I am now nearly 6 months pregnant with our first baby and although my local hospital in Vicenza seems to be OK and offers some active birth techniques (in water etc) I am also considering the possibility of a home birth, which appeals to me more at this stage.
I wondered if anyone had heard of someone in Italy having a home birth (I know it is not the 'norm') and how this was dealt with by their ostetrica (encouraged, discouraged etc)?

I am planning on bringing up the subject at my next clinic visit in a few weeks, but have a feeling it will not be something they welcome. I have found a private ostetrica on the internet who is about 45 minutes from where I live, on a home birth website, but she is the only one anywhere near my home.

Also, has anyone heard of someone who has given birth in a hospital being able to come home earlier than the normal time (in Vicenza hospital's case this is 4 days for normal delivery)?
The idea of being stuck in a hospital for 4 days with my hubby only able to visit for 2 hours each evening is not something I am looking forward to!

Any thoughts much welcomed.

Many thanks
Carrie

Irrespective of you being in Italy I can't think of any country with an established ante-natal care system being overwhelmed at a first baby being born at home!

I can only give myself as a bad example. I went into labour with my son expecting to have a water birth. 26hours later I had an emergency C-section. He was presenting with his head thrown back not tucked so would never have got out. This was impossible to predict before I went into labour.

If you fly through this one I would then think about it for your next. Only my penny's worth and I don't intend to dampen your enthusiasm but sometimes things just don't go according to our plans!

Carrie, I have three young daughters. I tried a home birth with my first, but after many, many, many, many long hours of a labor that wasn't progressing beyond 3cm of dilation, my midwife and I decided that I needed to be induced in hospital. I hated the experience as oxytocin induction causes extremely hard and fast contractions (you feel like you are on a crazy ride you can't get off) and I also ended up having a botched episiotomy - another intervention I hadn't wanted.

My other two birth experiences went relatively smoothly with my third being a veritable dream birth and I could have very easily done both of them at home, but for whatever reason didn't go for it. In retrospect, I wish I had.

Here in Rome, women who choose this option are fortunate in that there is a network of ob/gyns and midwives who assist in home births or natural births in clinics and hospitals. I personally know several women who have all had their first and subsequent births at home. But if your current physician is not a proponent of natural birth, don't expect him/her to welcome your idea with open arms - on the contrary and he or she may use scare tactics on you as well.

If you are worried about the "what if something goes wrong", an experienced home birth midwife or ob/gyn, will not put you or keep you or the baby in danger if there are any problems during the labor, and if you have a pre-existing condition such as pre-eclampsia or the baby is presenting in the breech position - they will not go forward with a home birth. In any case, there is always a back-up plan and if that involves being whisked off to hospital than it would be done BEFORE you or the baby were at risk.

If you feel strongly about a home birth, go with your gut. Meet with the private midwife and get informed - there are lots of great resources out there including many books. If you would like me to put you in e-mail contact with a few of my friends who had home births here in Italy, I know they would be happy to share their experience. Best of luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Carrie:
The idea of being stuck in a hospital for 4 days with my hubby only able to visit for 2 hours each evening is not something I am looking forward to!

One of my friend went home the day after she gave birth (she spent 1 or 2 nights at the hospital, I don't remember).
Anyway when you go the hospital you are free to leave whenever you want. You just have to tell it to the doctor and sign a paper where it is stated that "you want to go home against the doctors' advice" so that you take the full responsibility for what you do and what can happen. (In case of need you can come back whenever you need)

I would not recommend to give birth at home: what if something is wrong? Would you really take the drive to the hospital in the middle of the labour? IMHO, better safe than sorry.

And congrats for the baby!

Hi Carrie..

I was just reading your post and i wanted to say congrats! This is a little off topic but i am planning on moving to Italy in the exact area in which you live! I thought that it was funny... i was just wondering your story of entering Italy.. etc... i know you probally dont have alot of time.. but anything is appreciated.. are you citizen? How did you apply.. sorry.. im just really excited. Thank you..and good luck!

