Do not give birth beautifully: Women compare paid and free deliveries
Toward the middle of pregnancy, a woman begins to determine where to give birth, and most importantly - paid or free. The set of alarms is standard: will there be polite and qualified personnel in a free clinic, will there be enough anesthesia for all pregnant women, will relatives be allowed into the ward and who will have to share it, does it make sense to give a large amount if you can give birth to it? We asked four women, two of whom gave birth for a fee, and two - for free, to tell them what demands they made to the families and whether they were satisfied.
I had such requirements for childbirth: there should be resuscitation in the maternity hospital, a careful attention of the doctors, so that everything goes as calmly as possible for me and the child. In the postpartum department - a joint stay with the baby.
At first, I considered the option of paid delivery with a doctor, who was recommended to me. He just worked at the maternity hospital, where I had already managed to lie down in the "pathology", and was satisfied with the attitude of doctors and nurses. Then, giving birth there with a specific doctor cost about eighty thousand, with a brigade on duty - sixty. But when I arrived at the hospital for the 35th week to conclude an agreement, I was told that the doctor I chose was not working temporarily under the contracts. I remember, I immediately called him, he went to talk to me in the hospital square. It turned out that he himself was surprised by the "rearrangements" in the department for contracts. We talked for a long time, and he said: “Why do you have to give birth for a fee, give that kind of money? I see that you are doing well - both in attitude and physiologically. You have to understand one thing: the doctor will help the person in her anyway need - regardless of the existence of the contract. And in any case do not say "I will thank you". "
It was the first time in Moscow that I saw a person who does not pursue earnings but offers the best option for the patient. He inspired me a lot and I decided not to sign a contract. I did not consider partnership delivery, but according to the compulsory health insurance in this hospital, it was possible to give birth with a partner or, for example, in a bath - absolutely free, everything at will.
When the contractions began, the ambulance doctors wanted to take me to another hospital, but I said: "I only agree on this one. If you are not lucky, I will go there by taxi." Doctors called in "my" hospital, they gave the go-ahead. There they put me in a single prenatal ward (but perhaps it was also generic). I was lying on a transformer bed with no steps on it. The doctor at the very beginning asked to give birth vertically (I read that this is a more natural way for the mother and child). A nurse with a trainee came to my ward, they carefully put the CTG apparatus (registers the heart rate of the fetus. - Approx. ed.) and drip. After a while, the waters broke off, and a woman came, who cleaned everything up, changed everything, and gently helped me to lie down.
Most of the time I was alone, and it suited me, but why is there someone? I concentrated on my sensations, thoughts, breathing: when I had a fight, I rested. Then I realized that something had changed in sensations - the urges began that were hard to endure. The doctor came when I called for three times, looked: "Full disclosure of the cervix." He called the midwife, but in response they shouted that they were all busy - in labor. I was not scared because I knew what to do, the doctor was nearby. He offered to take a vertical position, as I requested, but I was no longer ready to get up.
He put on gloves and began to tell how to breathe. I say: "Let's better together." He replied: "Of course." After the first of my attempts the midwife came running, and on the second I gave birth. They put my daughter on my chest, I asked not to cut the umbilical cord until she otpulsiruet. My wishes are taken into account. A neonatologist came, examined the baby, after which they sewed me a break and brought food, saying that I needed to gain strength.
Only in the postpartum department, I realized the difference between free and paid deliveries. We had a triple room (and this is not the worst option): either one child will cry, then second, then third, then changing clothes, then examinations, then tests. Only two showers and two toilets for the entire floor. You will run away when the child is asleep, and in two minutes he can cry - at the same time, the other two immediately wake up and start screaming too. It was hell: out of three days I slept for about fifteen minutes - fell into a dream, being in complete silence. I remember how I poured myself tea in the morning, and in the evening I just poured it.
The wards had everything necessary for children: clean diapers, diapers, mothers changed shirts, diapers without problems. At discharge, small souvenirs, as well as many promotional packages with gifts: care creams, diapers, ointments, magazines, toys.
If I have a second child, I will consider paid childbirth because of the postpartum department, the comfortable conditions of stay with the baby. But I’m thinking about the option and free - in the new hospital next to my house all wards single and double.
We have two maternity hospitals in the city: I wanted to give birth in the regional one, because I had heard and read a lot of good reviews about it. But as luck would have it at that time it was closed, and the second hospital was crowded. Moreover, women from the neighboring city came there and the hospital was closed for repairs there.
