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LIZ
: OUR INTERVIEWEE
OF JULY 2002 |
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I am Liz, 28 years old, of
British nationality. I have lived in France for 27 years. I am the
mother of a 9 month old little girl Lucy. |
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Was it difficult to be
pregnant in France far from home and from your family? |
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My immediate family and
friends are all in the Toulouse area. Having lived in Toulouse for
so long, this area of France is what I consider my home. |
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Did you choose to be
followed by a gynaecologist or by a mid-wife? |
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I opted
for a gynaecologist. I spoke French to him - I do not know if he
spoke English also.Sarrus Teinturiers do have an English midwife but I
do not know her name. |
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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 wanted to give
birth in the most relaxed and natural way possible, preferably with my
partner playing an active role. I therefore visited several clinics in
the area and opted for Sarrus Teinturiers. It is difficult (nearly
impossible) to currently find, in this area, a clinic where you can
choose the birthing position. Although in Sarrus Teinturiers one has
to give birth lying down, the mother is on a bed supported by her
partner rather than on a gynaecological table. |
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Did you follow the
French programme " accouchement sans douleur" which is
several courses about childbirth. The courses are given by a mid-wife
and the aim is to demystify the delivery and to explain how to breathe
during the labor.... |
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Yes. |
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Did your husband
attend the courses? |
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Yes. My
partner is British and has lived in France for 6 years. He found it
beneficial because he knew what would happen on the day, the different
actions that may be taken and why... |
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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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Our baby was delivered
in Sarrus Teinturiers. The staff was very business-like. I would have
liked the staff to have been more 'personal'. |
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Could you narrate how
you went into labour : was it during the day or the night? Was Mark
panic or well-prepared? How did you feel ? Worried, afraid, or calm? |
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I started getting contractions
on Sunday 12th August but they were painless. That evening, my
partner and I went out for a meal by which time the contractions
were coming every 5 minutes but remained painless. On returning
from the restaurant, we rang the clinic which told us that until
the contractions were painful, we could stay at home.
I jumped in the bath and went to bed. At 4 a.m., I woke my partner
and suggested that we should go soon. By the time I had showered,
dried my hair, put make-up on and dressed, we arrived at Sarrus
Teinturiers at 7 a.m.
I was 2 cms dilated, told that I would be in labour all day and
settled in a birthing room. I had an enema. Then the mid-wife
broke my waters and ,from that moment on, the pain was bad so I
opted for an epidural. Both my partner and I were extremely cool
and calm. I then read a book until I was told, at 11.30 a.m. (!),
that I was 10 cms dilated and action should now start.
The only unpleasant thing was the constant trickle of warm
amniotic fluid down my buttocks once the waters had been broken. |
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How long did the whole
labour last? Did your maternity hospital have a birthing pool? Did you
have the opportunity to bathe during the labour? |
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Lucy was born at 11.50
a.m. on Monday 13th August. The clinic did have a birthing pool. I had
previously been told that they did not recommend giving birth in the
pool for a first child so I did not enquire whether or not I could
bathe. |
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Did you deliver
by a caesarean or by natural way? |
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I delivered the
natural way. |
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What was the delivery
like? |
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Lucy was estimated as being a
big baby, she was still high up and, although she was in the
correct position, her head was pointing the wrong way. I was
therefore moved to a gynaecological table for the potential use of
forceps.
The mid-wife turned the baby's head and I then tried pushing
several times unsuccessfully. Lucy started getting distressed so
the gynaecologist performed an episiotomy and used forceps to
bring Lucy into the world.
It was quick and painless.
I was expecting to see a bluish baby with a pointed head but our
daughter was beautiful from the moment she was born.
The only criticism is that, to enable the doctor to work
efficiently, my legs were pushed, in stirrups, uncomfortably
towards my upper torso and remained like that whilst I was
stitched up. |
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Did you
know you were waiting for a boy or a girl? |
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We knew that I was
expecting a little girl. We could therefore name the child and bond
with our daughter before she was born (as opposed to thinking of her
as 'it'). |
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Did your husband
attend the delivery? Did he cut the umbilical cord? Did he give Daniel
his first bath just after the delivery? |
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My partner missed the birth
because he was asked to leave the room while the gynaecologist
applied forceps. He therefore did not cut the umbilical cord. He
was however present when our daughter was bathed for the 1st time. |
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How long did you stay
at the hospital? |
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I stayed in the clinic
for 6 days (including the birth day). I was kept in an extra day
because the baby was not gaining any weight. |
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Did you breastfeed
Lucy? |
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I tried unsuccessfully to
breastfeed Lucy. After being told that we could not leave the
hospital, I switched to bottle feeding - we were checked out the
next day
The staff at the clinic were not very helpful with regard to
breastfeeding.
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How was your return at
home? |
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Our return home was fine other
than feeling let down that I had not managed to breastfeed my
child. |
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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? Were they sad that you delivered
abroad? |
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My family is local so they
came to see us at the clinic.
My partner's family came to stay for a
couple of days a week after Lucy was born. On hindsight, we should
have either postponed their visit for a few weeks or put them up
in a hotel as it was difficult adjusting to a new baby and a new
routine whilst having guests living in the house. |
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