Indah, sounds like you were in a private hospital, is that right? Another vote for Siena - Looks like some of us might have to move upwards!
Could you give us any ball park figures re costs? Just interested.

Not had time to read the article yet, will do asap.

I found these additional figures on the ministero della salute site.

quote:

Nel triennio 1998-2000 si è, infatti, registrata una percentuale in lenta ma progressiva crescita, con valori annui pari rispettivamente a 31,4%, 32,9%, 33,2% di tutti i parti.
L’aumento è dovuto principalmente ad alcune Regioni ad altissima frequenza di taglio cesareo, tra le quali la Campania (dato 2000 pari al 53%), la Sicilia (42,5%), la Puglia (40,6%), la Basilicata (40,8%).

I'm in Campania! Oh well, at least I'm prepared.

Le Scotte in Siena is public not private. This is where I had thought I would go but 8 years ago it was very different there. Their new head thinks like the docs over in Poggibonsi so if I had to do it again, I wouldn't be adverse to going to Siena as I was back then. The 4 women I wrote about earlier all gave birth at Le Scotte.

Private can be good or bad. Just like public. The most important thing though is to check out all possibilities before so you know what you are in for.

About c-sections being requested by women. Yes, this happens a lot. Many women just don't want the pain of childbirth and would rather have the pain of surgery. Think about the choice, have a surgeon cut you open with total anethesia (or spinal like Indah and I had, pain meds and some care and you are good to go. Or the unknown, pushing a basketball out from between your legs?

Wow - I wonder if any of the public hospitals are like that in Rome...

Those are interesting stats about c sections in the various regions. I notice that the highest rates are all in the south - I wonder why...

Overall American stats for c-section might be 27%, but many larger cities/metro areas have 35% plus. It is apparently fashionable.

I opted for natural both times. No drugs, no epidural, no i.v., nothing. Kind of funny how in America they push epidural for you, where inItaly, not so much.

SO happy I did what I did beacuse feeling the baby move down the birth canal was awesome. The first 30 minutes after borth are awesome in another way. I would have lost both of those with drugs/epis.

Good luck to all the pregnant women! Sweet memories I have!

I am 8.5 months pregnant right now, and will have my first bambino/a at the end of September. I am scared to death of the labor/delivery anyways (even if I were home in the States), but the added uncertainty of the Italian hospital and procedures makes me even more nervous! I have to keep reminding myself that women have been having babies here forever, and it's basically a pretty natural event, so I'm sure I'll be OK.

I am planning on visiting the hospital within the next couple of weeks (Borgo Trento in Verona), and have been preparing a list of questions to ask. Hopefully I'll find someone there who will speak English, but I'm bringing a friend of mine in case the tour/questions will all be in Italian. (Which scares me too....how will I communicate during the labor/delivery? Is "ouch" universal?! Hah!)

If anyone has suggestions on what kind of questions I should ask, please let me know! Also, if anyone has some general advice, or can comment on the Borgo Trento Hospital in Verona, I'd love to hear it.

Ciao!
AJ

Hi AJ,
I just wanted to let you know that I live in Verona, very close to the hospital in Bergo Trento. While I didn't have my babies here (I had them in the US), I certainly remeber the feelings that I had anticipating the arrival of the first and I can only imagine that the nervousness would be worse in a foriegn country!
The hospital in Bergo Trento has a good reputation and I have a close friend whose an Italian ob/gyn if you need any help with translating terms or asking question.
Please drop me a line if you'd like to meet up sometime, I'd love to meet another expat here in Verona. Take care and good luck.
Anne

quote:

....how will I communicate during the labor/delivery? Is "ouch" universal?! Hah!)

How exciting, not long to go now! Maybe you can have some one there with you, to translate during the birth - maybe the friend which you mentioned or the father?. If I were you I'd learn at least a few key phrases which could be useful.

I've heard that the hospitals from the centre towards north are really good here. I was talking to my bf about this last night and we decided that if we have a child, we'll have to move up to Siena for a few weeks and go to an hospital there as they sound so wonderful.

BTW, ouch in Italian is "aiiiiAA" !

Delina, there was a woman from Rome who wanted to give birth at Poggibonsi but everyone warned her off. She made plans and visits there but still lived in Rome. At the first contraction she and her husband hopped in the car and a few hours later arrived in Poggibonsi in time to give birth. Now this was 10 years ago when Poggibonsi was basically the first to really push alterbnative birthing practices (private apartment for the whole family to stay in, tubs, birthing balls, etc.) so because of the birth that she wanted she had no other choice but times have changed and many are getting on board. I wouldn't rule out local hospitals until I had visited them.

AJ, is there any way you could go visit the hospital sooner than next month? That is cutting it pretty close?

I don't think you'll be saying OUCH a lot, but you will be shrieking at the top of your lungs, and THAT is a universal language.

Hi all. Thanks for your responses! It is a very exciting time....

