Here in ZG I can freely choose what dr. I want, but when it comes to birth and I want my dr. to be there then one needs to upgrade to half or full private regardless of Cantonal or Private hospital. Personally I wasnt going to risk having some other dr. deliver my kid without having any background on my birth wishes. So for me paying the 1350 fr. for the half private upgrade was well worth it to see my dr at 2am there for the birth.

I hada friend do this and her Dr was on Holiday at the time of birth (whcih was earlier than expected)... so its not something you can exactly depend upon. Likewise, if the Doc accepts two (or two hundred) and is at another birth across town...

Hence why I ask if he'll be planning on taking vacation around the time that I'm due Since he only delivers at one hospital, I have no worries.

With my son he came in on Fri. morning letting me know that he was going to be at a training seminar the whole day- I just told him we'll wait til he was back to start the process (like Mrs Polorise an almost 3 day slow labor)

'zactly, good questions to ask for an opener...

Hi Polorise, sorry I jumped in rather late...

Would you mind providing the name of Mrs P's Gynie? Any other recommendations for a female OB/GYN in Bern would be welcome too!

Thanks!

Hi there Cyrat,

until Mr P gets back to you, here is an address and wholehearted recommendation from me as well,


Judith Meisels-Bürgi
Dr. med. Fachärztin FMH für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe
Thunstrasse 27
3005 Bern
Telefon: 031 - 3526540
Telefax: 031 - 3524475


Just want to add,(in case there is any significance) I didn't have my babies with this lady.

I had deliverance of my babies (that sounds a bit biblical, but never mind), with a Mr/Dr Thomas Zürcher, local to my village,,,, brilliant man and I would absolutely, without reservation, recommend him as well, but as he isn't in Bern itself, I rather think his address would be less helpful to you.

I switched some years later to this lady, as,,,, well, I have to say, when it comes down to it, it really made much more sense to me to have a lady Gynie,,,, esp for any of those other 'occurring, queries'.

She is really great, easy to talk to, down to earth, has all the mod cons,,,, in fact,you have the opportunity to know yourself better than ever before!?

When she does an internal examination, she uses a Laproscope hooked up to a video screen, so if you want, you get to see everything !! in living colour above you!!!

Of course, you get the choice to read a book or look elsewhere if you'd rather not.

Phone as early as possible to find out if she still takes new patients, as, the good ones get booked out really quickly and, well, she is good as far as I'm concerned.

I was lucky, as I saw her advertisement when she was first opening her practice up .

This was some time ago tho I'm talking 4/5 years ago), so can't say what it's like now.

