I have to admit that things have been cruising very smoothly in the pregnancy department. Sure, some nights I can't sleep, I have occasional mild sciatica, and my thighs are now rubbing together rather unhelpfully when I walk, but overall I feel pretty good.
However, now, at 29 weeks, Jeremy and I have to start working on the nitty-gritty. Like, registering at the hospital, signing-up for the birthing class .... and finding the hebamme. The hebamme is the German version of a midwife/doula who helps you when you are giving birth and comes to your house for a couple of weeks every day afterwards to help with breastfeeding and general questions. It is possible to find someone (meaning the same person) to help before, during, and after the birth, but I am WAY too late for that-- I just found out that to have that kind of service from the hebamme, she would have to be booked by the 12th week of pregnancy. Oops. This just means that during the birth, I will be attended by the hebammes that are working that day at the hospital. I think. I find this whole system cool and women-centered, but also a little confusing. We're going to the hospital information session tomorrow evening, so hopefully things will be cleared up then.
She is paid for by our health insurance. Yay German health insurance!
(ok, it is kind of expensive, true, but we can go to ANY doctor and ANY hospital in Germany and Europe and the co-pay is 10€ every 3 months and we don't have to pay anything for doctor's visits or tests AND we don't have to fill out any paperwork. Americans, would you fork over 8% of you salary every month in order to have all of that?)
4 comments:
Yes, yes I would,and gladly, and not just for myself. However, I feel I am in the minority there.
Glad to know everything is going so well!
Yes, sign me up! I think we pay more than that a month and still have to pay for doctor visits and ridiculous co-pays for prescriptions, bloodwork, etc.
Good luck finding your hebamme!
All I've gotten so far have been vitamins :), so I am not entirely sure about the prescription thing.
But so far so good! We even found out yesterday that our health insurance may even pay for Jeremy to come to the birthing classes-- all of them already pay for the woman.
yes! and so should everyone! ooh, you just got me started on socialized medicine...I say bring it! Looks like all systems go for JP world entrance!
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