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There are more and more private hospitals in Poland and they are better equipped. What do they offer, what is the quality of medical care and is it really necessary to spend a fortune for childbirth in a private maternity clinic?

There are many common opinions, even myths, aboutprivate hospitals . For example, that these are delivery rooms only for very we althy women, or that for a lot of money the birthing woman gets a nice room with a TV, colorful tiles in the bathroom and … not much more, because the level of medical care is very low, so "as soon as something happens, they drive the child or patient to a normal (read: public) hospital ”. These opinions are often untrue or only partially true. First of all,private clinicsare different - smaller and bigger, better or worse equipped, so you can't put them all in one bag. However, the fact that they are private means that they try harder to keep their patients satisfied, because if they are not, the hospital will be a loss. And no one will pay off a private unit, no state budget or local government will repay debts for them, so they care more about good opinion among women, because it is their to be or not to be.

Comfort and freedom in private maternity clinics

Private clinics are also new - most of them have been established in the last few years. Therefore, they ensure a better material standard: new furniture, colorful walls, TV and telephones in the rooms, and the almost proverbial tiles in the bathrooms. The birthing rooms are single, almost everywhere equipped with a bathtub and helpful equipment: large balls, bean bags, ladders. Intimate and cozy postnatal rooms are also available for 1 or at most 2 people. Of course, all this is also important, but no reasonable woman will pay even a few thousand zlotys for nice tiles. First and foremost, expectant mothers want to be treated well and with dignity by friendly, helpful staff, and they also want to feel safe. Too often they don't find it in public hospitals yet (unless they pay too), so they decide to havechildbirthin a private clinic. And they usually do not fail, because not only the furniture is new there, but also the attitude towards those in labor and the whole event, which is the birth of a child.

5 mistakes that must not be made in the delivery room [TOWIDEO]

Important

What to ask inhospital

  • Do you have to sign up first? It is enough to come to some of them when childbirth begins, in others it is necessary to conduct a pregnancy, each patient has her doctor and midwife (e.g. at the Damian Medical Center in Warsaw).
  • What does childbirth look like? Ask about what you especially care about, e.g. is it possible to give birth in water, is an anesthesiologist always available, can you choose a birthing position and count on perineal protection.
  • Does the hospital have equipment for intensive care of the newborn (incubators, ventilators, phototherapy lamps, cardiomonitors).
  • Does he have a contract with the National He alth Fund and how much does it cost: family childbirth, anesthesia, each day of stay, medical appointments, etc.

Modern standards of care in private maternity clinics

They are dominated by modern standards of perinatal care, where care is taken not only to ensure that childbirth is as safe as possible, but also that the giving birth has physical and mental comfort. This is due to many factors. Let's list some of them:

  • family childbirth - a woman giving birth can always be accompanied by her husband or other relatives (sometimes it is impossible in public hospitals)
  • freedom of choice of position while pushing - in a private hospital there is a greater chance of giving birth in a squat position, knee-elbow position, or lying on your side, because midwives are more important to the mother's preferences (admittedly, the favor of the staff alone is not enough, a lot also depends on the skills of the midwives)
  • easily accessible epidural anesthesia - in addition to the obstetrician, in many hospitals there is always an anesthesiologist who can administer anesthesia at any time
    • - no other medical indications are required
  • less oxytocin - due to the fact that there are fewer deliveries and you do not have to rush, the woman in labor is given less oxytocin, after which the contractions are much more painful
  • perineal protection - lack of rush and favorable attitude of the midwife and doctor make it much more likely to give birth without incision of the perineum, especially when it is prepared and ensured
  • contact with the baby - mom gets the baby right after giving birth and can feed him, and then the whole family can stay together as long as they want
  • respect for dignity - the women in labor are thoroughly informed about the course of delivery and the procedures used, and are asked for consent totreatments
  • atmosphere of warmth and kindness - it consists of small things, e.g. a smile and willingness to help from the staff, but also: giving up enemas and shaving the perineum in a private clinic, own nightgown, possibility to drink, possibility to listen to your own CDs with your favorite music, champagne to welcome the child to the world, gift for a toddler when leaving home and much more.
You must do it

Learn:

  • what opinion the hospital has ("To give birth to human" foundation guide, internet forums, friends who gave birth there)
  • what it looks like - visit it in person and see how it looks, ask questions of interest
  • how far from your home is the hospital and does it offer hotel rooms (then you can give birth there, even if you live in another city).

