That's what husbands are for surely? I don't fully understand help that may be needed, I had a C Section, husband had a week off after I came home, between us we cooked, cleaned and managed baby no problem. Think we expected things to be upside down a little

Hi Nicky,

I am glad that it worked out for you that way. However, I have seen many women struggling to get back on their feet, especially after delivering their first child. It is not a given that every new mother will be able to cope like you did. Being prepared is half the work, and for a lot of people, actually considering that extra help may be available can be comforting.

I agree. Depending how long and difficult the labor is, it can make the strongest woman completely exausted for days even weeks after the birth. And you add an episiotomy or c-section on top of that and recovery is even longer.

Have a plan A and a plan B for after the birth too. If you do need help, it will be there already.

Best of luck!

Thanks a lot! I have decided to talk to my insurance next week and get all the details on the hospital insurance. However I thought of actually telling them tis is for future pregnancy - I need to explain wny I suddenly need it, or?

Many thanks to everyone in this thread for the replies and the advices!!!

Just to add, in case you don't know it already, but you don't have to take your semi-private insurance from the company you have your basic insurance with. If you shop around you may get a better deal.

My advice would be to also consider the addedd things you get with semi private in general, not only for the birth itself.

For example, semi private comes with the complementary insurance which also reimburses osteopathy, acupuncture and massage which are all very helpful during and after delivery.

So it is a matter of comparing the cost but also the overall benefit, not just the delivery itself.

I had semi private (courtesy of my company) and have not upgraded to private myself and I am glad to be looking forward to a delivery in a fully private room at one of the hirslanden kliniks as they are wonderful

Also, do not forget that upgrades are possible BUT only if available. First will come the patients who actually have the semi private or private insurance.

Nevertheless, indeed in CH if we are discussing medical care only, you will get GREAT care in any public hospitals. the private kliniks are more like hotels with medical facilities Nice but not a must

Lastly, it is true that you can have your complementary with another company BUT be aware that this will create some more hassle as sometimes they will start juggling the ball and say the other company should pay. I have heard this from a number of friends...

And whilst on topic, a must is also not to forget to insure your unborn baby in case you are thinking of having a complementary for him/her as if it is done before the birth there are no questions asked, after the birth it becomes a bit more complicated with long health questionnaires.

Am sure you will make the right choice for yourself and all will go well!

K

Thanks for the good luck wishes.

Sorry... I was a bit off on my numbers. My wife went from the highest franchise to 300 francs and it's actually 100 francs more a month. Also, her Semi-Private is with a different insurance company... this seems to be quite common.

As far as the hospital choice, I think that it is often connected to your doctor. Initially she was going to give birth is Bethesda Spital, but since she has had a complicated pregnancy she will be in the Uni. Spital. As I understand it, if the pregnancy/child birth falls out of the "standard" your doctor will usually send you to the Uni. Spital. My sister in law just had this happen 3 weeks before her due date. It appears that the Uni. Spital is just the best equipped.

My wife did not have a waiting period at all. You apply (they don't have to take you) and then you have a 1 yr minimum (nov. cancellation). I think it might be worth checking other ins. company rates and conditions. Comparis.ch is a good place to check. As I said earlier, she has basic insurance with one company and her semi-private supplement with another. 3 yrs. seems excessive.

Hi there. I have Assura (semi-covered), but please note that ASSURAs Semi does NOT cover giving birth. I gave birth in Bruderholz spital and there you can pay extra and get a private room. But I didn`t do that. I thought it would be great to meet other mums. And share birth-stories. It wasn`t. A young couple came in to my room with a baby who cried non-stop 36 hours before the doctors found out that the baby had a headache from being squeezed during birth. I didn`t get any sleep at all the first 48 hours. So my advice: take a private room.

You must mean that your Assura supplementary insurance does not cover birth because your basic insurance policy covers it. It is mandatory for all basic policies to cover birth.