I did my research of course, like any good expat here I accesses the fairly good reading material of expats.cz They talk more about how it is to be pregnant in the Capital, here and which hospital to choose if you give birth in Prague, as if all pregnant expats lived in Prague. Even so, this is good reading material and does point to hospitals outside of Prague (Horovice being a preferred choice for Western Prague).
As I am employed here I have access to the great benefits of Czech social security. I went on maternity leave 6 weeks before the due date (you have between 8 and 6 weeks but you can even go later; no one does). The maternity leave itself is 28 weeks long and is followed by a parental leave of 1 to 4 years with the majority of Czech Mums going for 3. I still have time to decide how much time I want to spend out of the workforce.
The articles I mentioned before hit some other interesting points such as the doctor not being so inclined to hold your hand ans in the West. I don't know about other countries but in Romania, the doctor is not holding your hand a lot either. Here, I find my doctor is a little šup šup as they say, asking me if everything is ok and dismissing me quite fast if the answer is yes. We will see about how nice the midwives are, here the doctor only checks in on the birth but unless something critical happens, he will not play a major role.
I have been getting ultrasounds every visit - Once every 3 or 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks and now every week until I give birth. And I have a notebook where the doctor writes all the test results and other info related to my pregnancy. In this respect, I am well looked after, I can't complain.
Many have asked me if I will go for a C section, in Romania it's easy to pay for one and doctors prefer it as it's more lucrative and fast. In the Czech Republic, they are on the side of vaginal birth and not very keen on epidural (hooray for me! Not!) but they do offer relaxation techniques such as bath, shower, birth ball etc, in the early stage.
Like everywhere, there is a myth that pregnant women are treated better. To be honest, I did not see any change in the people on the street, I don't think the ladies in shops are less rude just because of the bump. Only the ladies in the canteen where nicer, offering to serve even food which was not paired together on the fixed menu.
So that's about all, if I missed something or you have questions about being pregnant in Czech Republic, just ask me. I will let you know about giving birth as well :)
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Felicitari Ioana si multi pupici! Iti doresc nastere usoara si un bebel cuminte. Pup xxxx
ReplyDeleteMultumesc Dana, sper ca totul e bine la tine. Te citesc in continuare dar parca nu am timp de nimic (desi nu fac mare lucru). Promit sa-ti scriu
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm interested in which Health Insurance you chose and how much you paid for labor and delivery. I am not pregnant yet but we are exploing the idea of moving to Prague and starting a family.
ReplyDeleteHello Taylor and thanks for writing. I had the social insurance paid by my employer, it's a part they automatically take out of your salary every month. There are several insurance company but they offer similar coverage. I have VZP, the second biggest is OZP. As part of the insurance policy you have free natural childbirth and you only pay your stay in the hospital if you have over the standard room, maybe 20$ a day. You receive an invoice for everything related to the baby, tests and so on but you don't pay it, as the child will be under your insurance coverage, they will take care of it from the insurance company. Elective C section is not really an option and you have to pay for it if you want it. If the doctors decide you need one, it is paid for as well.
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