Quality of care in a private maternity clinic

How much truth is there in the common opinion that private clinics do not ensure safety, and when "something happens" - they immediately take them to another hospital? It is true that such clinics do not admit women with complicated or threatened pregnancies. Difficult cases are usually referred to hospitals with the so-called III degree of referentiality, i.e. highly specialized. However, if the pregnancy is going well, there is no need to be afraid of private hospitals, because they are not primitive delivery rooms. Many of them (eg CM Damian in Warsaw, "Ujastek" in Krakow or Swissmed in Gdańsk) are clinics equipped with the most modern equipment and employing excellent specialists. In addition to the gynecologist and anesthesiologist, on call, there is always a neonatologist - a specialist dealing with newborns. There are also intensive care rooms for newborns, with specialized equipment: incubators, cardiomonitors, modern devices for maintaining breath using a non-invasive method, pulse oximeters (a device that calculates the degree of hemoglobin saturation with oxygen). The high quality of the services provided is confirmed by the hospital's ISO 9001: 2000 quality management certificate, which guarantees the European standard of control of medical procedures. Such a certificate can be boasted by, for example, CM Damian in Warsaw, "Ujastek" in Krakow and NZOZ "Malarkiewicz and company" in Olsztyn. It is worth noting that most public hospitals are also not clinics - as much as 70 percent. childbirths take place in hospitals with the first level of reference, i.e. the least equipped hospitals. Therefore, if the pregnancy is uneventful, it makes no sense to assume that there will be any extraordinary complications during childbirth and delete private hospitals in advance.

Where to go for help

Recommendable:

  • WarsawDamian Medical Center, ul. Wałbrzyska 46 damian.com.pl
  • Kraków "Ujastek" Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, ul. Ujastek 3 (contract with the National He alth Fund) Ujastek.pl
  • Gdańsk Swissmed He alth Center, ul. Wileńska 44 swissmed.com.pl
  • Katowice Private Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, ul. Łubinowa 3 (contract with the National He alth Fund) birth.com.pl
  • Olsztyn NZOZ "Malarkiewicz i Spółka", al. Wojska Polskiego 30 (contract with the National He alth Fund) hospital-olsztyn.pl
  • Lubin Femina - Women's He alth Center, ul. Kilińskiego 27 (contract with the National He alth Fund) femina.lublin.pl

Not all private clinics have to pay

Comfortable birth often costs a lot, even up to PLN 5,000 (via nature) and PLN 7,000 (caesarean section). If the price is so high, it usually already includes all the extra "attractions" such as having a loved one or an epidural. In some hospitals, the perinatal package also includes the pediatrician's care for the baby (even throughout the first year of life). Sometimes, especially when the delivery itself costs less, you have to pay separately for a hospital stay for several days after the delivery - from 200 to 400 PLN per day. All this should be asked carefully in advance. Note: there are private hospitals that have a contract with the National He alth Fund - then the delivery itself is free of charge (if you are insured). However, even then it is worth asking about possible costs. It may turn out that the childbirth is refunded, but you have to pay PLN 1000 for medical care after childbirth (visits to the gynecologist and pediatrician). However, there are private hospitals where you can give birth in perfect conditions and completely free (e.g. in Kraków, Katowice, Olsztyn), i.e. under insurance. For example, at the "Ujastek" hospital in Krakow, there are no fees for a family childbirth (which is the rule in many public hospitals), only anesthesia costs PLN 300. So it is worth finding out if you have a private hospital nearby and if it has a signed contract with the National He alth Fund - perhaps you will be able to give birth to a child in it without ruining yourself financially and keeping the best memories of the event.

"M jak mama" monthly

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Childbirth