5 essential questions to choose the right maternity ward

1. My pregnancy is going well, where can I give birth?

When the pregnancy goes without a hitch on the mother and baby side, a level I maternity is perfect. In France, on the security side, the obstetrical unit is subject to strict standards. As for the team, it includes at least a midwife, an obstetrician, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician and a childcare assistant or a nursing assistant, available 24 hours a day. If a problem arises, you will be referred to a higher-level maternity unit with a neonatal unit (level II) and neonatal resuscitation (level III).

 

2. I want a natural childbirth, is it possible?

The “Nature” rooms are booming. In this space, attached to the obstetrical unit, mothers with a simple pregnancy are accompanied by a midwife with the equipment available to facilitate a natural birth: hanging vines, bathtubs … With the assurance, in case of concern, of be able to reach the operating room very quickly. You can also choose a birth house. You will be surrounded and cocooned during labor (and when you return home a few hours after birth) by the midwife who will have followed you: 9 are experienced in France.

3. Who can accompany me to the delivery room?

In most maternity hospitals, mothers can be accompanied to the delivery room by a person of their choice. Some teams sometimes accept the dad in the operating room if the birth is scheduled by cesarean section. The key is to get the green light from the team before D-Day.

4. Are the prices the same everywhere?

At the public hospital, private clinic or at home, giving birth does not have the same cost, depending on the excess fees, comfort costs and reimbursements provided by the mutual. Also the bill can sometimes be salty in non-contracted establishments with free rates. Childbirth and living expenses are reimbursed at 100%, but only on the basis of the health insurance rate. Before signing up, check what your mutual insurance company covers! In a public maternity hospital or a private institution with an agreement, you only have to pay the little extras, as well as the excess fees of the doctors working in sector 2 or in the private sector of a CHU.

To discover in video: How to choose maternity? 

In video: How to choose maternity?

5. How long do we stay in the maternity ward?

In recent years, with the implementation of PRADO *, we have been staying in the maternity hospital for less. Volunteer mothers who meet certain criteria can, after the agreement of the team, leave the maternity ward from the 3rd day after childbirth by natural means, or even before. And in this case, a liberal midwife makes sure that all is well the next day and plans with you the other visits. Conversely, if you need special care, have no support, are tired: you can stay in hospital for longer.

* Support program for the return home of parturients

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