baby

[sandy]

hi all

We are hoping to move to the south of france later this year.

My son's girlfriend, who is hoping to come with us has just found out she is pregnant.  Can anyone tell me what sort of problems, if any, she will encounter?

We would like to know things like  how easy is it to find an english speaking doctor or midwife?   dose it cost alot to have a baby in france?  do we have to register the baby in france?  will it be classed as french or english? can we get a passport for it?

I'm sure there are more questions that i need to ask but basically i need to know if it is best for her to come to france with us or wait till she has had the baby or if she comes with us should she return to england to have the baby?

I hope this post makes sense and someone can help me

Sandy x

[tetley]

Hi Sandy,

I can answer some of your questions, but I am still working through the process myself. 

Firstly, if your sons' girlfriend is going to be living in France, she will need to get into the french health system....I am covered on my husbands carte vitale, and was also on his E106....will depend on your sons/his partners' circumstances. 

I don't have a health top up insurance, so I have to pay 30% or so of all the costs so far......these charges range  about 70 euros (total) gynaecologist consultation, 40 (total) euros for a scan, I paid 18 euros for the first blood test, but have only had to pay that one.  I believe that from the end of the fifth month, all maternity costs are covered 100%, including my hospital stay (apparently, you stay in hospital for 4 days after giving birth).

I first of all went along to my doctor, you will find you will need to register with a doctor.......fill out a form called a medecin traitent (something like that).  The doctor referred me to a gynae at a local clinic.  I visit him once a month for a scan.  I also have to go to a separate laboratory for a blood test, once a month....the results are sent to you and your gynae.

So far, it has been pretty straightforward.  I can't give you any more info about midwives, as I haven't yet met one.  My gynaecologist can speak very good English, but he prefers not to. This is fine, he checks I have understood everything at the end of the consultation.

If the baby is born in France, he/she will have a french birth certificate.  You can apply at the british embassy for a british one, but it is quite expensive.  Also, the child will have a British passport, not French.....unless one of the parents has french nationality.

I don't know what sort of area you are moving to, but I would guess that you will come across professionals who speak pretty good English.  It is pretty daunting having a baby in another country, but based on my experience so far, it is ok.  I have yet to do the giving birth bit here though!!!! This is my 3rd child, so I am probably not so anxious about things as maybe a first time mum?

Hope I have helped a bit, hopefully someone else with a bit more experience of the system will post some more information for you.

[Lesbatees]

Hi Sandy,

You might also want to post a question at http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk.  This parenting forum has a "Living Overseas" topic and there are several people there who have had experience of having babies in France.  They may be able to help.

V.

[sandy]

Thanks for the help tetley and keep me updated on your progress, i hope it all goes well for you and the baby.

Have you been in France long?

How old are your 2 childeren?

I will be bringing my 2 youngest childeren with me they are 11 and 12 so will have to sort out schooling as well..... don't do things by half me lol !

 

Sandy

[tetley]

Hi again Sandy

sorry no one else has given you any more info, I thought there would be a few others out there with a bit more knowledge of the maternity process than me.

I have been in France for just over 2 years, and have two children, boy and girl, aged 11+9.  They have just finished their second school year, and have progressed really well this year.  They make you proud!!

[nimportequoi]

[quote user="sandy"]

hi all

We are hoping to move to the south of france later this year.

My son's girlfriend, who is hoping to come with us has just found out she is pregnant.  Can anyone tell me what sort of problems, if any, she will encounter?

We would like to know things like  how easy is it to find an english speaking doctor or midwife? Depends where you are, I speak fluent French so it wasn't a problem but there were no English speakers in my hospital.

  dose it cost alot to have a baby in france? It is free and the care is excellent

do we have to register the baby in france? Yes, within about  24 hours of birth, so get the name (s) sorted in advance

will it be classed as french or english? British assuming both parents are

can we get a passport for it?You get a British passport from the consulate in Paris (much quicker than going to a UK passport office)

I'm sure there are more questions that i need to ask but basically i need to know if it is best for her to come to france with us or wait till she has had the baby or if she comes with us should she return to england to have the baby?

I hope this post makes sense and someone can help me

Sandy x

[/quote]

[Busy Bee]

Hi Sandy,

Hopefully you have managed to find out some more information by now, if not post another message and I'll try and get back to you.  I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old, both of whom, were born out here.  My children were both born in a very 'international' area, but very few people in the hospital spoke English - I speak good French, but could not understand a word at the crucial moment.  Travelling back and forth is not a good idea as you never know when travelling may be curtailed and you end up unprepared in the 'wrong' country, best to make a decision and stick to it.

All the other questions have been answered so far - but they are just the beginning - and there will be even more questions afterwards as the newborn care is also totally different out here. 

Let me know if you need to know anything else and I will try my best - being a first time mum, in a foreign country at the age of 39 was quite a lonely experience for me but I now have two lovely children and no time to worry about anything else (apart from the wreck of a house we are renovating -agghh)

Tracy