Since most of my blog readers are my family and friends, you probably already know that we will be welcoming a second Jones baby to our family on September 30, 2013!
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To celebrate this new chapter and new addition, I will change the name of my blog for the duration of my pregnancy to: "Adventures in Mommyhood: Knocked Up Abroad." Hopefully, the stories included will be less disturbing than those on the show that inspired this name: Discovery Channel's "Locked-Up Abroad."
Being pregnant and giving birth in a foreign country was something I thought I would never consider when we moved here. We heard mixed reviews about childbirth in Germany, namely about the willingness and readiness of medical staff to provide epidurals. While an epidural is an option here, it is one you must be proactive about and request well in advance. Apparently you can't just waltz into the hospital and scream, "Give me meds!!!" the way you might in the U.S. and have a needle in your spine five minutes later. If you take that route here, you may not get an epidural at all. However, if you are adamant about having an epidural in the weeks prior to your child's birth, your request will be obliged (or so I have heard).
Of course there was also the question of what it would be like to have a baby in a country with socialized medicine. The system here offers both private and public health care, and we are fortunate enough to have private health care. It is my understanding that the private hospitals here offer private rooms and suites that are not available at the public hospitals. However, all the NICU's are located in the public hospitals. I do not know enough people with public health care to make any kind of valid comparison, but I have heard both positive and negative views of the public system. Nearly every experience I have had with a physician in the private realm has been excellent and the few appointments I have had with my obstetrician have met or exceeded my expectations.
As I have heard and seen so far, the pregnancy and childbirth process is different here; arguably better in some ways and worse in others, depending upon where you are standing. One difference that I am particularly excited about is the fact that an ultrasound is done at every appointment. During the first trimester, this was very nice because we heard the baby's heart beat multiple times and saw that he/she is developing properly. In my pregnancy with Kellan, I had three ultrasounds throughout the entire pregnancy, so this situation is an improvement for me. The additional ultrasounds will also enable us to know the gender at about 15 weeks, instead of waiting until the 20-week mark, which is exciting as well!
In addition to frequent ultrasounds, you are also provided with a "Mutterpass" or a "Mother's Passport," as they call it in English. You are supposed to carry this nifty little book with you wherever you go, so if, God forbid, something happened to you, all of the details of your pregnancy are right there for medical personnel to take into consideration before providing you with treatment. A nice precaution, if you ask me.
A few other fun facts about pregnancy and childbirth in Germany:
- It is commonly believed in the U.S. that most "Europeans" drink alcohol during pregnancy. (The term European - that I was guilty of using at one point - I have found is an unfair over-generalization, lumping people from approximately 50 different countries with distinctly different cultures into one category.) The policy in Germany is no alcohol - not even an occasional celebratory drink - while expecting. They return to their alcohol-loving ways quickly after birth, however. I have heard that, in some hospitals, you are brought champagne after you deliver your baby.
- In the U.S. many O.B.'s discourage riding a bicycle during pregnancy. My O.B. here said, "Go for it," until I feel uncomfortable, in terms of leisurely rides on bike paths around the city. My neighbor rode her bike to work every day throughout her pregnancy with her now two-year-old son.
- Caffeine in moderation = OK. He actually mused that Italians, because of their love of espresso, would never carry children to term if it was true that caffeine causes miscarriage.
- Sushi = OK. He made a statement similar to the one above: the Japanese eat sushi throughout pregnancy.
- Raw milk and unpasteurized cheeses are a "no-no." And I was also told to refrain from carpaccio, which the mere mention of during my first trimester had me dry-heaving.
So, a bit more laid back in some ways and just what you would expect in other ways. In comparing my experience now to the one I had in the United States, I would say "So far, so good." Of course, I haven't given birth yet...so we still have a way to go. ;-)
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| I can hear it now: "Keine epidural! Have a Kölsch [Cologne's specialty brew] instead." |
As I have heard and seen so far, the pregnancy and childbirth process is different here; arguably better in some ways and worse in others, depending upon where you are standing. One difference that I am particularly excited about is the fact that an ultrasound is done at every appointment. During the first trimester, this was very nice because we heard the baby's heart beat multiple times and saw that he/she is developing properly. In my pregnancy with Kellan, I had three ultrasounds throughout the entire pregnancy, so this situation is an improvement for me. The additional ultrasounds will also enable us to know the gender at about 15 weeks, instead of waiting until the 20-week mark, which is exciting as well!
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| 8-week ultrasound where our OB affectionately referred to Baby Jones, II as "Gummy Bear". Pretty accurate. |
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| Translation: Mother Pass, Joint Federal Committee, A Chance Their Choice, Get Prepared for Baby. (Not everything translates clearly, in my opinion!) |
- It is commonly believed in the U.S. that most "Europeans" drink alcohol during pregnancy. (The term European - that I was guilty of using at one point - I have found is an unfair over-generalization, lumping people from approximately 50 different countries with distinctly different cultures into one category.) The policy in Germany is no alcohol - not even an occasional celebratory drink - while expecting. They return to their alcohol-loving ways quickly after birth, however. I have heard that, in some hospitals, you are brought champagne after you deliver your baby.
- In the U.S. many O.B.'s discourage riding a bicycle during pregnancy. My O.B. here said, "Go for it," until I feel uncomfortable, in terms of leisurely rides on bike paths around the city. My neighbor rode her bike to work every day throughout her pregnancy with her now two-year-old son.
- Caffeine in moderation = OK. He actually mused that Italians, because of their love of espresso, would never carry children to term if it was true that caffeine causes miscarriage.
- Sushi = OK. He made a statement similar to the one above: the Japanese eat sushi throughout pregnancy.
- Raw milk and unpasteurized cheeses are a "no-no." And I was also told to refrain from carpaccio, which the mere mention of during my first trimester had me dry-heaving.
So, a bit more laid back in some ways and just what you would expect in other ways. In comparing my experience now to the one I had in the United States, I would say "So far, so good." Of course, I haven't given birth yet...so we still have a way to go. ;-)
Nice! Love the new blog, and excited to read about your new adventures mit baby!
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