An Expat Talks about What is Was Like Having a Baby in Verona, Italy

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Verona

How recently did you give birth in the country that you are reporting on?

20 Months ago

Describe your experience giving birth there. What type of facility did you go to? What (if any) type of pain management did you use? How long did you stay in the hospital? Was it a positive experience? Etc...

A clarification first, i gave birth in my own country. But arrived from the UK just few weeks before giving birth, so the whole experience was similar to the experience an expatriate would have (not the same of course, but close enough).

I gave birth in a public hospital.

I chose beforehand a midwife that would assist me through delivery, on top of the midewives that would have been doing their shift, I chose he through word of mouth.

I used no pain relief, but didn't want any,

I did suffer for few minutes but it was short and overall very good (happy to share how I prepared for the event, but it's a different story).

The delivery room was huge, about 6 times bigger than the delivery rooms I had seen in London, great!

I had problems with breastfeeding and found the hospital didn't offer much support, although Il Melograno (breastfeeding support org) and a pharmacy offered me great support. I eventually breastfed for 9 months, on a mixed regime.

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How did you choose your doctor, midwife or other type of medical professional?

Doctor, I didn't really need one in my case.

Midwife: word of mouth. I strongly reccomend you choose one, for instance go to a birth preparation course and ask other mothers. Get to know the midwife before, you have to trust her when you are there. If she committs to assist you you will have to give her some money, how much is up to you, at least in my experience.

She was really embarassed when (coming from London where you pay also for the air you breath) I asked her how much it was.

If you were to have another child in this country, would you do anything differently in terms of preparation and/or the delivery?

Not really.

If a friend of yours living in the same country were expecting a baby, what advice would you give her?

Italians are obsessed with anything that could go wrong. the british instead tell you Ok you are pregnant so what? millions are. come back in 9 months.

The righ approach for me is somewhere in the middle, so don't get too paranoid like most italians do... (but still be carefull with your salad if you haven't had the Toxo)

In my town I found great services supporting mom and baby in the first months, and mostly free. But again, don't search on the internet, you won't find. Talk to other mothers, in Italy word of mouth is key.