A new friend here from the States will be having a baby on a couple of weeks. I asked her what that will look like. She said that you have to go a special clinic to have babies. There are three levels of service - regular (one room for mom and baby), VIP (One room for mom and one room for baby), and super VIP (one room for mom, one for baby, and one for dad). If you have a natural birth, expect to spend 3-5 days in the hospital. If you have a c-section, expect to spend 5-7 days.
They will not induce babies here to accomodate schedules or personal preferences such as the case in the U.S. When you factor in having to call and wait for a driver/taxi to come pick you up once you start going into labor and then the commute (in traffic most likely) to the hospital... that sounds stressful to me. Alison noted that it takes almost an hour to get from her apartment to the hospital. She said once you get arrive, there are a few unique steps. First, they take moms to a room and shave them - completely - below the waist. Next they go to another room to have an enema. And then, they go to a room to have the baby. And, of note, babies born in Russia do not get Russian citizenship unless their parents are Russian.
I asked my driver about the process of having a baby as a Russian citizen. He said that women can stay on maternity leave for up to 2.5 years at 30-50% salary. They can go back to work sooner if they want, but can't be fired or refused pay within that time frame. Additionally, the government gives them the equivalent of coupons that can be exchanged for all the baby formula needed at special stores. New parents are also given a one time cash sum of about $3000 to cover expenses for the baby. Given slow population growth rate, the government gives an increasingly higher stipend for each additional child. And, a couple has five children, the government will give them a new apartment. All medical care is free for Russian citizens. It costs nothing to have a baby (in terms of medical fees). And if a Russian child gets sick, the parents just pick up the phone and call the doctor - who comes to the house to see the patient. All this, and Russians are only taxed at 13%. Sure, the medical care may not always be up to western standards, but nevertheless, I find it pretty impressive.
They will not induce babies here to accomodate schedules or personal preferences such as the case in the U.S. When you factor in having to call and wait for a driver/taxi to come pick you up once you start going into labor and then the commute (in traffic most likely) to the hospital... that sounds stressful to me. Alison noted that it takes almost an hour to get from her apartment to the hospital. She said once you get arrive, there are a few unique steps. First, they take moms to a room and shave them - completely - below the waist. Next they go to another room to have an enema. And then, they go to a room to have the baby. And, of note, babies born in Russia do not get Russian citizenship unless their parents are Russian.
I asked my driver about the process of having a baby as a Russian citizen. He said that women can stay on maternity leave for up to 2.5 years at 30-50% salary. They can go back to work sooner if they want, but can't be fired or refused pay within that time frame. Additionally, the government gives them the equivalent of coupons that can be exchanged for all the baby formula needed at special stores. New parents are also given a one time cash sum of about $3000 to cover expenses for the baby. Given slow population growth rate, the government gives an increasingly higher stipend for each additional child. And, a couple has five children, the government will give them a new apartment. All medical care is free for Russian citizens. It costs nothing to have a baby (in terms of medical fees). And if a Russian child gets sick, the parents just pick up the phone and call the doctor - who comes to the house to see the patient. All this, and Russians are only taxed at 13%. Sure, the medical care may not always be up to western standards, but nevertheless, I find it pretty impressive.
