I'm an American who's pregnant in France. It's been great in some ways, but there are times I wish I were back home.

There's a lot that I've loved about the French approach to pregnancy.

Audrey Bruno I knew I'd likely have my first child abroad when I married a Frenchman and moved to France in 2021.

So far, I've loved a lot about France's approach to pregnancy , including the use of midwives.

However, I miss American traditions like baby showers, my favorite snacks, and the people I love.

When I fell in love with a Frenchman who wanted kids as much as I did, I knew there was a distinct possibility that I'd be going through pregnancy on foreign soil.

And when we moved to France in 2021, with no intention of leaving anytime soon, my fate seemed all but sealed.

Earlier in 2026, I found out that we were pregnant for the first time.

For a year leading up to this moment, I'd set the stage for everything to go as smoothly as possible, ensuring that I was properly registered in France's national health-insurance program and completing all the preliminary checkups.

Yet, despite my best efforts, nothing could have prepared me for the cultural differences surrounding pregnancy in France.

Although I've found there's a lot to love about the French approach, there have also been a handful of times I've wished I were back in the US with my family in Southern California, where I'm originally from.

I was expecting to have an OB-GYN, but using midwives is the norm over here I always thought I would have an OB-GYN, but that's less common in France.

Grace Cary/Getty Images Though midwifery isn't regulated nationally in the US, it is in France.

Here, midwives are required to attend six years of schooling and obtain a master's degree.

They're allowed to prescribe medicine and lead childbirth, and I've found that most French people with low-risk pregnancies are recommended to them over OB-GYNs for all the steps of pregnancy and delivery.