As promised, although a few days later than I wanted, I wanted to share our experiences with the German hospital tours. These days, we have two hospitals to choose from, one is 10 minutes away, the other is about a half hour. Unfortunately, the better of the two is the farthest away. I’m pretty sure we’ll be safe and not have to deliver the baby en route.
First, we made an appointment with the military insurance liaison. She’s German and calls the hospital the day of the appointment to make sure they’re not full and so we can at least look at a couple of rooms in the birthing centers. There were about 7 of us on the first tour. She met us in the lobby and then takes on the route we would go if we were having the baby, from check in to check out; where to go, who to contact, etc. We have to call the MP’s en route to the hospital so they can contact the liaison on call so they are aware we are there in case there are any problems. Things can come up because of the language barrier, although there are plenty of people who speak English.
Upon entry of the hospital is a lobby as well as a restaurant. She showed us the birthing ward, which has 2 labor rooms, 2 private rooms and 4 other wards. I didn’t feel real comfortable there, I felt like there wasn’t enough privacy. The halls are narrow and if the hospital was busy, there was a good chance I could share a room with 3 other people. Not for m, considering there are no curtains in between the beds. I’m not exceptionally modest, but I really don’t want Uncle Dieter watching me breastfeed or have to deal with 3 other people’s visitors. It’s scary and traumatic enough without feeling even more uncomfortable. Plus, we’d all share the bathroom in the room. For privacy, there is a shower room, a feeding room and a room for meals, buffet style. I’m sorry, but I will be going through the most dramatic thing I will ever experience in my life and I’ll be damned if I’m going to get up between the hours of 7:30 and 9:00 and get my own breakfast! Call me pampered, but that’s just crazy. So, that right there turned me off.
Another issue is that there is a time delay with this particular hospital with getting the baby’s German birth certificate. Something about a new computer system or database causing a delay and it would take a few weeks. Needless to say, I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve heard good things from people who’ve had babies there, but I just didn’t feel comfortable. The one good thing about that hospital is that it’s the neonatal hospital in the area. If a problem is discovered with a baby delivered at another hospital, it’s sent there. I’m being optimistic and hope that doesn’t happen. I just don’t want to take the risk of not being able to have my own private room, so we chose another hospital. Maybe I wouldn’t be so picky if I was younger, but I’m not. I figure being pregnant at my age, I’m entitled to be a bit choosier. I don’t think I’m really being unreasonable.
The second hospital tour was much more reassuring. Of course there was a restaurant (which my husband commented that he would be hanging around in- Sure, OK, ha-ha). The hospital is much newer, more modern and bigger. The birthing ward was like a wellness spa. Thank God my husband was able to go on these tours so he can remember where we have to go because I have mentioned before that I have no sense of direction and will be busy dealing with contractions and therefore would definitely get lost.
Anyway, the actual labor rooms were huge and both had hot tubs in them as well as a patio that I could escape to during the early stages of labor. There were more private rooms in this hospital and the worst case scenario would be sharing a room with one other person. I guess I could live with that in this place. They provide towels and a robe and each room had a shower, not a locker room type shower room like the other hospital. There’s a nice lounge with leather couches and a large screen TV for the families to hang out in. I could even reserve a suite if I wanted to, but I decided not to because then I’d be expected to cook (Just kidding). There was a beautiful feeding room if a person wants to get out their room, complete with soothing twinkling lights in the ceiling, soothing wood tones and warm colors, as well as soft music. I was really impressed and felt much better about the whole thing. The only bummer is that I guess I can’t get away from having to get my own food. I guess they want you up and moving around ASAP. I guess we Americans are spoiled in that way, more pampered.
If you have a natural childbirth in Germany, you normally stay in the hospital for 3 days, 5 days for a C section. I think they kick you out sooner than that in the States. Our insurance will pay for a semi-private room. If I want a private room, we have to kick in more out of our pocket. Not that much more. It’s totally worth it to me.
