- Which type of doctors and professionals should I get in touch with?
Along with a GP and a dentist, a gynaecologist is one of the doctors foreign women should register with immediately after they decide to stay in the Czech Republic for a longer period of time. (Find a list of English (and other languages) speaking gynaecologists in our guide Medical services).
Generally, women visit their gynaecologists at least once a year for a free preventive check-up. From the moment you find out about your pregnancy, your gynaecologist will start seeing you on a regular basis until around the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy and then you are asked to go to the maternity hospital for weekly check-ups until the birth (if all goes well, only once or twice). Most gynaecologists will instruct you to arrange your first appointment with the hospital yourself. Some, however, will do this for you.
More and more women (both local and foreign) have been deciding to use the services of certified doulas or midwives while pregnant as well as after the baby is born. In addition to a wide range of pre- and post-natal courses concerning techniques such as breathing and relaxation during the delivery, breastfeeding, and so on, future mothers can learn all about pregnancy, childbirth and care for a newborn through private sessions. Registered midwives are trained and allowed to deliver babies in hospitals; doulas are more like childbirth coaches who are allowed to be present in the hospital while the delivery is supervised by an obstetrician. (Find contact details of some who speak English or other languages in our guide Having a baby – Useful tips and contacts, or in the general Medical services guide.)
Last but not least, it is important to find a paediatrician for the baby. It is strongly recommended to start looking for one as early as three months before the due date as not that many speak English (or other languages). You need to make sure that the doctor has an agreement with the baby´s health insurance (private or public – depending on the future residential status of the baby).
- How do I find a maternity hospital?
It is up to the parents of the baby to choose a hospital where the mother will feel the most comfortable. Such a decision is usually discussed with and done through the mother’s gynaecologist and is based on a number of criteria varying from the helpfulness of the staff to special equipment, extra services (such as antenatal courses, guided tours, above standard accommodation1 ) or a variety of childbirth alternatives (water immersion, pain-relief positions, the possibility of assistance by a registered midwife, and so on). Some mothers also hire a professional doula in order to get support and advice during pregnancy and during and after the birth. It also helps to discuss your decisions with your fellow expat mothers/parents via various social groups and fora.
In the centre of Brno (Brno – Střed), you can choose from three maternity hospitals:
- Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Obilní trh 526/11
- Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Bohunice, Jihlavská 20
- Nemocnice Milosrdných Bratří, Polní 3
1. Above standard rooms are private rooms where the mother or sometimes the whole family (including the father) can stay during and / or after the birth. This type of room isn’t offered to you automatically, usually it can’t be prebooked, and you must pay extra.
- What should be done before labour?
Once you have chosen one of the maternity hospitals in the South Moravian Region2 (Jihomoravský kraj) you should contact and visit it and find out more about the registration procedures as they vary from hospital to hospital. In most cases, it’s enough just to arrive once childbirth has started. However, it’s advisable to get in touch in advance, mainly to:
- make sure you have all the necessary tests and complete all the required paperwork
- arrange for a back-up hospital in case they’re full when you need them (this can be especially important in the case of larger hospitals)
- ask for a guided tour, where you can ask a lot of questions and state your expectations clearly to make sure you find out what is available.
Luckily, no maternity hospital will turn you down in case of an emergency – for instance, if a baby comes early.
Before the baby is born you also need to find and make an appointment with a paediatrician. At this pre-birth appointment, the paediatrician has to agree to take your baby on as a patient.
If you’re (self-)employed in the Czech Republic, you’re eligible for maternity leave (and possibly also maternity benefit or a different type of a family allowance), which usually starts 8 – 6 weeks prior to labour. You should therefore get in touch with your gynaecologist about this at the beginning of your third trimester (unless there are complications and you are unable to work earlier that this). (S)he will officially estimate the date when the baby should be born and issue an official form. (For more details about the procedure and other possible benefits and leaves see our guide on Maternity benefit.)
2. Although only in Czech, this website contains detailed descriptions of every hospital including contact information, prenatal services, conditions of registration, childbirth phases, special services, prices, and so on.
- What should I do after labour?
In general, it’s the maternity hospital that notifies the Birth Registry Office about the birth of a baby. So parents quite often leave all the necessary documents in the hospital where the baby is born. While still in the hospital the mother signs a declaration about the baby’s first name(s). The father can sign it in the hospital or at the Birth Registry Office.
However, in the case of international parents it’s highly recommended to contact the Birth Registry Office in advance, visit the office in person and deal with them directly (for further details see the section on Birth Registry Office).
When leaving the hospital, the parents are given a health care and vaccination record booklet for their child (‘zdravotní a očkovací průkaz dítěte’), stamped officially by the hospital.
They will then be expected to bring the book to every appointment with the baby’s paediatrician.Parents also need to make an appointment with the paediatrician once the baby is born (within two to three days after being released from hospital) and have the doctor check the baby, make later appointments, and so on.
