I'm 18 weeks pregnant and while it's still early days, I'm curious as to what to expect from the hospital (we couldn't find a family doctor and etc so we ended up going to just the hospital). I've got basic coverage and basically am pretty much okay with the lack of privacy and all (am used to it coming from Malaysia where public hospital wards are huge and such).
I just want to know what to expect, what to prepare and well, what to watch out for. I'd like to breastfeed my baby immediately (are breast pumps insured and if they are, how do I go about buying them? The doc did mention that if I wanted to get anything, I ought to check with her first...), room her with me (if that's possible) and well, have my hubby there for delivery. Epidural would be a gem too...
So...any thoughts, tips or advice (and warnings!)?
Lisa- due in June
As I've discovered this goes for both hospitals and doctors: When things are going well, most places are "good enough", but when problems arrise you really discover the faults.
Giving birth in Uster: Not enough staff available when the baby came (I'm a quick one), after care was ok, family room was great, food was just "ok".
Giving birth at UniSpital: They have laughing gas! This I never saw mentioned anywhere and having taken advantage of it, it's rather useful. (and no, I didn't laugh) Staff reacted quickly, there seemed to be enough of them around. I had a 2 person room, was alone 2 nights and in hell the next 2 nights.
I had the misfortune of being stuck in Uster due to complications during my second pregnancy (my first baby was born in Uster) and I have to say it was terrible. The doctors seemed ok at the start but struck me as fairly unreasonable as time passed on. In the end I checked myself out, went home and signed up to give birth at the Unispital, a decision I never regretted.
In retrospect, although I never thought I'd say this -> Get private insurance if you plan on getting pregnant.
Advantage: You can to speak to the head doctor about your problem and you get your own room.
If I had been a first time mom at the unispital with the crazy lady and her kid both screaming with the lights on for 2 nights straight (MY baby slept!) I would have gone crazy too.
You don't need private insurance to have a choice of doctor and a private room. Many hospitals do upgrades for the birth and your stay.
If, for example you had a previous complicated pregnancy and all future births need to by c-section then this is a previous condition and will be reflected by higher premiums.
I cannot expect a situation where you cannot get private insurance at any point - it will always be reflected in the premiun however.
Lastly, I would add in Germany (e.g. probably in Switzerland too) that it is possible to upgrade your insurance to private when already pregnant - but again, its not cheap.
I gave birth to twins recently and the hospital gave me a private room without me having to pay anything extra. I think that this is what usually happens with twins as they think you will disturb the other patients a lot as there can be quite a lot of crying with two!!! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
That sounds great! How are you doing with twins? I can't imagine what those first few weeks or months are like! Congrats on your twins.
My twins are fantastic - I have a boy and a girl. Life is incredibly hectic and somewhat sleep deprived at the moment. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions I can help out with about stuff to buy etc and I ́ll do my best to answer them. I joined TAMBA (which you may have already done) to get as much information as possible before the twins were born - the message boards are great. I don ́t get much time to read them nowadays though. The time when both twins are asleep is a bit limited but they are getting a bit more setted of late. However, one is just waking up...grrr...famous last words!
Ness - congrats on twins!!
I've just discovered that I'm pregnant and live near Morges/Lausanne. I've just booked an appointment with a gynie in Morges, but he won't see me before I'm 8 weeks. Is that normal? Does anyone know if they do a scan or listen for the heartbeat at that point? Is that why they wait so long?
Sorry if this is an uterly daft question! It's my first time!
I have heard that gynes usually do far more scans here than are really necessary so watch out for that. And you can have all your antenatal appointments with a midwife (which is coverd by the basic insurance) in your own home if you want to.
Good luck and hope everything goes well.
Most doctors won't do a scan at 8 weeks unless you have spotting, previous miscarriage, aren't sure of LMP date or a history of multiple births in your family (we have triplets in our family and they missed one until they heard a 3rd heartbeat ).
They wait so long because many get the dates wrong and it is terrible when they can't see the heartbeat just because you are a couple of weeks off. Why get you worried for nothing?
Insurance will only pay for 3 scans for a normal pregnancy - but if the doctor says that you need them you will be covered.
Did your OB/GYN then start the whole process re mid-wives, hospitals ect?
I noticed that the private clinic, La Source, were advertising that they were only charging the basic insurance rate (as opposed to having to pay for the upgrade).
In the end, I really like my obstetrician and wanted him at the birth so went with one of the hospital's he works at.
Good luck. Exciting times for you!
Generally your body will tell you what you can/can't do. There are certain foods that they recommend you avoid during pregnancy but you probably know about those already.
Read whatever you can get your hands on and if you feel strongly about something then be prepared to stand your ground and stick to your beliefs.
You can also opt for a home birth if you want. The research says it is just as safe if not safer than hospital birth. You don't have to travel anywhere when you are in labour and no travelling immediately after birth as you are already at home in bed. Women feel more relaxed in familiar surroundings too and no chance of strangers popping in and out of your room. You can also give birth in a Geburtshaus which is run by midwives if you want something in between hospital and home. But ultimately you have to choose the place you will feel most relaxed/happy to give birth in.
Mairi