Posts filed under 'Having Babies'
I was very lucky to know Courtney when my first daughter was born, as her son was 6 months older than my baby girl. This meant that whatever I needed to know, I could run straight to an expert, as she had learned everything about babies a few months earlier than I, and I could just profit from her newly acquired knowledge!
One of her tricks was something simple and yet I would never have thought of it on my own. She always carried a wide, long pashmina on her! Now I know they are not the most fashionable thing anymore but they are the most multi-functional item imaginable. You need to breastfeed in public? Throw the scarf over your shoulder and no one will notice. It suddenly gets cold? You have a blanket to put over the baby. Need to keep the sun out of your buggy? Throw the scarf over it. It can work as an emergency changing blanket on a park bench, and once we even used it as a swing to rock a little baby to sleep! A big long scarf has become my number one present for new moms. I quite like giving the mom herself a present, and if the baby can profit from it too I will have gotten 2 birds with one stone… (I think that is how the saying goes)!
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
August 24th, 2008
Thanks to everyone who left comments and shared their personal stories. We loved hearing all the different birthing experiences from all over the world. We’re also thankful for all the tips we received. I took good notes and will (hopefully soon) be able to put all this good advice to use!
If you’re also expecting (so exciting!) we hope our tips were helpful, and we wish you all the best! Let us know how it goes…
-Emilie
Emilie in Paris
March 21st, 2008
Sorry that we keep repeating ourselves (Michela wrote about this a while ago), but a wrap dress is an absolute must-have if you’re going to have a baby soon. Not only is it the most comfortable thing to wear in those last few weeks of pregnancy, it is also indispensable for the first few months after you’ve had the baby! It is easy for breastfeeding, comfortable, and elegant (and conceals that belly really well)!
Michela got hers at Isabella Oliver, I got mine at Topshop, and I like the look of this one from Mothercare too.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 21st, 2008
I know I’ve raved about the Tricotti before, but now that we are having this theme week I felt I had to just remind you of it. I used this sling so much in the first months…
In the house: at some point my baby would only sleep in my arms – but they would be equally happy in the Tricotti and this left my hands free! Out of the house: I always kept the Tricotti in my push-chair – there were moments that my babies absolutely refused to be in the push-chair for a second longer!
The Tricotti consists of 2 tubular jersey bands that you wear crosswise over the shoulders. It’s very easy to use (although it’s handy to have some clear instructions). It can be worn in 4 different positions: comma (from birth), face in to wearer (6 weeks) or out towards the world (3 months), or a bit later in hip position (up to 2 years). It can also be used for discreet breastfeeding.
Because the jersey bands can be spread out over your shoulders, the weight distribution is really good. You can choose to cover your baby more or less with the bands – really cozy when it gets colder or handy when you need protection from the sun.
I also loved the fact that the jersey bands, when not in use, can be used as blankets, play mats etc. They don’t take up much space at all, so they’re perfect for travelling or to throw in the bottom of your pram – within hand’s reach for when you really need them. Babies LOVE to be carried around in these! And it’s so cozy to have them all cuddled up against you…
In fact my husband liked the Tricotti too! And it is so cute seeing a big guy carrying such a tiny baby…
The tricotti can be googled and is available on multiple websites within Europe. I’m not sure about the States! If you’re in the Netherlands you should get the Combi-Cotti - it is a Tricotti that comes with a third piece and I can recommend it! I haven’t found it anywhere else but at nature4babies. They will ship within the E.U. but the website is unfortunately in Dutch…
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 21st, 2008
The wonderful midwife who saw me through both my pregnancies is also a homoeopath, so she had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve and advice for all my pregnancy ailments. After the birth of my first baby, when I thought my milk supply wasn’t meeting my baby’s demands, she suggested eating almonds and drinking fennel tea! Apparently almonds work wonders for increasing breast milk supply!
She also advised drinking loads of water (every time you sit down to nurse you should drink a glass), and getting plenty of sleep… Oh you know — that thing you get if you lie in your bed, close your eyes and dream away for a solid, uninterrupted period of time! Hmm… so maybe sleep is out of the question, but at least the almonds will work!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
March 21st, 2008
When you’re going to be giving birth to baby number 2 (3,4,5,6,7…) instead of baby number 1, there are a couple of big differences.
First of all, you will be a bit more relaxed about the whole prospect of having a baby – when I was pregnant the first time I religiously read (well, to be honest I studied) ‘What to expect when you’re expecting’ every evening before bedtime. The second time around, I hardly even looked at that book. Been there, seen that.
