The maternity hospital of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins is the first in the Alpes-Maritimes to obtain the “Maternys” label from the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF), now headed by the eminent professor Israel Nisand. She was thus identified by this learned society as being a “well-treating” maternity.
This distinction highlights the work of this service which carries out 1,000 deliveries per year. And which attests each time to its commitment to always better meet the expectations of pregnant women and to constantly improve the quality of care, safety and well-treatment of patients and their families.
During and following pregnancy. Because “give birth to a child, that’s not all, postulates Professor Israel Nisand, who worked on the creation of the label.
The Maternys label was awarded for one year to the Antibes maternity hospital. In practice, it undertakes to comply with twelve recommendations. Here they are summarized in three essential points.
Better informed patients…
Who says well-treatment says above all well-informed patients. Very concretely, the women followed by the Antibes maternity unit benefit from free access to the Maternys platform.
In particular, they find videos on some twenty subjects illustrating pregnancy monitoring, the progress of childbirth and postnatal care, as well as a multitude of explanations and advice that complement those of doctors. They are thus informed of all the acts likely to accompany their childbirth: cesarean section, episiotomy, etc.
“When we take stock of all the information we owe to a woman who is going to give birth, it’s 10 hours of consultation. No one can do it, not even in private, explains the Pr To install Nisand. So we have put this information in the form of videos for patients. For example, at 6e months, they receive an SMS telling them that they can watch a video on the emergency caesarean section.”
It should be noted that this information is all in accordance with the recommendations of the CNGOF and is expected to evolve according to the feedback from users and birth professionals (gynecologists-obstetricians, midwives, anesthesiologists, nurses, childcare workers, psychologists, etc.) accredited establishments.
“It’s an essential point of the label, specify the Pr To install Nisand. Women can express themselves anonymously to the department head and qualify the information received during pregnancy as well as the progress and follow-up of their delivery. The objective is to now entrust part of the quality control to the women themselves. We are the first medical specialty to do so.”
… and better supported
The hospital of Antibes also sets up for the patients who wish it an early prenatal interview, which is not for the moment obligatory. “However, it is essential to worry, when she begins her pregnancy, regarding the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of a woman, which might lead to a bad feeling of this period or complications. explains Israel Nisand.
Support is also offered before leaving the maternity ward for any emergency intervention with a clear explanation and the possibility of psychological support if this proves necessary.
Baby comfort and patient autonomy
Finally, the comfort of the newborn is, quite logically, one of the criteria of this label to which the Antibes maternity unit has been committed for several years: it includes breastfeeding assistance, comfort and respect baby’s sleep rhythms in the organization of care.
The autonomy of the patients, with the possibility of experiencing a childbirth that respects the physiology as much as possible, in a secure environment, is also respected in the event of a request. The Antibes maternity unit has a brand new pre-labor room, called “nature room”, to meet the growing expectations of future mothers to benefit from less medicalized but equally secure care.
Born in the wake of #Metoo and #PayeTonGyneco
In 2015, in the wake of the #MeToo and #PayeTon Gyneco movement, voices were raised to denounce obstetric violence. Three years later, a report by the High Council for Equality between Women and Men called on “recognize and put an end to long ignored violence”.
The consequences of a badly lived childbirth, it is “post-traumatic stress which is felt by many women, explains the Pr Nisand, president of the CNGOF who worked for the creation of this label. Having a depressed mother for a baby can have a heavy impact on the child’s construction.”
“Rebuilding a climate of trust”
“We realized that some patients had the impression of not having had the necessary listening and information, of not having been able to consent or give their opinion on what was happening and, sometimes even, to ‘having made an inappropriate remark’notes Israel Nisand.
“The profession wanted to show that it had heard the criticisms of these women. It is in this spirit that the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians launched the Maternys label to distinguish maternity units that put well-treatment at the center of their concerns, with the aim of re-establishing a climate of trust between expectant mothers and the medical profession.”
When benevolence collides with economic reality: the cry of Professor Nisand
The pr Nisand, who was present at the maternity hospital in Antibes to hand over the label and meet the teams of this maternity hospital judged “copy”, wanted to sound the alarm. “Very often we come up once morest the economic reality of maternity wards. In France, half are very poorly staffed. And an abused motherhood can become abusive. The phenomenon has amplified since 2017, hospitals are on the rims, there are difficulties everywhere. In the Paris region, this summer, we closed three maternities for lack of midwives. We are at the limit of possibilities in funding and operating restrictions and this is having a negative impact on patient care.”
