Giving birth in France

[nichnachnoch]

I wonder if anyone can help me? I'm english living in italy and thinking of having my 3rd baby in France (i have family there).

It's proven very complicated to get onto the italian social security system (they don't seem to understand that we're not here forever) but I'm apparently also in a no-man's land for the use of the NHS because we don't technically live in the UK right now (though we will return and continue to pay NI there) and I haven't registered this pregnancy with my UK GP.

We have a comprehensive private insurance which covers our current medical care in italy and should cover the cost of a private birth in whichever european country I choose, and in any event, i'm not sure I'm able to get access to state social security in any country right now.

The question is: is it possible to give birth in a public hospital in France but as a private patient, payed for by my insurance (as you can in the UK)? How much does this cost? I'd rather be in a hospital than a clinic as I prefer the security. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Very grateful for any help!
Thanks

You will, I think, need to give in a private hospital in France, pay full whack and then get it reimbursed by your health insurance.

There are lots of private maternity clinics in France. Or you could go to the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Where are your family?

Hello!
I live in France and had my little boy here, but am employed by a UK company so pay tax and NI though the UK. I paid upfront for all my care and then claimed it back through an E112 form (think it's called an S2 now). The whole 9 months plus the birth cost about 1500? in total, including 3 scans, monthly blood tests and check ups and a 5 day stay in the hospital (Public hosiptal, used my EHIC card). You don't seem to need any sort of insurance here, you can just turn up an pay!
Hope that helps, i've found the healthcare here very good, although they are quite clinical.

I think you'd have to have your prenatal care in France too. Certainly at my hospital even if you're followed privately you have to have your 36 week and anaesthiatist appointment with them.

My friend's straightforward birth, no pain relief, 3 day stay, no social security was approx ?1.5k but that covered the last trimester or so of prenatal care as well I think.

The private maternity clinics in France vary in terms of the facilities they provide, but many of them have almost as much as a public hospital would (as in, only really serious cases need to go to the public hospital).

I don't know if you speak French, but each clinic/hospital is classified level I, II or III in terms of their facilities and this site explains what the classification corresponds to: www.adrenaline112.org/urgences/DUrge/DGyne/ClassMat.html

Hello!

I live in France but am insured totally privately. I gave birth in a public university hospital, they dealt directly with the insurance company, I didn't pay a cent upfront, although I did get a copy of the bill ? 8000 for a normal birth, 5 day stay!

Am now expecting my second and am planning to go to a clinic - purely for a bit of pampering! We'll see if I'm deluded or not...

Thanks everyone for your very helpful and quick advice!

Bonsoir - my family are in burgundy

osaraf - i don't think i qualify for S2 as I'm neither employed nor resident in the UK, just paying voluntary NI while I'm away. So i think i have to rely on the private insurance.

Apart from being close to my family, one of the reasons I'm thinking of heading to france is that they are REALLY interventionist in italy (almost 50% cs rate i think), rooming in here is pretty unusual - most babies are wheeled off to a nursery immediately after the birth, it's even not standard to allow a spouse into the room while birthing...All pretty old-fashioned and stirrup-oriented imho.

Also my insurance covers me for "only" ?10,000 of expenses and a normal private birth here is at least ?8,000 with 2-3k more for the pre-natal care plus extra ?? if I end up having to have a cs, so I'll probably have to fund at least a part of the costs myself and I don't feel like I have any control over the whole process.

I've heard the figure of ?1.5k a lot for the cost of a private birth in france but I suspect that is the cost of the private supplement with social security subsidising the basic cost, which as I said I'm not sure i can get. with a bit of luck the insurance should cover everything

thanks again!

You would need to choose your hospital or clinic carefully to avoid the same interventionist approach in France tbh...

agree with SnapFrakkle although what you say about Italy does sound even worse than France, and you can find clinics that are marginally better than others.

I think it is standard to allow the spouse in during the birth, isn't it? and the rooming-in as well? although they are very happy to take baby to nursery to give you a 'break' if you want it, there is not much support for breastfeeding, and they are relatively stirrups-oriented and definitely very epidural-oriented.

I think I read somewhere that the CS rate in France is 30%? May be wrong though, but it's certainly not 50%

If you want an epidural, you'll be well catered for - it's the only pain relief they know (besides paracetamol!).

When I had DS, DH was present at the birth and we roomed in. They were very helpful and supportive of breastfeeding. There are 12 hospitals in France with the WHO label for breastfeeding - will try and find a link and get back to you.

Found a link:

www.haptonomie-blog.fr/le-label-hopital-amis-des-bebes/

That's interesting...

If you want low-intervention you'd be better off back in the UK, if that's at all possible.

Some hospitals are worse than others. The hospital I've chosen has a 14% CS rate and 61% of births are without epidural, the nearest clinic has 24% without epidural. The nearest hospital where we used to live had 2% without an epidural and a CS rate of 25%.