But second of all, this time around there is another human being in your life to deal with (or 2,3,4,5,6…). I remember feeling so attached to my first child in that second pregnancy. I felt like cuddling her the entire day long! I guess it has to do with hormones and guilt. I was betraying that little person by giving birth to another, equally important child! (Although, at that time, I honestly couldn’t imagine ever having the same feelings for the second child)!
Well, this is how it went: the moment my son was born, I had 2 children, and loved them equally. It’s as simple as that.
Here are some tips that, we’ve experienced, might help with dealing with the older children. Of course, regardless of what you do, there will always be periods of awful jealousy. And beware – there will be moments (more than one) where you will want to strangle your older kid(s). Or sell them on ebay.
•Some weeks before you’re due: although you will feel that you want to give them loads of attention (you betrayed them by having a sibling, right?), start getting them used to some periods of less attention. Don’t react; let them play by themselves.
•If visitors come to admire the new baby, let the older sibling introduce the new baby (say: Joss, show your new sister to Jill and Andrew!) – this will make them proud and involved.
•Although you’ll feel over-protective of the newborn, still let the older sibling help with nappy changing, bottles, etc. It will make them feel important.
•Get your older daughter a doll if she didn’t have one already. My daughter used to be sitting next to me breastfeeding her doll!
•Before your baby is born, buy a few new books for your toddler. Bring them out when the baby is born. There will be plenty of time spent feeding the baby on the sofa, and just when the baby needs to be fed, your toddler will need your attention too! Have him sit next to you on the sofa, and read him some of the new books! It’s an easy way to give both kids your attention.
Do you have more tips? Please feel free to share! (Emilie will need them)!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 21st, 2008
The TENS machine is another thing I had never heard of before I moved to London. (Maybe because I was more concerned with the pain of a hangover than I was with the pain-relief of labour)??? I’m not sure if TENS machines are common in the rest of the world, but they are quite common here in the UK!
TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator. TENS machines deliver small electrical pulses to the body via electrodes placed on the skin. It is used as a drug-free form of pain relief during labour. You’re supposed to strap it on and begin using it when contractions begin. As contractions become stronger, you can increase the strength of the electrical pulses. I kept mine on throughout labour. It’s hard to say if it really worked for me, but I liked the feeling of control — like I was able to do something to ease the pain!
TENS machines are thought to work in two ways: by blocking a pain nerve pathway to the brain, or by stimulating the body to make its own pain-easing chemicals called endorphins.
It is said that the amount of pain-relief the TENS machine offers can differ from person to person. And while the research evidence to support the TENS machine is not strong, it is hugely popular here in the U.K., so it must be affective one way or the other.
You can either buy one (a good idea if you plan on having more babies), or rent one! I rented mine from Babycare TENS, and was really happy with their easy-to-use service.
I’m interested if they’re used in other countries, and what other people’s experience has been with them.
-Courtney
Courtney in London
March 21st, 2008
At the beginning of my first pregnancy I felt so overwhelmed by the novelty and changes to come that I needed to feel medical presence and guidance around me; I was so not into the natural birth movement. At around 10 weeks pregnant (with no bump in sight) I went to take a tour of the maternity ward at University College London Hospital, and I did not even want to look at the natural birthing center! At that stage, all I wanted to see were traditional birth beds, stirrups, cables and monitors.
Then, during the second trimester, I moved close to Primrose Hill and started attending pregnancy yoga classes at Triyoga. They were taught by a (childless) teacher that looked like twiggy and was probably the most acerbic yogi you will ever meet. Nonetheless I stuck to it because I thought it was good exercise. Slowly the natural way started to become more appealing. I liked the chanting, the meditation, the exercises to turn my breech baby, the raspberry leaf tea (and Esther’s company)! I even bought (and began reading) Yehudi Gordon’s big pregnancy book. Giving birth was still scary, but everything I was doing, from yoga to NCT classes, felt really empowering. I started to believe I could really go the natural way. I even claimed (briefly) I was going to do it without an epidural! At 37 weeks, the midwives announced that my baby was cephalic; all that stuff at yoga had worked! I was proudly telling everyone how I managed to turn the baby, and how after such an accomplishment, giving birth was definitely ‘do-able’. Still I was feeling weird kicks in the wrong places, and my baby had an unusually toned ‘butt’. To cut the story short, at around 38 weeks, the very same morning in which I called the birthing center to tell them I was ready to give birth there, I found out (with a scan) that the baby was still breech. Very breech, extended breech: folded in two! Not a chance he would turn. A c-section had to be scheduled.
