Gio

I have been speaking to a friend of mine who has found out recently she is pregnant and, already has started to question where she will have her baby. Here or U.K. For's and against please. Cos I've got no bl@@@dy idea.

Lorna at Vicenza

I suppose it depends what she is looking for and where she lives and what hospitals are around there. If she's looking for nice smiley doctors and nurses, total privacy and a lovely midwife that comes to her house - then she won't get that here.

Many of us have had kids here. I personally think the level of competence is great and the doctors leave absolutely nothing to chance, you get tested for all sorts here which are not part of the testing programme in the UK and you generally get 3 scans - more if you need them. The bedside manner is not brilliant but that's not just on the maternity ward - that's on all of them.

Citizenship doesn't come into if she's thinking about that as well, a child born here to a British mother can get a British passport.

She'd be back in the UK for a long time as well as most flights won't let you on after 7 months of pregnancy.

Anyway - tell her to settle down and just get on with being pregnant for the time being. You can plan a birth as much as you want - but you'll never know until the last minute what is really going to happen and how that baby is going to get out !

Gio

I will pass it on. Thanks

TestaRossa

What extra tests do you get here?

Lorna at Vicenza

Toxoplasmosis is the first one that springs to mind.

And at the very end of your pregnancy you also get swabbed for some bacteria or something. I can't remember the name of it but it's the one that babies can catch on their way out and some kids have died from it - I remember reading about a petition in the UK to make it part of mandatory testing.

TestaRossa

No they don't do toxo because apparently we don't eat enough raw meat to be immune in the UK so it's easier to tell you what not to eat for 10 mths. The other one is one you can ask to have done if you are at risk. I can't remember the criteria but it was on posters all over ante natal when I had Antonia. On the other hand nucal fold scans are becoming normal and can mean more intrusive tests are unnecessary. Also if you need scans you will get them. I had one a month! Many in the UK who have normal pregnancies prefer the mid wife approach but you can at least choose where you go for ante natal care if you want.

Lorna at Vicenza

My sister and I were pregnant at the same time. She had a lovely midwife who went to her house and also took blood samples from there. That sounds so much nicer than having to take yourself off to various places here. Luckily I have an ULSS building right in the village so I had all my blood tests and check ups there and only ever went to the big hosipital for scans.

My sister got tested for toxoplasmosis after she spoke to the midwife about it - she had 4 cats in the house at the time. We are both immune to it anyway - probably because we grew up with cats.

indiebird

It might just depend on how she feels too towards the end. We first came here about 6 and a half years ago for dh to work and i was just pregnant with dd. The antenatal care here was ok but I did miss the bedside manner in the UK and as it got more and more impending I did have a real need to go home to the UK to have my baby. By about 7 and a half months preggers I was going back and that was it. I wanted my mum and my gran and my sister to be with me and dh could do nothing to persuade me. I had to go the GP to get a letter to say I could fly at 8mths and I went home without dh to stay with my grandparents. The contract here fell through anyway and so dh was home about a week before she was born. I found no probs whatsoever with changing my antenatal care back to there even towards the end of the pregnancy but it was stressful and I had to go househunting too when we knew that dh's contract had fallen through. She might just have to see how she feels. The heart often rules the head in these matters!!

Gio

i will print up and pass on
thank you so much

.Ariel.

I've heard that it turns into almost a full time job getting notes to have tests done here, then going for the tests. So to have some one to do some of the running around would be useful - ie a MIL.

I reckon the level of compentence of the actual medical staff is the same.

Privacy - apparently there is very little here, no curtains around the bed etc.

I'd be tempted to say to your friend, to go where she has more support (family and friends). I don't know the situation, but if she is here pretty much alone then that might not be so nice.

.Ariel.

BTW, don't know if you frequent the otherside, but there was a mega thread about childbirth there. It was mainly negative.

TestaRossa

But they were mainly from the US where everyone gets to see their consultant in a five star room-presumably after they have proved their insurance will cover it! Funny how no-one talked about the flip-side and the cabbage patch....

LivingHere

I've done it here and there. tbh the thing I missed the most here were the midwife visits after the birth because she came to the house. Whereas here you go home from hospital and you are on your own. Here I had all my ante-natal visits at the hospital but there were more local alternatives if I wanted. At one point during labour they wanted me to lie on my back and I refused. There are a lot of non italians where I live and at the hospital they are used to women with funny ideas. Oh and the pain relief here is epidural or nothing.

In the UK you have two lots of blood tests here there are at least four. And the bacteria they swap for is Strep B

Is your friend British? If she is British and the baby is born outside the UK then the baby is British by descent. In which case if the baby has children also born outside the UK then these children are not automatically British. She can check the governemt webiste for more details.

Sorry this is garbled but I can't change it - the youngest wants some more breakfast

Gio

She's half Italian & half English brought up in U.K. living here. But....just been to visit and she's orrrrfff. Disgusted already by her treatment, lack of tests done, lack of any interest from staff. She feels very alone & wants her mum!

.Ariel.

True.