The liaison makes an appointment for you with the hospital that you choose so you can discuss any concerns or questions prior to the birth, which is a good thing, so there aren’t any misunderstandings when the time comes. My Dr. will also call the hospital on my last visit with him in two weeks and let them know when I plan on coming (given that I don’t go into labor before then). They will induce me because I am a bit higher risk given my age and potentially having gestational diabetes. Don’t want the baby too big!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Oh Baby!
Yes, that’s right…a new baby! I’ve been completely slacking in updating my blog lately because frankly, I’m pretty darn tired at the end of the day. I’m due in two and a half weeks and still working full time. I didn’t mention being pregnant at all for a few reasons. I didn’t want the blog to be about that because honestly, it’s not something new and interesting to many people and I’m sure there are many people out there looking to hear about something different. However, after much consideration and new experiences, this is something new. Having a baby overseas in Europe is DEFINITELY different.
First of all, you have to be your own advocate even more so here. You’re dealing with two different healthcare systems here, the military’s and the German’s, and the two don’t always mix or see eye to eye. Germany is much more holistic. Unless it’s genuinely medically necessary, they don’t really encourage it. You also have the language barrier.
When I first thought I was pregnant, I made an appointment and confirmed it with a blood test at the health clinic on base. There are no gynecologists at the base in this area. Unless you want to drive to Landstuhl, GE, where the large medical facility is and is about an hour and a half away, you are referred to a German doctor. Just like preferred providers are in the States, there is a list of preferred gynecologists that take American patients and their insurance. It would be in their best interest to do so, this is socialized medicine here. They know they will get paid because the American Military insurance is paying, and that’s a good thing. As a result, do we Americans get better treatment? Definitely, if you’re inpatient at a hospital. We have private insurance, so we can afford better treatment. Are we getting better treatment in the examining room? I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know what the norm is for a German woman.
What I do know is that they are incredibly efficient, as always, and much more personable than I expected. My doctor speaks very good English and lived in the States for several years, which is a plus. His practice is very busy, just like in the US. I bet my total time with him per visit is 10 minutes, tops. The medical assistants (I think they’re the equivalent of LPN’s, several of them are quite young) take care of everything else, quite effectively. They are courteous and friendly and speak decent enough English. Again, you have to be your own advocate. Germans get down to business. If you have questions, ask them. When my name is called, I enter the doctor’s office. He looks at my “Mutter Pass”, says what he needs to say and then tells me to enter another room attached to his office to undress. I then enter the examining room. Incidentally, the “Mutter Pass” is a wonderful thing; it’s like a little passport with my complete pregnancy medical history. This is carried with you wherever you go, so if I need medical attention, everyone knows what my status is.
I won’t go into the gory details of the examination, but I will say that you can forget about any modesty that you might have. No nice little hospital gowns here. Hello…this is Europe. I will also say that unlike back home, they give you an ultrasound and printed photo at every visit. This is normal in Germany; I thought it might me a little favoritism or extra billing opportunity, but it’s not. This is pretty cool. I have a photo of my little bundle of joy starting from about 4 months, taken monthly, to about a month ago, which was taken every two weeks.
Another interesting difference is that this doctor will not deliver my baby. He is not an OBGYN. This is also normal in Germany and kind of a bummer. I build this rapport and trust with this doctor over the last six to seven months, but a stranger will be delivering the baby. It’s scary enough not having my family and friends from home around during this time. Actually, midwives will deliver the baby, I will be lucky to see a doctor for a few minutes, unless there’s a problem. This is pretty much the same in the States too, I think. This is my first baby, so I’m new at this.
Again, my sincerest apologies for not staying with the program and blogging on a regular basis, but will do so as much as my energy allows. Next week is my last week at work, so I will be a bit rested before the grand appearance.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow’s blog will be about the hospitals. We can choose what hospital we want to deliver in and once again, we discovered two different cultures.
