Being able to hop between two countries always gives the fascinating space of comparison. This time it was between antenatal services.

To be fair, no local authority in the UK is the same as far as any medical services are concerned and I've probably had an atypical experience. First antenatal appointment scheduled for week 16, one ultrasound scan, saw one of the team midwives for the first time in week 27, so far no discussion of birth choices, parentcraft classes very close to delivery date. On the good side was the low tech and reassuring atmosphere, the normality of pregnancy, the encouragement to find out for myself what I needed to know.

On my short trip to Germany I visited the practice where my pregnancy had been originally confirmed. As is the norm, if you are pregnant, in Germany you see a specialist, an obstetrician. Part of any appointment are numerous tests and the most unpleasant parts of obstetricianity, such as sitting on a chair that cannot but resemble a torturing device, and which facilitates internal check up (which to me are a mild form of torture). I was put onto a foetal heart monitor for 20 minutes, which also monitored contractions I don't actually have. While I truly appreciated all the thorough testing to make sure all is going well (I am a very worried mum-to-be) and cried for joy when seeing cubling again and finding out its gender, I also experienced the downside of it all. While on the monitor, I almost fainted for discomfort. I didn't like lying on my back for 20 minutes, unable to move, subject to electricity being sent to my baby, and to the unhappy kicks right into the device from the inside. I almost fainted, which is a silly and unnecessary thing to do, but my usual reaction to medical instruments and invasive technology (not that the monitor would be considered invasive by any of the staff). What worried me most that at no point was I asked if I was happy for any of these "routine" tests to be carried out - much in contrast to the practice at least at my maternity hospital and GP in the UK.

I've done it, all is very well, cubling is growing well and I'm just a pregnant woman in spite of my slightly higher age. For the rest of my pregnancy, I'm awfully glad to be in the UK, cared for by midwives, NCT volunteers, hypnobirthing practitioners, and to simply get on with having a baby.