nouveau-né dans sans berceau à la maternité

Labor & Delivery

The main difference between a birth in a private clinic and a public maternity ward is the presence of your gynaecologist on D-day. The midwives will accompany you throughout your labour, but it is your gynaecologist who will be present for the final pushes and the delivery of your baby. In a public maternity hospital, the process is different, find out more here.

Insurance coverage

In order to be able to give birth in a private maternity clinic, you will need a private or semi-private complementary insurance (for at least 1 year) which will cover the costs of the birth and your stay. It is therefore important to check with your insurance company and to obtain written confirmation before going ahead, otherwise you will have to pay the total cost. If you do not have complementary insurance and you still wish to give birth in a private maternity hospital, this is possible. Do not hesitate to contact the establishment of your choice to find out its rates.

Some hospitals that have a maternity ward offer the semi-private option. If your complementary insurance covers it, you can then choose your gynaecologist and benefit from hotel services during your stay.

Medical team & Infrastructure

It is important to note that not all maternity hospitals have a team of doctors, paediatricians and anaesthetists on call 24 hours a day. If your delivery is at risk, it is important to take this information into consideration before choosing a private clinic. For a premature birth, at less than 34 or 37 weeks of amenorrhoea (depending on the clinic), you will not be able to give birth in the private sector because not all maternity hospitals have a neonatal unit.

Stay & Hotel Service

Hotel comfort is an important asset of private clinics, which offer a quality of service, meals and comfort worthy of luxury hotels! If you have private insurance, you will have a room just for you or for two with semi-private insurance. Depending on the clinic, your partner can stay with you free of charge for the first night and benefit from a preferential rate for subsequent nights.

Birth Plan

Don’t forget to prepare a birth plan to give to the midwifery team where you will indicate all your wishes for D-day. Examples: I would like natural birth, without an epidural and with the help of self-hypnosis techniques learnt during the birth preparation classes; I would like to have skin-to-skin contact with my baby for as long as possible; I do not wish to breastfeed; I would like the cord to be cut as late as possible; I would ideally like to have a water birth etc.