I am trying not to inundate the blog with information about what it was like to be pregnant in Italy, but at the same time, I know that when you ARE pregnant you are usually scrimping around for whatever information is available. SO, let’s talk about giving birth in Italy.
Just as in many countries, there is no one way to give birth in Italy. You can arrange to go to a birthing center, find a private hospital or even have a home birth with a midwife. However, the most common experience is to give birth in a public hospital. When I was pregnant, I joined the Italian national health system in order to give birth this way.
Please remember that I have given birth exactly two times in one country, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. Happy to hear about your experiences as well!
Giving Birth in Italy
During pregnancy in Italy, it is possible to be followed by either a private or a public doctor. If you have a public doctor, you will likely give birth at the hospital where your doctor is based. If you have a private doctor, you are still able to give birth at the public hospital if you are part of the SSN.
Selecting hospital is the first step in preparing to give birth. In Rome, Bellies Abroad runs a birth class that looks into your different options. I ended up asking around and reading online message boards in Italian before selecting mine. I was looking for a hospital that had multiple delivery options, a lowish C-section rate, and would bring the baby to me right after delivery rather than keeping him in the nursery. I gave birth at Città di Roma in Monteverde and was happy with the experience. Other popular hospitals in Rome are Gemelli, Mater Dei (private) and Fatebenefratelli.
Città di Roma is smaller (which I liked), but less specialized. If you have any risk factors or go into labor before 36 weeks, you are advised to give birth at a larger hospital because they can handle a wider range of needs and emergencies. If, God forbid, a complication should arise and you have chosen a smaller clinic, then it is possible that the mother and the baby will be transferred to different hospitals for recovery.
Once you have selected your hospital, you will likely need to pre-register. This involves visiting the maternity floor to pre-fill intake forms so that all of your information is on file when you check in. (I did this and it took about thirty minutes. I’m not sure what good it did because I was still interviewed for what felt like ages when I showed up in labor. I did not appreciate being asked detailed medical questions in Italian in between contractions, but what can you do?).
If you want the option to receive an epidural, then you also need to make an appointment with the hospital’s anesthesiologist and have an electrocardiogram about a month before your due date. Public delivery in Italy is free, but you will need to pay for the visit with the anesthesiologist. This was money well spent, in my opinion. I was cleared to get the drugs!
Hospitals often have limited maternity beds so you are asked to come in only when you are in active labor. I started having contractions around 1 am, my water broke at 5 am and I decide to go to the hospital around 8 am.
I dropped my suitcase off in my double room and was told that I could go directly up to the delivery room. I was a bit surprised that I was being sent up so soon but willing to go if that meant that I could get my epidural!
I was assigned an obstetrician, which I didn’t really grasp at first. He met me and walked me up to the delivery room, cheerily asking who was going to be born that day. For the rest of the time I was in the delivery ward, it was always Francesco who checked on me throughout the day, updated me on progress and plans, and ultimately delivered my baby. I was relieved to have that one familiar face because right at the end, about five more doctors and nurses that I didn’t know showed up.
The delivery room itself is private. The only non-medical person allowed in with the pregnant woman is her partner and he must wear a gown and shoe coverings provided by the hospital. Anyone else will have to stay in the waiting room outside of the delivery area.
I had a very positive experience at Citta di Roma but if there is one thing I would change, I would have been clear that I wanted the baby to stay with me. After Giacomo was born, he was placed briefly on my chest before being whisked away to be weighed, checked and bathed. Jimmy went with him while I was told to stay in the room to recover for an hour. I didn’t see the baby again during that time and if I had known that was the standard procedure, then I would have been more firm about having the baby stay with me for longer before being taken away by the nurses.
After that brief recovery in the delivery room, I went back down to my double room and waited for the baby. The other woman who was sharing the room arrived about an hour and a half later.
It wasn’t really strange to share a room because everything is strange right after you give birth. There is suddenly a new human with you. However, having a double room did mean that my husband could not stay overnight with us.
It also meant every time the other baby cried, I woke up.
