Česky
Hořovice in the Central Bohemian Region is not a big town. It has 6 800 inhabitants. But 35,000 babies have already been born in the local maternity hospital U Sluneční brány. In the last three years, more than 1,500 babies have been born here every year, and the maternity hospital, which is the largest in the region, competes with Prague's maternity hospitals. Not only mothers from the region, but also from Prague and other cities of the country come to Hořovice to give birth.
"They say they are attracted to us by the pleasant and modern facilities and the kind staff," says the head of the gynaecology and obstetrics department, Dr Aleš Klán. "Every year we welcome the thousandth baby a little earlier and this proves that our maternity hospital is becoming more and more well-known."
No caesarean sections on request
In the Czech Republic, it is known that, although it is not legal, some maternity hospitals do allow Caesarean sections at the request of the mother. However, in Hořovice they do not do this. "There should always be a medical reason," says Chief Medical Officer Klán. He adds that it does happen that a woman decides in the middle of pregnancy that she cannot handle the birth. Most of the time, she finds a reason, which leads to a caesarean section. Parents read all kinds of things about childbirth on the internet and usually get stressed out.
"A parent needs to know that she is in good hands with the staff. She must have no doubt about that. But if an inexperienced obstetrician says out loud that...it's not good... then that's what can stress a parent out," says Dr. Klan.
In Hořovice, they also allow so-called outpatient births, where the mother goes home within 12 hours after giving birth. "However, we require that she has a paediatrician who will take over the care of the child immediately after us. We have to see it in black and white, in writing. Of course, the mother has a contact at the maternity hospital in case something happens," says Dr. Klán.
And home births?
Věra Pavlů, the head of the maternity hospital at Sluneční brána, says: "I cannot agree with home births. There are many reasons. Let's start from the well-known fact that with the introduction of institutional births in the 1950s, maternal and neonatal mortality rates in our country dropped significantly. It is true that in a completely physiological birth with the birth of a healthy newborn, the care of mother and child does not differ much, but it begins to differ fundamentally when the birth becomes complicated. In acute situations, such as massive obstetric hemorrhage, every second is precious, even in the delivery room, which essentially turns into an intensive care unit. And this is what is lacking at home and home birth turns into a drama with an often very sad ending. But we have a democracy, so it is up to the mother herself to decide where to give birth."
The father at the birth
The older generation knows that the maternity ward was literally an impregnable fortress. Before 1989, even flowers were not allowed to be sent to mothers, and the father only saw his offspring when the mother was discharged home, usually on the fifth or seventh day. Nowadays it is quite common for fathers to be present at the birth and in Hořovice the mother can even bring more people close to her. The father then pays 500 crowns, the other persons always 700 crowns.
Modern neonatology
The Hořovice maternity hospital has 3 beds in the delivery room, 24 beds in the six-week neonatal ward, including 3 intensive care beds for patients with the need to monitor vital functions, i.e. women after caesarean sections and complicated deliveries. The maternity ward is able to care for mothers-to-be as early as 32 weeks of pregnancy, and there is also a state-of-the-art neonatology ward for premature babies. "We strive not only to be of high medical quality, but also to create a home-like atmosphere in the ward," says the head of neonatology, Dr. Milena Dokoupilová. That is why they also allow the father to take care of the newborn babies of mothers after a caesarean section.
Examination of newborns
In Hořovice, the standard screening examinations of newborns include, in addition to cataract and metabolic screening, an ultrasound examination of the kidneys to search for congenital developmental defects, an ultrasound examination of the hips and a hearing test using otoacoustic emissions. The maternity ward also regularly holds pregnancy talks on the first and third Mondays, which are directed by the midwives of the delivery rooms. "We introduce the parents to all the circumstances surrounding childbirth and they also have the opportunity to see the delivery room and the six-week ward," says Pavla Fíkarová, head nurse of the gynaecology and obstetrics department.
