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We recently went to Paris for 4 days to get Reese’s US Certificate of Birth Abroad and passport.  Another reason for our trip was to have Reese circumcised.  They don’t normally do circumcisions in France but a friend of ours told us that we could take him to the American hospital in Paris and they would do it there.  We took the train to Paris and stayed in an apartment that we found on Airbnb.  The apartment was nice and it was so much more comfortable being in more of a “home” setting with 2 kids.

We arrived on Sunday and went straight to the Champs Elysée.  The street was closed off to traffic and the shops were open (most places are closed on Sundays in France), and there were police at every side street checking people before they entered the busy shopping area.  After walking around a little we checked into our apartment and then went out for a hot drink.  Makenna loves to get chocolat chaud (hot chocolate)!  The next day Reese had his surgery and we spent the rest of the day at home recuperating.  (funny side note- after his surgery the nurse kept saying congratulations to us and I was so confused why she was saying that…I think she thought we were Jewish and it was a religious thing for us!)

On Tuesday we did some exploring around Paris.  We went to see the Eiffel Tower and Makenna was so excited to see it again, especially since she has a little Eiffel Tower statue at home and talks about how she saw it in Paris.  Then I had to go check out the British store Marks & Spencer because they had some cute kids clothes.  While we were out, Ryan’s friend from college sent him a message that him and his wife were also in Paris, so we met up with them and walked around the Champs Elysée again and then stopped for a drink.  They were both really nice and I was so happy to meet them!  Makenna really liked them, too!  After we said goodbye to them we headed to Galeries Lafayette to see their Christmas display and it was beautiful.  The store itself is something to see, with a gorgeous stained glass dome ceiling and pretty balconies all around the center.  There are 7 floors and many mini shops within the store, most of them being very high-end brands like Chanel, Cartier etc.  We have a Galeries Lafayette in Clermont but it is nothing like the one in Paris!

Our last day we had an appointment at the US Embassy to get Reese’s certificate of birth abroad and his passport.  While we were there they told us we couldn’t have Reese’s middle name Joseph on his documents because it wasn’t on the French birth certificate we received after he was born (the French don’t really do middle names so I think there was some confusion when we filled out his documents for the French birth certificate), and that when we returned to the US we would have to pay to change his name.  Luckily we have since received a call that they would process the documents with his middle name, phew!  The lady at the Embassy gave Makenna 2 American flag stickers, so she put one on her shirt and one on lovey, it was so cute!  When we left the Embassy, Donald Trump was just announced the winner of the presidential election and a news reporter came up to me asking if we were at the Embassy because of the results of the election.  She then interviewed me on my thoughts, but unfortunately I didn’t ask her what newspaper she wrote for so I don’t know if my quote ever got published.

After stopping for lunch we went to the train station to head back home.  There was a piano in the lobby for anyone to play and there was a man playing while we waited for our train.  I love all of our simple, yet memorable, experiences we are having in France!

While taking a walk through Place de Jaude, we noticed a group of guys dancing for a crowd so we stopped to watch.  After they performed for a little while, they chose some kids from the audience to come dance and Makenna was one of them.  She absolutely loved it and had no fear!  When it was over she cried saying she wanted to do it again!

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This year Halloween was during the school vacation so most of the expats were traveling.  We didn’t have anything planned for Halloween but Makenna kept saying she wanted to be a super hero, so at the last minute (the morning of Halloween) Ryan and I made her a cape and mask.  Ryan also made a cape and mask for lovey of course.  Since Halloween isn’t really a big thing in France, there wasn’t much going on in town but a few stores were handing out candy so we went to our favorite store Hema where Makenna has been named their “mascot” because all of the ladies that work there love her.  She got some candy and then ran around the square for a little while.  Then we went home and she helped Ryan carve a pumpkin.  It was a very low key Halloween but Makenna was so happy to dress up and she continues to wear the cape we made her!