Finally, the drawback of the double room was visitors. When you have visitors, you worry about annoying the other mother. When she has visitors, you yourself are a bit on edge. It is not really possible to sleep with so many people coming and going. I think there was technically a limit to the number of visitors who were allowed at any one time, but this is Italy and it was definitely not enforced.
Other than that, the room was very basic but also very clean. I gave birth in December so the heat was on, but it was controlled by the nurses.
Besides visits from family and friends, the day is punctuated by short checks from the medical staff. The doctors made the rounds to the rooms in the mornings, and right before being discharged I had to go to another exam room to see the OBGYN on call.
The babies were also wheeled away in their little bassinets in the mornings for a round of checks at the nursery. I selected a hospital where it was possible to keep the baby in the room with you all night, however, if you wanted to you could also ask for the baby to be taken to the nursery so you could get some sleep.
Each bassinet also has a little clipboard on it. I didn’t understand at first that I was supposed to record the baby’s stats on this chart myself – so know that you might have to keep track of feeding times, wet diapers, sleep, etc.
Nurses would also stop by throughout the day and bring me tachipirina. This is essentially aspirin and will be the only pain relief you can count on after delivery.
And the meals? BLEAK! For breakfast, it was camomile tea and fette biscottate (hard pass). Lunch was steamed veggies and a plain hamburger patty, and dinner was more veggies and some sort of soup. All of it came shrink wrapped and straight from the microwave. I immediately sent Jimmy out for food and water, and he also came back the next day with an entire bag of snacks.
My hospital required you to stay for at least 48 hours after the birth – so I elected to go home after exactly two days. As positive as the experience was, I couldn’t wait to be in my own space.
Giving Birth in Italy Post Covid-19
I was eight months pregnant when Italy was the first western country to enter a full lockdown in 2020. It was scary being pregnant early in the pandemic when we really did not understand much about the virus or the illness it caused.
It was also almost impossible to keep up with the rules that each hospital was rolling out on a daily basis. One thing that it is really important to know about the Italian health care world post-Covid-19 is that the rules are set nationally but implemented and amended regionally. That means that it really depends on WHERE in Italy you plan to give birth.
Because we were in a full lockdown, no one was allowed to go to the hospital or any appointments except the pregnant woman. In fact, up until a few days before the birth, partners were not even allowed at the birth. I know of some women who were pregnant at the same time as me and delivered a week or two early and did so totally alone.
Luckily, my clinic started to allow partners in for the final phase of birth. But I still went to the hospital, checked in, and labored alone.
From the moment I left my house, I was wearing a mask. I gave birth in a n95 mask and was required to wear one for my entire stay at the hospital.
I arrived around 6:30 am and was admitted at about 8 am. In the meantime, I waited alone in the waiting room after being examined. They felt the baby was too high to admit me but also didn’t want to send me home.
Once I was admitted, there was plenty of more paperwork to do. This is always the hardest part – sitting in a normal plastic chair at a desk and trying to answer questions in between contractions.
Wearing a mask and being alone was the only thing that differed. The nurses and midwives are also all masked but it is impossible to keep a distance from the staff who are there to help you.
I kept in touch with my husband by phone as I quickly unpacked and then went up to the delivery suite at 11 am. My husband came to the hospital at that point but had to wait downstairs. While he was outside, they kept asking me if I wanted to push and I kept saying “not until you let my husband in.”
He was allowed upstairs at about 12 pm and was given a gown to wear over his clothes. He of course was also wearing a mask.
Juliette was born about 8 minutes later and he was the first person to hold her. He was allowed to go watch her be assessed and weighed and then permitted to stay for 30 minutes or so. After that, he had to leave. The hospital allowed no visitors – not even fathers – so that was the last time I saw him until I was discharged 48 hours later.
What to Bring to the Hospital
The hospital will give you a list of items to pack for your stay but I would suggest:
General:
- Mild soap (you and everyone who visits will be washing their hands A LOT). We used / still use Neutro Med.
- Towels (this is a public hospital. You get a clean bed and expert care, but there are not many extras here).
- Water, tissues, an eye mask – anything that you need to feel comfortable and that you might pack to take with you when staying at a very very very basic hotel.
- Snacks. The food was bland, microwaved and not good.
