larryandcaron

My daughter in law has just found out she is pregnant,she will be resident in a few weeks hopefully,we are trying to find out about giving birth in Italy in the Lucca area,we have heard lots of horror stories about gas and air not being available and that epidural is only available if booked in advance,we are hoping these are just horror stories,we are hoping that someone on the forum has some better stories

philat98

My partner's cousin gave birth to a baby girl at 8.30am this morning in a public hospital in Catania by cesarian. The husband sent some photos at 11am and his wife was already walking about and able to check on the new baby. I think cesarian was her only option.

philat98

"My partner's cousin gave birth to a baby girl at 8.30am this morning in a public hospital in Catania by cesarian."
I was wrong about the public hospital. It was in a private clinic in Catania through the public healthcare system.

Lorna at Vicenza

Hello and congratulations Grandma. Will this be your first grandchild?
I have given birth twice here, the last time was admittedly 13 years ago so some things might have changed.

Yes there are lots of horror stories out there and some of them are very scary sounding what with Italians waving their arms about, gesticulating, sounding angry to us even when they're not, pointing fingers and being very dramatic.

First of all tell your DIL not to be intimidated and to prepare for lost of tests, especially in the beginning. Lots of blood tests. They test for all sorts here which isn't a bad thing because I know some tests like Toxoplasmosis still aren't part of regular screening in the UK and the expecting mother gets swabbed shortly before her due date for some other disease that baby can get as it goes through the birth canal - can't remember what it's called. AIDS was a routine test too. My children were born 3 years apart from each other. I remember telling one Dr that I didn't need tests for German Measles, Toxoplasmosis etc as I knew I was immune, still had the previous test results and you don't lose that immunity. He just waved his hand and said, "Oh just do them all again, it's not costing you anything." I also told him I didn't want another AIDS test as I knew exactly what I'd be doing with my body in the last 3 years. "Ah si Signora" he said "you know exactly what you've been doing but do you know exactly what your husband has been doing?" Quite a few urine samples will be asked for as well to check for proteins and things like gestational diabetes. Tell DIL to buy an A4 sized cardboard file because she'll be expected to keep all the results and scans herself and take them with her to each appointment and to the hospital when it's time to give birth.

It's true there is no gas and air. It wasn't offered to me because they didn't want to give it to me - it just didn't exist in either hospital I gave birth in. Nobody got it. Hell I didn't even get a smile or a hello from one Dr and one "lovely" nurse told me off for making too much noise. We all know that there is little or no bedside manner here. Drs can walk in to look at your charts and not even say "good morning, feeling better today Lorna?" Both Drs and nurses can seem very cold and abrupt. Most of them call you Signora and never bother to learn your name. You are very much a patient in a bed and not really a human being. I was in hospital this time last year having my gallbladder out and some things were better than what I remembered. The food hadn't changed but some of the staff were friendlier.

There wasn't anything like a birthing plan, no friendly midwife coming for home visits, most of the time it was a totally different gynaecologist on duty and you never knew which one you were going to get - unless of course you go private. If there is a an ULSS building come clinic or a consultorio familiare in your town tell DIL to try and book all her appointments there as there's a better chance of the same Dr working there.

A lot of hospitals look old, unkempt and scruffy and they are but I've never been afraid of the level of medical care in any of them. Yes I've been made to feel small, I've been talked down to as if none of us know anything about biology. I've been made to feel like a naughty schoolgirl for asking too many questions. I've been shoo shooed out of offices as if nobody had any time for me. I've had nurses coming in with needles and drips and not a word of why or what it's for unless you ask them. You learn to ask and not take it personally. You realise that they're the same with everyone.

My first baby was going into distress as my contractions literally went right off the graph paper as they were being monitored. I couldn't breathe as one contraction came before the other had abated and baby's heartbeat was going mad. I didn't know any of this because the Drs were very calm, kept the machine behind my head so I couldn't see it and nobody told me that they already had the emergency C-section team scrubbing up in the next room even though it was close to midnight. Luckily Chloe was born very quickly with no complications at all and the emergency team wasn't needed.

One of the most uncomfortable things for me was finding myself flat on my back on a normal hospital table in the birthing room with nothing to grab onto or nothing to push down on. I remember that I kept shouting "lift me up, lift me up, tirami su, voglio stare su" but none of that really mattered. The second time the hospital had a chair in the birthing room, like a dentist's chair with foot panels, arm rests and remote controlled sections and that was so much better.

