bunnyzoe

Hi

I wasn't brave enough to give birth in Italy. But brought my little one back when he was 3 weeks old. I have heard mixed reports about giving birth in Italy but it is the same as the uk.

The baby health care is second to none, it is so much better than the UK.

Good luck, you will be fab! Let us know how you get on

zoe

PS I spent the last week of my pregnancy lurking in John Lewis!!!!!! Waters still broke at home..... oh well next time!

tuscanliberty

Hi I'm expecting too, due in August.
I am still trying to find out why they don't offer gas and air so if anyone knows why I would be grateful.
This is my 4th first two naturaly in England, 3rd was breach so I had a C section over at Camaiore. This is a great new hospital with a huge room with birthing pool..which I didn't get to use . However they took my baby away straight after birth and didn't bring him back for 3 hours so I could rest, but I was going potty ringing the belll and dragging myself through the ward looking for him, in the UK I was allowed to breast feed seconds after giving birth and the cord was allowed to stop pumping naturally before being cut. Anyone know of any foward thinking hospitals where the mothers are allowed their say?
However the hospital was great 2 mthers per room, TV, view of the mountains and English speaking doctors.
ps. for pain relief I always found a pregnancy tens machine invaluable, boots normally have them.

Lorna at Vicenza

I asked a gyno about gas and air but he just skimmed around the subject and never actually answered me.
Mind you, he was a bit cross with me as I'd just finished telling him that any free family planning booklet that still publicises withdrawl and temperature control as viable contraceptive methods was only good for the bonfire.

Stellina

Mmm, I’m not sure if I’m prepared to put this urban myth to the test, it being my first baby and all………mind you the air conditioning at the Gigli or Ipercoop might be very appealing come July
P.s Never ceases to amaze me how many Italian women go along with the withdrawal method.........

TestaRossa

Oh god - wish I had been in a hospital where the baby disappeared for 3 hrs!

LivingHere

I have had 2 in the UK and the second 2 here in Italy. They all came out the way they were supposed to and the care during labour was much better in Italy than in the UK. I was never left alone, I could be how I wanted and deliver in whatever position was most "comfortable". Although it wasn't an option to not have the injection that helps deliver the placenta (sorry can't remember what its called). Immediate skin to skin was limited but we were left in delivery for two hours before being taken to a post natal room, so we just undressed the baby.


What I really missed (even more than gas and air) was the lovely midwife coming to see you at home. I hate the way they discharge you here and you really feel like the care system has washed its hands of you.

Oh and I rented a TENS from the UK and it was delivered to Italy.

To the ladies who are pregnant, the hospital I went to had a rubbish breakfast on offer. So make sure you take plenty to eat. First morning after having a baby you want more than a cup of tea and two biscuits!

Lorna at Vicenza

When my eldest was born in 2000 I got a home visit from a health visitor about a week after coming home. ULSS rang me and asked if I'd be home on such a morning at such a time.
She was a nice lady. Asked some questions about the baby and about me. How we were settling down and how was I coping etc. She talked me through the health record book that the hospital gave me and through the first vaccines.

In 2003 when Alex was born nobody came at all. I don't know if this was because they presume that as a second time mum you are more competent of if cuts in funds means that they no longer do a home visit.

Speaking of breakfast, there was no tea where I was the second time. Well there was but it was that horrible powdered lemon tea mixure that is foul and doesn't mix with milk. I hate coffee of any kind and warm milk too and they didn't have any hot chcoclate. A nurse very grudgingly gave me a cup of hot water and a drop of milk and I had my own t-bags. Then I made Max bring me a flask of hot tea. It didn't matter anyway after that first morning as Alex was born around 6am on Sunday morning and we both left the hospital at about 2pm on Monday afternoon. I signed us out after getting approval from the gyno for me and from the pediatrician for Alex.

tuscanliberty

Me too, I was ravenous and had my husband smuggling in all sorts of goodies. I am encouraged that you were left in the delivery room for two hours with your baby though I shall ask for the same, which hospital were you at?

Lorna at Vicenza

After my first I was in the after labour room and told OH I was hungry. He gave me a plum cake and after eating half of it I realised that I wasn't hungry at all but sick. I threw up violently. Amazing really as I had had no dinner at all that night.
I think it was a side efect to the anesthetic they had given me for the episiotomy and maybe a bit of shock. I started shaking so badly soon after the baby was out that the doctors covered me in one of those silver tin foil type blankets.
Never got sick after the second one. Didn't have an episiotomy though - just a few minor stitches.

karenitaly

I keep on coming back to this question even though I dread to see what has been written next... my hospital stay is my biggest worry since my Italian isn't great, hoping by some miracle that come May it will have improved.

LivingHere

I just went to our local hospital in Varese, nothing special but very busy. I was told off though for going for a pee after the birth without telling them as they wanted to see how much came out!

Karen - don't worry about the language. If they really need to tell you something they will find someone who has English. A lot of doctors have "medical" English because they read journals in English. You don't have to talk to the woman that you are sharing with (you might find that you don't want to)

duffer

Hey! It's cheaper than a pack of condoms.

karenitaly

as far as i know the only doctor that speaks english at our hospital is my gyno, one nice thing about it is that he never forgets me, he doesnt see that many other english people...

LivingHere

Then they'll find him! When I was pregnant here for the first time I got my OH to have an Italian lesson wholly comprising of things he might need to say or understand in hospital. his view though was that if anything had to be done for me or the baby he would expect the medical staff to get on with it. Anything else could wait until I was able to make a decision. (My Italian is still pretty ropey but my understanding is good).

I did find that reading the mums and baby magazines helped me to learn the vocab and what the procedures are here. There is one that even has a forum, but I can't remember which.

karenitaly

luckily my OH is italian so i'm hoping he will stay by my side as much as possible and if he's not around i'll just pretend i'm sleeping. lol.