For baby:
- Water wipes (though you will be provided with gauze that you can wet and use, and diapers are also usually provided)
- Four onesies
- Four pairs of footie PJs or simple outfits
- Small hat
- Swaddles or light blanket for when you are holding the baby (they will have a bassinet with bed linens provided)
For you:
- Whatever you want to give birth in (there are no hospital gowns! I bought a nightshirt specifically for the purpose)
- Other night shirts/comfy clothes to change into for the next 48 hours
- Everything you need for your own personal care post-delivery because nothing is provided. This means pads, mesh underwear, all that fun stuff.
Have you given birth in Italy? Did you have a similar experience?
The thing that shocked me the most was the food situation in the hospital/clinics here. We’re in Italy for goodness sake! How is it possible that the food can be so horrible? I was running home as soon as I could! I tried for a home birth with Giulia and ended up at San Camillo – loooong crazy story that we can talk about now that you’re not pregnant. 🙂 I was in a shared room at San Camillo where I had Giulia but then had my own private room at Clinica Annunziatella where I had Paloma and Viola. At Annunziatella I did have to pay a little bit for a private room, but it was totally worth it! I would add to bring your own pillow. There’s something quite comforting about having your own instead of the one rock hard pancake pillow they provide. I would also add bringing slip-on footwear to go to the bathroom or take a little walk around the corridors. Yes, I agree that things are VERY basic at state hospitals and clinics so best to bring everything that you need and don’t assume they’ll provide anything – in some hospitals you even need to bring your own toilet paper and hand soap. I would also include having a way to lock up your valuables or if there’s a wardrobe with a lock in your room to use it. Unfortunately, there have been cases of patients having their belongings stolen while they were in the hospital here. Seriously, how low can you go?
Hi Natalie,
thanks for sharing your experience. I will give birth to my second daughter in Cagliari in October and am nervous about the process (my first daughter was born in Australia). How much time did you have with your son before he was taken away from you? I’m very keen to have skin to skin contact for at least the first 2 hours though I have read that this is not standard practice in Italy and I have asked my obstetrician about it but he didn’t seem open to making an exception for me. And is that right that your your husband went with the him when he was checked?
with thanks,
Emily
Hi Emily – it was really really short. Maybe a few minutes? I was overwhelmed and didn’t know to ask for longer. My husband did go with him and was with him for the first half of the check before being sent back to me.
Emily, how was your birth experience compared to Australia? Im Australian married to an Italian and we are trying to weight up which country we should stay in,
🙂 Tina
Hi Tina. I’m an Australian living in Italy with an Italian, We’re pregnant with our first baby. Did you end up giving birth in Italy? If so can you please explain me your experience? Also how difficult it was to get the child Australian citizenship? Thank you kindly. Charisse
Hi,
Lots of information on giving birth that is given up here. One of my cousins currently lives in Italy. And she is pregnant now. I am going to pass it to her. Hope so she will be benefited from this. Thanks for the sharing such an informative article.
I love your post! I myself will be moving to Rome in a few weeks and will give birth in January. It’s been so hard to come across English articles with this kind of information but this was so spot on! Thank you so much for all your help!!
Congrats! And I am so glad that this was helpful!
Thank you so much!!! My first was born in UK where I had such an amazing experience, baby wasn’t taken out of the room at all until we left the hospital 9 hours after birth. I’m so scared to give birth in here, already disappointed by the people who work in the hospital, no one knows anything, lost of paper work that is not needed and very arrogant faces, god help me not to fight with someone one day ) I’m in Pisa, and I don’t even know anyone here besides my husbands family.
Ciao! There is another comment now that says you can insist. Definitely speak to the hospital and let that be a part of your decision making!
Hi I have given birth in London UK and it was awful. The delivery was ok but the hospital so dirty! The nurses are rude! I was left in a pool of blood in the bed. So many beds in a room!!! The breastfeeding support was nil. I am now visiting my niece who is giving birth in Livorno it’s a completely different atmosphere clean, cheerful and supportive.
Your niece is having her baby in Livorno I’m having mine in Feb in Cecina we live in Volterra. My 1st child was born in New Zealand and the next one here in italy so far my experience with hospitals have been terrible and unorganized I’m dreading having the baby here.