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My mom came to visit a couple weeks after Reese was born and it was so nice to have some help adjusting to life with 2 little ones.  Makenna was so excited to see her Grammy and have someone to play with since I was busy with Reese and recovering from my c section.  Unfortunately the majority of the time she was here we were trying to figure out why Reese was having trouble eating and would cry most of the day.  We made 5 trips to the pediatrician within 2 weeks and 2 trips to the lab to have blood work done for him.  It was pretty tough there for awhile but we figured out that he has a milk protein allergy and acid reflux (which Makenna had as well).  At the same time, Makenna had a double ear infection.  My mom wound up staying an extra week to help me get everything settled and and we were able to enjoy some of the last few days she was here.  Her and I went out to lunch and did some shopping for the kids, and another day Ryan and I had a coffee date.  We also visited a petting zoo that was set up in Place de Jaude for a day and Makenna loved seeing the bunnies, pigs and horses.  One night Makenna was invited to go to a birthday party with our Brazilian neighbors.  It was a first birthday for another Brazilian family and Makenna made herself right at home; as you can see in one of the photos above she sat right in front of the birthday cake wearing a birthday hat for a group photo making it look like it was her birthday!  We had quite a laugh when my neighbor sent me that picture.  It was great to have my mom here for 3 weeks but it was also a reminder of how hard it is to only see our family once a year.

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).

You get nervous and mix up words and say things like “Merfi” instead of “Merci”

An employee at McDonald’s asks you where your table is so they can bring your food to you and you respond by saying “Merci!” because you didn’t understand what they said until you started to walk away

When someone asks you if you are English you automatically think they are asking if you speak English, and then you have to pause for a second and say you are American

If someone starts speaking English to you you are so surprised you don’t know what to say, or you continue to respond in French

When someone makes you nervous or you feel rushed to speak you completely forget how to say things you know how to say, or you forget your phone number that you know by heart

You accidentally call your husband “my man” instead of “my husband”

You accidentally refer to a restaurant owner’s wife as his husband

You smile and say “oui” when you don’t know what someone is saying to you

At times you just can’t understand someone so you freeze and look at your husband and hope he knows what is going on

You think you are ordering chicken and it turns out to be a really nasty tasting sausage

Your husband tells his mom she’s ordering rice and beef and it turns out to be cow brain

After making a wine tasting reservation, it turns out to be a small wine room in someone’s basement of their home

You get really annoyed when you think you are pronouncing something right, yet the person you’re speaking to has no idea what you’re saying

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We didn’t plan any trips during Ryan’s August vacation because I am very pregnant and not wanting to do much, but we’ve been keeping busy doing a lot of things in and around Clermont Ferrand.

We’ve spent several mornings going to Lac d’Aydat about 20 minutes away.   Makenna loves playing in the water and making sand castles.  A couple times we’ve packed a picnic, and in true French style we picked up a baguette on our way to the lake and made sandwiches on our picnic blanket.  Just before the lake there are donkeys that you can ride, so we took Makenna on one and she had a great time and kept saying “he’s cute!”

Ryan recently got a child seat for his bike and he has taken Makenna on quite a few bike rides.  Sometimes they take a ride to the store and other times they wind up at a park.  It’s been great that Ryan can have this time with her since it’s usually me that gets to do things with her while he’s at work.

One weekend we took a ride to Thiers, about 30 minutes away, because it is known for knife-making.  It’s a fairly small town with a ton of different shops selling knives.  Ryan bought a set for us and then we decided to buy children’s cutlery sets for both Makenna and her little brother on the way.  The shop engraved their names on the knives so they will be a special souvenir from our time in France.

Another weekend we went to Vichy, about 45 minutes away.  Vichy is known for it’s thermal water that has healing properties, so we visited the Hall des Sources, where there are water taps that you can drink from for free.  In the center, there are other taps that you can only access if you have a prescription from your doctor.  There is something different about those taps that have healing properties for different illnesses, and doctors will actually prescribe this water for certain ailments.  We walked around the town and took Makenna to a beautiful park along the river.

The rest of our days have been spent just enjoying having Ryan home and going to the public pool.  And of course preparing for our baby boy that we will meet very soon!

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We are so lucky that our friends Jena and Nicolai from Greenville are also expats in Clermont with us and Makenna loves to play with their daughter Olivia.  We went to Olivia’s first birthday party in Greenville just before Jena and Nicolai moved to France, and this year we celebrated her 3rd birthday with her at an indoor playground called Kizou.  Their friend Benjamin was also there and the 3 of them had a great time!  Makenna had no fear playing in the area for older kids and loved the big slide.

After Kizou, we all went to an American style diner for lunch where the kids’ food was served in cardboard cars and they received bubbles and a balloon.  Jena made cupcakes and goodie bags which of course the kids loved.  Makenna had her first hot dog which was fun to watch as it was big and she ate almost the whole thing.

I’m so thankful for the friendships that not only Ryan and I have formed here, but Makenna as well!