I was initially in shock, and felt like a failure. But then I started to look on the bright side: I knew when the birth was going to happen, I would have a 39-week pregnancy, no risks for baby, more predictability, and last but not least I could avoid the NHS and go to a posh private hospital (most private insurance companies pay for caesareans if needed).
So that’s what happened. I had a very smooth delivery, was awake the whole time and my husband stayed beside me (he even took pictures). The experience was so positive that with my second pregnancy I was quite happy to listen to the (Italian) advice that I should repeat the c-section, avoiding labour altogether for the second time! And from what my friends tell me, missing out on labour is not such a bad thing after all!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
March 21st, 2008
A while ago I announced to the world that after the birth of my second child I was not going to resort to plastic surgery to get back in shape more quickly. I was going to do it the natural way!
Two months after delivery, however, my tummy was not in the best state. The extra kilos, the overstretched skin, and the lack of exercise all contributed to a stomach that still looked quite pregnant.
I decided to indulge in a tube of Mamma Mio Tummy Toner. All the reviews were enthusiastic, so I was determined to try it too!
It’s a fresh gel that promises to exfoliate with papaya enzymes, moisturise with hyaluronic acid and tighten and tone with a soy protein complex. You apply it to your tummy (but also other body parts) twice a day and its facial-quality skin care will combat overstretched and slack skin and improve the tone and appearance.
Does it work? Do I have surf-board tummy? Yes. And no! But the appearance and tone of my skin has improved a lot. Unfortunately, however, it does not tone your abs. I won’t be able to avoid the gym for much longer (summer is right around the corner)!!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
March 20th, 2008
For our “having babies” theme week, we decided to each write a post about what it is like to give birth in our own countries.
I have never had a baby in France (my daughter was born in London), but I am shortly about to. However, I have actually decided to bow out of the normal French system and give birth in what is considered a very unusual way in this country.
The main reason being that I have an issue with the way doctors regard and treat patients in France. I believe it has to do with the very French obsession with health and traditional medicine. You just have to look around any street in Paris or any other French city to realize that the amount of Pharmacies you can see everywhere is out of proportion with the demand. The French are infatuated with their medicines and their doctors, therefore giving doctors an almost god-like status, and most doctors actually seem to think that they deserve this adoration. I have been insulted and told off by doctors for asking too many questions, as has my husband and many of my friends.
When I found out that I was pregnant here in Paris I caught up with a lot of my girlfriends (French and non French) who had had a baby in Paris to see what their experiences where. The majority had their babies in a birth clinic or hospital and it was a very clinical procedure. Often, if their water had not broken by the time they got to the hospital, it would be broken for them to speed up the delivery. Many of these women had been given a good dose of oxytocin to speed up the labour and an epidural, which is seen as power for the course. You mostly don’t see your consulting doctor throughout the labour, he/she just turns up when the baby is about to pop out and stays for a couple of minutes, (cynics might say they stay just long enough to be able to justify their fee).
I don’t want to forge a false image of myself; with my first delivery I was very happy to have had an epidural, and I am very thankful to live in a society where all the medical knowledge means that my baby and I will very likely be ok, no matter the complications. BUT I do consider myself an intelligent enough person to know that my concerns and opinions on how our baby comes into this world should not be brushed aside as irrelevant.
So we found a private midwife and doctor team, whose approach towards birth was refreshingly different to the status quo. They believe in a softer approach, i.e. giving the body an opportunity to naturally get to the stage of being ready to give birth, instead of hurrying it along. (Linked to this is the Haptonomy approach, which I wrote about a couple of months ago). What I also like about it is that, while you can have a homebirth with some of the midwives, most of the births they conduct are within a hospital environment.
They work with a team of specialists so that, in case of an emergency, you are seconds away from the right person who can help. For example, if you want an epidural you can have it: in most cases the anaesthesiologist comes in and sets up the epidural but then leaves, so you don’t have 5 people standing around you after it has been inserted, and the midwife takes care of the top-ups.
This for me feels like the most comfortable way for me to have a child. Naturally the most important thing is for the baby to come out healthily and so my comfort takes second place, but I do think that if you are relaxed and feel well taken care of during delivery it has a real influence on how you feel for the next few weeks and how relaxed you feel about your new baby.