Hi, I gave birth in Milan In January, and we were told at the prenatal course that 2 hours skin to skin alone with the baby (and father), were the law in Italy, and it was respected. This of course if there are no concerns for the baby or the mother. It was a really great experience for me and my husband!
Oh really?? This was not even mentioned in Rome! I will definitely be insisting next time!
Hi MR,
Which hospital in Milan did you give birth at? Silly question, but was it all in Italian or English? Nervous about the language barrier as I can speak some Italian but not sure if I can muster medical lingo.
Pls help me with the name of this hospital in Milan. I need to be sure if i can really deliver in italy as i dont speak a word. It will help enormously
Hi, I don’t have a direct experience, but I am pretty sure you can request a translator to be with you at all time while you are in a hospital. It should be part of the provided assistance. Try to insist and ask for a “mediatore culturale”!
May i ask for the cost of the whole process , starting from gyn visits follow ups lab investigations and meds , my wife is half italian half egyptian currently living in egypt and planning for our second baby
Really appreciate your blog Natalie! I am an American who met my Italian fiance in Rome, and I am in the process of relocating to Italy and planning our wedding this spring. We will be planning our family soon, so this information is really appreciated, I am lucky to benefit from the fact that my fiance works in the medical field. I also greatly enjoyed your post on where to shop for home items, as I will be getting our new home set up this fall.
Cheers and see you around Rome!
Congrats, Jennifer! And thanks for your kind words about the blog!
Thank you for all the advice! I’m nearing my second delivery (c-section) next month in Avezzano and want to be prepared as much as possible as my pregnancy/delivery back in the states was so different then what I’ve experienced and have heard about hospital guidelines and checklists. The hospital I’ve chosen let’s baby stay with me… but unsure how I feel about sharing a room. Thanks again your blog was very helpful!
Have a wonderful pregnancy and delivery! (and in the future I would go for a private room, if that helps your decision at all)
Thank you so so much for sharing. You helped a crying, overwhelmed and outright confused expectant. Thank you very much! My biggest concern is the language gap with neither of us fluent at all. My mom is fluent in Italian but she’s probably more stressful than the entire situation and I didn’t want to have to depend on her to communicate on my behalf. Did anyone experience frustration or less than pleasant faces when attempting to communicate? I’m so emotional and cry all the time and feel like I will bawl if I get the slightly look of disdain 🙁 I’m a mess
Ciao! So in my personal experience, everyone was incredibly nice and explained things to me slowly and calmly. That being said, when I was in labor it was also a bit like having tunnel vision – you get totally into a zone. I just focused on what had to be done at the moment and really did not have problems communicating or understanding. I really don’t think anyone will be mean about your level of Italian in the delivery room!
Yes I always find when you can’t fully speak italian they scream and shout at u like today when I had to get blood done it’s terrible.
I’m sorry you had that experience. I had doctors and nurses who explained everything to me. Picking a hospital or birthing center is key
Thanks for the info, my husband and I will be relocating to Aviano from January-July for his work. I’m due in April so I’m trying to find as much info and figure out where to even start! So much to decide!
Thanks so much for the info! I’m pregnant and in Rome now. Kind of freaking out. I can’t seem to find a Dr or midwife that wants to follow me through this. So I’m turning to the internet for help. Thanks I’m getting a lot here! I was curious if anyone could tell me how much a private room costs?
Thanks!
This article is exactly what I have been searching for, thank you so much for sharing your experience. Like many other comments, I am worried about which city to choose, most likely will be either Milan or Bari and also the language barrier. I barely speak Italian, so communicating in medical terms in Italian is terrifying to me! Do you think that in Milan the doctors speak English? I know Bari and the south will be less likely.
Thank you again for sharing!!!
Tina 🙂
I am a Licensed midwife in the U.S. I have been thinking of spending some time in Italy and I’m wondering if there is ever a need for a home birth midwife there? A home birth is such a lovely experience! Your baby never gets taken away from you, as your midwife does all the checks at your bed side. We bring necessary equipment and medications. And of course you don’t have to put up with hospital food! Haha. Do you happen to know how I could find out the legality of being a traveling midwife in Italy? Thanks for your blog, I’m enjoying the reading so much!
