Preparing for childbirth: methods, when to start and what is covered in France

What is covered in France

As soon as the pregnancy is declared, the mother-to-be is entitled to birth and parenthood preparation sessions. They come on top of the medical follow-up of the pregnancy, and the other parent can attend some of them (Santé.fr, 2022).

The national health insurance fully covers seven preparation sessions, which can be led by a midwife or a doctor. They can be individual, but are often held in groups so that parents-to-be can share (Assurance maladie, 2026). You can attend them with the professional who follows your pregnancy or with another one; to be reimbursed, they must be a midwife or a doctor (Santé.fr, 2022).

Before these sessions comes the early prenatal interview, individual or as a couple, with your midwife or doctor. It is now one of the mandatory appointments of pregnancy follow-up, it is also fully covered, and it is a time to share your expectations, questions and support needs (Assurance maladie, 2026). This is also when the seven sessions are discussed and scheduled (Santé.fr, 2022).

According to the Assurance maladie, these sessions help you, among other things, to:

• understand how pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period unfold;
• do body exercises, especially breathing, for pregnancy and birth;
• learn relaxation exercises and useful movements and postures during pregnancy;
• understand the role of each member of the medical team;
• learn the first care your baby will need and prepare for going home.

When to start?

The first appointment is the early prenatal interview. Santé publique France advises having it preferably in the first trimester (Santé.fr, 2022); the Assurance maladie recommends scheduling it early in the pregnancy, from the 4th month, and adds that it is never too late to ask for it (Assurance maladie, 2026).

The preparation sessions themselves usually take place from the 7th month of pregnancy (Santé.fr, 2022). Some approaches start earlier: haptonomy, for example, can begin from the 3rd month (Santé.fr, 2019).

No ideal schedule has been demonstrated: the French National Authority for Health (HAS) notes that current knowledge does not allow an optimal number, frequency or length of sessions to be set (HAS, 2005). The simplest is to talk about it at the prenatal interview, then adjust to your pace.

Classic preparation with a midwife

This is the most common preparation. It is offered by midwives in private practice and in maternity units, and aims to help you and your partner feel autonomous, reassured and ready for birth, breastfeeding and the arrival of your child. For a first pregnancy, it can be very useful because it is comprehensive (Santé.fr, 2019).

The HAS describes it as obstetric psychoprophylaxis: breathing, pelvic tilt and pushing techniques (HAS, 2005).

Haptonomy

Founded by Frans Veldman, haptonomy teaches parents to connect with the baby before birth, through touch, gentle pressure on the belly and the voice. It involves the couple and gives the partner an active role, provided they want it. It must be complemented by practical explanations about pregnancy and birth, because it does not only cover the emotional bond (Santé.fr, 2019).

Sophrology

Sophrology is one of the approaches offered in France for birth preparation (HAS, 2005). As an example, the Geneva University Hospitals describe their prenatal sophrology course, led by a midwife, as work based on breathing and visualisation exercises, to experience pregnancy better and approach the birth.

Content varies from one practitioner to another: ask how sessions are built and whether they also include practical information on how labour and birth unfold.

Prenatal yoga

Postures adapted to pregnancy, gentle stretching and a time for relaxation: this is how the Geneva University Hospitals present their prenatal yoga course, open to women whether sporty or not, with no prior practice needed. In France, prenatal yoga can also be part of the preparation sessions (Santé.fr, 2022).

A Cochrane review suggests that yoga, like relaxation and music, may reduce labour pain, with low to very low quality evidence (Smith et al., 2018).

Pool preparation

Aquatic preparation is among the approaches offered in France (HAS, 2005), and it is listed among the methods that help relieve the minor discomforts of pregnancy (Santé.fr, 2019). It is not available everywhere: ask your maternity unit or midwife, and check whether the sessions count among the seven covered sessions.

Breathing and relaxation

Breathing and relaxing are part of almost every preparation, including the covered sessions (Assurance maladie, 2026). The World Health Organization recommends relaxation techniques, including breathing, for healthy women who ask for pain relief, depending on their preferences (OMS, 2018).

These techniques can help you get through contractions; they do not make birth painless. They also have the advantage of being something you can practise together, long before the day of the birth.

What the research says, plainly

The HAS wrote in 2005 that many approaches are offered in France but none has been evaluated, whether obstetric psychoprophylaxis, sophrology, aquatic preparation, haptonomy, acupuncture or yoga (HAS, 2005).

Trials of childbirth classes in general remain inconclusive: a Cochrane review of 9 trials involving 2,284 women concludes that their effects remain largely unknown (Gagnon and Sandall, 2007). A more recent review of 18 studies finds that prenatal education may reduce fear of childbirth and perceived pain intensity, while judging these studies too weak to settle the question (Alizadeh-Dibazari et al., 2023).

In other words, there is no winning method. Choose the one that makes you want to practise, led by a qualified person, and that answers your practical questions.

How to choose your preparation

A few questions to ask yourselves, and the person who will support you:

• Who leads the sessions? Only those led by a midwife or a doctor count among the seven covered sessions.
• Do the sessions explain in practical terms how labour, birth and going home unfold?
• What is your partner’s place: can they come, and do they have an active role?
• Would you rather join a group, to share with other parents-to-be, or have individual sessions?
• Does the method give you exercises you will want to practise at home?
• Does your pregnancy need particular monitoring? Then ask the team that follows you what suits you.

Preparing together

The HAS asks for sessions to be open to fathers-to-be (HAS, 2005), and the other parent can attend some of the covered sessions (Santé.fr, 2022). The WHO recommends that every woman can be accompanied by a companion of her choice throughout labour and birth (OMS, 2018).

This role can be prepared: knowing the stages of labour, knowing how to guide breathing, being the link with the care team. A partner who knows what to expect can help rather than watch from the sidelines.

Where does the Méthode Souffle fit?

The Méthode Souffle is not one of the seven covered sessions: it is not led by a midwife or a doctor, and it is not reimbursed by the French health insurance. It replaces neither the early prenatal interview, nor the preparation sessions, nor pregnancy follow-up.

It comes as a complement, for the couple: emotional and relational support, by video call or in Brive-la-Gaillarde, ideally started in the second trimester, but possible at any point in the pregnancy.

How many sessions are covered?

In France, seven birth and parenthood preparation sessions, fully covered when led by a midwife or a doctor, on top of the early prenatal interview, which is also fully covered (Assurance maladie, 2026). If in doubt about your situation, your health insurance fund and your midwife are the best sources.

Can you combine several methods?

Yes, it is even common: covered sessions often include breathing, relaxation or prenatal yoga (Santé.fr, 2022). If you add another approach, keep a base that explains how birth unfolds in practice, and talk about it with your midwife.

Is it too late in the 8th month?

No. The early prenatal interview can be requested at any time (Assurance maladie, 2026), and sessions often take place from the 7th month (Santé.fr, 2022). The earlier you start, the more time you will have to practise, but a few sessions are better than none.

Further reading

• Is a pain-free birth possible? What mental preparation really changes
• Fear of childbirth: where it comes from and how to ease it
• The birth partner’s role during labour: preparing together