Giving Birth at American Hospital of Paris

                                                                  (Picture resource: Forbes.com)

Last May (2011) we moved to Paris from Japan due to my husband's work. At that time I was already pregnant for 5 months. When we were still preparing things in Japan for moving in Paris, I had already heard that it is REALLY HARD to get a bed for giving birth in France. The reason I am still not so sure, but I  guess it's because France has a high fertility rate: 2 which means every woman has 2 kids in average.

So usually when women found they're pregnant, the first thing they do is to call a hospital to make a reservation for getting themselves a bed for delivering!

Language Problem

I was very anxious when my friend who was living in Paris for 4 years told me this because at that moment we were still waiting for our visa and not sure when it would be ready! But I was already 5-month pregnant. I had no idea where I could find a hospital I could rely on to give birth without really going to that hospital to see and observe everything there! More than that, there is a big obstacle, I CANNOT speak French! So looking for a hospital that uses English made it even harder and relatively our choices were not that many!
It's very difficult to live in France if you don't speak French. French people tend to be more friendly and helpful to people who can speak French. And giving birth is life-matter issue, a mother needs to feel 100% secure and trust for the hospital and this will come from the good communication and service provided by the doctors, nurses, and personnels. Therefore, although the price is REALLY expensive, we still decided to choose American hospital for delivering our first child.

What do I think of the Hospital?
The hospital is located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, which is a commune in western suburbs of Paris. The hospital itself is no doubt luxurious. The whole environment of the hospital is very nice and clean. Facilities are very new and advanced as well. There is even a luxurious restaurant on the basement floor of the hospital.
Unfortunately, I encountered some difficulties to communicate with people there. The reason we picked up the hospital was because we expected most of the people there are bilingual. However, it was different from what we expected.
About the service, maybe because I was living in Japan, which is service-oriented country, and for the price I was paying for the hospital, I think I was expecting more than what they could provide me.

Japanese Section
There is a Japanese section in the hospital and all the doctors and personnels speak Japanese, French and some English. They are very helpful and friendly. For the first few times of my regular check, one of the Japanese female doctors even accompanied me and translated between the doctor and us. There are plenty of forms to fill out before the delivery day comes and all the forms and samples are also available in Japanese and English.
For people who cannot speak French, they provide translation in English, Japanese and Chinese. (There is only one Chinese doctor in the hospital) But I believe it would cost a lot, and we were in an "ok" situation. (Communication was ok, but sometimes it was hard!) so we didn't feel it's necessary to spend the money to hire an interpreter.

Midwife
For women who are pregnant for the FIRST time, midwife is an extremely important role for them. Before delivery day comes, a midwife usually teaches you what to do and how to breath during your delivery. When it came close to my EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery), my doctor asked me to make an appointment with a midwife by myself. In American Hospital, all the midwives work as an independent individual. Besides working in American Hospital, they also work in other hospitals. So if you want to have a lesson with a midwife, they charge 50 euro per hour.
I was very nervous because it was my first time to be pregnant and plus all that fear about delivering a baby...I was feeling a need to take the lesson, but it was too expensive and the midwives don't really speak English...So I ended up not taking any lesson.
And my conclusion is that I was totally fine when the delivering day came. I think it's just a natural ability for woman to give birth. When it comes, you will know what to do!

Price
American Hospital is a private hospital, so every gynecologist charges a different price. We picked up the most inexpensive doctor.
Regular Check-ups
So my doctor charged around 100 euro each time when he saw me. The Social Security (it's the health insurance provided by French government) can only cover up to 22 or 23 euro for the maximum. For instance, if you spent 100 euro for a pregnancy check-up, they will only reimburse you 22 euro. If you spend 150 euro, they still only reimburse you 22 or 23 euro.
Maternity Rates
Basically it can be divided into 2 parts:
Delivery Fee:
It includes the room, medical care, delivery room fees, flat admission and discharge fees. Both vaginal delivery(4 nights) and C-section delivery(6 nights) have a fixed price respectively. Extra cost for adding a bed 
Doctors' Fees: 
This part depends on who your doctor is. Every doctor charges a different price.
The followings are the doctors who will be involved in the delivery process
- Gynecologist
- Anesthesiologist
- Pediatrician
- ENT (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist)
The price estimation is available at the hospital or via email.
It is pricy so besides Social Security (Government health insurance), a Mutuelle (personal health insurance) is recommended for a better coverage.

Room

This was the room I stayed after delivery

They had a baby bed wrapping up prepared in my room before the baby was born

Toilet and Shower Room

Since we have no family in France, my husband is the only person who can help me. So we ordered another single bed for him to stay.

The hospital provided 3 meals a day, but only for 1 person. So the husband needs to go and get his own food. There is a simple menu for choice. The food amount was not much. Sometimes I still felt hungry after eating the whole meal because breast feeding usually makes you feel hungry easily...

First day for my baby

Delivery Room

This was the room for delivery. Facilities are very new and clean.

the bed with some equipment for newborn

After my baby was born, they handed her to me right away.

Conclusion

In summary, it is a good hospital but too pricy. We wouldn't have chosen it if we could speak proper French. I have a friend who delivered in one of the public hospitals in Paris and she had a good experience. Also the government covers almost everything if you give birth in a public hospital.

So again purchasing Mutuelle is definitely recommended.

Most importantly, my daughter was safely and healthily born!

If you are in a situation like me, new to France, can't speak French, looking for a hospital for giving birth and interested in going to American hospital or in any other situation, I hope this article helps!