How much will your costs be? I am planning home birth in lucca in January
Shweta, may I ask who the midwife was?
Hi joyce, Did you end up getting the information you needed for this? I’m curious about home birth in Italy- specifically in Tuscany.
Thank you so much for this information! My husband and I are leaving to go to Italy next week to have our baby in December. I find this article to be very useful, even though my husband is Italian, I am also having a Doula who speaks English with me in the delivery room as I don’t speak Italian at all. I think this will help reduce some of the stress since this is our first child and neither of us know what the birthing will be like. We will be having our baby in Catania, Sicily, if anyone has any experience to share, it would be highly appreciated.
Auguri!
Can you help me with your doula ‘s information. I am delivering in Italy in january and cant speak a word of italian. When i did my check up last month, they couldn’t communicate the simplest of things to me which got me worried
why not giving birth in USA since you are living in USA? I think we can help each other sharing my experience with yours
Hi Judine, I am planning a trip to Sicily this summer and I will be 28 weeks pregnant at the time. I am trying to research the availability and quality of Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Sicily so that we are prepared in case of any emergency that might arise, but it is very hard to find information online. Since you recently gave birth there, do you have any information about which hospitals there have the best care for deliveries/pediatrics, or any information you might have on the care there? Thanks so much!
Hi Shweta, where in Italy are you? The doula is in Catania where we are staying but you can find her on fb Tea D’Agata Doula. I would love to know where you are so we can exchange information. I am still contemplating giving birth in the hospital or a clinic as I would want the same OB to be available throughout my pregnancy and delivery.
There are midwives specializing in home birth located throughout Italy. Hospitals and clinics are not the only options.
Yes, of course. Home births and birth centers are an option. It all depends on personal preference and location.
Hi!
Researching for delivery abroad.. Mostly because I’m afraid I won’t be acceptad for a c-section. Do you know anything about c-sections in Rome? And this procedure of having the baby sleep in another room and not be with it the whole time seems really strange to me. Also, studies have found bathing isn’t something you should do the first days. Other studies have found even babies with minor healt problems get a lot better if the stay skin-to-skin with their mother (or father, if the mother needs medical attention). They actually get better by that than by the medical staffs attention (like helping with the breathing if it’s only a minor problem – mothers skin heals the baby faster and better!) This skin-to-skin is practised at a high level in Sweden (were I’m from and were I also work as a resident in pediatrics). Do you know if it’s a thing in Italy as well?
Thanks for sharing your story!
Ciao Nathalie
If everything goes well, I’ll deliver my baby in February,2020. I feel a little bit nervous because I will be all alone. Do you or anyone else have any idea if they provide midwife after delivery? And secondly, is there any other option like Caesarean section if mother doesn’t want to have normal delivery?
Hi guys,
This is a Dad to be here. I am Australian and just found out I am going to be a farther, well we are in the first trimester. I have a million and one questions rattling around my head, excuse the pun. My wife is Iranian and I am doing my PHD here, as is she actually, almost finished on her side luckily. I was wondering what happens when we give birth, Can I nominate Australian Citizenship? Can she and I stay in Italy together? I guess I am afraid the authorities will just wisk bub and mum away without say. Anywho, I really appreciated the blog. I will pass it on to my spouse as well. Thanks in advance.
Hi James. Congratulations! I lived in Italy a few years ago with my Italian partner at the time. I’m from the uk. My son was born in italy and i was keen for him to have a uk passport. I spoke to the British embassy in Rome i think, and was all sorted. So contact the Australian embassy in milan or rome and go from there. As for your Iranian wife, i should think you’d both have to register at the Questora for Permesso di Siorgorno. Be prepared for slow processing and tons of red tape. Good luck!
You can also totally birth at home! You do not need to submit to having a hospital birth and having your baby taken from you, restricted from seeing your partner, etc. It’s all a choice. The free birth society has an epic course to prepare women to birth naturally. Birth in and of itself is not a medical event (any more than love making is).
True!