Fee I did not want to give birth. Her husband's relatives advised a good specialist from a neighboring large city, but I did not listen to them: first, it was expensive, and second, I read bad reviews about him. Plus, driving far away, and the male doctor is unusual. I had the following requirements for childbirth: a normal attitude and attentive doctors. I did not think about a separate ward, giving birth to my husband (I'm sure that we don’t have one in our town) - I just wanted everything to go well.
I arrived at the maternity hospital on my preliminary date of delivery, but I was not put on it - there were no signs of labor activity. Then she came on the 41st week, having waited four hours in the queue, and they took me. There were a lot of people in the maternity hospital, the doctor looked at me like that: they say, I could barely find one empty seat, and I have to bow low to them for that. I put the CTG machine right in the hallway. The doctor quickly looked, the ultrasound did, and said nothing.
The contractions began on the second day: I began to periodically twist my stomach, I ran to the toilet to no avail. Went to the nurse, asked: "Could it be contractions?" She said: "You do not know what contractions are? On the Internet, read! This is your training. Go back to the ward and go to bed. The doctor will kill me if I call her - she is on duty alone at night, she is tired of you." I say: "I do not know what contractions are, I have the first birth, already the 42nd week is going." As a result, the doctor came, looked at me - everything was rude and painful. I was disposed to give me medicine and left to sleep. In the morning the contractions became stronger. A nurse came from the post, she already spoke to me differently, called the doctor.
It was a tin - the doctor was worse than the previous one, she said to me: "Do not yell, I am on my feet for a day!" I asked to apologize. Then I was told to go to the tribal one. There was another doctor there, a nurse with her - they were kinder, they approached, they asked how I was. But how to breathe, did not speak. With me in this chamber were three more people with contractions - and everyone was yelling. I was silent, kept, but then became unbearable, and I, too, began to scream. They said that I would scare everyone, but I didn’t care. I asked for pain relief, I was injected with drotaverine, which did not help at all.
Then we went to another office, where we give birth. There lay a woman who had already given birth, then I gave birth, and then another began to give birth. Conveyor, still need to be done quickly. When the child was born, I forgot about the pain. They did not put the son on the chest - they just showed it. And they cut them with scissors, then sewed them up without anesthesia, anointed them with something, but there was no point. Days before discharge flew in tests and waiting for milk, I wanted to get out of there faster.
What about the second child? I do not know, I have not moved away from these genera. If possible, I will give birth to a doctor, who was advised by relatives.
I did not consider opportunities to give birth for free at all: I wanted to protect myself in everything. I approached the search with all my pickiness, first highlighting the criteria by which the choice will be made. First, the doctor and the midwife were important to me - so that they were experienced and adequate professionals. Secondly, children's resuscitation in the hospital. Third - I was only satisfied with the official contract. I firmly stand in the position that you should not agree with the doctors "quietly", it is illegal and unreliable. Fourth - I had a partner childbirth, so I needed a separate rodblok with a shower and toilet inside.
My husband and I were looking for the perfect option for a very long time: I looked through all the reviews on the local forum, phoned my acquaintances, consulted with the doctors I encountered during pregnancy. We went around four maternity hospitals and five doctors. I didn’t personally like one of them (I met them when I came to the reception), somewhere they didn’t like the price or conditions - for example, in one expensive maternity hospital there was no toilet with a shower.
As a result, only on the 37th week I decided on a doctor: I came to the reception, talked and realized that I was ready to give birth to her. Moderately tough, with a sense of humor, demanding. At the same time, the midwife with whom she worked was the exact opposite - kind, calm and gentle. In general, bad and good cop.
Right on the morning of the DA (preliminary date of delivery. - Approx. ed.) it seemed to me that my contractions began. We called an ambulance, showed a contract with the hospital, and we were immediately taken there. From the emergency room I called my doctor. Then it turned out that I did not give birth yet, and they put me in the prenatal ward. In the evening I felt light contractions, the doctor examined me, I think I gave something (I can’t remember exactly) and told me to try to sleep at night. It's amazing that I slept that night, only occasionally coming to life because of the pain.
The next day at eight in the morning (it was a day off) my doctor and midwife were already in the hospital. I was transferred to a separate rodblok. My husband arrived, changed his clothes and was with me until the moment they started sewing me up after birth. All this time the midwife was with me. And even though I knew how to breathe (we trained at home for a couple of weeks), it was still calmer with her. I spent a lot of time before the most painful fights in the shower on the ball - my husband was also there and talked to me. Then the midwife said it was time to go out. Then there were thirty minutes of almost continuous fights, during which my husband, nurse and doctor were with me. I didn’t scream at all: I didn’t want to lose energy on it, it was more important to concentrate and breathe correctly. The doctor asked my husband then laughing: “She is an excellent student, is she?” I gave birth to the third attempt, put my daughter on my chest, then a neonatologist looked at her, then gave her husband (I could be wrong in the sequence). They sewed me up, brought me some food later, and took me to my ward. All the single rooms were occupied, and they put me in a double room. Daughter brought in a couple of hours.
