Pregnant in Italy

The pregnancy care process is a little different in Italy.  My regular OB, who is private and has her own office (not in a hospital), wants to see me every six weeks throughout.  She has an ultrasound machine in her office, and does a quick scan each visit.  Then I have to go to a lab periodically to get blood and urine tests, and the delicious glucose test once, and then go back to pick up all those results each time a week later.  I get three official ultrasounds at a hospital or clinic.  Finally, near the end of the pregnancy, I have to go to the pharmacy every ten days to get my blood pressure checked. 

 I have started writing a list of questions to ask at the hospital, but I have no idea what they consider a “normal” birth, nor do I know what they will or won’t allow me to do while in labor and right after the birth.  Unfortunately, my doctor does not work in a hospital, so I will be relying on staff doctors to deliver.  With Ben, we had a birth plan, a doula, and a completely natural birth with immediate skin-to-skin contact.  (I know this situation is rare in the US, and it is not what I would have predicted for myself before getting pregnant, but it was wonderful and I want to do it again.)  Our US doctor was surprised by all the plans we had, but she was open to them.  I am worried that here they won’t be able to understand me, and even if they can, that they won’t be so open to some of my requests.


By the time I got back to Italy the first week in January, everyone could tell I was pregnant.  I popped out much faster this time.  Around the end of my first trimester, my morning sickness wore off, but I was still getting back-to-back bad colds.  And I was already more tired and achy this time, probably from chasing after a toddler when I would otherwise have been relaxing.  Tim has been very helpful though, watching Ben letting me lay down when possible.

~~ Update about the hospital.  I took a tour in February, and was pleasantly surprised with what I learned.  Nearly everything I wanted with Ben (that is so strange in the US) is normal here, at least in this hospital.  They only have 10% of patients that get epidurals, and 20% that get C-sections.  They try not to interfere, but they do the same tests and have the same safety protocols as in the US.  My primary care person is actually a midwife, and while there are always various doctors just outside the door, they don't call them unless there is a problem.  And they supposedly always have someone there who speaks English.  The delivery wing was just renovated a couple years ago.  They have four labor rooms, and at least one of them has a giant tub.  The beds do all sorts of crazy positions, and they have birthing balls and several other aids.  For two hours after delivery, they keep you in the same room, with only mom, dad, and baby, and have mandatory skin-to-skin contact and help with breastfeeding.  I think everything about this is amazing, and I am confident that we will have another beautiful birth.  As long as we make it to the hospital.  My mom barely made it with her second baby, several of my friends barely made it with their second babies, and we have decided to walk there because it is so close that it would be just as fast as driving, considering the time it takes to get our car out of the garage, drive, and park there.