My husband will be with me (assuming that's allowed!) during the labor and delivery. His Italian is pretty good, way better than mine, but he doesn't know any medical terms. I've heard the hospital we picked is one of the best around, so I'm hoping that some of the doctors may know English? I'll see....

I've also heard you can hire an obstrician (sp?), whose responsibilities seem to be like a doula's. She's there with you the entire time, but doesn't do anything medical. I am really hoping I can find one that speaks English, and then she'll be able to translate for me.

Regarding the timing of the hospital visit, I am right now searching for a new apartment. We live in a small place now, which has been perfect for just the two of us, but when the baby comes it will be too small. (Even though the baby is tiny, baby stuff is BIG!) We need to be out of our current place/into the new place by the end of August. (And in the States, that timing would be no problem. However, in Italy, people think I'm crazy for needing to move so quickly! I'm confident we'll find something though....)

Anne, I'd love to meet up with you! If you're free next week sometime, would you like to meet for coffee or lunch?

This forum is great. It's wonderful to chat with others who have some advice! Thanks!

AJ

One thing to remeber is that for any kind of planned medical treatment you don't have to go to the closest hospital. Essentially, you can pick any hospital in your region, although probably you'd prefer to trim it down to the several closer hospitals. Do some shopping around for the best public hospital, the one offering the best services. In your search, though, don't forget to also collect informations about the quality of the health care offered.

Milano has two gynecological hospitals, Macedonio Melloni and Mangiagalli, both public, both located in very old buildings. I have been visiting a new mother at Mangiagalli, and the rooms are in a new section with brand new (a few years back, now I suppose still fairly new) two bed rooms with private bathroom. The visitors were allowed in only in scheduled hours, although a close relative (the husband or a parent) could also visit in other times of the day, but still one person only for bed, in the extra hours, and preferably in the visitors room. Children could spend the day with the mothers, or the mothers could request them to be taken to the nursery if she wanted to rest, as she preferred. During the vist hours, the babies were usually taken to the nursery to isolate them from the chaos, during this hours the nurses would perform the routine visits and controls on the babies. By allowing fathers in at extra hours the ward provided them with time to hold their new babies at a more tranquil moment of the day than the regular vist hours.
Macedonio Melloni is also an obgin clinic, but less oriented to childbirth. My mother was there a few years back for a surgery, and she was in a six bed room in this very old building with bathrooms at each end of the corridor. I was told that the nursery area was similarly structured, but still Macedonio Melloni in Milano is a prima hospital offering really top medical assistance.
Mangiagalli and Macedonio Melloni are buth excellent hospitals, but for childbirth I would pick the first for its better lodging service. Yet there are hospitals that may have as good lodging services with a lousy (or just not as good) medical équipe, in this case I would rather pick the ugly room and good doctors at Macedonio Melloni.

So, if you are planning to have a baby in Italy, use a little of our precious time to shop around for the best hospital, or rather the best obgin ward, in the area from all point of view.

Regarding the c-sections rate, this has been a long running Italian scandal. Some less than ethical doctors, especially in private clinics, tend to perform c-sections liberally since a c-section is consoidered a surgery, and obviously natural chidlbirth is not. Private clinics often have an accord with SSN, being paid in accord to the treatments actually offered. A mother that wants to use their services on the SSN will not pay out of their pocket but the clinic or hospital will be reimbursed by the SSN. Now the problem is that some of these hosppitals tend to perform many more c-sections than require to syphon more money out of the public service!

AJ, my email address on my member profile. Let's try to get together next week for coffee, maybe some where near the hospital, hehe. I can also give you some apartment hunting tips since we just relocated ourselves in June. It was seriously a full time job trying to find the right one, but all of a sudden it appeared so I'm sure the same will happen for you. Talk to you soon.

I spent the entire month of June in Mangiagalli so I can speak a lot about my experience there. Yes the accomidations were better than other public hospitals in Milan but I was not entirely pleased with the nurses and doctors. The nurses were slow to come and a few of them I had to insist with several times for them to fix my I.V. because they thought that they were right and I was wrong. (i turned out to be right).
The hospital is extremley busy so it is difficult to get a doctors attention for very long and to have the same doctor.
The issues that I had with the doctors were that I felt pressured to make choices immediatley. In a big sit down I had with about 4 doctors, the situation was made more uncomfortable because one of the doctors was trying to explain to me what the other one thought, and the other one was telling her that was not what she was saying or thinking! This went on for a few minutes while I was already feeling tense for other reasons. But my situation was very unusual and very horrible and they took care of me in the best way that they could I am pretty sure.
I do know for a fact though, I would not go back to them for pregnancy or gyn care again.
I had to have a second surgery in August because complications with the first that I am none too pleased about. This second surgery was done in a public hospital in Como and I am much happier with them. I am willing to travel to Como from now on because i have a lot of confidence in the nurses and doctors there.
Another note about Mangiagalli: A lot of the doctors are young and fresh out of school. I know that they have to start out somewhere but they seemed a little "too new" for my comfort level. On a follow up checkup I was totally misdiagnosed about my problem and told it was nothing and it got worse and ended up with me having to have another surgery.

