Swiss Birth Stories

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Alexandra, a footballer who moved to Bern six years ago, shares her pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience just seven weeks after having her son. She explains how she chose an English-friendly hospital in Bern (Salem Spital), how her history of concussion impacted her pregnancy and overall health and fitness journey, how an English language birth preparation course helped her and her partner, and what pregnancy felt like as an athlete. She also describes how a long labour led to an unplanned cesarean birth (C-section) that she and her partner chose together, with partner present, skin-to-skin and a family room stay. Alexandra covers cesarean recovery, breastfeeding challenges, postpartum midwife support, two weeks' paternity leave in Switzerland, and the practical things that helped most: rest (and loving people who kept telling her to rest), pre-cooked meals, fresh air and a supportive partner.

Inselspital's app mentioned in the podcast (Insel Health- Mama Care)

Alexandra's birth preparation class was with Mamamundo

1. What is pregnancy and postpartum recovery like for an athlete in Switzerland?

Alexandra, a footballer living in Bern, found pregnancy mentally challenging because she could no longer control her body, sleep and training the way she was used to. Her earlier concussion recovery taught her to accept her body's limits, and during postpartum she leaned on "rest, rest, rest" advice from her midwife, partner and family.

2. How do I choose a hospital and prepare for birth as an English speaker in Switzerland?

Alexandra discovered she had three hospitals within an eight-minute drive in Bern. She attended hospital information sessions and chose Salem Spital because English was an accepted language. She also joined an English-language birth preparation course and took an infant emergency first aid course with her partner.

3. What happens if your waters break before contractions start?

In Alexandra's experience, her waters broke six days past her due date. The hospital midwives invited her in, checked her, and offered the choice to go home to rest, since labour had only just begun. She notes that waters breaking is often not the emergency people expect. Always follow the guidance of your own midwife or hospital.

4. What is an unplanned cesarean birth (C-section) like, and how are decisions made in the moment?

After a long labour with little progress, Alexandra and her partner were given two options: a cesarean now or waiting to see if labour progressed. They took some time and chose the calmer, planned-style cesarean. Her partner was present, they opted for a clear window to see the birth, and she had skin-to-skin contact and initiated breastfeeding shortly after her baby was born. They then stayed together in a hospital family room.

5. What does postpartum support look like in Switzerland?

Alexandra describes a hospital stay of three nights after birth in a family room at Bern's Salem Spital, a postpartum midwife who prioritised rest, lactation consultant support for breastfeeding challenges, and (near) absent physiotherapy care. She also discusses the limits of two weeks' paternity leave in Switzerland and how family and friends helped with meals and freezer food.

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Swiss Birth Stories shares personal birth experiences for education and support. It is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, so please speak with your midwife, doctor or other qualified healthcare provider about your own care.

Mentioned in this episode:

Lilybee Doulas

Lilybee Doula

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Matrescence is the profound physical, emotional, and psychological transition of becoming a mother and it's a big focus of everything we do at Swiss Birth Stories, but it's also a huge part of Dr. Jessica Laine Carmeli's expertise. In this episode, she discusses pregnancy, out-of-hospital birth, breastfeeding, and motherhood. She describes severe hyperemesis in her first pregnancy, medication-supported nausea management in later pregnancies, and contrasts NHS hospital-based midwifery care with Swiss birth-house and home-birth midwifery models, emphasizing continuity of care and the need for self-advocacy in doctor-centered systems. She recounts a first birth house birth, including labor stalling during an Uber ride, minimal intervention, immediate breastfeeding, and quick discharge, then a second, faster, uninterrupted home water birth shaped by safety, environment, and boundary setting. She discusses tandem feeding, weaning decisions, cultural “good mother” scripts, preparing more for motherhood than birth, and trauma healing as central to her motherhood transition.

*Quick head's up: childhood sexual abuse is briefly mentioned around minute 53 to 54.

1. What's the difference between hospital, birth center, and home birth in Switzerland?

Jessica experienced all three- hospital-based midwifery care in the UK, a birth center (with continuity of care from one midwife), and a home birth, plus she is currently planning her second home birth. She shares how each setting shaped her sense of safety and control.

