Hi there,

Having just come home from the Universitatspital a week ago I can second what Helm has said.

They supply the following: large thick sanitary pads, disposable undies, pads for leaking breasts (when that kicks in ), the midwife will give you some lanolin for sensitive nipples if you have them, mepilex (silicon dressing) - great for cracked or blistering nipples. I got a squirt bottle and probably could have taken it home (but didn't). They have hot and cold packs...just ask for them when needed. Plenty of towels and bedding. For baby there was a proper changing room with clothes, nappies, blankets, beanies, gloves, shoes, sunflower oil. We even got a brush and a little care pack with soaps (which was handy for the shower!) and various creams.

You will get pain relief...just up to you to let the midwives know when you have it and how bad it is...they will give you what you need (so if its really bad you do get more hardcore pain relief than just paracetamol). I got scripts for all the medications / ointments etc I was on and a one day supply for the day I went home.

My room mate who was having a tough time with the breast feeding got nipple shields, disposable pumps and containers (so probably not for long term use but handy none the less) and all manner of other things that made her more comfortable (I lost track after a while).

If you ask the midwives nicely, they don't mind if you grab a couple of the disposable things for the first day or two that you are home.

So I packed most of the things that they supplied...because that was what I needed when I had my first in Australia. Instead I really only needed to pack my own toiletries, some comfy clothes, slippers, some snack food, some form of entertainment with chargers (e.g. ipad on the rare occasion I didn't want to rest), a nice outfit for the trip home and an outfit for the baby.

On another note if you do have alot of postpartum bleeding or sore breasts I have found using newborn nappies a great substitute when desperate! You can run them under the tap and freeze them...not the same as a proper ice pack but sometimes you don't need these things for so long and so can improvise! Likewise if you have alot of bleeding...but that may depend on the type of birth as to how bad that is.

Best of luck with it all!

No need to buy one, they will give one to you and you can take it home. I have to say it was the weirdest experience with that thing. WARNING: use tepid water. Believe me, USE TEPID WATER. And don't let the husband fill it for you, because in their nervousness and care, they will end up doing the wrong temperature, which is not cool, not cool at all...


I found them in a biggish Migros, on the same corridor as sanitary pads and adult diapers. They come in a light blue package.

https://produkte.migros.ch/secure-netzhosen

I forgot to mention, I also got a "baby box", similar to the mama box you probably already got, which has a bunch of promotions and samples for creams, diapers, baby oils and what not, which turned out to be very very useful.

Also, get yourself inscribed in the Hello Family card from COOP and also on your Migros Family. As soon as the child is born, both coop and migros send a package with some products - from pacifiers to diaper clothes - and tons of gorgeous discounts. I piled them up and bought diapers from coop for 70chf (they were worth 200chf+).

https://www.hellofamily.ch/de.html

https://famigros.migros.ch/de

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@ Docneti

First off, congratulations !!

Secondly, thank you for sharing and for the tips. It sounds like the hospitals are pretty generous. I hope they all have similar items available ( sounds like they do ). It'd be great to just pack a few things, and have everything else already there for us.

Thank you and hope you're also doing well .

@Helm

I found the netted underwear, thanks ! I bought a pack to keep at home just in case.

Also, thanks for the tips about Migros & Coop. I signed up for the Migros one, but not the Coop one yet. I didn't think they had a program like that.

As for the Mami box, I'm feeling a little left out I haven't gotten one yet. A friend of mine told me about it too and she got a box at one of her first Dr. appointments , and then she got a second one from her Midwife ! Lucky . I'm still hoping they'll give me one around the delivery time.


TheLaughingCow

I just found the Mama box and Baby box webiste here :

http://www.present-service.ch/f/geschenk/mama.php

If your doctor's office and/or midwife's office doesn't have the Mama box, you can print out an order form. Then give it to your doctor/midwife and they will order it for free for you. You can't order it yourself .

The same is true for the Baby box. It says you receive one at the hospital, but if you didn't you can print out an order form and the Midwife can order one for you.

You can even get a Junior box for your 4 month old, and a Family box for your 4 year old !!

HTH
TheLaughingCow

I have heard that this unfortunately is not uncommon.

Great thread!

What kind of fitness classes have people taken that were 80% covered by their insurance's post natal plan? I'm hoping to sign up for something fun and aerobic sounding.

reply @ pre-natal and post-natal classes

Hi,

Try looking for courses at the hosptial you're giving birth at or the Kanton Spital .

My Kanton Spital offers free pregnancy fitness courses (Schwangershafts Kursen). They have some kind of program with the Kanton to promote healthy and fit pregnancy. They offer pre-natal and post-natal courses, but usually only one day a week, and the courses are led by Midwives who work at the hospital. It's really nice ! They offer a mix of aerobics/yoga, and walking courses.

You can also try looking at your local 'Fitness Zentrum' for pregnancy swim courses. These pre-natal and post-natal swim courses are covered by my supplementary/complimentary insurance, but only 50% . You'd have to check with your insurance to see what type of courses they cover and how much. They will also cover some other courses like yoga/pilates, but again you would have to check and see what is covered under your insurance plan.

I also found this website http://www.fitdankbaby.ch/ , and I thought the courses looked fun for post-natal exercise. I don't know if insurance would cover this, but the courses I looked at are led by a Midwife.

You can also try looking at the links on the following website for more fitness class recommendations https://www.swissmom.ch/links/schwan...dung-yoga-etc/

HTH
TheLaughingCow

Also, as a side note about classes / meetings

La Leche League has meetings for breast feeding support if anyone is interested, and has one available in their area.

