German vs American Birth Experience | Giving Birth in Germany
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 เม.ย. 2023
- In this video we share our experience having a baby in Germany. We talk about prenatal care and birthing a baby at a German hospital. We compare giving birth in Germany to the US. Overall we had a great experience but watch the video to find out what was so different compared to giving birth in the US.
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Two notes:
1. In Germany, virtually all costs are paid for in full by the health insurance - thats a bit different of course for foreign service member families.
2. Despite what some people like to tell about the horrors of 1, German infant and maternal mortality rates are both much lower than the US's and right on the average with many other developed countries.
Edit: the US is a much bigger country per inhabitant, making providing adequate healthcare in all areas significantly harder on its own. What I want to argue is that german healthcare is at least no worse than US-American in that regard, even though the treatment of patients differs.
Yes I agree from our experience the healthcare here is definitely no worse than in the US. Each country has its own challenges with healthcare but so far we have had great experiences in Germany!
In Germany, doctors only give out painkillers according to strict cretancies in order to prevent many people from becoming addicted to painkillers, as in the USA, due to the lax allocation of painkillers. Between July 2021 and June 2022, more than 107,000 people died as a result of an overdose in the United States. Most of them had become addicted to painkillers that had previously been prescribed.
Totally agree. But even asking for painkillers like Tylenol and ibuprofen was hard. I asked several times and never got them.
That differs from hospital to hospital I guess! Delivert 2 Babys successfuly without c section nor other medications than a painkiller ibu afterwards 😊. And I got them without any problems afterwards. 2 days in a row. 3 day I didn't need them anymore. But I admit I have a high tolerance to pain. I had already pressing contractions and the ctg showed still only slight or beginning contractions 🤣.
Also you sometimes can have a single room for your self. I said sometimes, bc not every hospital provides them and they need to be free at the time of your delivery 😅. Usually you have to pay for them a extra fee or maybe a private health insurance company pays for this.
Midwifes are in my opinion way more perfect, as they are usually pretty good in delivering baby's. I had a first or second year male doctor and he wasn't that experienced yet, so I was so glad for my 2 midwives who where extraordinary sweet and experienced.
Your Due Date is not the End of Pregnancy - its just an estimated date calculated at the beginning of your pregancy. Babies might not be ready to be borns before 42 weeks - thats normal, so induction is not needed if you don´t have any risk factors.
It’s just so scary to have your baby in longer than 40 weeks. Also, some of us are very impatient and want to meet our babies. 😂
Well, about visiting hours it's a hospital not a hotel. Last year I've been in hospital three times and I was so grateful that not so many people have run in and out the room.
I agree that sometimes when you are I'll you just want peace and quiet and to not be disturbed. I think with child birth there is also the aspect of excitement. I think I just wanted to be with the baby as much as I could but I understand the reasoning behind the designated hours. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Visiting hours vary, when we had our first baby in 2015, they would even let me in after 10pm. (Regular opening hour 10 to 21.00 I think...) With our second child (different clinic) opening hours were more strict 12 to 7 or 8...
Just imagine being in a shared room and the roomate has visitors at 5am or 10pm....NOOOO!!!
Glad your son arrived safely and is healthy. The visiting hours are actually to prevent new moms from being bombarded with visitors, as used to happen before cover when the rules were more lax. Especially sharing a room with other new mothers I find it extremely important that visitors/visiting hours are limited. I very much enjoyed the company of my room mate when I gave birth the first time, it was all so new, my son looked so fragile, I was so scared of hurting him during nappy change etc. We are still in contact years later, share a special bond. Congratulations and good luck!
That’s amazing! Sometimes having a roommate isn’t all that bad I guess. Just definitely not used to it.
My youngest child is 12 years old.
We had no visiting times for the father. But 15 years ago when my daughter was born I was in an older hospital with two other women in my room, and one was vistited by her whole Family (3 older children, her sisters with children, her mother, ...) That was so stressful, I was glad that there were visiting times.
That would be very stressful.
Some of those limitations you're describing are the result of Covid - many hospitals severely restricted visiting hours and nurses are also spread a lot thinner these days (therefore they have less time to check up on people). But it seems to have all worked out! Congrats on your little cutie!
🎉🎉Congratulations and a healthy Long and Happy Life ! Greetings from Hamburg 😊
Thank you!
Thank you! Yes also in the US there has been a decline in healthcare workers and resources. Overall we were well taken care of!
Your new baby is adorable. I’m glad he arrived safely and you are both well. The US actually has a far higher maternal mortality rate than other developed countries .
Thank you! He is absolutely perfect. He has definitely completed our family.
Usually in germany you also have just 3 Ultrasounds as standart. And no 3D. At Least if you don‘t want to pay for it. Also the doctor you visit during pregnancy is usually not only Not working in the Hospital and also usually not when your child is born. Which usually is at nights or weekends or on Late evening. And the people may change over the day. But also in germany you usually don‘t See any doctors until the child is Born as the babys will be delivered by a midwife. No doctor needed unless there are complications that may require a c-section or something like that
Sometimes in the states your doctor doesn’t deliver the baby either. Just depends on who is at the hospital. Similar to here.
