The first thing difference that stood out to me is that in Italy, you must make an appointment to get an epidural. The appointment should be about one month before your due date and you need to have an electrocardiogram before you are okayed to have the epidural. (Natalie, 2018) Thankfully, in America, I told my doctor that I wanted an epidural, I signed a waiver, and then I got my epidural. Bam! Easy peasy!
Another difference I noticed was that only when you are in active labor are you asked to come into the hospital and then directed immediately to your delivery room. No triage, no in between, right to delivery. Wow! That would have been nice!
In Italy, this woman shared a room with another new mother while in the hospital. Which means no privacy. I can't imagine. When I had my daughter, I was a brand new mom, learning to breastfeed, learning how to take care of this new person, trying to recover. I would have hated to share a room with someone else. Plus, babies cry. A lot! Having someone else's baby in the room would make it difficult to sleep for those first couple hours. What if the two babies were on opposite schedules? No one would ever sleep. Also, I needed my husband with me. He couldn't have stayed in a double room with me. How awful for a new dad to be left out.
It seems like most everything else was the same there as it is here. Nurses checking on you and the baby every couple hours, recording the baby's first diapers and feedings, for a boy, scheduling his circumcision. The author stayed in the hospital for 48 hours, which is what is required here as well. She also noted the hospital food was not good. Thankfully, the food at my hospital was good. And I was given a choice to what my first meal was after delivery. (I wanted a turkey sandwich on white bread with mayo. ha)
Another noticeable difference is that no hospital gown was provided. Also, no after care for the mother- meaning no mesh underwear, no pads, no ice packs. The mother must bring it all herself.
BUT- giving birth in Italy costs NOTHING! So, I guess that is the toss up. Giving birth in the United States is expensive, even with good health insurance. I guess I appreciated the luxuries of having all of those necessities provided for me, but the cost was really outrageous.
I have to say that I am glad we are in America and thankful that I had such good birthing experiences. I guess at the end of the day if the baby is healthy and you are healthy, that is all you can ask for.
Resources
Natalie. (2018, June 20). Giving Birth in Italy. An American in Rome. https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2018/06/giving-birth-in-italy/.
Hello Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your comparison of Italy and American birth giving process. You mentioned some great advantage that giving birth in American provides, like private rooms, fathers involvement, and the after care but as you mentioned it all comes at a high. It would be nice to get all those amenities and leave the hospital with no bill. You are right the bottom line is the healthy baby and mother.
Cynthia Hunt
Correction: I wanted to say it all comes at a high cost.
ReplyDeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteI only have one child and I did not breast feed him due to the fear of showing my breast in public. Now, even if I wanted to he had a difficult time sucking at birth even on a bottle. The hospital found special nipples for him and all of the bottles from the baby shower had to either be returned or just never used. I think if I was raised in a society that viewed breast feeding like Italy I may have given it a thought, but for me it never crossed my mind. I do not judge those that do, but for me it was a no. I think it is sexual because like you mentioned we have to hide our breast, which sends a message that they should not be viewed by others.
Susaye