Where to give birth: how to choose the right maternity ward?
Your obstetrician or midwife will certainly ask you the question during the first pregnancy follow-up appointments : where do you want to give birth? If you are already a mother, you will certainly have an idea of the answer, but if this is your first child, you will not necessarily know what choice to make straight away. Private maternity or public hospital? Birthplace? Today we give you some ideas for choosing the place according to your birth plan, and welcoming baby in the best conditions.
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- A special case: home birth
- The birth center, the hybrid solution
- Private maternity or public maternity?
- Level 1, 2 and 3 maternity wards
A special case: home birth
This is an option that remains quite confidential to this day: 1 to 2% of women prefer to give birth at home, in their little cocoon, surrounded by their partner or loved ones. To do this, you will need to call on a private midwife, authorized to support home births. Be careful, there are few of them in France (around sixty), and all the indicators must be green during your pregnancy: no breech presentation of the baby, no cesarean section, no twin pregnancy, etc. If there are complications during labor, you will be transferred to the nearest hospital.
The birth center, the hybrid solution
If you want to find the right compromise between home birth and the impersonal side of hospitals, the birth center may be for you ! All the work will take place in a room equipped with balls, bathtub, vine to suspend you and thus adopt the position and movements that you like. Indeed, unlike a traditional hospital or clinic, you are not restrained to a bed, permanently connected to monitoring. It is generally the midwife who followed you throughout your pregnancy who gives birth to you: you are on familiar ground ! Please note that birth centers do not employ doctors or anesthesiologists and therefore epidurals are not offered. This is why childbirth should not present any particular complications. There are few birthing centers in France, but this type of establishment tends to develop to meet the growing demand from future mothers, who want a more natural birth than in a hospital, while benefiting from an environment reassuring for the birth of their baby.
Private maternity or public maternity?
In private establishments , the presence of a gynecologist is obligatory during childbirth. That of an anesthetist, on the other hand, is only guaranteed day and night if the maternity unit performs more than 1,500 deliveries per year. An important point to check if you give birth in a small clinic!
If your gynecologist works in a clinic, there is a good chance that he or she will be present or called during your delivery, which is always reassuring for a mother-to-be.
The private maternity ward generally offers a slightly warmer setting. It has more individual rooms, you can sometimes choose, like in a hotel, the level of comfort of your stay: more spacious room, high-end meals, additional bed for dad...
Please note that this upgrade has a cost : ask for a quote before your pick-up, and submit it to your mutual insurance company so as not to have any unpleasant surprises upon leaving. Fee overruns can be significant: here again, find out well in advance. We distinguish between approved establishments (your costs are covered by the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie and your mutual fund, you only pay excess fees) and non-approved maternity wards: in this case, you will have to advance the entire amount. your costs … and the bill can add up very quickly!
In public maternity wards, you can be monitored and taken care of from A to Z from the start of your pregnancy. On the big day, you will be welcomed at the hospital center by the midwives on duty, whom you do not necessarily know. Childbirth, if it does not present any particular risks, is managed by a midwife and a gynecologist is only present in the event of complications (caesarean section, forceps, etc.). An important point if you wish to benefit from an epidural: an anesthetist is present on site 24 hours a day.
Costs related to childbirth are fully covered by the Primary Health Insurance Fund : no unpleasant surprises. The other side of the coin is that it is sometimes difficult to obtain a single room, and the service is often the same for everyone (basic and identical rooms, same meals, same services).
Level 1, 2 and 3 maternity wards
Public maternity wards are divided into 3 categories : 1, 2 and 3. Level 1 maternity wards deal with traditional pregnancies : they have a technical platform and an obstetrics unit. Level 2 establishments also have a neonatology unit, those at level 3 also have a neonatal intensive care unit.
In some cases, you won't be able to choose where to give birth. High-risk pregnancies, which are closely monitored, which carry a high risk of premature birth, or those which are marked by a pathology affecting the mother or child will be directly assigned to level 3 maternity wards. The same in the case of twin or multiple pregnancies : even if some can go to term or almost, you will be asked as a precaution to opt for a category 3 establishment, better equipped to deal with possible prematurity and to provide first aid to the baby. your children – for example to newborns requiring respiratory assistance.
If unforeseeable complications arise during childbirth, and your maternity ward does not have an intensive care unit, you will be transferred to the nearest establishment which will take care of you and your baby.
It is sometimes possible to visit the maternity ward before registering, do not hesitate to meet the teams and familiarize yourself with the place before making your choice. Equipment in the delivery room, number of midwives, presence of the anesthesiologist, percentage of cesarean sections... This is the opportunity to ask all your questions ! Also use word of mouth : your friends, colleagues and neighbors will be able to tell you if their stay went well and if the welcome and management met their expectations.
