We talked, last week, in our Maternity and Paternity Course, about the preparation for the great change that will be the arrival of a child, focusing on the emotional aspects of this experience and in this we have talked about the courses and training that would be convenient for us to have.
Today we will discuss the practical issues, as there are also some things that should be planned, discussed and organized before being parents, even some, before looking for pregnancy.
Pre-pregnancy consultation
Before the woman seeks pregnancy, it is advisable to make a consultation with her family doctor and, if possible, also with her gynecologist: the pre-pregnancy consultation.
It is necessary to review the health and nutrition habits of the mother and that she begins, before becoming pregnant, to take folic acid. Also, in the pre-pregnancy consultationThe doctor will consider other circumstances that can cause difficulties during pregnancy, such as obesity, hypertension or diabetes.
Optional: choose private medical insurance
Many women, when they decide to become mothers, consider becoming a private medical insurance to ensure more comfort in the hospital, single room and more flexibility when it comes to choose a professional or get medical tests.
This is a very personal decision, but especially when you want to have a follow-up or a delivery by a specific doctor is usually a good option.
It is important to compare the benefits, make sure that the doctor we want works with that insurance and take into account the possible periods of lack of delivery that apply.
Choose our gynecologist and midwife well
The choice of the gynecologist and the midwife who will follow up on the pregnancy or who will assist us in childbirth is an important decision. Communication must be good, the woman feel respected and heard, and, of course, have confidence in her doctor. That's why it's worth it talk to the gynecologist and consider if he is the most suitable professional for us, estimating concrete data of his practice and also the sensation that he produces.
The choice of place of birth
Maybe the first thing would be to decide, thoroughly studying all options, if we want to give birth in our reference hospital, if we want to go to a private clinic, if we want a place with a protocol that specifically addresses natural births and, of course, if we want our child to be born at home.
Although childbirth care in Spain is improving markedly, it is always convenient to inform us about the hospital that "touches us": their caesarean section, their protocols, the flexibility they have to accept birth plans. Everything counts so we can have the birth we want.
In the case of having chosen a private doctor It is important to know how it is organized for childbirth care: the clinic that it uses, the possibility of ensuring that, in principle, it is he who attends us, if he will be the person of his team or if, even if he does the birth consultations The clinic professionals who are on duty will attend directly.
If we want a home birth It is important to talk a lot with the midwife or gynecologist who will assist us. Not all births can be scheduled in a home, and others that start at home may have to be referred to the hospital if necessary. We must also know, and preferably meet in person, the professionals who would come to attend us if our first choice has a problem. Normally they usually have a team to cover these eventualities although they are rare. Also, of course, we will have to talk to them about the hospital to which the transfer would be made and how to do it.
A doula
More and more women doulas in Spain and, although it is not an official degree, if there are organizations that are responsible for giving them adequate training.
The services they offer are varied: accompaniment in pre and post partum. The help offered by the doula It is of a professional nature. Throughout the pregnancy, she will talk with the mother, help her prepare psychologically, explain questions about pregnancy care, breastfeeding, childbirth and baby care. He will also talk to the father, to accompany him in any doubts he may have.
The number, frequency and duration of the visits is something that we will agree with our doula, although, as in the previous case, it is convenient to meet her before to be able to choose the most appropriate person for us.
In some cases, it is also planned that the doula be present at the birth, although they will never replace the gynecologist or the midwife, because their function is to be attentive and act so that the woman has a good memory of her birth. He talks to her, offers suggestions to the parturient or her companion, helps interpret medical explanations, can help her move or take another more comfortable posture. Its function is to take care of the emotional state of the woman and ensure that the environment of her birth is intimate and safe.
The Doulas are more common in home births, but you can agree with the hospital to accompany us for as long as possible.
There are, as we have seen, some important issues that it would be advisable to ask before pregnancy, to be able to reach it with the important things planned. We will continue talking about preparing to be parents in our Maternity and Paternity Course.
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