You're also most welcome to P.M me if you'd like

Ros

ok, i have decided to describe my "wonderful" delivery in one of a famous Zurich spitals.
It happened to be on February 2007.
I had already 41 weeks of pregnancy, so was going every day to the hospital to check ..................finally, i have been told that i have a water breaking and i am going to start, child is about 3-3,5 kg, so i can do it by myself. have been given a stimulization. 18.00 p.m. Well, At about midnight contractions started EVERY 30 MIN, at 4 a.m. contractions were already EVERY 10-7 MIN. Uterus was not opening ..........epidural anastesia was impossible as they do it after 5-6 sm of opening, i was 2 sm. sorry for this details, but it was already next day, i think i dont have to describe all horror of the situation and my condition, finally at about 1600 HRS anastezia was possible, i have been given the paper to sign, that i dont mind if something happens afterwards.Just to underline my condition, i can say that, couldn't sign the paper for 40 minutes i just couldn't. After all finally i had the anastesia and had some "relief", till 20.00 HRS i suffered and after they said i CAN DO IT. exactly that moment my child got stuck with a shoulder on my boun.And they called emergency group,i had 3 doctors, 3 nurses, and a baby reanimator on my delivery. They understood that child is too big and i CANNOT DELIVER, but it was too late. so they absolutely cut everything possible and got my child.........4320 gr, 52 sm, it was at 21.25 p.m., they reanimated my son and finished stitching me at midnight. to my room i was brought at 5 in the morning and they left baby with me, so in 2 hours he wanted to eat and i already didn't sleep. As nurses have been informed that i am in a bad condition and lost too much blood, i was sapose to be given the drop injections with iron 2 per 24 hours. They have done one, evening nurse forgot, next morning i have asked for it.morning nurse almost cut my veins as couldn't make it. I always thought that my veins are " a dream of a drug addiction", then it was over, nobody did anything anymore. on the second day after delivery i have had a strange huge headache, i couldn't rise up the head. THAT WAS THE EFFECT OF UNLUCKY EPIDURAL ANASTESIA". on the 3rd day i have been checked out in absolutely offul condition, i couldn't walk, seat, rise the head. was throwing up, what they didnt keep me there? Couse i m sapose to be in a hospital for 5 days, so if i delivered 2 days means in 3 days i must go home.I have been even offered a wilechair to get to the car, but i couldn't sit.............
Do you think this is the end? its just a beginning,
From here ill say it shortly,
So, in 2 days pieces of plazenta came out and stitches opened. i was still with a huge headache, after we have arrived to the same hospital i spend there 20 days more.They didn't clean me propaly so i had a blood infection and left a hole in a spine brain. so i need two operations which were eachother impossible. finally after 5 days of anylisys and checking i signed the paper that i dont want operation on spine and i AGREE on a general anystesia during main operation. General anastezia after delivery is almost impossible, and very dangerous, at the same time i was breast feeding my baby. one evening they made a tamogpapry of the head as hoped that i have a meningitis,so they know how to cure me. I had a doctor sitting infront of me and crying, saying "POOR SOUL". and gave me a special injection . after brought me a child for feeding.at the night a nurse is waking me up shouting and saying that they have poisoned my son. After that injection breastfeeding is forbitten for 48 hours.
Ladies and Gentelmen. This horror was continuing till the end of march. Then i was at home, and got rid of a headache with a willpower and not traditional methods, plus massage for the back and legs.
More over we even have received the bill from the hospital afterwards.
There is alot to say, but don't feel like going into all the details.
Anyway fir that ones who read it and are going to become parents, i want to say, that as on the net day after delivery so now, i want my second child alot.Unfortunately now i cannot make it, doctors says i need atleast 2 year to wait, and moreover delivery in my case is impossible anymore, only cut. But trust me whatever happens during the delivery and after, nothing can compare with a mirricle - your baby.

Hey Cyrat, no problem, this is the chappy :


Dr. René Meier
Schwanengasse 43
3011 Bern
Tel: 031 312 52 53

perfect English & a great sense of humour.

Completely horrific.

For any fathers to be on this thread, my HOW TO BE A DAD book stated quite clearly that it is the fathers duty to cajole, bollock, and everything else in a hospital in order for the wife to receive the best (preferential) treatment. Therefore when Mrs Happy dropped our first and was shoved into a room alongside a girl who had just had a ceserian I asked why the single room we were expecting wasn't there, the nurses, said there wasn't one free but its OK, we would be charged less (like that matters when your first is born!). So I went down to hospital reception and demanded to speak to the most senior person available (board member names on a board at the entrance). After ten minutes a nun turned up (it was that sort of hospital) so whilst I didn't give her both barrels I did give her a piece of my mind. Needless to say, the nurses got a massive ollocking as basically they hadn't cleared a bunch of rooms for the last few days. Mrs H was in a private room within the hour. Of course the nurses then avoided helping her like a leper but I then delivered a 50 EUR box of choccy's to the nurses with a big thank you for helping out with the new room from Mrs H. From then on Mrs H got perfect service and only I got the leper treatment. But that's cool. Its not about me.

For the example above, maybe that story might have helped if I had told it in Jan!.


Another thing worth doing is checking the medicines and doeses when prescribed to ensure that what is said is what it written down. That's an Brit Army thing but I can't see the Swiss minding either!

that was horrible!!! sorry for you.. am really sorrry
Now we are searching a hospital with my husband and am afraid something go wrong.. our child will born in the february...can you tell me what hospital was?? we was thinking in going to zimmerberg in horgen or sanitas in kilchberg because we live in thalwil ... we wanna something close..
any have experience in this hospitals??