On the very first sleepless night, such a terrible panic caused by responsibility and stress was hard to convey. In this case, my neighbor has already been discharged. And the husband, seeing my condition and having talked with me, went to the administration of the department and asked if we could “buy out” the second place in the ward for the next three days - and he will be there with me. We were met: it is clear that for the money, but because of this I do not remember my first days after birth as hell. There was a family compartment in the department, but for some reason we did not enter into an agreement on it initially.
In the postpartum, all the specialists tried to help us, the nurses came in, explained the difficulties with breastfeeding, answered questions. A couple of times I was faced with rudeness, but against the background of the rest she was amazing. Yes, both the midwife and the doctor came to me after the birth.
It seems to me that my calculation worked - and with doctors, and with conditions. Everything was as I wanted it. Of course, in our country this is a tape measure - you can pay and it will be bad, so I would advise women to make a very careful selection and get acquainted with the doctor and midwife in advance. If I have a second birth, then only paid.
The most important for me was the possibility of partner delivery, single or double postpartum ward. And the main thing is the calm and gentle attitude of the doctors: I am a terrible coward and I need to be talked to me like a child. Deliveries without a contract were not considered by me, as I had heard plenty of stories about the horrors of free maternity hospitals from friends and acquaintances.
In the city where I live, there are no paid maternity hospitals, only two are free, which cannot be given birth under a contract (even if births are paid for by insurance - as was the case in my case). I began to study what kind of maternity hospital I was offered by my insurance, and chose the most expensive - he was in St. Petersburg, since her husband's mother lives there. I liked the description in the program: partner childbirth, a separate chamber with a shower and a toilet, six-meals a la carte. The cost of delivery was 176,000 rubles (cesarean was paid separately).
Because of the placenta previa, I should have had a cesarean, and I had a planned operation. On the eve of her offered a pill sedative, but not mandatory. I drank one more in the morning. Took a shower, the nurse did the necessary procedures for me. I wanted to wear compression stockings, but the nurse said she would do it herself. They put me on a wheelchair (although I myself could walk) and drove.
In the operating room, the sweetest anaesthesiologist said that now we will rehearse the injection three times, because it depends on me whether it will hurt or not — she taught me how to bend the back correctly. As a result, I did not feel the injection at all. I was offered to include music - I chose a calm classic. The operation began, the anesthesiologist chatted with me, joked, massaged her shoulders. I didn’t even notice how it all went, in four minutes I pulled out the child: while they were attached to my chest, while I was looking at him, the operation was over. The doctor also made a joke from time to time, so it was very uplifting. The head physician assisted my doctor, as I had problems with the placenta.
The first day I was in intensive care, there was another woman after the operation. We brought on the tray small bottles of red wine and glasses. It was very pleasant and unexpected, we were surprised: "Is it possible to drink alcohol?" The doctor said: "A little bit is possible, even necessary! You have such an important day today! Congratulations."
I was also pleasantly surprised that all the nurses are turning to you "Zai" - this is so unusual for the hospital. It was also surprising that while they are taking blood from a vein, they immediately make an oxygen cocktail as a child. In all the corridors are vases with washed apples - you can take and eat.
The husband lived with me all these days for an additional fee, but it was very cool, as it was difficult to wash the baby alone after the operation. Early in the morning a nurse came to take blood, said: "Do not get up, just pull your hand out from under the blanket and that's it." And I'm lying with my husband - it was even a bit awkward. In general, the nurses helped with the baby day and night, they explained to me a hundred times how to feed, wash, and hold.
And still in the hospital do not need to take anything except a passport. In the shower, a bunch of towels and pajamas, all the gels and shampoos are. Slippers give, hygiene products for women too. In the postpartum ward heap of diapers, cosmetics for the baby, replaceable pajamas for the baby and diapers. In addition, when you are discharged, you are still handed a huge brand bag from the maternity hospital, where there are a lot of gifts, a mug, a box with cosmetics for the baby, packaging of diapers, mixes, notebooks, photos and a lot of advertising, of course.
There was such a comfort for which you can pay more. For a woman, this is such an "experiential" period in life, so if there is an opportunity to brighten him up, then you definitely need to do it. My opinion: it is better to spend money on a comfortable childbirth than on a wedding.
Photo:Nenov Brothers - stock.adobe.com, eight8 - stock.adobe.com