In 2002 I gave birth to our second son/child Alston in Tournai, Belgium. I can’t say that I wasn’t terrified about giving birth in the very first European country I had ever been to…because I was. At the same time, Alton and I have done everything together since we were teenagers so I knew that as long as we were together the lord would continue to watch over us.
The team was extremely helpful in finding us a great doctor and I also had my doctor from home give me my heath records/history before we left the States. This was very helpful to my European doctor because when I arrived I was about 4 months along. We had a lot of support from the team manager and his wife…let me just say…they spoiled us with cooking and cleaning, shopping, taking our 5 year old to kindergarten, etc. I’ve been put on bed rest with all of my pregnancies (4), and this was my second. They were just like family! With our first son we were home and had all of our family around and it was very memorable and special, so I knew I was going to miss that, but these people really stepped up. And we are forever grateful for that! In fact, we still keep in touch with them to this very day.
Although we were very comfortable with the doctors, nurses, facilities, methods, etc., there were also some very different moments. At home when you have to be examined they normally give you a gown and then a paper sheet to drape around your lower end…well in Belgium, there was no gown or paper sheet. This freaked out my husband and me! We stood there looking at the doctors and they stood there looking at us, like what’s the problem? Alton said “she’s going to need something to cover up with, not just lay on the table naked?!” needless to say they got me a gown. Another difference was circumcision wasn’t very common there like in the states, so…they had to make special arrangements for this and request a special doctor for this procedure. The hospital stay in Belgium was 5 days which I was opposed too, I mean I am totally one of those moms that tries to go home the next day, but when you have your child circumcised they request that you stay for 7. Thankfully, we were able to compromise and we stayed for the 5. They did Alston’s circumcision on day 3 (poor thing). They didn’t want him to leave the hospital until they felt it would heal ok and that I properly knew how to care for it.
We checked into the hospital for induction at 6 am. The doctor broke my water at 8 am. I opted for the epidural, which was being administered when out pops Alston (it was 8:45am)! I was on my side, with no meds, in a foreign country, with people around me speaking French about how loud I screamed! He is my only child I have had with no pain meds and obviously that wasn’t planned. I was literally in shock and didn’t want to even hold my baby or even move. They didn’t use incubators when we were there, unless it was absolutely necessary for the baby…they believe in using the woman’s body heat, so they wanted Alston to lay on my bare chest and they would layer us with warm blankets. I said no! I was still in shock. So they wheeled in another hospital bed for husband, and laid Alston on his bare chest and layered them with warm blankets. I don’t want to scare any women who are currently pregnant, but this was just my experience because I can’t stand pain, not at all. After a few hours and lots of tea, I calmed down and of course wanted to hold my new son very badly…unfortunately he was literally like pasted to my roommate (my husband) and would squeal every time the nurse would try to remove him. Their reason for this method is to create that instant bond of mother and child and I tease my husband now that Alston is the spitting image of him…so that method works, they instantly bonded! I really do admire that method.
While in the hospital you receive very nice 3 course meals; not like your typical hospital food. Guests don’t normally start to visit until the 2nd and 3rd day. I don’t know if its customary to bring champagne to the hospital there because I sure didn’t see that in the states, but my room was filled with flowers, toys and Moet. I mean a lot of it! During our stay at the hospital we heard lots of corks popping and laughter. It was like a dorm party or something. Alton and I were just in awe. They literally celebrate family!
After leaving the hospital you get a private nurse for the first month of the baby’s life. I thought that was sweet, but also too long and kind of annoying with the language barrier and all. I’m a bit of a perfectionist/supermom and like to do things my way, so I kept my nurse for just 1 week. All that was included in the total birthing cost, which they have awesome health insurance in Belgium because we only paid 250 euros at that time out of pocket and that was for everything! In Belgium after you give birth, the mayor opens a bank account for your child which includes a monetary gift and you are given child money monthly. This is regardless of your income.
Besides the surprise pain I experienced, i can say overall that they really do take care of you in Belgium. They are very family-oriented, and they will respect your wishes and try to make you as comfortable as possible. We are very proud to have had our son in Belgium, and he is very proud to be born there and have dual citizenship.
You can contact Anita at anitabonita78@msn.com