Mangiagalli is a university clinic, so there are lots of students there. Its part of the big "policlinico" compound. Having said this, for a gynecological but not birth-related problem I would have gone to Macedonio Melloni.

AJ - wow 8.5 months preggers!
That means you could have the baby today!

You know what? Its too late to be worrying about much -
Just go to your local hospital and try not to get worked up.

If something makes you feel uncomfortable get your man to speak to the nurse or doctor or whoever.


Little things will go "wrong" - like they give your kid artificial milk, stick gunk in his eyes, maybe give you a shot of something to speed up the contractions - but just keep looking at the big picture... junior will be coming out and everything will be fine.

Man if they had given my children artificial milk I propably would have decked the nun doing it! They were not even allowed to give a pacifier or sugar water according to my orders. Yes things can happen but if we are clear in what we want, as long as it will not harm the baby then certain things should never happen.

Does anyone have an experience in the Hospitals around Firenze? I worked with a doctor here in Detroit and he has moved to Firenze now. But just wanted to know how the hospitals were there in Firenze.

quote:

Originally posted by kellytree:
AJ - wow 8.5 months preggers!
That means you could have the baby today!

Let's hope not! The baby needs to stay in there for at least 6 more weeks, which gives her time to check out different hospitals.
My son was born in the 36th week (35+4) and while he was a rather big boy for being born a month early (3090 g, 51 cm) they still decided to put him in an incubator for the first night just in case. IIRC before the 36th week the lungs are still not ready enough to breathe air.

AJ, you'll be fine - but I second Alison's remark. Don't worry about the translation of "ouch". You won't be needing it.

Wow, I can’t believe I have found this thread – my wife (an Italian) just gave birth in Genoa at the San Martino hospital. She chose to go there because there was an alternative birthing centre there and she really wanted to go the natural route. Unfortunately the baby was late and had to be induced which meant that she couldn’t stay in the alternative birthing centre but was sent to the “reparto normale” on the floor below. To cut a long story short, she ending up having an emergency C-section after about 9 hours of labour. After 24 hours they made her get up out of bed and start walking around even though she was in excrutiating pain and begged them to let her stay in bed. I was allowed in only from 9 am till 9pm and during the first night after the operation she had the bad luck to get the “turno sfigato” and the nurses didn’t reply to her emergency button when she wanted a pain-killer. She was fortunate enough that another mum passing in the hall heard her cries and went to find the nurses (who were apparently sitting doing nothing). She was obliged to come home after 3 days even though she really could’t walk (my back is almost broken from trying to help her move around). Anyway, anything would be better than leaving her in there. The doctors strutted around like peacocks the whole time and refused to listen to our well-reasoned requests (more bed-rest, more attention from the “nido” people when my wife tried to breast feed (they brought her the baby at 4 am and the didn’t come back for 3 hours even though she couldn’t return him to his cot without help, so she had to hold him whilst crying out in pain which set him off crying as well)). And to think, San Martino is a university hospital… bodes well for the future doctors doesn’t it?

I think that many people are not aware that here in the States the C-section rate is about 35%! this high rate has been linked to the high rate of malpractice lawsuits. If a mother is laboring and not "making progress", or if there is any sign of anything being less than routine, doctors will recommend the c-section. The surgery is more easily controlled than a labor.
I was a midwife and childbirth educator and have seen the rate steadily climb. Over the years, I could tell by the name of the doctor whether or not the mother would deliver vaginally or surgically.

Could it be that over one-third of the population is incapable of giving birth without medical intervention? I think not, although when women are in labor, in a lot of pain, exhausted and afraid, when the doctor offers you the chance to have the pain go away and have your baby within the hour, most women would allow the doctor to remove the baby thru the nostril with a pair of tweezers! I know I did with my son's birth.

Question: do they have doulas in Italy? Doulas are women trained to assist women in labor.

Very interesting thread, BTW.
Colleen in TX

quote:

Originally posted by Colleen:
I think that many people are not aware that here in the States the C-section rate is about 35%!

Actually in the US the rate is 27.5% and in Italy it is around 35% and Italy has far fewer malpractice lawsuits than the US! (see article linked to above by rosso99)

Breg - that is simply awful! Your poor wife. That kind of behaviour from doctors and nurses (the strutting around, the sitting around, the doing nothing and not caring) was what I saw in San Giovanni here in Rome too when my friend broke his leg. I can't believe that they would ignore someone who was by herself and in pain.

Maybe they need a few more malpractice lawsuits here - the fear of lawsuits might at least make them get off their bums and pay attention to the needs of their patients.