Thanks for the honest feedback everyone and for the good wishes.

I will have to have a serious think about it all and talk things over with the midwife and see where I end up. It is good to know that people do leave hospital before the 4 days are up - in the UK they spit you out ASAP and some women leave the same day! I suppose it is not in my culture to believe that I need that long in hospital!

Gia624 - I have sent you a 'Private Message' - great to see another expat heading this way

Carrie

Hey Carrie... i just read your message.. i am sorry i do not have a membership so i can not reply back.. i would love to talk to you.. if you are interested you could send me your email address through private message and i could respond this way.. if not.. good luck.. it is so funny.. your husband has a office in Rockford... i live in Illinois.. about 2 1/2 hours away.. My boyfriend is Italian and just moved back to Italy.. i will be joining him.. hopefully i could get all of my citizenship paper work done in time.. i will be visiting Italy the beginning of July.. i will be staying for a month.. then coming back to Illinois to hopefully retrive the rest of the paperwork i need.. My boyfriend also works in Arcugnano..and lived in England for a short period of time..its a small world..anyways.. bouna giornata sweetie!

Carrie has an email address in her "public profile". Click on her name then click on view public profile and you will see it.

Hi Carrie,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I have known lots of women over the past 20 years who have given birth at home and not one has regretted it. In the Netherlands, about half of women give birth at home and the infant mortality rate there is lower than in most western countries. I would definitely pursue a home birth for my second child. Go for it if it feels right for you!

Caroline

Not saying that home birth is a bad thing for a non-complicated pregnancy - but keep in mind that they have amazing antenatal care in the Netherlands. The government actually sends a free trained nurse/midwife to live with the family for the first week of a newborn's life to help the mother with breastfeeding, looking after older kids etc. I can't think of any other country which does that!

But before you all go rushing off to the Netherlands to have your babies, also remember that they don't like giving painkillers. Apparently, it's very good to feel the pain as it helps you to bond better with your baby. (As the male partner of a Dutch midwife told me...)

English Teacher - glad you think this is weird too. My partner is Dutch and even though his family is Catholic they are kind of puritan in some ways about certain things. Actually, come to think of it - from what AliceTwain has said on some other threads it may even be this Catholicism which makes them so puritan. Who knows? Anyway - it scares me. I don't see any virtue in being tough when you don't have to be!

What about some kind of birth clinic? THere are probably some websites for these if you want to do a search for ones near you. These are like a compromise between a hospital and a home birth. That way you can (hopefully) have a less medical experience than you would probably get in hospital, but if things go wrong then there is help on hand.

OTherwise try to find a midwife who works in conjunction with the local obstetricians, which will give you more options.

I know for me personally i did not want to have my first baby at home. But then i went to NZ where they have a system probably just about as good as the Netherlands (in fact, better as you choose which pain meds you want!) and your midwife comes to visit you 10x at home in the month after the birth.

Anyway, it's a very personal thing and everyone experiences labour/ birth differently. i would consider a home birth for the second baby, but not the first.

quote:

Originally posted by professoressavanessa:
What about some kind of birth clinic? THere are probably some websites for these if you want to do a search for ones near you. These are like a compromise between a hospital and a home birth. That way you can (hopefully) have a less medical experience than you would probably get in hospital, but if things go wrong then there is help on hand.

I have tried to find birth centres and clinics on the internet but there are none I can find in the Veneto - I would be fine if I was living in Rome or Milan for example, as there seems to be more options there.
I will ask my ostetrica at the next appointment and see if they know of any other options in this area - I have a feeling that I am not going to get the birth that I really want though <sigh>.

quote:

Originally posted by Ramona:
I don't see any virtue in being tough when you don't have to be!

I think it's a little more complicated than that. First of all, epidurals involve a needle in your spine, which, apart from being an absolutely horrible experience in itself (trust me) carries its own complications and risks (the risks are remote, but still there).

Also, an epidural can prevent you from knowing when to push the baby out. And as you are paralysed from the waist down, you are unable to move and to use gravity to let nature take its course, making labour longer and harder.