First of all, you have to be your own advocate even more so here. You’re dealing with two different healthcare systems here, the military’s and the German’s, and the two don’t always mix or see eye to eye. Germany is much more holistic. Unless it’s genuinely medically necessary, they don’t really encourage it. You also have the language barrier.
When I first thought I was pregnant, I made an appointment and confirmed it with a blood test at the health clinic on base. There are no gynecologists at the base in this area. Unless you want to drive to Landstuhl, GE, where the large medical facility is and is about an hour and a half away, you are referred to a German doctor. Just like preferred providers are in the States, there is a list of preferred gynecologists that take American patients and their insurance. It would be in their best interest to do so, this is socialized medicine here. They know they will get paid because the American Military insurance is paying, and that’s a good thing. As a result, do we Americans get better treatment? Definitely, if you’re inpatient at a hospital. We have private insurance, so we can afford better treatment. Are we getting better treatment in the examining room? I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know what the norm is for a German woman.
What I do know is that they are incredibly efficient, as always, and much more personable than I expected. My doctor speaks very good English and lived in the States for several years, which is a plus. His practice is very busy, just like in the US. I bet my total time with him per visit is 10 minutes, tops. The medical assistants (I think they’re the equivalent of LPN’s, several of them are quite young) take care of everything else, quite effectively. They are courteous and friendly and speak decent enough English. Again, you have to be your own advocate. Germans get down to business. If you have questions, ask them. When my name is called, I enter the doctor’s office. He looks at my “Mutter Pass”, says what he needs to say and then tells me to enter another room attached to his office to undress. I then enter the examining room. Incidentally, the “Mutter Pass” is a wonderful thing; it’s like a little passport with my complete pregnancy medical history. This is carried with you wherever you go, so if I need medical attention, everyone knows what my status is.
I won’t go into the gory details of the examination, but I will say that you can forget about any modesty that you might have. No nice little hospital gowns here. Hello…this is Europe. I will also say that unlike back home, they give you an ultrasound and printed photo at every visit. This is normal in Germany; I thought it might me a little favoritism or extra billing opportunity, but it’s not. This is pretty cool. I have a photo of my little bundle of joy starting from about 4 months, taken monthly, to about a month ago, which was taken every two weeks.
Another interesting difference is that this doctor will not deliver my baby. He is not an OBGYN. This is also normal in Germany and kind of a bummer. I build this rapport and trust with this doctor over the last six to seven months, but a stranger will be delivering the baby. It’s scary enough not having my family and friends from home around during this time. Actually, midwives will deliver the baby, I will be lucky to see a doctor for a few minutes, unless there’s a problem. This is pretty much the same in the States too, I think. This is my first baby, so I’m new at this.
Again, my sincerest apologies for not staying with the program and blogging on a regular basis, but will do so as much as my energy allows. Next week is my last week at work, so I will be a bit rested before the grand appearance.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow’s blog will be about the hospitals. We can choose what hospital we want to deliver in and once again, we discovered two different cultures.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Frohe Ostern- Happy Easter!
We just returned from a non-typical Easter dinner, American, German or otherwise. We went to my friend Meggie’s house and grilled T-bone steaks, burgers and pork cutlets. Meggie is from Kenya and her daughter in law and granddaughter are visiting Germany from England this week. Meggie lives with her boyfriend Charly who is Czech. They’ve lived together for about 8 years now. We totally have international exposure, I tell you. It was a nice, low key, relaxing time. The weather was absolutely beautiful; I would guess 70 degrees Fahrenheit and not a cloud in the sky.
They live in a large apartment complex in our little town and have a decent size balcony, big enough to sit several people comfortably and grill. No big Weber gas grill though, we used a small electric grill. It did the trick. My husband, the grill meister, had the honors. We cooked the meat and the rest was provided. I’m ready for my own grill. We don’t have a balcony with this apartment and it makes me crazy. I’ve complained about this before, sorry.
