have some made for you at the lab.

In the US, starting around your 38 week appointment the doctor will typically check to see if you have dilated.  In France, you meet with a midwife where they monitor your blood pressure, baby’s heartbeat and check to see if you are having contractions.  They may monitor you for anywhere from 2o minutes to 45 minutes.

Recently, doctors here will prescribe compression stockings for all pregnant women to wear starting in the 6th month of pregnancy until the end.  I was told this is to help prevent any clotting or spider veins.  Luckily I haven’t had to do that, I can’t imagine wearing those every day….especially during the summer!

I’ve also been told the doctors here are more open to VBAC births, and that they will deliver breech babies (whereas in the US a breech baby is delivered via c section).