2. How do you find an English-speaking home birth midwife in Switzerland?

Options are limited, so Jessica recommends reaching out early, confirming availability around your due date, and asking clearly about backup midwife coverage.

3. Are cervical checks necessary during labor?

Not always- Jessica had them in her first birth but did not have any of them in her second.

4. Is it possible to breastfeed while pregnant, and can you tandem feed after the new baby arrives?

Jessica breastfed through pregnancy (with reduced supply) and tandem fed her toddler and newborn, sharing how she navigated it emotionally and physically. Her discussion about weaning and examining your own scripts about motherhood and breastfeeding is especially enlightening.

5. How do you advocate for yourself with doctors and midwives during pregnancy?

Jessica describes contrasting expert-driven medical care with a more collaborative midwifery model, and how she learned to trust but also to push back when necessary, even when it felt uncomfortable, to get the care which was right for her.

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The birth where Jessica had her first baby was the Maison de naissance Eden in Lausanne: https://maison-eden.ch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matrescenthealth

Website: https://matrescenthealth.com

Substack, where she write about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and Motherhood: https://substack.com/@mamaoutlaw

Mentioned in this episode:

Lilybee Doulas

Lilybee Doula

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Anna, a Swiss mom living in Zurich, shares two very different birth stories of her two daughters. Pregnant soon after deciding to try, she miscarried, then conceived again and prepared with yoga, a birth course, and a doula. Her first baby stayed in the breech position; she switched from Klinik im Park to Triemli Stadtspital Zürich to attempt a vaginal breech birth. Anna tried various turning methods, and began labor after a castor oil cocktail, but after slow dilation and the baby not descending, chose a calm cesarean and met her daughter with skin-to-skin. Postpartum was tough with C-section recovery, painful breastfeeding, and her partner’s depression. In her second pregnancy, she again hired a doula, chose Klinik im Park in Zurich with a supportive gynecologist, and achieved a VBAC with epidural and vacuum assistance, describing the moment her baby lay on her chest as healing, supported by a stable partnership, protected postpartum boundaries, and flexible feeding.

• A pregnancy with a breech presentation and a choice to attempt a vaginal birth
• The power of doula support
• Pregnancy and early parenthood during a partner's mental health struggles
• A calm, unplanned transition to a C-section after a long labor
• A successful VBAC on the second birth, including a vacuum delivery she wasn't prepared for
• How the second postpartum healed the first

1. "What happens if my baby is breech & do I have to have a C-section?"
2. "Is a doula worth it, and how do I find the right one?"
3. "What's an epidural or vacuum delivery actually like?"
4. "Can you have a vaginal birth after a C-section (VBAC) in Switzerland, and what does that process involve?"
5. "Why is breastfeeding so hard and is it ok to combo feed or stop?"

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- Postpartum food service: Rooted by Ashley Schütz

- Doula: Carolin Taurer

- Pregnancy Yoga: Luisa Harisch

- Gynaecologist: Birgit Link

- Birth prep podcast: Birthful by Adriana Lozada

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Lilybee Doulas

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Her pregnancy is “textbook” until a routine late-pregnancy check reveals high blood pressure and protein in urine, and suddenly every day feels like a decision point. We’re joined by Kaitlin, an American-Swiss mother living in Zurich, who walks us through severe preeclampsia monitoring, a surprise ICP diagnosis after relentless itching, and how quickly things can escalate when your body starts sending warning signs at 35 to 36 weeks.

Kaitlin shares what labour looked like for her: blood draws, spontaneous preterm labour, low-dose misoprostol when it stalled, and an epidural experience that doesn’t go the way anyone hopes. When her lab values shift into HELLP syndrome territory and her baby shows signs of distress, the team recommends a time-sensitive C-section. Kaitlin describes the fear, the relief, and the small, grounding moments that still break through, including meeting her baby and finding calm together even in the operating room.

