If you are pregnant in France, I highly recommend seeing a midwife or doctor at the hospital that you will be delivering. I just had my first pregnancy complication and was very relieved to have everything straightened out within an hour.
I go to the hospital that I will be delivering so I can get to know the midwives and doctor that will be taking care of me on the big day. Now I see that there is another big advantage to having my monthly visits there.
A couple day ago I went to see my midwife for my monthly pregnancy checkup. She found that my baby was pushing against the door trying to come out. Luckily it was still closed. She finished the exam and placed a device on my belly to measure contractions.
Instead of having to leave to go to my OB/GYN or get an ultrasound, she just called my OB/GYN. He was only a couple doors down the hall from us and arrived within 5 minutes. He confirmed what the midwife found and advised me that I must only do the max of 30 min of walking per day. If I have more than 15 contractions a day, I will have to return and probably be placed under observation for a couple days. They may administer a drug to stop the contractions to delay delivery. I am only 32 weeks pregnant! They answered all the questions that me and my husband had and then that was it. Stress free and quick.
When I lived in Bordeaux, my OB/GYN was located in an office far away from the hospital. I had to make appointments at a nearby radiologist for my ultrasounds since he did not have any of the equipment. I could not imagine having this problem there and then having to go make an appointment for the ultrasound, return for the ultrasound, then see the doctor again for an analysis. The added stress would not have been helpful for my contractions.
Instead, at the hospital in Bayeux, I was able to remain in the same bed where I was examined. The ultrasound machine was rolled in and the OB/GYN came to me. I was able to remain relaxed. Well… as relaxed as I could be knowing something was not right.
If you find yourself pregnant in France, my advice is to see a doctor or midwife at the hospital you will be delivering. It just makes things so much easier when if there is a problem.
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