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KARIN
: OUR INTERVIEWEE
OF AUGUST 2002
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My name is Karin, I'm
German, 37 years old and have lived in the Toulouse area for 5 years.
I have had 2 little boys here and I am very happy with the whole
experience. |
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Was it difficult to be
pregnant in France far from home and from your family? |
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Our phone bill was
tremendous, I spoke to my mother or sisters almost every day during
the last weeks before giving birth |
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Did you choose to be
followed by a gynaecologist or by a mid-wife? |
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With the first one I
saw a lady gynaecologist until the 8th month and then changed to see
the obstetrician at the hospital. I am very comfortable with my
gynaecologist and didn't like the obstetrician at the hospital very
much. With the second one I changed much earlier to see the obstetrician
at the hospital, this time I saw a lady, because I had an amniocentesis |
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Did you find a lot of
differences between the French medical system and the German one? |
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From what I know about
the German system from my sisters, the French system is about the
same. I felt very well taken care of during both pregnancies. |
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Did you find an
English speaking doctor and/or mid-wife? |
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From I think they
speak English at Joseph Ducuing, there were some English ladies there
as well. |
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Could you tell us how
you choose your maternity hospital or clinic? Did you visit some
delivery rooms? Was there a unit for prem.? |
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I asked my
gynaecologist and she suggested Ambrose Pare, because lots of
foreigners went there and because of the German doctor there. But I
had been there a couple of times to visit people and I felt this
clinic was was not for me. I was looking for a small
hospital with a more personal atmosphere, because I thought if there
is an emergency we would be transferred to Purpan anyway.
We went to
the open doors day at Joseph Ducuing (which lots of people refer to
"Warsovie", because it is located in the rue Warsovie) and
signed up straight away.
The facilities are modern, lots of light, very friendly staff. It is
the smallest maternity ward in Toulouse with only 15 rooms, with
private bathrooms and facility to bath your baby in your room as well.
They have 3 delivery rooms, 4 obstetricians of which 3 are ladies, and
an anesthetist 24/24. |
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Did you follow the
French programme " accouchement sans douleur" which is
several courses about childbirth? |
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Yes I did. 6 evenings
at the hospital, together with my husband. They offer sessions in the
evenings and Saturday |
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Where did you deliver?
How did you find the staff? Did the staff try to speak slowly to help
you understand them? |
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At Hospital Joseph
Ducuing, with very very friendly staff
I had the baby blues on the third day with the first baby and because
my husband had to work and could only come over lunchtime and in the
evenings there seemed to be always a nurse to come and talk to me and
cheer me up. I had the impression that they really take an interest in
the mothers and their circumstances. The fact that we weren't French
made them even more helpful I think, they explained everything until
all our questions were answered. |
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Could you narrate how
you went into labour? |
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With the first baby I
lost my waters in the afternoon and we went to the hospital at 9
o'clock at night. I had contractions but the dilatation process was
very long. We got a room and spent the night there until I felt I
couldn't continue anymore.
When we called the midwife early in the morning we moved to the
delivery room and 3 hours later I couldn't take it any longer and
asked for the epidural. It had an almost immediate effect and I can
only recommend it. I was glad I got it, because my first baby was 4.3
kg and the birth was long and still painful. I even got some oxygen
and with the help of 2 midwifes finally made it. I felt very
comfortable with them, in capable hand. At one moment the doctor
wanted to intervene for a caesarian but they told him we would manage
and I felt that that was ok.