The story keeps going after birth, because her hardest stretch is postpartum: the intensive care unit (ICU). In this part of the story, we hear about magnesium drip side effects, swelling and slowed recovery, and then the whiplash of going home to the newborn feeding cycle. We also get practical and honest about breastfeeding challenges, including thrush versus vasospasm pain, and what helped her keep going. Kaitlin closes with the long view: follow-up care after preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, future pregnancy risk, and why self-advocacy matters long after discharge.

Books:

• For early pregnancy: Expecting Better by Emily Oster
• For birth preparation (highly recommend!): Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood - and Trusting Yourself and Your Body by Erica Chidi Cohen

English-speaking resources in Zurich that Katlin recommends:

• Barbara Ghisla Schibli, Katlin's amazing postpartum midwife - https://hebamme.ghisla.ch/en
• Dr. med. Theodosia Charpidou, gynecologist (FMH) at SihlGynPraxis - https://www.gynaekologie-zuerich.ch/en
• Dr. phil. Olivia Bolt, psychologist with specialisation in birth trauma - https://www.oliviabolt.ch
• Birthlight, pre and post-natal yoga & rückbildung - https://www.birthlight.ch/en/Home.htm

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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Discover more great podcasts at SwissCast.Network

The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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Born on a tiny river boat in Colombia during a tropical storm, Valentina grows up across continents and later lands in Switzerland working in maternal health and gender equity. Then pregnancy hits and theory becomes real. Hyperemesis gravidarum leaves her sick for months, and she learns how quickly a system can turn “protocol” into pressure when a mother is exhausted and vulnerable.

We talk through what informed consent actually sounds like when your waters break, time starts ticking, and someone pushes oxytocin or an early induction at Triemli Stadtspital Zurich. Valentina shares how she asks for the least invasive option, gets second and third opinions, and holds her ground even when it makes the room uncomfortable. She also opens up about postpartum anxiety and that disorienting early feeling of “is this my baby?” plus the relief of finally getting clear mental health guidance instead of vague reassurance.

Then the breastfeeding story deepens. Persistent pain gets brushed off again and again until she finds La Leche League support and starts connecting the dots to oral restrictions, including posterior tongue tie and lip tie. From there, we follow her through breastfeeding after breast implant complications and surgery, a second pregnancy with better care, a planned home birth that transfers to hospital, and the surprisingly complex beauty of tandem feeding and child-led weaning.

If you care about birth stories in Switzerland, doula support, breastfeeding help, tongue tie assessment, and maternal rights, this conversation will stay with you.

• Aline Schneckenburger who was also Valentina's therapist (perinatal psychologist) for all these years
• Ximena Silva who is also known as the birth fairy for the Spanish speaking mamas. Her company is called Nacer -
• midwife for the home birth Christine Faessler
• Postpartum Hebammes and former colleagues Haerzklopfä Hebamme
• Surgeon who performed the implant explant and removed Valentina's implants during her first lactation journey: Dr. med. Alessia Lardi
• VSV Perinatal Health & Equity Consulting - services as a gender and health policy analyst and as an IBCLC
• Barbells & Plates | perinatal strength training for pregnancy and postnatal recovery -
• LinkedIn
• IG: valsvelandia

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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What an episode. When Lisa is told again and again that her recurring miscarriages are “just bad luck,” she knows that's not it. She follows her intuition, pushes for deeper testing, and finally gets an answer. Lisa has a balanced chromosomal translocation, a rare genetic rearrangement that makes naturally conceived pregnancies far more likely to end.

That diagnosis forces impossible choices. Lisa and her Swiss husband look at IVF realities, adoption barriers, and the heartbreak of more loss, then choose donor egg IVF. But because egg donation is illegal in Switzerland (a topic discussed in the episodes), they travel to a Greek fertility clinic and learn the logistics and emotions of cross-border care, donor screening, anonymity, and what it means to build a family this way.

The first transfer works, but pregnancy still brings health anxiety, intense symptoms, and the lingering fear that good news can disappear.

Then comes birth. Lisa shares her fears of childbirth, why she planned a hospital birth in Kantonspital Winterthur with doula support, how an induction is recommended after late-pregnancy measurements, and what it’s like to move through a long, brutal labour when pain relief doesn’t fully touch the intensity.