Both Friday and Monday are holidays here. I’m not sure if they’re state holidays or national, but everyone here has Friday and Monday off. It was wonderful driving to work on Friday with no traffic. When I worked for the public school system and the City way back when, I’m pretty sure we didn’t work on Good Friday, but as a government employee here, its business as usual. Most of the military are free, but not all. It varies. I was able to leave work early on Friday, thanks to the generosity of my boss, which was nice enough. Mondays just come too quick these days.
I still haven’t found out what a traditional Easter dinner is here in Germany. I confirmed with my mother that we used to have ham, cabbage and carrots. I thought so, but wasn’t sure. I think traditional Easter dinner here varies from family to family, as well as the enthusiasm. If there aren’t small kids around to enjoy the visit from the Oster hase (Easter bunny), then it’s lower key, as it is back home. The Easter bunny did visit my house, if he knew what was good for him. Although he thought it was silly, he humored me. I can’t help it; I’ve always liked Easter and Easter bunnies and Easter decorations. I helped by pointing out something small that I liked and he went from there. Good bunny.
They live in a large apartment complex in our little town and have a decent size balcony, big enough to sit several people comfortably and grill. No big Weber gas grill though, we used a small electric grill. It did the trick. My husband, the grill meister, had the honors. We cooked the meat and the rest was provided. I’m ready for my own grill. We don’t have a balcony with this apartment and it makes me crazy. I’ve complained about this before, sorry.
Both Friday and Monday are holidays here. I’m not sure if they’re state holidays or national, but everyone here has Friday and Monday off. It was wonderful driving to work on Friday with no traffic. When I worked for the public school system and the City way back when, I’m pretty sure we didn’t work on Good Friday, but as a government employee here, its business as usual. Most of the military are free, but not all. It varies. I was able to leave work early on Friday, thanks to the generosity of my boss, which was nice enough. Mondays just come too quick these days.
I still haven’t found out what a traditional Easter dinner is here in Germany. I confirmed with my mother that we used to have ham, cabbage and carrots. I thought so, but wasn’t sure. I think traditional Easter dinner here varies from family to family, as well as the enthusiasm. If there aren’t small kids around to enjoy the visit from the Oster hase (Easter bunny), then it’s lower key, as it is back home. The Easter bunny did visit my house, if he knew what was good for him. Although he thought it was silly, he humored me. I can’t help it; I’ve always liked Easter and Easter bunnies and Easter decorations. I helped by pointing out something small that I liked and he went from there. Good bunny.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The Rot Kreutz
Our friend Martin was going to keep us busy again this weekend. He’s the friend that I have mentioned that owns a light and production company who refers us to various cool happenings that we would otherwise miss. This particular “gig” was of a different sorts. There was some kind of reunion type gathering going on at the sportsplatz in town, of which, his band (this guy is busy) was providing entertainment for. He told us about it last week so we thought we’d check it out.
The reunion was for the “Rot Kreutz” (Red Cross) and I think it was for the region, not the Red Cross in town. There was probably two or three hundred people there. The Red Cross is pretty big here. There are chapters in most of the towns, however small, and they usually put on a great party. This party seemed to be more private or not necessarily something everyone would be interested in. My husband and I ate dinner at the Kroatian restaurant next door and could see the hall from the restaurant. It looked to be more of a meeting with presentations and speeches. We walked over after eating and took a look and decided it wasn’t for us. The band was just setting up and we didn’t want to wait around.
The Red Cross chapter in town is located across the street from us, in the same building that houses the Feuer Wehr (fire house) and the town hall. The last Red Cross gathering that we went to was huge and it seemed the entire town was there. They met their goal of raising several hundred thousand euros, so they threw this huge party to celebrate. They set up a disco in the firehouse. There’s never a dull moment here. We walked home when the birds were singing.
