Pregnant in France - any advice?

[googietheegg]

Hi all, just found out I'm pregnant with DC1 (yay!!) and I live in France, in 11. Has anyone got any advice as to what I do next?! I think I'm about 3/4 weeks, so how soon do I go to my doctor? Will he think I'm a wally if I go this week or should I wait a bit longer?

Huge thanks in advance - it's all a bit daunting and I can't ask anyone.

My gnye didn't have a scan facility. Don't know how normal it is to be scanned at first appointment. Mine was very matter of fact, saying that I should book a scan for 12 weeks, but that it was still early days...

Then she prescribed blood tests etc.

Mine had a limited scan facility (had to go elsewhere for proper anomaly scan) and just routinely scanned at every appointment...

I'd ask tbh. But bear in mind it's not the most glamorous of experiences and they'll be expecting you to have an internal done, which you may or may not be comfortable with your DH seeing/being sent out the room like a naughty boy for.

Mine has a scanning device - she does the 12 week and 32 week scan and sends me to the hospital for the 22 week one. I'm in a medium-sized city.
She also very considerately has her examining chair turned away in a corner, behind a curtain, so my DH sees nothing if he comes in with me. I love her for that!

Thank you for all your expertise! Helping me not feel so alone! We might tell our families tomorrow if we have a scan done, so it will be nice to share the news.

Does anyone know who gets the prime de naissance in France? Is it automatic or depending on income? And what about maternity leave? There seems so much contradictory advice on the internet.

I got the prime de naissance but either parent can if you're married, not sure about if you're not. I don't think it's income dependant - we just gad to probide a RIB for the accpunt qe wanted it to go to. ML is 16 weeks full pay, usually 6 before 10 after, but I only took 3 before because it worked better with teaching my classes!

That's interesting frak, thank you. Had you lived in France for ages before you got pregnant? Some stuff on the internet seems to say you have to have lived here as resident for more than 5 years, which we haven't.

I've been living in France since 2008 and officially resident here since 2010. DH is French but I don't think that's taken into account. Just fill in the forms for the CAF etc and see what happens.

So how did your appointment go, googie? Did you have a scan?

Yes, the prime de naissance is income dependant, but you still have to fill in the CAF forms, even if you know you're not entitled to it!

Aaah, thanks for asking! I go early tomorrow morning, so fingers crossed I have a scan. I'm hoping I get the forms etc from the gyne tomorrow, as I know I have to 'declare' my pregnancy but I've no idea how or where!

How are you getting on bunny?

The income threshold must be insanely high for the prime!

Quick slightly related question - does the sécu still pick up 100% for post birth complications?

Not that high, frak - I'm not entitled to it and we certainly don't earn insane amounts! Have tried to look up what the threshold is, but all it says in my book is "sous condition de ressources"

For post birth, I think the first 15 days in hospital are covered 100% (for the mother) and everything for the baby for the first year, or something like that. Would have to do more research.

Everything's going well this end, thanks googie. Was just at the lab this morning doing the glucose tolerance test, that's always fun! Luckily they had a darkened room I could lie in for the two hours as I was feeling so weak from lack of food (you have to go in on an empty stomach - never a good plan for me who eats constantly!)

Woo hoo! Just back from my first gyne apt and all went well. She is lovely (frist time I've met her and she's loads nicer than the miserable hag that did my last smear). She did an internal scan (will have to get used to that!) and said all was going well, although she put me at three weeks less that I am sure I must be from last period date, SWI etc. I know the French do 41 weeks, but it's still two weeks less than it could realistically be.

I think I'm 9+2, but she said 6, so now I'm not sure whether to tell our folks yet.

Bunny, I hope you've had a chance to scoff by now - how often do you have to have the glucose test? I need to have toxo tests every month and the gyne said not to eat salad in restaurants!

Good to hear you had a scan, googie, and that you liked the gynae. When she said 6 weeks, she probably meant 6 weeks since conception, not counting the 2 weeks before when you aren't actually pregnant. What does the scan report (if you got one) say for the expected date of delivery? Have a look and see if that adds up.