The general rule where I live is that mummy and baby stay in hospital for three days after a normal birth and 5 days after a C-section. I couldn't wait to get home. I had lots of what I viewed as pathetic, wimpy Italian females on my ward. Scared to have a shower, scared of fainting, scared of haemorrhages, scared to go home without mummy there to do everything for them.

Breastfeeding is encouraged but nobody frowned on the mums who couldn't or didn't want to. There is no shame to breastfeeding in Italy and none of the shit that I sometimes read in UK papers. There aren't a lot of mother and baby facilities all over the place but I breastfed my babies in bars, restaurants, on park benches and inside a shopping centre. I didn't whip gigantic boobs and nipples out for all and sundry to see. I always wore baggy tops so I could lift it up a bit and stick baby's head underneath it rather than open a line of buttons and sit there bare-chested.

Some hospitals provide things like nappies and sanitary products for mum but lots don't. They all have a list of what mummy is expected to pack for herself and baby and take in with her. None of them like pyjamas for mum.

Anyway, it's a baby. One way or another it's coming out. You can put up with anything knowing that when you get home, you can do what the hell you like, eat what you like, go out, stay in, look after baby how you want to and just please yourself.

My two have grown up bilingual and know more than the English teachers at school. They're healthy and strong despite the horror of the Italians as they ran around barefoot, never had a scarf on, got sweaty playing out, slept with the windows open and drank cold milk straight from the fridge.

Tell DIL to take the positives, ignore the crap and enjoy her pregnancy and baby.

Congratulations once again.

Lorna at Vicenza

Congratulations. Boy or girl?

philat98

A little girl called Martina. They gave her that name weeks ago.

Lorna at Vicenza

Here's something to wet the baby's head with

philat98

"A lot of hospitals look old, unkempt and scruffy and they are but I've never been afraid of the level of medical care in any of them."

You are right. The health care that I have experienced here is usually excellent.

jonwel

Ten years ago I had lymphoma and was in and out of hospital for a year. I can only say that the treatment was excellent, staff were friendly and polite without exception and the only thing I could grumble about would be some of the food, but you can't have everything! The hospital was Niguarda, Milan, which is well known for its excellent treatment.

Still, I know the picture is not uniform and have no doubt at all about the negative side of Lorna's experience. In the past they used to treat expectant mothers like naughty girls, for getting pregnant, but at least in Milan they tell me that's a thing of the past. It probably dated from the time when nurses were nuns and therefore felt morally superior because they hadn't been "naughty".

Isakat

Sixteen years ago I gave birth in the UK, then 13 years ago here in Rome.

Both very different, but I prefer the care I got here. Lots of blood tests, a great gyno and 5000 euro less( mostly paid by the insurance).

I think what matters is where in the country you live. Since you are in Lucca area, I presume the hospitals are much better than in the south.

Patty

My daughter gave birth last year in Milan (Niguarda)- The care was excellent however........there was no gas and air. Also an epidural was available providing the doctors (want to say anaethasists but cant spell it !) were on duty and available (so not guaranteed).
This is the same in Turin as I have friends who just had babies in Pinerolo and the famous Sant'Anna in Turin. Another thing to be aware of is that if you need a cesarean, the father is not allowed to remain in the room during the operation.
But as I said, the care is excellent and they are very thorough with all the tests etc.

Isakat

OH, yes Patty, I remember the look on the doctor's face when I asked for gas and air! He told me it was used in the seventies here. Imagine if I asked for a Tens machine.
An important tip is to make sure a certain blood test is done for the anesthesia and not to expect health care visitors coming to your home after the baby is born. A good pediatrician is all you need.

GeorgeYoung

I went for a X-ray a few weeks ago in Trento and I was astonished to see nuns, dressed in immaculate (pun fully intended) white habits, working in the offices and walking the corridors.

The treatment was excellent: I had my scan promptly and went away with my results and an all-clear from the consultant radiologist.

The €60 ticket seemed a bit steep though but at least you could see where your money was being spent!

philat98

"The €60 ticket seemed a bit steep though but at least you could see where your money was being spent!"

The ticket price in Umbria is basd on your income. For some reason they put me on the maximum income level by default. I now have a form that shows the correct category and the tickets are much cheaper.

GeorgeYoung

Doesn't seem to be the case in Trentino from what I can find out but worth checking, ta for the tip!