Now please bear in mind that my delivery is imminent and that I have not actually tested this system. I will report back in the next few weeks to let you know if it went ok!
Another thing I want to add is that the private midwife is not covered by the basic social security but is covered by most French Mutuels. (In France you have a basic social security cover and then most people have a top-up cover called a Mutuel to cover additional treatments).
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
March 20th, 2008
Get some lavender and tea tree essential oil.
After delivery, pour warm water into a wash basin and add a couple of drops of both the oils. Gently wash yourself down there (in the war zone). Calming and anti-sceptic. Heavenly.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 20th, 2008
I was very fortunate to have had a pretty easy recovery from my first delivery (fingers crossed for the second one), as were the other Babyccino girls. But while we are doing a “having babies” themed week I thought it might be good to mention that a lot of mothers, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a dark hole not ready to celebrate the huge change in their life, otherwise known as a baby. I read this article in the Guardian the other day that I thought was really poignant. It might not be the easiest read, especially if you are about to have a baby, but if you are interested I thought it was a really well-written and thought-provoking article (and it has a happy end…)!
-Emilie
Emilie in Paris
March 20th, 2008
I have had two uncomplicated pregnancies and delivered two healthy baby boys. The first was born after 40 odd hours of labour and one epidural, and the second was born after nearly 100 hours of labour and NO epidural (no gas & air, no drugs, nothing)!
Two births, and two completely different experiences; the labour was different (obviously) but so was the recovery. I can tell you from experience, that there are pros and cons to both. But what I can’t tell you, is which way I prefer.
The births of both my babies were intended to be lovely, natural home births. I loved the idea of being in the comfort of my own home, having my kitchen with all my favorite foods, the privacy of my own bathroom, the thought of sleeping in my own bed, etc. Unfortunately, however, both my babies were born in the hospital.
The first time, I ‘gave in’ to an epidural after about 32 hours of labour. I was exhausted, I was overwhelmed by the pain, and I was on the verge of collapse. The epidural was a Godsend. It took the terror out of the experience and allowed me to open my eyes and truly be aware of my surroundings. The delivery was lovely — I was aware of the progress, in tune with the pushing, felt his head as he popped out, and was able to pay attention to details: the look on my husband’s face as he saw the baby’s head, the brief moment of panic right before he was born, the smell of a brand new baby, etc.
Sadly, these are details that I can’t remember with the second baby.
My second labour/delivery was wildly frantic, painful as hell, exhausting, long, and overwhelmingly consuming. I remember it being dark, being sweaty, being awful. I don’t remember pushing, I don’t remember my baby boy coming out, I don’t remember where my husband was; it was almost as if I had blocked out the world. What I do remember, however, is the sudden relief of pain the minute the baby was in my arms. To go from that much pain to that much joy in the span of a minute was awesome. I felt like superwoman: proud, strong, and happy. I also felt like a million bucks. I stood right up, walked to the bathroom and washed myself off. And I literally walked home from the hospital 6 hours later and spent the afternoon in the park enjoying a rare sunny day in London! I didn’t tear, I didn’t feel groggy, and despite the LONG labour, I wasn’t tired at all.
Having a baby naturally is something I am so thankful to have experienced. But the true experience of labour is something I probably couldn’t recall if I had not had an epidural the first time. It’s a trade-off.
I suppose it’s quite nice to have had both experiences. And I’m also quite sure that there are loads of different experiences with epidurals,both positive and negative. Does anyone else have any advice/exerpience/stories about drugs during labour?
-Courtney
Courtney in London
March 20th, 2008
“Pushing” is a concept known to all of us! A “push present” is a phenomenon I only recently came across. I didn’t know it was so well-known (apparently more so in America than here in Europe), but ‘push present’ is now a term you can find on Wikipedia.
And as we all know, if it’s on Wikipedia, it must be true… See also the following article in the New York Times.
This has got me thinking…. how exactly does one calculate the value of the pushes? The higher the number of pushes, the higher the value of the present? Take the case of Esther and Courtney: Esther was in labour for 9 hours — does she only get a silver chain? While Courtney with her 149 hours of contractions gets a big fat diamond necklace with a bracelet and some earrings thrown in??? Is this a case of more pain more gain?
