Today we had a list of things to accomplish that would require interacting with French bureaucracy. They were:
- obtain a new passport for El Puma
- obtain a medical card for Small Fry
- open a bank account
- visit the pediatrician
We carefully consulted the various websites and amassed the paperwork required before setting off, fairly confident that we could be successful.
First fail: El Puma required not just a marriage certificate, but one issued less than three months previously in order to apply for a passport.
Second fail: Small Fry required not just a birth certificate, but the offical translation of his British birth certificate into French.
Third fail: Forms of ID and proof of address were insufficient to open a bank account. El Puma had to make a new appointment in order to turn up with a very particular form of proof of address.
Fourth Fail: Well, not so much of a fail as we did find a pediatrician, make an appointment, SF got the French ok (after getting the British one last Monday) and then...received a prescription list of nine items that apparently babies in France need (aside from the vaccination prescription list):
- nasal cleaning spray
- ear cleaning lotion
- face cleaning mousse
- nappy cream
- body lotion
- non-drying soap for the bath
- vitamin K supplements
- vitamin D supplements
- Anti-colic supplement
- anti-blemish spray (for his milk spots)
I have a beautiful, perfect little baby and throughout my pregnancy and his early days I have been making special efforts to keep him free from impurities and nasties, but the French system sees things quite differently. At least I still get the final say and have decided not to hand in the prescription...unlike my poor friend who told me last night that she only found out after several days that her baby had been given a donor mother's milk directly after birth without her consultation or consent for no reason other than 'he seemed hungry'.