I second that! The very fist time in my life I got high was in hospital while recovering from a very painfiul surgery, the nurses screwed up my painkillers & double dosed me on Morphine & 2 other meds. Didn't fell much pain at all that day .

I might have let that one slide!!

My wife and I close friends with a pair of doctors and if you ever meet them they will regale you with stories of nurses incompetance... Angels of the wards my a*se.

I didn't mind so much the double dosing, mistakes happen. What pissed me off was that no one said anything & when my husband realised what had happened & confronted the head nurse she tried to deny it. He saw her out of the corner of his eye trying to signal to the Dr to deny it all. Thankfully the Dr admitted what had happened so all was well but that nurse was kept away from me for the rest of my stay.

Most of my family work in the medical field in various jobs so I have heard many a tale of incompetence & mistakes so I realise that I got off very lightly.

Dear all,

1. Has anyone had any experience with giving birth in the Usnach hospital.

2. Anyone happy to “play” with me and my 3-year old daughter? We have recently moved do Switzerland, Jona. Although beautiful, fresh and clean, it is dreadfully unexciting (compared to central London from where we’ve come) and a bit lonely, as we do not yet speak German, and I am not in an employment yet. SO i am looking for mothers in the surrounding area who would like to get together, with their children, rarely or often during week days, for a chat, coffee, sharing experiences, going outdoor, etc.

Regards,
Ana

hi ana? Where are you? I'm north Kanton zurich. Are you pregnant? We moved here from London 7 years ago. I've had 2 babies in Ch - 1 in BS and 1 in BS. Care was excellent compared with 2nd world conditions I had to endure with my 1st birth in London.

Dunno if we^re close enough to meet up or not. Do you have a car?

Let me know if I can help

Hello Ernst,

We are in Rapperswil-Jona, from which Zurich is not far. We do not have a car yet but hoping to have one in the next week or two. Where about in Zurich are you?

Yes, I am in early stages pregnancy and it does not feel nice at all at the moment . Enjoyed the first one very much. I had the birth in St Thomas' hospital in London which was an excellent experience.

What is "BS"? Is it Basel?? I suppose giving birth in a hospital in one of the main cities in CH would be a bit different than in a very small, provincial place such as Uznach. But I hope I had sorted my issue with the insurance company, so I should have more options.

Anyway, I hope you had good holidays. It would be good to meet, especially when we get the car.


All the best for now,
Ana

Well DONE!!!! for coming out of it. Not much of a comfort, I know, but reading it reminding me of a friend of mine who had a similar experience in some famous hospital in Seattle.

Which one of the hospitals in Zurich was this ordeal?

Good luck with the second one!

Hello everybody!

Anybody knows an English speaking doctor (female) in Winterthur?

I am pregnant and so happy together with my husband! But I am not very satisfied with my doctor. She speaks just a bit English and it´s so frustrating
I have so many doubts, so many questions. It´s my first pregnancy. I had to order from England an English book of pregnancy and it came last week after 3 weeks of waiting. This book is my only help plus some info from the internet.
Sometimes I think I should go to my country and come back after the birth. Then I could just make a phone call to my doc and ask whatever I want...

Have a nice day.

Mariana.

Hello!
Can anyone tell me if epidurals are covered by the basic insurance policy? ..
We just moved to Switzerland (Zurich area) and I am 6 months pregnant. I understand that we won't be able to get private coverage, but what about complementary insurance, which would allow me to have my doctor attend the birth, not some random midwife? Is that possible?
I'm still very confused with the insurance concept here. Feeling under the weather in the new country without knowing the language makes it even worse...
Please, help!

Hi Tango!

Most hospitals offer a one time upgrade at a price for either half or full private from basic insurance. Once upgraded you have for your stay your choice of doctors and everything is covered. The bill is also sent directly to your insurance- I only saw a copy of the costs and had to pay out of pocket my other half's meals and telephone costs.

You might want to ask your OB/GYN which hospital he/she delivers at and then also ask about upgrade offers.

HTH!