Your stay

What happens during delivery?

 The establishment has:

• 7 birth rooms and 1 emergency caesarean section room
• an emergency caesarean section room
• a baby care room.

Two birth tubs, as well as balls and suspension links, are at your disposal to help you manage your contractions. The midwife will advise you, when the time comes, to adopt the delivery position that suits you best, in compliance with all safety rules.

The physician looking after you during your pregnancy is notified as soon as you are admitted and will be present at the birth or as needed, as will staff from obstetrics (midwife and childcare assistant).

You may be given epidural analgesia during delivery if you so wish and there are no contraindications. It will be administered by the clinic’s on-call anaesthetist.

Only one other person is allowed to enter the birth room and they must wear the correct clothing (gown and over-shoes).

After the birth your baby will be cared for by the unit’s midwife and the auxiliary nurse (skin-to-skin bonding if you so wish).

After delivery, you will remain under surveillance for 2 hours before returning to your room where you may receive visitors (permitted between 1 pm and 8 pm). This is the best time to establish a bond with your child through skin contact, and also to breastfeed if you so wish.

For risky pregnancies or unforeseen problems, the on-call paediatrician at the clinic will be present at the birth and during the care of your child.

Psychological help can also be provided if necessary.

If a caesarean section is required

•    If the operation has been scheduled in advance (pelvis too narrow, height and weight of the baby etc.), you will be met in the operating room by the medical team. Your gynaecologist/obstetrician will discuss the procedure with you.
•    If it is an emergency, the medical team will meet you in the dedicated caesarean room. The anaesthesiologist, by agreement with the gynaecologist/obstetrician, will administer the appropriate anaesthesia: general, spinal or epidural. After the procedure you will be taken to the recovery room, where the person accompanying you will be able to see you. You can breastfeed your child when you return to your room​.

Birth declaration

To facilitate the administrative procedures, the birth room of the clinic can send your child’s birth declaration to the Strasbourg local authority through a civil status officer. To do this you will need to have your family record book with you on the day of delivery (for married couples), or a prior recognition of the child.

For this service to work correctly, the full declaration of birth must be signed within 2 hours of delivery.

If the above criteria are not met, the midwife will give you the document required for declaring the birth. This must be done within 3 days of the birth, to the civil status officer of the place of birth (Article 55 of the Civil Code, paragraph 1) by the father or by a third party.

The day of delivery is not included within the three day period. When the last day of this period is a Sunday, a holiday or a general holiday, the period is extended until the next working day.

Follow-up of the birth

The length of your stay will vary according to your state of health and that of your baby (on average 3 to 4 days for a delivery and 5 to 6 days for a caesarean section).

You will be monitored by the physician who looked after you during your pregnancy and by the department’s midwife.

Your baby will be examined by the facility's paediatrician, once during the first 24 hours after birth, and once the day before departure. The midwife and the auxiliary nurse will provide supervision and care (the paediatrician will be called in by the care team if necessary).

The childcare assistant will help you take care of your child and guide you through breastfeeding. If you wish, she will give you personal assistance in recognising the needs of your child and will advise you to keep your child with you as far as possible to help you learn to recognise your child’s needs.

The healthcare team includes midwives and childcare assistants and will provide all necessary care. Childcare assistants can look after your baby in the nursery during the day, and also at night depending on your state of health.

Your stay

We organise our department to consider the needs of both you and your baby. A buffet-style breakfast is provided from 07:30 to 09:30 in the maternity dining room. You must place a request with our accommodation team.

The nursery is a place for meeting parents and learning about care for new-born babies. Support and assistance for mothers are provided by childcare assistants, nursery carers and midwives. Only the father may enter the nursery wearing suitable clothes, to provide support or to bathe the baby.

Visits are not allowed before 1pm, except by fathers.

The breastfeeding room is always available to mothers. The care team includes a breast milk consultant to answer your questions.

A physiotherapist is available during the mornings and can provide treatment on request or as per medical prescriptions.

A psychologist is also present at the clinic during the mornings.