Hello everyone,

I'm 6 months pregnant living in Geneva and trying to decide where to give birth. I had just about decided on the cantonal hospital when I found out (on these boards, actually!) about a birthing center in nearby Grens. I'm meeting with a mid-wife from there tomorrow, and will go take a tour on Dec 3, but was wondering if anyone on here has had any experiences with giving birth there, or knows anyone who has? I'd love to hear opinions. Thanks!

Marcy

Ok, so today I visited with one of the mid-wives that works at the birthing center and here's what I found out:

The center is very small, basically one room with a bed and a swing, plenty of room to move around, and she said there is also one of these special chairs you can sit on to deliver the baby if you want to be in an up-right/squatting position. There is also a bathroom with a large tub that can be used during labor, and you can even use it for doing a water birth if you want. The center was designed by one of the mid-wives and her husband (who is an architect). There are 5 mid-wives that work at the center, and they each work with one geographic area nearby. The one I met with today handles patients in the Geneva area. Here is her name and information:

Nathalie Luisoni
Rue de Chamonix 9 (near the Gare des Eaux-Vives)
1207 Geneve
079.744.7484
www.nathalieluisoni.com

She was very nice. Basically the way it works is that when you go into labor you give her a call and she will come to your home to see how far along you are. She stays with you there until you are 3 cm dilated, and then will take you to the birth center for the rest of labor/delivery. After giving birth you have the option of going home after resting for a few hours, or you can stay overnight with your husband and baby. I think she said you can stay up to a few days if you wish. After the birth, the mid-wife will come to your home to check on you and the baby, once a day for 10 days or so, and Nathalie said she likes to come a few more times after that, every few days up until 3 weeks after the delivery.

A couple of drawbacks: since the center is not very big (can only accommodate one laboring woman at a time), you have to have a "Plan B" in case the center is being used by someone else when you go into labor. If that is the case, the mid-wife can either deliver your baby at home if you want, or she'll take you to the hospital of your choice to give birth. I asked how often this happens, and she said for about 1 out of every 3 or 4 births they have to go with their 2nd option.

Also, the center has no facilities for giving pain medication, so if you feel the need for an epidural you will need to go to a hospital. If there are any complications with you or the baby, of example if the baby is breech or if you need a c-section for other reasons, you'll also need to go to the hospital. In case of an emergency like this I think you'd end up going to the hospital in Nyon, which she said is only 5 minutes from the center. Nathalie said she and the other mid-wives try to be very pro-active and look ahead for trouble signs, so if you do need a c-section they can make that decision with enough time so it's not a last-minute emergency rush.

The center gives tours on the first Monday of every month, so I will be going on Dec 3, at 1pm I think it is, to get to see the actual center. I'll also try to get Zach to come with me, so he can give his opinion since I want him to be comfortable with this choice as well. Then after visiting, we'll decide if we want to give birth there or go to the public hospital instead. Here's the info for the center:

Maison de Naissance La Grange Rouge
Rue de Village 5
1274 Grens
Tel 022 362 0372 or 076 382 0372

Hopefully this info is useful to someone out there. =)

This information is very helpful. I'm not pregnant yet, but I'm planning on it soon and I would prefer to use a birthing center, too.

Thanks!

janet

Thank you for this great information. I just found out that I am pregnant and this is just what I needed to know.

I simply wanted to say that thanks to the information above I was able to visit and decide upon using La Grange Rouge for my prenatal care and the birth of our second daughter. It was an absolutely amazing experience and EVERYTHING that I possibly could have asked for, and more, especiallly when compared with my horrific NHS experience while living in London.

My daughter was born at home, in our bathtub, after a three hour labour. Not only would I highly recommend this birthing centre, or a homebirth assisted by one of their midwives, but I would venture to say that it is the best option you could find for either yourself or your baby.

Interventions in hospital are very high here in France and in CH, and the probability of emerging from a hospital without having had a "birth assault" in the form of an episiotomy, artificial hormones, narcotic painkillers, or a C section are slim.

Wishing every woman the kind of birth I was able to experience thanks to the care, knowledge, and attitude of the professional midwives at La Grange Rouge. Wishing every infant the kind of follow up care and practical solutions which the ten days of home visits afforded our daughter. We have an incredibly calm baby who is growing very rapidly and I think it has everything to do with her birth and the fact that we both came out it smiling and elated!

There is, incidentally, something opening up in Divonne as well, so look into this if you are living in the Pays de Gex and looking for local prenatal care.