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.