We also unpack the cascade of interventions, vacuum-assisted delivery, brief newborn oxygen support, retained placenta surgery, a severe postpartum haemorrhage, and the months of triple feeding and guilt that follow. It’s a raw, honest story about resilience, anger, tenderness, all so generously shared by the honest and candid conversation with Lisa.

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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• Fertility specialist in Zurich: https://www.kinderwunsch-zuerich.ch/
• Lisa's clinic in Greece where was matched with her egg donor: https://www.newlife-ivf.co.uk/
• Christine was Lisa's doula: www.lilybee.ch
• Lisa can be contacted here for connecting about issues like balanced translocation, fertility assistance, donor eggs: [email protected]

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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Wow, what a story. You will want to stick around for the postpartum discussion and her incredibly brilliant moment which left not a dry eye on the recording that day.

A birth plan can be thoughtful, informed, and deeply held and still get rewritten in real time. Guilia came into labour hoping for a low-intervention, midwife-led experience at Triemli Hospital in Zurich, supported by preparation, hypnobirthing tools, and the belief that staying open to Plan B matters. What follows is a powerful Swiss birth story about patience, endurance, and the strange mix of grief and gratitude that can sit side by side when labour stretches past 24 hours and a very difficult postpartum diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease.

We talk through monitoring post due-date and induction choices, including acupuncture, a castor oil cocktail, and the moment an unexplained bleed changes things. Giulia shares what helped her cope during intense contractions, why the birth pool felt like relief, and how it felt to keep trying position after position while dilation and descent stayed stubbornly slow. When exhaustion takes over, she chooses an epidural, and eventually a caesarean section becomes the safest next step. The care and steadiness of the midwives becomes a central part of how she remembers a tough birth with warmth. Her incredibly willingness to truly "try it all" (and then some!) is such a powerful part of this story.

Then, nine days postpartum, everything shifts. Feeding struggles and poor weight gain turn into an emergency visit, NICU separation, and a rare diagnosis: Hirschsprung disease, a gastrointestinal condition that blocks the colon. Giulia walks us through pumping and visiting daily, learning colon flushes at home, and waiting months for major corrective surgery. We also zoom out to the postpartum realities people don’t warn you about, from C-section recovery and breastfeeding pressure to freelance work, childcare costs, and finding a village in Zurich.

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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What happens when a healthcare system’s “just in case” meets a mother’s calm, clear questioning: “what’s actually happening right now?”, "How is my baby doing?"

Originally from Ukraine, we meet Kateryna to explore her five-year fertility journey, her two planned home births in the Zurich area, and the tightrope walk between hospital protocol, fact-finding and personal autonomy. From a low fluid scare and a breech presentation to a successful ECV (a procedure to turn the baby before it is born) followed by a rare bleeding complication, she takes us inside the decisions that turned anxiety into agency and pressure into preference.

We move through practical strategies for navigating late-pregnancy curveballs: how she assessed induction recommendations with a clear head, what respectful monitoring sounds like, and where to find breech-friendly care in Switzerland. Kateryna’s first home birth unfolded with movement, hypnobirthing, and water; her second arrived in a sunlit pool in under a minute after a forest walk and mindful positioning.

Her approach was never “home at all costs.” Hospitals were registered, transfer plans ready, and informed consent constant- proof that safety and softness can coexist when parents are trusted.

Postpartum is where her philosophy crystallizes. The first time, she rushed back to life and paid for it with prolonged bleeding and discomfort. The second, she committed to forty days of rest, clear boundaries, and targeted support, including a rented therapeutic laser for nipple healing and a lotus birth that demanded slow, attentive care. The result: steadier breastfeeding, deeper sleep, and a remarkably calm baby. We also talk about changing doctors at 38 weeks, the red flags that signal misalignment, and the green lights that say you’ve found your team.

If you’re weighing home birth, facing breech, or just craving a gentler postpartum, this story offers concrete tools and uncommon peace.