I think it is a bit hard to give birth a material value. It is quite likely that I will get a bunch of flowers for all my pushing efforts. But as long as my husband stays up all night with a screaming baby and still gets up in the morning to make me a cup of coffee, then that is a good compromise for me…
-Emilie
Emilie in Paris
March 19th, 2008
When I first moved to London nearly 5 years ago, I had no idea what a midwife was. I had heard the term before, but had some old-fashioned vision of hippies and candles. The thought of having a baby without ever seeing a doctor was completely foreign (and freaky) to me. I thought that surely a midwife could not be as knowledgeable as a doctor.
Here in the UK, if you are sick, you see a doctor, if you’re pregnant, you see a midwife. Midwives have been delivering babies for ages and ages, and doctors are only involved if there is a complication or a medical reason for them. Because of this, it happens that midwives in the UK tend to be more experienced than doctors in the field of childbirth.
I was assured of all of this when I got pregnant for the first time, but being an American I was still not entirely convinced. However, five years (and two babies) later, I am a huge advocate of midwife-led pregnancies/deliveries!
Because I had two uncomplicated pregnancies, both of my babies were delivered by a midwife. I spent a total of 19 months being pregnant and never saw a doctor (unless you count the ultrasound scans). I found the whole process to be much less medical, much less invasive and much more natural than I had always imagined it to be. During my pregnancies, my midwife was more concerned with how I was feeling (physically and emotionally) than whether my urine results were slightly above the norm, etc.
Don’t get me wrong — I received all the necessary tests, but it wasn’t as much of a focus as it seems to be in the States. Being a low-stress kind of girl, this system really worked well for me.
Another big difference between the U.S. and the U.K. is the amount of time you stay in the hospital after the baby is born. After both births, I stayed no longer than 12 hours in the hospital. In fact, after my second birth, I only stayed the minimum 6 hours. Hospital care (for straight-forward deliveries and healthy babies) is less important here in the UK because they offer home visits by a midwife for the first week post-delivery. A midwife comes to your home to check on you and the baby, weigh him, help with breastfeeding, etc. Doesn’t it sound lovely? You don’t have to leave your house — they come to you! And you can share a cup of tea, stay in your pjs, and be cozy in your own home.
I really loved having a midwife guide me through my pregnancies. But I should probably clarify that I paid for a private midwife (rather than going through the NHS), so I had the lovely experience of really getting to know my midwife. If you go through the NHS, you are treated by numerous midwives, and are never assured that you will even know the midwife who delivers your baby. So I can imagine that this midwife-led system might not have been as enjoyable for other mums in the UK.
*Of course, if you live in the U.K. and really want a doctor, you can always ‘go private’ and dish out the £s! (A private doctor costs on average £10,000)!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
March 19th, 2008
I’ve known about this chair, the Eames RAR, since LONG before I even considered children. In fact, when my boyfriend and I bought this chair in NY, we weren’t even married yet!
Charles and Ray Eames (1907-1978 and 1912-1988) were married when they designed the ‘mix and match’ chairs for furniture manufacturer Henry Miller in 1948.
The famous designer/architect/filmmaker couple adapted moulding techniques, which were invented during the 2nd World War, to create seat shells from fiberglass that were mass producible (and thus affordable). Chrysler (the car maker) developed a system to attach the fiberglass shell to different bases, including Eiffel Tower-shaped legs and rockers. These rocking chairs (’RAR’ chairs) were given to all Herman Miller employees when they had children, because – here it comes – they proved to be absolutely fantastic for (breast)feeding babies!
Now, I’ve always been a big fan of the designs of Mr. and Mrs. Eames (so much so that when we visited LA. I was dragging my husband along to visit the Eames house instead of Rodeo Drive!) – but since having babies, admiration turned into RESPECT.
Like with all of the Eames chairs, on first sight the RAR looks sort of uncomfortable. Hard. Plastic. But (like with all Eames chairs), the moment you sit down in them, you’re convinced: the chair fits around you like a glove! Really – I’m talking chair ergonomics at its best! (I’m an architect, after all).
I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent in that wonderful chair, breastfeeding my babies, or just rocking them when they had a tummy ache. My 1-year-old boy still loves getting his before-bed-bottle of milk in this chair…
Thinking about it – the Eames rocker is probably my favourite piece of furniture in the house!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 19th, 2008
Your newborn baby is not only yours and your husband’s child: she is public property. Most strangers, particularly middle aged woman, firmly believe that they have the right to give you their personal opinion on how you should dress up, dress down, feed and treat you child. They mostly think that you are doing a terrible job and that their way is the only way possible. Does this sound familiar?