I think the rate of instrumental deliveries is pretty high and they definitely seem to prefer episiotomies to tearing.

There are some very good clinics though. You just have to do a lot of research!

Oh, I don't know. I found they only started taking notice of me once I begged for an epidural. Before that, I was left to labour completely on my own.

Yeah, a bit of research goes a long way...

Like bunnyfrance, because I didn't want an epidural I was left to labour on my own (well with poor DH, and every time I said 'I don't think I can do this' he would panic and say 'oh my god, can't you, do you think you need an epidural after all?' whereas I just needed someone to tell me I'd be fine).

This clinic had a reputation for being open to natural births and breastfeeding etc...

But I have to say I was very glad to have an epiosotomy with DS2 - didn't with DS1 and I didn't tear but the crowning took half an hour and he was very bruised and struggling to breathe when he came out. I didn't feel the epiosotomy at all and the recovery was not difficult.

Yes, they'll say they are open to natural births etc etc and they won't intervene against your will, but in reality you'll get no support or advice during labour with different positions etc. So if you want a natural birth, you'll need an excellent birth partner (not the average DH...all mine did was ask what was wrong every time I had a contraction!)

I had a doula lined up, but unfortunately she couldn't make it to the birth due to exceptional circumstances. I think she would have made a lot of difference.

Stoppit! You're scaring me! Is 2 months enough to find a doula and/or train my DH?

I did all the pre-birth care with a homebirth midwife who then came to my house and we went to the clinic at 5cm dilated. We had obtained obstetrician's approval for the midwife to stay with me, but on the day the obstetrician wasn't there and the duty midwife insisted on enforcing their rule of only one birthing partner (so a doula would have been impossible too). In the end he did allow us (me, DH and homebirth midwife) to wander around up and down the public corridor (though it was midnight so noone around!), but in the room I had to choose between DH and my midwife. The hospital midwife just left us alone with no help whatsoever.

snap, you might find this site useful if you're looking for a doula in France:

www.doulas.info/

Depends where you are, though - there aren't very many, only one in my region. The hospital where I gave birth was prepared to let both her and DH in the room, but then she was well-known at that hospital.

Are you expecting your first, snap? I'm due my second in August and I just feel more prepared and know what to expect because I've done it before. I'm probably deluding myself, though. Am not bothering with the "préparation à la naissance" sessions because I found it didn't help very much first time round. Part of it consisted of lying flat on our backs on the floor practising "la poussée" Fat load of use that was!

weta, where did you find a homebirth midwife? I thought they didn't exist in France?!

Yep it's my first. Very different being on the receiving end have been training DH up!

Apparently there are no doulas on the island! Not that I'm that surprised...

I know of a sage-femme liberale locally but she can't come to the hospital. In some ways leaving me to it might be a better plan anyway!

snap, could you not ask a good friend, who has given birth, to support you in the first stages of labour, when you'll just be on a normal ward? In my (albeit limited) experience, they only let you into the delivery room quite late on, when you're either a) so far out you won't care anymore or b) have asked for an epidural, so won't need so many birthing partners!

Honestly, women have been supporting other women in childbirth for millenia...why is it that in the last 30 years this role now falls on hapless DHs, who have never given birth, never will, and frankly just don't have a clue?! Sorry, not the point of this thread, but something I feel strongly about!

bunny - there are about 60 for the whole of France - see this link: www.projetdenaissance.com/pages/Repertoire_sagesfemmes-1282342.html

I was in Montpellier and there were two who worked together, one English and one French. They were fantastic and did all my pre-birth prep (I did consider home birth but was too scared in the end as my first baby had been in respiratory distress at birth - but midwife was still happy to see me and prepared to accompany me to the clinic if they had allowed it). But a couple of years later the French one (who was absolutely amazing) had a baby die (absolutely not her fault as far as I can gather) and was taken to court, although she was eventually acquitted. There is so little acceptance of it in France, it is a real shame.

i agree with bunnyfrance! my DH is still upset that i made him turn off the telly while i was in full-blown labour with my DD1!

Thanks for all the advice/info by the way. Great idea to look into finding a local doula to come with me to hospital/clinic - that might at least give me some control and at least have someone there i can trust.

Had my 2 DDs in UK on NHS and despite lack of resources (I also laboured in corridor for hours and the midwife had to "steal" a monitor from a neighbouring room when we needed it) I really do think the overall emphasis on midwife-led natural birth where possible is right. Unfortunately, it's just too impractical to go back home for the birth this time round....so I shall have to recreate a female midwife-led environment somehow in france...wish me luck!

Ps forgot to say that's great you were able to have your doula - it makes such a difference to have someone you know and trust (and a health professional (ish) rather than a clueless DH)!