Giving Birth at Home in France
Jun 23, 2012

Giving Birth in France: Annie’s Birth Story

By

Annie's Responses to my Questionnaire: Here is my story. I am glad to share it to encourage other moms to follow their dreams. Birthing is not always the way we want it but other options exist in order to have a more respectful birth (for some it might mean getting an epidural when they ask for it and for others it means being medicine free for example). 1. Tell me a little about yourself. My name is Annie F.. I'm 32 years old. I was born in France. Both my parents are American and were working in France at the time. I grew up as an American since my parents expected to bring us back to the … [Read more...]

Jun 21, 2012

Have you Given Birth in France? Share Your Birth Story

By

When I was pregnant, I scoured the web desperately to find stories of woman who gave birth in France. The more I read, the more comforted I was about giving birth abroad. However, I could only find a handful of stories in English. After hearing from others who have given birth in France on my Facebook page, I was reminded about this and thought it would be neat to have a compilation of birth stories here.Do you have a story to tell? If you have given birth in France, email your answers to the following questions and a photograph (optional) to me at stories@frenchmamma.com. If you do not … [Read more...]

Jun 8, 2012

Giving Birth at Home in France is Gaining Ground

By

I came across a very interesting report on tv last week about giving birth in France.Several women were followed with cameras from the time their labor began until just after giving birth. Each woman was giving birth in a different type of location - hospital, birthing center, and at home. I caught the show towards the end and wish I could have seen it from the beginning. … [Read more...]

Sep 5, 2011

Natural Remedy for Inducing Labor from a Sage-Femme in France

By

I was prescribed a natural remedy on Friday by my sage-femme (midwife) to help ensure I have a natural birthing experience. It was my final scheduled appointment and I wanted to add to my birth plan that I do not want oxytocin to be administered to me unless absolutely necessary. It is given to induce labor if it is not progressing fast enough and routinely at the end as a preventative to bleeding.In the US, this it is commonly known as Pitocin. I have heard too many horror stories of this drug, so I want to avoid it if possible. My sage-femme said it was up to my OB/GYN and asked him to … [Read more...]

May 28, 2011

A Home Birth in France May Not Be an Option

By

Depending on where you live, having a home birth in France may not be an option. Insurance costs are too high for midwives to deliver babies from the homes, so few are available nationwide. In some cities, you may find a midwife (sage femme) who is uninsured that is willing to do this but I would not count on it.We are moving up north to Caen soon to be near family for the birth of the baby. We called several midwifes only to find out that there is no one willing to do a home birth. Well, we did find one midwife but she lives 45 minutes away and refuses to deliver babies more than 30 … [Read more...]