With the second baby I started labour at
midnight and had straight away strong regular contractions every 15
minutes. I stayed in bed until 5 when I woke my husband. The
contractions came every 12 minutes so I told him we would have some
time, thinking of the previous experience with my first baby. But with
a very strong contractions my waters broke and the contractions came
every 5 minutes. We woke up our first boy, dropped him off at the
nanny at 6 o'clock in the morning, half dressed and very
surprised, were at the hospital at 6.25 am and the second baby was
born at 6.35am. I thought I would give birth on the way and my husband
already planned how to move the seats to have the most space. We went
over red lights and left the car wrong way round in the one-way street
in front of the hospital door. We didn't have the camera nor the baby clothes
in the delivery room and my husband had to go get the bags after the
baby was born. |
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Did you know you were
waiting for a boy or a girl? |
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With both babies we
didn't want to know beforehand. With the second one they could have
told us for sure because I had an amniocentesis, but we didn't want to
know. |
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Did your husband
attend the delivery? |
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My husband was there
with me, we cried together when the babies arrived and he cut the cord
both times. He bathed them as well still in the delivery room and held
them while I was looked after by the midwife. |
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How long did you stay
at the hospital? |
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With the first one I
had to stay 6 days, because the time between when the waters broke and
giving birth was more than 12 hours. He was under supervision in case
of an infection. I was desperate to get out of the hospital and go
home, even with all the nice people there, I just wanted to go home
and sleep in my own bed.
With the second one I could leave after 3 days. I wanted to get home
as quickly as possible to establish a normal day again with our oldest
boy. |
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Did you breastfeed
your baby? |
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I fed the first one
for 5 months and the second one for 8 months |
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How was your return at
home? |
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What were the
reactions of your both families? Did they come to see you during your
pregnancy and after the delivery? |
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Were they sad that you
delivered abroad? |
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Both families only saw
our children 8 weeks after they were born. It is sad to be away during
such a special time, but it can't be helped? |
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Did you sometimes find
it difficult to be pregnant abroad , and in the Toulouse surroundings? |
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I would have wanted to
be closer to my family, but I had found friends with little children
who had lived through the same experience. |
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Did you sometimes find
it difficult to be pregnant abroad , and in the Toulouse surroundings? |
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I would have wanted to
be closer to my family, but I had found friends with little children
who had lived through the same experience. |
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Why did you get an amniocentesis? |
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Because the blood test
to check the probability for Down's Syndrome showed a higher level, we
were told that it is advisable to get an amniocentesis for the second
baby.
I had already almost lost the baby in the 11th week so I felt it was a
pregnancy full of obstacles and I didn't allow myself to believe that
we would have an other baby until the end of the 5th months.
The obstetrician at the hospital performed the amniocentesis in the
operations theater and it was quite a scary experience.
I had never before been in an operations theater before. My husband
could stay with me, which made everything a lot easier. I even got a
room and had to wait to get checked out after an hour. But we had to
deliver the bottle to the laboratory on the other side of town
ourselves, because the services were overbooked. I could have never
done this on my own.
We had to wait for 3 weeks for the result, which was the most
difficult time in my life. In the end I still hadn't made a decision
as to what to do in case the baby had Down's Syndrome.
When we found out, that everything was fine, it felt like life started
again from the beginning.
Because
I had had the amniocentesis at a hospital, all charges were paid by
the CPAM. My English friend had hers done at a clinic and was not
reimbursed. She was over 38 years old
In Germany amniocenteses are performed
regularly in the offices of your gynaecologist. All my friends had had
one, if they were older than 35 and if they wanted to have one if they
were younger.
I think I wouldn't have kept such a dramatic impression of this
experience had I had the amniocentesis in Germany.
The blood test to check the probability of Down's Syndrom is not
offered to pregnant women in Germany, because doctors think the
results are too misleading and looking back I can only confirm this. I
didn't have the blood test with the first baby because when the doctor
explained to me that the results are only 60% accurate, I felt this
would only make me nervous. Even a negative result would have made me
nervous because I could have been one of the 40% where the results
were not correct.
After the problems with the second pregnancy
in the 11th week I felt I wanted to do everything to make sure the
baby will be all right. So I did the blood test, but I should have
acted like the first time and saved myself so much agony. But now I
look at my baby everyday and am grateful it is healthy and happy.
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