Ugh…adjusting to motherhood took way longer than I thought, but I’m back! It’s been a year since I blogged… but when I think back on this past year – It was intense! I remember thinking about blogging about my experience of being pregnant and giving birth in Luxembourg, and then the time just wasn’t there. Anyways, memories are still fresh and I finally got the time to share with you all the information about pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum in Luxembourg.
Pregnancy and birth in Luxembourg: Antenatal care
First of all: congratulations! This must be one of the most significant periods in your life, but as a foreigner living in Luxembourg, I know what it feels like to have no clue how prenatal care in Luxembourg works, especially if you have no family or close friends around to share their experience.
So, here’s an overview of what you can expect during your prenatal visits. I hope this can give you some valuable insight into Luxembourg’s prenatal care.
Please note: that the information in this blog post is based on my personal experience and is not intended for high-risk pregnancies. If you are pregnant and experiencing complications or are + 35 year old, you will most likely require extra medical care.
First Trimester
- First visit to your ob-gyn: ultrasound scan to confirm the location of your pregnancy and estimate your due date
- One prenatal visit every 10 days to 2 weeks + a dental check
- Blood tests to check for important infections
- Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is performed at approximately 13 weeks of gestation to screen for Down Syndrome
- If you want to know the gender, NIPT can tell you if you are having a boy or a girl
- Your obstetrician will give you a prescription to get the second and third-trimester ultrasounds. These two ultrasounds are performed in the hospital where you will give birth. You will need to call the hospital to arrange your appointments, they will give you a date and time, as well as instructions on where to go.
↠ Tip: It’s a good idea to select an ob-gyn you feel comfortable with. Also, talk with your doctor about the facility he or she has admitting privileges and the options you have for your birth. These are important details you will want to know to help you decide whether this is a good fit for you and your baby.
Second Trimester
- One Prenatal visit a month to check baby’s growth and assess your blood pressure and weight
- Oral glucose tolerance test to screen for maternal diabetes
- Monthly blood tests and urinalysis
- Second-trimester ultrasound scan to screen for fetal anomalies. Your ultrasound scan will be conducted by a radiologist. Don’t forget to take a USB stick to get the 3D/4D scan images
- You can now sign up for antenatal and breastfeeding classes. Every maternity hospital offers classes for free
Third Trimester
- One prenatal visit every 2 to 3 weeks to check the baby’s position. When you reach the last month of pregnancy, you will have weekly visits until the baby is born.
- Third-trimester ultrasound scan
- Meeting the anesthetist to discuss and plan pain relief and anesthetic choices
- Meeting a midwife to answer any questions you may have and to discuss which model of care you would like to have for the birth
- Vaginal swab to screen for Group B streptococcus
- Fetal heart monitoring
↠ Good to know: your ob-gyn will send a copy of your medical records to the hospital. You will then receive a mail from the hospital with all your appointments, such as your meeting with the anesthetist, the midwife, and your appointments for fetal heart monitoring. You don’t need to do anything, though you may want to verify with your doctor that the hospital has received your medical records.
↠ Optional: If you need any information or guidance about pregnancy and birth in Luxembourg, you can contact a midwife for a prenatal home visit. CNS will cover the cost of your appointment.
Labor & Delivery in Luxembourg: Hospital Birth
If it’s your first pregnancy, you may feel unsure about when you should go to the hospital. When you get signs of labor, the best thing to do is to call the hospital for advice.
Arriving at the Hospital & Choosing a Hospital Room
When you arrive at the hospital, you will be asked to provide identification, CNS card, and complimentary insurance documents (if you have one). The receptionist will also ask you about the type of room you want: shared room, single room, or superior single room (you cannot book a room in advance).
You will then meet a nurse who will ask you about what has been happening and will examine you before going to the birthing room.
↠ Good to Know: your ob-gyn will take care of your hospital pre-registration for labor and delivery. Also, tuck all your pregnancy records and your blood group card into your hospital bag in case you need to refer to it or hand it over when you arrive.
Labor and Birth
During labor and birth, you’ll have a private birthing room. The birthing rooms usually have easy chairs, peanut balls, birthing balls, and labor slings. You can also ask your midwife to put some relaxing music on (It’s possible to have your playlist). Also, some labor rooms have birthing tubs.
A midwife will look after you. She will also attend your birth to assist your ob-gyn. Another midwife will be present at your birth to take care of the baby. The doctor will come just before your give birth.
After Delivery
After your baby is born and until you’re discharged from the hospital, you will be in the room of your choice. The midwives and nurses will visit you to check on you and your baby. If you choose to breastfeed, they can assist you with latching and other breastfeeding issues.
Baby bathing will be carried out in your room and the nurses can guide you in giving your baby his or her first bath.
Soon after your baby is born, a pediatrician and neonatal nurse will check if your baby is doing well. They will carry the newborn hearing test and offer a physical examination within 48 hours of your baby being born.
Also, the physiotherapists will visit you to teach you useful postnatal exercises to help in the recovery of your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.
Postpartum Care in Luxembourg
Here are the most important two postpartum care benefits Luxembourg provides to all new moms:
Midwife visits
Before leaving the maternity hospital, you will be given a list of midwives to arrange a home visit. You can call those who are in close proximity to your town to check their availabilities.
About a week after discharge, the midwife you chose will come to your home to weigh the baby and watch you feed him/her, check the overall general health of the baby, and check your mental health to ensure you are coping with the transition to motherhood.
I found it really comforting, not to mention convenient since I did not need to go out of the house. Her visits reduced my worries of not doing things well and reassured me that my son was putting on weight.
Physio Postnatal Checkups
CNS offers 8 free sessions of physio postnatal checkups after giving birth. These checkups, which are performed by a pelvic physical therapist, are an important part of the postpartum recovery process and allow the therapist to assess your overall physical health and address any potential issues with the pelvis, back, or abdominal muscles. You can book your appointment for these checkups starting 8 weeks after giving birth.
Maternity Benefits Under CNS
All medical appointments related to pregnancy and birth in Luxemburg are reimbursed by CNS. This includes two free ultrasound exams, and for high-risk pregnancies, as many ultrasounds as necessary.
Giving birth and staying in the hospital for postpartum care are also covered by CNS. If you choose to stay in a private room, you will need to have a private health insurance to avoid paying out of pocket. Keep in mind that you will receive the bills for childbirth and you will need to pay ± 1600€ upfront before seeking reimbursement from CNS.
Thank you for taking the time to read my pregnancy and birth in Luxembourg blog post. I hope you found it informative and helpful. Until next time!
eg1990 says
Thanks for the writeup! Funny, I found your blog while looking for blogs with roadtrip ideas for Algeria — very few in French, and almost none in English — and I was surprised to see a big “Luxembourg” section at top; we also live here. Despite being here for 2.5 years and liking cafes, I didn’t know of a couple of the ones you mentioned in that blog post. I guess all the COVID restrictions for our first 2 years here didn’t help. This blog entry should be useful for us soon too…
And congratulations!
Nesrine says
what a nice coincidence! love that