Having a baby in France

August 10th 2007

Our second daughter was just born this week and while I was talking to my parents about how nice it was in France I heard them telling me how it was in the US. Quite a bit different.

Having a baby in France is a very enjoyable process. First, with the socialized medicine, you can pick any doctor you want. If you pick a hospital you won’t pay anything, and if you pick one of the best doctors in one of the best private clinics in Paris, you may end up paying $500 or so but that’s it. If you have a cesarean it’s reimbursed 100%. The hospital stay is a mandatory 5 days, you can’t get out of there quicker unless you sneak out the window. If you have a cesarean it’s 7 days.

Next is the maternity leave, three and a half months plus an almost sure extra two weeks for special circumstances that is so common women count it on from the moment they find out they’re pregnant. And what about paternity? 3 days paid leave from the employer and then 9 days paid at a reduced salary from the government. I heard some men don’t take these 9 days because you don’t get your full salary but everyone I know takes them. And then of course for mom & dad there are the 7 weeks a year of vacation that were probably saved up.

Finally, getting an appointment at the pediatrician is very easy. You can even get them the same day if it’s serious. Waiting times are usually 30 minutes or less, depending on the popularity of the doctor.

All this makes for a really pleasant experience. But what about the things that are better in the US? In France there is usually not any air-conditioning (this month it was very cold so this wasn’t a problem for us). You must bring your own towels and medicines. In Paris especially there is no parking. That was kind of weird driving my wife to the maternity when she started having contractions. I had been stressing out about the parking issue for a few months. I didn’t want to drop her off by herself because I was afraid that by the time I’d get parked and back to the maternity I’d miss everything! We got lucky in that there was a spot just outside. It was a spot for “deliveries” but it’s august when the entire country is on vacation including the parking police so we took advantage. As my wife said, “I’m making a delivery!”.

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Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Abdullah on August 15, 2007 7:55

    Having a baby in France sounds like an alternative place to consider when one’s wife is close to her 9th month of pregnancy.

  2. Anonymous on September 7, 2007 20:16

    congrats on your new bundle. i’m doing some online research for friends leaving the U.S. for Europe (country TBD) and stumbled upon your lovely blog. this post reminded me that my friends have found what i think is a new service - tokbox.com - to keep in touch with their family while oversees. i believe it’s free, video chat, so they can keep connected face to face. anyway, good luck, and thank you for the enjoyable diary.

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