My mom had me in the U.S. in 1988 and then had my younger sister in Germany in 1992 (we were also a military family). During my birth, the doctors strong-armed her into deviating from her birth plan, and then they botched her aftercare, which led to her having lasting medical issues for years. During my sister's birth, the German providers gave my mom substantial care and support, and they even fixed most of what the American doctors had previously messed up on her body. Also, my sister and I were both big babies whose legs were bowed at birth. The German hospital had a physical therapist that massaged and straightened my sister's legs for the week before she and my mom went home, for no additional cost. This service was not offered in the American hospital I was born in, and so my legs are crooked compared to my sister's now that we're both adults.
I'm pregnant right now in the U.S. (my husband is military as well) and we have to drive three hours twice a month to the closest big city for the hospital where I get my prenatal care and will give birth at. Why? Because my husband is stationed at a base in a backwoods town with abysmal quality of medical services, and I have already seen firsthand what happened to my mom who opted for local maternity "care" when my dad was stationed in a similarly secluded post. I had to fight Tricare tooth and nail to refer me to a half-decent facility when my pregnancy was confirmed, even if it is three hours away. Meanwhile, every other military family I know who was stationed in Europe and had babies there at the local hospitals have had great birth experiences.
There is a reason the maternal mortality rate is highest in the U.S. among developed countries.
Wow! It was definitely a different experience. Especially since I had my 1st child in the U.S. If you don’t mind me asking where are you stationed at?
Thank you for sharing your story!!! And congrats on your new baby boy 😍
Thank you!! 😊
Did you have problems in Germany with this unusual name?
Edit: It could be a good experience to have a new mother with you in the room. My mom still has a friendship with the woman who gave birth the same day she did. I am 40.
We actually didn't have any problems with the name. I have heard about how you can't name your child just anything you want. Not sure if we didn't have any problems since we are Americans and not German citizens. I can see how it would be helpful for a new mom to share a room with a mother that has multiple kids. That way the experienced mother can share helpful tips. Thanks Ms for watching!
Thank you for your service 🙏🏻 ❤️
Thank you for the support!
congratulations and thanks for sharing ❤👍🙋♂
Thanks for watching!
Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy! Did you have a midwife to look after you and your baby during pregnancy and after the birth? Insurance will not only cover the ob/gyn but also a midwife. Most women see a midwife in addition to the ob/gyn. Especially after giving birth, the visits of a midwife are really important and helpful.
No I did not have a midwife during my pregnancy. But a midwife was at the hospital where I delivered and she was amazing. Couldn’t of done it without her.
It's so helpful to have on afterwards as well, but you have to look for one yourself and you can get postnatal gymnastics with her as well. Which is something really important after giving birth.
I delivered 2 babies in Bavaria, had a privat delivery suite ( no extra costs), and afterwards had a shared room with 3 other mums, no problem.
It was just a huge culture shock for me to share a room with another new mama. There are a lot of private moments. Breastfeeding or spending time with your new baby and husband. Just something we aren’t used to in the States.
Well if you would pay 5000 or more Euro in Germany for All the pregnancy stuff then I am pretty sure there would be a Single room included too after giving birth 😉
Actually the single private rooms in the US are just a fairly recent change. Shared rooms were the standard just 10-15 years ago. Yes also private rooms mean the hospital can't accommodate as many patients creating limited access to care. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Question! I will be giving birth here in Germany as well! For my birth in the states, the hospital provided everything for me and the baby. Swaddles, diapers, aftercare products for me, hospital gowns. Do they provide those things here in Germany for you in the Hospital?
Congratulations on your new addition to your family. Having a baby here in Germany was definitely different than when I had my son in the states. The hospital provided diapers and wipes for baby. They did put him in an outfit and he wore it the whole time while were there. I want able to take it home which I thought odd.
Next, they did offer me post birth sanitary items. Do no need to worry about that. They do not give you a gown even during birth. I brought my own. Any other questions?
Very nice and very intersting. Did I undeerstand correctly you had a 3D or 4D ultrasound at every visti? Those are quite time consumming.
Yes, I got a 3-D ultrasound it every appointment. It would only take 3-5 minutes.
Truett is very cute
Usually the dad is allowed to Star longer than Otter visitors
Yes! Lucas was able to stay after he was born even though it wasn’t technically visiting hours. So that was really nice.
There's a reason why you as a mother can stay up to 3 or more days. It's called baby blues and they want mothers to get help if it hits in.
Yes that definitely happens.
❤
The visiting hours are different from clinic to clinic
That makes sense. Thanks for commenting!
I gave birth in Germany but at a Army base hospital. I was air force 😊
I do wish I could of given birth somewhere on post but that was just not an option.
Don't forget: Everything you got through out your pregnancy is paid by your Insurance, so it's completely free for you. Don't you think it's a bit unfair to compare it with a birth in the usa, where you are asked to pay (your own) money for every procedure.
I can guarantee you that you could have gotten everything you missed, if you had asked and (above all) paid for it yourself!!!
Yes that is true. The healthcare in each country is funded completely differently. Each way has its own pros and cons. The main takeaway is that the healthcare in Germany is nothing to be worried about but instead we were well taken care of even if a few things were different. Thanks for watching and commenting.