There is also evidence of a corelationship between epidurals and inability to breastfeed once the baby is born, as the baby's sucking reflex can be limited as a result (noone knows why).

Epidurals are also a feminist issue. Birth is painful but at least you are in control. When you have the epidural, you are no longer in control at all. The (usually male) doctor is in control and he can do whatever he wants to make the birth go faster so that he can get back to his golf game - whether or not his methods are in the best interests of the baby.

I don't mean to open up a can of worms and I certainly would not condemn anyone who chooses to have an epidural (heck, I had one) but I think that the choice should be an informed one and that it is important to realize that refusing pain relief is not just a question of wanting to endure the pain and being a martyr. There are other considerations.

I agree, Caroline. However, what I dislike about the Dutch system is that it completely removes a woman's choice re whether to get pain relief or not. They simply don't offer epidurals, so I've been told, except in cases of medical necessity. So, yet another example of male doctors taking power away from women and telling them what to do when they give birth.

The nice thing about having a baby in the hospital is that they get to clean up the mess!

Baby 1 I was in the hopsital for a couple days and left
Baby 2 I spent all of 2 hours in the hospital
and
Baby 3 about 4 hours.

You can leave whenever you want - you just have to sign.

A third option is available at some Italian hospitals. It's called "camera dolce". Essentially, these are mostly rooms furnished like apartment rooms, but equipped with all of the medical equipment you may want. They also have birthing balls, stools etc. and, in most cases, a birthing tub. If you can find a hospital that has one in your area, you can get on the list for it and give boirth in a more welcoming environment while not giving up any of the security and assistance offered by the hospital.

I was reading in an airline magazine not long ago about “free birthing”. The interview was with an American woman who decided she wanted to be completely unassisted during labour. The only other person in the house was the father who stayed in the other room. The birth went perfectly though obviously it wouldn’t be the right choice for everyone.

It was an interesting read, though I can’t see myself ever doing that.

Personally, I would not suggest it to anyone. While it is true that women gave birth alone for ages, it is also true that a good deal of them died in childbirth too. While I am not too much of an enthousiast of overmedicalization of childbirth, I still believe that medical assistance is essential. Too many things can go wrong, and the fact that an obstetrician or a doctor can step in in the very moment when she's or he's needed is a good safety insurance.

I know it is difficult negotiating the prospect of a possible 4 day stay in a foreign hospital. For me the thought of being stuck in an italian hospital ward and being the only stranger was a v lonely thought. But then nothing ever really goes to plan.... I went to hospital armed with a dvd player and several dvd films... only I never had time to be or feel lonely...or watch any of the movies! there were no time visiting restrictions for partners... some husbands arrived as early as 7.30am in the morning and stayed till 11pm at night...the nurses woke you at 5am with health checks, this was followed by bed changing... this was closely followed by breakfast.. so it was q a hectic day. Also contrary to my first image of being the only foreigner, I couldnt have been more way off... I was in a ward with a Russian, an African and a Moroccon lady who were all v. pleasant and in the same predicament as myself, they even helped me out with the translation. This esp came in useful when I was handed a plastic container with a fluid in, I thought it was a drink and put it to one side to have later that morning... I soon found out it was actually an enema to be administered by a nurse. Often things you visualise dont always happen that way..

Also, from my personal experience, I would strongly recommend having a first baby esp. in a medical environment with all the professional eqpt at hand. My baby was born healthily and needed emergency treatment within half an hour or he wouldnt be here today. My friends baby who was born last month, also wouldnt be here today had she not been born in a hospital environment.. the baby went into distress and she was rushed for an emergency cesarean.

Do you live anywhere near Treviso? there is a hospital there that specialises in the top eqpt for treating sick babies. They are equipped with all the specialist machinery and are known for being the best in the area. This is where they transferred my little baby born a few wks ago and the treatment he recvd was second to none. If I had known about this earlier, i would have chosed to have my baby at such a hosptal.