- Which type of doctors and professionals should I get in touch with?
Along with a GP and a dentist, a gynaecologist is one of the doctors foreign women should register with immediately after they decide to stay in the Czech Republic for a longer period of time. (Find a list of English (and other languages) speaking gynaecologists in our guide Medical services).
Generally, women visit their gynaecologists at least once a year for a free preventive check-up. From the moment you find out about your pregnancy, your gynaecologist will start seeing you on a regular basis until around the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy and then you are asked to go to the maternity hospital for weekly check-ups until the birth (if all goes well, only once or twice). Most gynaecologists will instruct you to arrange your first appointment with the hospital yourself. Some, however, will do this for you.
More and more women (both local and foreign) have been deciding to use the services of certified doulas or midwives while pregnant as well as after the baby is born. In addition to a wide range of pre- and post-natal courses concerning techniques such as breathing and relaxation during the delivery, breastfeeding, and so on, future mothers can learn all about pregnancy, childbirth and care for a newborn through private sessions. Registered midwives are trained and allowed to deliver babies in hospitals; doulas are more like childbirth coaches who are allowed to be present in the hospital while the delivery is supervised by an obstetrician. (Find contact details of some who speak English or other languages in our guide Having a baby – Useful tips and contacts, or in the general Medical services guide.)
Last but not least, it is important to find a paediatrician for the baby. It is strongly recommended to start looking for one as early as three months before the due date as not that many speak English (or other languages). You need to make sure that the doctor has an agreement with the baby´s health insurance (private or public – depending on the future residential status of the baby).
- How do I find a maternity hospital?
It is up to the parents of the baby to choose a hospital where the mother will feel the most comfortable. Such a decision is usually discussed with and done through the mother’s gynaecologist and is based on a number of criteria varying from the helpfulness of the staff to special equipment, extra services (such as antenatal courses, guided tours, above standard accommodation1 ) or a variety of childbirth alternatives (water immersion, pain-relief positions, the possibility of assistance by a registered midwife, and so on). Some mothers also hire a professional doula in order to get support and advice during pregnancy and during and after the birth. It also helps to discuss your decisions with your fellow expat mothers/parents via various social groups and fora.
In the centre of Brno (Brno – Střed), you can choose from three maternity hospitals:
- Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Obilní trh 526/11
- Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Bohunice, Jihlavská 20
- Nemocnice Milosrdných Bratří, Polní 3
1. Above standard rooms are private rooms where the mother or sometimes the whole family (including the father) can stay during and / or after the birth. This type of room isn’t offered to you automatically, usually it can’t be prebooked, and you must pay extra.
- What should be done before labour?
Once you have chosen one of the maternity hospitals in the South Moravian Region2 (Jihomoravský kraj) you should contact and visit it and find out more about the registration procedures as they vary from hospital to hospital. In most cases, it’s enough just to arrive once childbirth has started. However, it’s advisable to get in touch in advance, mainly to:
- make sure you have all the necessary tests and complete all the required paperwork
- arrange for a back-up hospital in case they’re full when you need them (this can be especially important in the case of larger hospitals)
- ask for a guided tour, where you can ask a lot of questions and state your expectations clearly to make sure you find out what is available.
Luckily, no maternity hospital will turn you down in case of an emergency – for instance, if a baby comes early.
Before the baby is born you also need to find and make an appointment with a paediatrician. At this pre-birth appointment, the paediatrician has to agree to take your baby on as a patient.
If you’re (self-)employed in the Czech Republic, you’re eligible for maternity leave (and possibly also maternity benefit or a different type of a family allowance), which usually starts 8 – 6 weeks prior to labour. You should therefore get in touch with your gynaecologist about this at the beginning of your third trimester (unless there are complications and you are unable to work earlier that this). (S)he will officially estimate the date when the baby should be born and issue an official form. (For more details about the procedure and other possible benefits and leaves see our guide on Maternity benefit.)
2. Although only in Czech, this website contains detailed descriptions of every hospital including contact information, prenatal services, conditions of registration, childbirth phases, special services, prices, and so on.
- What should I do after labour?
In general, it’s the maternity hospital that notifies the Birth Registry Office about the birth of a baby. So parents quite often leave all the necessary documents in the hospital where the baby is born. While still in the hospital the mother signs a declaration about the baby’s first name(s). The father can sign it in the hospital or at the Birth Registry Office.
However, in the case of international parents it’s highly recommended to contact the Birth Registry Office in advance, visit the office in person and deal with them directly (for further details see the section on Birth Registry Office).
When leaving the hospital, the parents are given a health care and vaccination record booklet for their child (‘zdravotní a očkovací průkaz dítěte’), stamped officially by the hospital.
They will then be expected to bring the book to every appointment with the baby’s paediatrician.Parents also need to make an appointment with the paediatrician once the baby is born (within two to three days after being released from hospital) and have the doctor check the baby, make later appointments, and so on.