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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• Hebammen https://www.instagram.com/haerzchlopfae_hebamme?igsh=MzM5ZTE5YjB2aThz
• Doctor to turn breech baby https://frauenarzt-genesis.ch/dr-el-idrissi/
• Doctor to give birth vaginaly with breech https://www.hirslanden.ch/de/corporate/aerzte/3/dr-med-werner-stadlmayr.html
• Postpartum midwife https://diehebammenpraxis.ch/
• Rent laser https://www.wochenbett-huber.ch/
• Yoni steaming and recovery massage https://www.christine-ehling.com/
• Photos https://www.instagram.com/berdysheva_tetyana?igsh=MXg2NHhwMjcwd2wweg==

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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After five years of trying, Emily and her husband's fertility journey ends not with another treatment cycle, but with an act of surrender and faith. And then, a positive test surprises them two weeks later!

Emily, a UK–Italian psychologist living in Uster, ZH, invites us into her honest, layered journey through PCOS, infertility, a late breech pregnancy, and an induction at Spital Uster that swung from serene to urgent in minutes.

We talk about the moment her waters broke, why a 36-week conversation about pain relief changed everything, and how a calm, epidural-supported labour turned into a rapid forceps delivery that brought her son safely earthside.

The harder chapter began after birth. With a tailbone injury, stitches, and a very large newborn, Emily couldn’t sit, lift, or walk without pain. Bonding looked different. Her husband took the nights and nappies; her Italian family moved in, filling the home with meals, care, and the steady wisdom of a great-grandmother in her 90s. Together, they built a real village.

Emily shares how accepting help became both a psychological hurdle and a lifeline, and how strength training tailored for PCOS helped rebuild her body and confidence.

Threaded through it all is a theme that challenges modern myths of control: faith alongside science, surrender alongside planning, and the radical idea that a baby’s life is valuable before it achieves anything at all. If you’re navigating fertility uncertainty, planning an induction, weighing pain relief options in Switzerland, or bracing for the variations of postpartum recovery, Emily’s story offers practical insights and a grounded reminder that community is medicine.

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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• Dr. Emily Reeves - Certified Psychologist
• Time for Peace Psychology Practice (Uster) www.timeforpeace.ch
• Her personal trainer: Justina: https://justinatraining.com/

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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A clear plan helps, but the real story begins when birth asks you to adapt. Anna joins us from Zurich to share how she chose motherhood on her own terms, navigated a heart-shaped uterus without panic, and prepared through hypnobirthing, swimming, yoga, and an English antenatal class at Triemli Stadtspital in Zurich city.

What follows is a vivid, vulnerable account of labour: nausea between contractions, a walking epidural that brought crucial rest, and the moment where language clarity changed care.

As pushing stretched on, meconium and decelerations raised the stakes. The team considered a surgical birth before using a kiwi vacuum to help her daughter arrive safely.

Those first minutes were fleeting; NICU monitoring separated mother and baby, while Anna faced a retained placenta and an operation under general anesthesia. She wakes to the ache of a ventilated throat and a surge of doubt, then rebuilds confidence with compassionate midwives, pumping support, and steady skin-to-skin. Milk starts slow, then arrives in force at home, just as day-three hormones crash and cluster feeding rewrites the night.

We talk practical truths and tender ones: why clear communication matters in a second language, how boundaries around visitors protect recovery, and what pelvic floor rehab can do for strength, continence, and a gradual return to running. Anna’s reflections land with weight—becoming a mother as a chance to redefine identity and model courage for her daughter. If you’re expecting, supporting a birth, or processing your own story, this conversation offers grounded guidance, emotional honesty, and a reminder that resilience grows in the grey areas.

Subscribe for more Swiss Birth Stories, Write a review, and share this podcast to help more parents in Switzerland and beyond find the show.

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• Rückbildung & Yoga kurs: https://www.hebammenpraxis-zuerich.ch/standorte
• Trainer pre/postpartum: https://www.sportzonezuerich.ch/

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The SwissCast Podcast Network is here to amplify the diverse voices and unique stories of Switzerland—all in English. Whether you're a Swiss local fluent in English, an expat, or simply curious about Swiss culture, SwissCast offers engaging content that speaks directly to you.

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