I had strangers tell me that my little baby was much too hot and five minutes later someone else would come along and be shocked about how lightly she was dressed.
I had a lady on the underground tell me that I needed to make my 3-month-old listen to music or she would be damaged for life (I had these images of my baby with headphones plugged into her ears listening to Gun’n Roses, rocking away on the tube). I had people tell me that my baby needed to drink water, absolutely should not drink water, was too pale, too small and too big. The list is endless.
The good news is that the older they get the less people seem to want to interfere, but it never ceases to amaze me that people do think they have the right to comment about something they absolutely know nothing about.
How did I react to it all? I smiled politely, as I was always tempted to see how far people would go. Maybe this is a bit masochistic but at least I got a couple of good stories out of it!
-Emilie
Emilie in Paris
March 19th, 2008
Witch Hazel is a medicinal astringent produced from the leaves and bark of the North American Witch Hazel shrub, Hamamelis virginiana.
This ‘magical’ astringent is mainly used externally on sores, bruises, swelling and bleeding. It is a strong anti-oxidant used in skincare to treat everything from acne to eczema, insect bites or poison ivy, and also as a treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. (Witch hazel is the main ingredient in Tucks Wipes– an American novelty meant to relieve the itch and burn of hemorrhoids).
Frankly speaking, after having a baby, I’m quite certain you can’t go wrong with Witch Hazel… Soreness? Yes. Burning? Yes. Swelling? Yes. Hemorrhoids? Yes. Bleeding? Ummm…. Yes! Ohhh the joys of motherhood!
Personally, I used Tucks Wipes after the birth of my two boys. They’re easy, convenient and they do the job. Sadly, however, you can not find them here in Europe…. But never mind; you can make them yourself!
Witch Hazel (or Hamamelis) can be found in most drug stores. After browsing the internet, I found this beautiful bottle of Hamamelis Water at French shop, Néroliane, and I think it looks so beautiful — I can just imagine using this ‘wonder drug’ for everything!
Spray a little on a wet wash cloth and apply to sore, tender areas.
-Courtney
Courtney in London
March 19th, 2008
I had both my children “airlifted” but I still managed to use some of my natural birth education both times: I took a homoeopathic remedy religiously after both surgeries.
Yehudi Gordon’s advice for post-operation is to take four remedies (each in 200c potency) 4 times a day for 3 days, then 3 times a day for 4 days. Arnica is the main remedy for trauma. Hypericum is good for nerve trauma after an epidural. Bellis Perennis is to assist healing of deep tissues. Calendula to speed up the healing of the scar. The first time I had one bottle with the four combined remedies prepared by the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. The second time, I mixed them up myself — I bought the liquid and the four remedies in granules.
Does it really work? Who knows… but I can tell you I always had quick recoveries. Plus there’s no harm in trying!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
March 18th, 2008
Both my children were born in London. And since we didn’t have a very chic insurance at the time, nor a very chic income, they were both brought into this world in the University College Hospital, an old Victorian NHS hospital (which means National Health Care — this is far from a chic private hospital)! I must say I didn’t really mind, because my pregnancies were very uncomplicated and so were the births. Thankfully I didn’t have to stay in the hospital for very long!
Now that I’m living in the Netherlands, chances are high that the next baby will be born at home. Currently, one in three babies are born at home here! To compare: in the UK, only about 2% of the babies are born at home, in the US, it is about 0.5%. I couldn’t find any percentages for France or Italy; I’m not sure it’s even legal there!
After the birth (regardless of whether you have a home birth or not), a ‘kraamverzorgster’ –a professional maternity nurse– will come to your house for 8 days, up to 8 hours a day, to look after mummy and baby. She will show you how to take care of your baby (bathing, breastfeeding, etc.). She will also look after older children, prepare meals, take care of the laundry, do some light cleaning and help you to receive your guests (and of course prepare the traditional ‘beschuit met muisjes’)!
If you had a home-birth she will be there after the birth to help clean up.
This whole unique system of home birth and after-care at home is rooted in the belief that birth is seen as a natural process rather than an illness. A woman who has just given birth without complications is healthy and thus needs not to be in the hospital!
xxx Esther
PS. No gas and air, pethidine or epidurals are available for a home birth! Dutch women are TOUGH!
Esther in Amsterdam
March 18th, 2008
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