Having a Baby in Germany

Many of you have asked how the experience of having a baby in Germany differed from having a baby in the US, so I thought I would do a post about my pregnancy and William's arrival!

Belly pic at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart

I was in my first trimester of pregnancy when we arrived in Germany.  There is no military hospital on our army base in Stuttgart, only a health clinic where we can see our primary care managers (internists/family physicians).  All specialty care (i.e. OB) is referred to doctors off base in the German health care system.  My doctor was the head of OB/GYN at our local Krankenhaus (hospital).  I felt that I was in very good hands for my prenatal care.  My doctor spoke English perfectly and was very knowledgeable and thorough. 

I liked having my appointments at the Krankenhaus because I became comfortable with the hospital and staff before my delivery.  The hospital was clean and modern and had impressive technology.  In Germany, expectant mothers have an ultrasound at every appointment to check the baby's measurements (instead of measuring fundal height with a measuring tape).  Dr. W's examining room had a flat screen TV on the ceiling so I could easily see the ultrasound.  He gave me a 3D picture of the baby at several of my first appointments!  It was very reassuring to see the baby so often. 

Every expectant mother in Germany receives a "Mutterpass" (a mother's passport) at her first doctor's appointment.  

This was my portable health care record and I was responsible for bringing it to each doctor's appointment.  In it, the nurses and doctor would record my weight, blood pressure, information from ultrasounds, etc.  I was advised to carry my Mutterpass at all times in case I had an emergency.  

On the day of my planned c-section, I was prepped for surgery around 8:30am and William was born at 8:49am.  The midwives wrapped him in a blanket and handed him to us immediately without cleaning him off.  After a few minutes, Jim went with the baby to our recovery room while the doctors finished stitching me up.

The midwives gave the baby to Jim for skin to skin time and a few minutes later they brought me to the room where I was able to hold our baby and breastfeed him.  I think it's really neat that Jim got a photo of the midwife's notes (below).  The second line has the symbol for "boy" and the word "vater" (father).  That's the time Jim and William got to the recovery room.  The last line says "Mutter kommt zuruck" (Mother comes back).

We were left alone for about a half hour, then one of the junior doctors and our midwife came back to examine, weigh, and measure William.  

  

I had brought baby clothes with us to the Krankenhaus as a friend had told me the hospital clothes were fussy and made diaper changes difficult, but we loved the outfits and didn't end up using our own!!  They were so sweet looking.  They really bundle babies up here: a onesie, a long sleeved t-shirt, and then a fleece/velour footie pajama on top of that.  They do not provide hats so it was a good thing I brought some! 

The midwife brought a small tray with letter beads on it into the recovery room.  She strung a bracelet for William with our last name on it and put it on his wrist.  I loved this!  It seemed so old fashioned and will be such a special keepsake for us.  

William also had a standard hospital bracelet with his name on his ankle, but I was not given a hospital bracelet.  In contrast, in the US, Drew and I each wore a bracelet with a number on it.  I had to read this number to the nurses whenever they would bring him back to me from the nursery.  Drew and I also each had a second bracelet that was electronic; it played a special song when he was put in my arms to show that he had been given back to the right mother.  Without all these security measures in place, the first time I sent William to the nursery for his hearing test, I was a little nervous that he wouldn't come back (or that a different baby would!) but all was fine of course. :)

Our room at the Krankenhaus was really nice!  Most new moms in Germany have a semi-private room: they share a room with another new mom and baby.  Since my parents were in town to care for Drew, we decided to pay out of pocket to have a private family room so Jim could stay overnight with us.  We each had our own hospital bed.

This was the view from our room!

Jim and I make a good team during our hospital stays.  I do all the feeding and he does all the changing!  :)  A nice feature of our room was the diaper changing station...check out the warming lamp at Jim's eye level.  Jim turned it on every time he changed William so he stayed nice and toasty warm!

William's bassinet looked like a mini crib with its wooden rails.  One of the sides could be dropped down so it could be pushed up alongside my bed.  Are you wondering what that giant marshmallow-like pillow is on William?! 

 So were we!  Whenever William came back from the nursery, he had this pillow tucked around him.  We thought it was kind of strange at first, but quickly realized how secure and happy William seemed under it.  The weight of it must have been comforting, kind of like being in the womb.  Our German neighbor said that all babies in Germany have this pillow in their bassinet at the Krankenhaus.  Before we were discharged, the German pediatrician went over all the ways to reduce the risk of SIDS (no blankets, pillows, toys in the bed) so it must be something they only use in the first few days of life when babies are in the hospital and not mobile enough for it to be a concern.

Meals at the Krankenhaus were different than in the US too.  Check out Jim's first meal after we were taken to our room:

A real MAN's meal!

Lunch was a hot meal, but breakfast and dinner were always the same: a roll, two pieces of bread, butter and jam, a few slices of cheese, and tea or coffee.  I liked trying all the different kinds of tea: chamomile, hibiscus, etc.

Once in awhile, Jim's plate had a little bonus:

Liverwurst!

A lot of moms complained about these meals on our Stuttgart Facebook group, but I thought they were great!  I looked forward to my bread with butter and jam!  (I was also trying to go really slowly with food after my c-section so that probably affected my perspective, too.).  In the US, I was given a huge menu of foods to choose from.  On my first day post-op, I had pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and pasta for dinner.  No wonder I got an ileus!  The meals in Germany seemed much more sensible.  I think the German way of eating a big meal at midday and a light meal in the evening is why the people here are so much more fit and healthy than Americans.  

On the last day of our stay I had a heartier meal.

A traditional German meal: spaetzle (kind of like macaroni and cheese)

We saw the German pediatrician before leaving the Krankenhaus.  I wish I had gotten a photo with him and our fantastic nurses before we left!  The pediatrician was a really cool young guy with longish blonde hair.  He introduced himself as "Eric."  His examination of Willian was very thorough.  William had conjunctivitis so he prescribed us antibiotic eye drops.  He had not received any ointment in his eyes at birth; they don't do that in Germany. They do give babies a dose of Vitamin K orally, but they do not give any immunizations directly after birth.    William had his Vitamin K and Hepatitis B shots at his 48 hour after discharge well visit at the base clinic.

Visitors were allowed from 2-6pm so my parents and Drew came to visit us every day during that time.  We looked forward to their visits and were so thankful that my mom and dad were here to meet William and care for Drew.  It was good to see him so happy even with Mommy and Daddy away from home.

We stayed in the hospital 4 nights.  Germans often stay up to 7 nights after a c-section but I felt well enough to go home sooner.  Overall, my experience giving birth in Germany was very positive!  I have only good things to say about it!  My hospital stay and recovery were so much better than my first birth.  I felt very fortunate to have received such good care and to be going home with a healthy, beautiful baby. :)

If you read this far, please let me know by leaving a comment!  And remember to follow along on my KD Weekly blog for more on our new family of four!