An Expat Talks about What is Was Like Having a Baby in Winterthur, Switzerland

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Winterthur

How recently did you give birth in the country that you are reporting on?

10 years ago!

Describe your experience giving birth there. What type of facility did you go to? What (if any) type of pain management did you use? How long did you stay in the hospital? Was it a positive experience? Etc...

I gave birth to the lovely Lauren on the living room floor of our apartment at 1:26 am following almost 22 hours of labour. No pain meds, a birth pool in the corner (only used for a short time) and a great, calm, patient midwife by the name of Marie-Jose Meister. Oh - my super cool hubby too (when he wasn't sleeping!!!! Delivered on the birthing stool and the little angel look up at us from the floor and smiled at us before she had even started to breath... it was magic!

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How did you choose your doctor, midwife or other type of medical professional?

I got pregnant a lot faster than we expected, so did not have private health insurance, leaving me with no option but to use the "Public" system available under the general insurances. I was told I would not find anyone who spoke English in the public system and this made me very nervous. Thankfully my radical midwife friends back home in Australia encouraged me to read Sheila Kitzinger and my Swiss GP was able to tell me that "the best community based midwife in Switzerland" lived in our village. Better still, her services, including home birth was covered by my public level insurance.....and she spoke English - I was sorted!!!

If you were to have another child in this country, would you do anything differently in terms of preparation and/or the delivery?

I searched and searched until I found a home birth midwife for our second child born in Australia and was more than happy to pay the fees involved, as these services have no public funding in Australia. Switzerland, Australia - anywhere - trained, experienced and skilled midwives supporting you in your own home - it's the only way to give birth anywhere in the world!!

If a friend of yours living in the same country were expecting, what advice would you give her?

Find a good midwife in your community, read LOTS and don't listen to all the people who think you'll end up with blood on the ceiling!!!