Yes, just had a huge chicken curry and rice, yum! If everything is fine, the glucose test is just done once, between 24 and 28 weeks.

Choose good restaurants and you'll be fine with salad!

Oh that makes sense bunny - I didn't think it was possible that bodies became different in France! And pleased to hear you had something nice to eat! Are you drinking alcohol at all? I've had about 2 half glasses in total, and will just have a little when I go out for dinner but not anywhere else.

She's given me prescriptions for Oligobs Grossesse, which I had already bought but will now be free, and she will do the paperwork stuff when I go back in a month, so until then I just have to have a blood test for toxo in two weeks and that's it.

Did you just tell your mutuelle or do you have to give them a form?

Ahhh I've worked out why we got seemingly vast amounts of money relative to our income - it's done on your income for last tax year so we went through as a 1 income family as I paid tax outside France. Actually it took DH to point that out but worth knowing .

OK that's interesting - any idea what the cut off point would be?

It depends whether they take your combined income or whether they just saw me as a 'non-earner' and therefore gave me lots.... And I don't know the answer to that. It never occurred to me that they'd do ours on 2009's earnings (I didn't fill in the form).

Oh I see, well we're only just doing our first tax return now as we've only been properly resident since jan 2010, so we may not count I suppose. It's on last year's earnings which weren't that great though, so maybe a silver lining!!

I think the threshold would probably be something like 2500 euros per month combined income. It would go on household income, whether you're married or not.

Frak, you might want to look into how much the CAF is giving you - they're known for giving you too much money and then reclaiming it back...that happens to me as I have non-taxable income. They think I'm not earning (because I haven't done a French tax return) and so throw loads of money at me, until I do a "déclaration de ressources" (see their website) at which point they recalculate and I have to reimburse them. Always a nasty sting!

Ooh we might be OK then as it was a rubbish year last year for money, although that will only be the 2010 tax return as we didn't do one in 2009, so maybe we won't qualify on that basis.

I'll have to ask DH what he filled in. I think it was a declaration de ressources - certainly it was something from their website but nosing around I notice that there's a little 'a la reunion' section, which means the rules are probably different (again).

I hope they don't take the money away. 'Twas my pram and cot money!

frak (yes, I am haunting you), the whole setup is different where you are, I think. Everything is geared to be that little bit more favourable, IIRC.

The prime de naissance is based on your 2009 revenue and we both had to declare. Have a look at this page on the CAF website (the address is very, very long!!). It explains the steps you have to take to claim the prime and also the income thresholds.

www.caf.fr/wps/portal/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_gAf0N3D-9gA3d_f08nA0-zYD9Ds6AwQwNvY6B8pFm8pb-zr7Gjk2-IYYifo4GRqaezhZGJqZFBoCkB3eEg-8ziDXAARwOIPB7z_Tzyc1P1C3IjDLJMHBUB7pfq7A!!/dl3/d3/L3dJVkEvd0RNQUJrQUVnQSEhLzRCbjRSSUFnLzZfOU9DTTNBQk1UUEdKQjAyNTI4NE00QjAwTTEvM185T0NNM0FCTVRQTEM3MDI1S1E2NkZBMjA4MQ!!/

Thanks for that Boupi, it looks like we might be OK on the income level at the mo, but I still don't know about the fact that we didn't do a 2009 tax return in France and the 2010 one (just sent it yesterday!) is the first one we've done, and the baby is due in December. So maybe we won't be eligible on that basis.

ANother questions to you wise French-dwelling mamans - the gyne put me at three weeks less than the 'normal' UK date, even though her date of conception is the same, so I am 9+5 in UK and 6+5 here. She didn't give me the paperwork for the declaration de grossess as she said I'll have it next appointment which is in four weeks, so I'm concerned that I'll miss the 14 week cut off for CAF declaration. Do you think I should ask to have my apt the week before instead? Will the CAF 14 week go by the gyne dates?