Spring has sprung and the birds are singing and things are blossoming everywhere. I have noticed that there doesn’t seem to be as many birds here as back home in CT. I do live “in town”, but I first noticed this when driving home from work the other day. I have no idea why this came to mind, but it suddenly occurred to me that I’ve rarely seen any bird droppings on my car or around my house. I thought that was kind of strange. Even when walking through the woods, I hear birds but don’t really see an abundance of them. I’m not sure why.
Anyway, this was a fairly low key weekend in Germany. Rented a few movies, went out to eat, went for a walk, cleaned and went to the “kino” (movies) today to see the new Hugh Grant movie, “Music and Lyrics”. There’s a theater in the town where I work that shows mostly English version movies, which is nice. There is a theater on the base, but for some reason, I’ve never seen a movie there. If I lived on base, I’m sure it would be different, but I like to avoid going to the base on the weekends. I guess since I work there five days a week, I feel like that’s enough time to be there. This theater off base is pretty small, only two screens, but it’s kind of neat. There are wooden “shelves”, if you will, attached to the seats in front of you for you to put your popcorn or beer on. Yes, beer. You can purchase various bottles of alcoholic beverages at the theaters in Germany, which isn’t surprising. They sell popcorn and candy as well, although the popcorn isn’t so good, it’s not buttered. I can’t say whether this is the norm or not. I haven’t purchased popcorn in any other theaters. I know we can get our popcorn in the USA, buttered or not, but even the non-buttered tastes better than this stuff. Maybe they just haven’t caught on to this American staple yet. Sooner or later someone will set them straight.
The reunion was for the “Rot Kreutz” (Red Cross) and I think it was for the region, not the Red Cross in town. There was probably two or three hundred people there. The Red Cross is pretty big here. There are chapters in most of the towns, however small, and they usually put on a great party. This party seemed to be more private or not necessarily something everyone would be interested in. My husband and I ate dinner at the Kroatian restaurant next door and could see the hall from the restaurant. It looked to be more of a meeting with presentations and speeches. We walked over after eating and took a look and decided it wasn’t for us. The band was just setting up and we didn’t want to wait around.
The Red Cross chapter in town is located across the street from us, in the same building that houses the Feuer Wehr (fire house) and the town hall. The last Red Cross gathering that we went to was huge and it seemed the entire town was there. They met their goal of raising several hundred thousand euros, so they threw this huge party to celebrate. They set up a disco in the firehouse. There’s never a dull moment here. We walked home when the birds were singing.
Spring has sprung and the birds are singing and things are blossoming everywhere. I have noticed that there doesn’t seem to be as many birds here as back home in CT. I do live “in town”, but I first noticed this when driving home from work the other day. I have no idea why this came to mind, but it suddenly occurred to me that I’ve rarely seen any bird droppings on my car or around my house. I thought that was kind of strange. Even when walking through the woods, I hear birds but don’t really see an abundance of them. I’m not sure why.
Anyway, this was a fairly low key weekend in Germany. Rented a few movies, went out to eat, went for a walk, cleaned and went to the “kino” (movies) today to see the new Hugh Grant movie, “Music and Lyrics”. There’s a theater in the town where I work that shows mostly English version movies, which is nice. There is a theater on the base, but for some reason, I’ve never seen a movie there. If I lived on base, I’m sure it would be different, but I like to avoid going to the base on the weekends. I guess since I work there five days a week, I feel like that’s enough time to be there. This theater off base is pretty small, only two screens, but it’s kind of neat. There are wooden “shelves”, if you will, attached to the seats in front of you for you to put your popcorn or beer on. Yes, beer. You can purchase various bottles of alcoholic beverages at the theaters in Germany, which isn’t surprising. They sell popcorn and candy as well, although the popcorn isn’t so good, it’s not buttered. I can’t say whether this is the norm or not. I haven’t purchased popcorn in any other theaters. I know we can get our popcorn in the USA, buttered or not, but even the non-buttered tastes better than this stuff. Maybe they just haven’t caught on to this American staple yet. Sooner or later someone will set them straight.
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