You can find a schedule of their upcoming meetings here :
http://lalecheleague.ch/en/breastfeeding_meetings/

I've never been, but if anyone has experience going to one of the meetings I'd be interested in hearing your experience !

HTH
TheLaughingCow

Thanks TheLaughingCow!

Very thorough explanation indeed! Thanks!

One thing I'm not clear on: I am 5 months pregnant and don't feel the need to call a midwife now but I heard that you had to register very early because they were busy. Is that true?

Also, do you need to register in the hospital you're planning to give birth in ahead of time?

Re. Midwife, you can register in advance for one but 4 months is too far ahead. I registered 1 month ahead but the hospital will also have midwives. They came to ask me who my midwife was when I was going home, seems that many of the ones at the hospital also work in the field.

Your doctor will register you with the hospital you will be giving birth at and provide the hospital with the information they need for you.

I guess employer would ask for your medical report & supposed u hav some disease which u wana hide from them. Is it also legal?

Hello all! I am currently 28 weeks pregnant. I live in the Baden area and have been receiving prenatal care at the Kantonspital. I have had two previous csections and am hoping to find a doctor or doula who would support or desire to have a VBAC. If anyone has any experience with this I would greatly appreciate anything you have to say on the matter. Thank you.

If you are keen, there should also be the possibility to store your baby's stem cells upon birth. I missed that for my first born because I didn't know about it. Saved my second's in Bangkok (Thai Stem Life), and can't remember the name of the company I used in Zurich, but I know that my third's stem cells are also saved. Your doctor should be able to help you look into it, so that your doula is prepared, in case it is what you are interested to do.

reply @ When to choose a midwife


Hello,

This is just my personal experience, but I thought it might be helpful for others.

Before I got pregnant, I started looking for midwives in the area just to see what type of services were available.

Some independent midwives help you through your whole pregnancy and during labor and delivery, and some only help the week after delivery during the 'Wochen Bett ' .

I thought that I would have to select my own midwife, and later found out that midwives also work at the hospitals and can provide medical advice, support, and after delivery support. ( I'll write more about this a little further down in the post )

After I found out I was pregnant, I already had a few midwives in mind that I wanted to contact.

So, I contacted them and went to a consultation with one I had high on my list. I was around 6 or 8 weeks pregnant at the time ( I don't fully remember ) .

During my appointment she explained everything, answered all my questions, and estimated the baby's due date . She told me that since the baby would be due during a holiday season, I really needed to decide on a midwife soon otherwise they could all be busy. ( This is a midwife practice that takes care of you through your whole pregnancy, delivery, and after delivery ).

She explained that midwives can only take on a certain number of patients to make sure that they are able to care for them properly and be at the birth, and after delivery as well.

About midwives at the hospital -

When we went on a hospital tour they had an informational session, and at the end anyone could ask questions. The tour and session were given by a doctor and a midwife from the hospital. One woman asked if the midwives at the hospital would only help them during their stay at the hospital or if they would visit them at home as well. I thought it was a great question !

The answer from the doctor and midwife was that the midwives & midwives station at the hospital would be there to care for the patients before ( for questions, courses, emergencies), during, and after delivery at the hospital. They said that unfortunately, their hospital didn't have mobile/ambulatory midwives that could go to a patient's home, but some hospitals do, and that hiring an independent midwife for the ' Wochen Bett ' at home was also possible.

They also recommended that mother's stay in the hospital 4-5 days so that they and the baby(ies) can be looked after, and helped with lactation and breast feeding . They said many women's milk comes in 3-5 days after birth.

My decision was to pick a midwife practice that would help me through my whole pregnancy, but I've known several women who just used a midwife after delivery for the Wochen Bett. The ladies that had the midwife come to their home after delivery didn't seem to have a problem finding one.

So, really I think the decision on when to choose a midwife is up to you. If you really want a specific midwife, then maybe contacting them early would be a good idea, but if you don't have anyone in particular in mind and would just like some support after delivery then I don't think you'll have a problem finding someone either.

Oh, and one last note -

You can also receive help from a ' Mutter Vater Beratung ' . I was told this as a tip from a friend. She said that in every village (and maybe city ?) the Gemeinde will have a mobile midwife come to town, and parents can go to her and ask for advice . I'm not sure if it's a free service or if you have to pay. You'll have to check your area for when the Mutter Vater Beratung is available . I think in my area she comes once a month to answer questions.


Congratulations on the baby !

HTH
TheLaughingCow

reply @ When to register at the hospital you're planning to give birth


I'm still not quite sure about the answer to this question, but again the following is just my experience ...

I recently asked my midwife the same question, and she said that they would take care of it (they are independent midwives but work in conjunction with the hospital I'll give birth at) .

I also asked my OBGYN ( who also works at the hospital I'll give birth at, and I go to all my OBGYN appointments at the hospital ) , and she just that said we can register when ever we would like at the reception area and tell them what our room preference is.

As far as insurance goes, this is what worries me about when to register with the hospital.

My insurance has a form that should be filled out and mailed to them when we plan to stay at the hospital in order for our bills to be paid or for us to be reimbursed. I don't know if this is necessary to do for a pregnancy, since no one really knows when a baby will be born ! So, it's a question I still need to ask the insurance company.

HTH
TheLaughingCow

I see a private gynaecologist in Wohlen and he asked me which hospital I wanted to give birth in in the local area. He then sent the hospital the relevant information when I'd made my decision and i got a letter from the hospital a few days later welcoming me and offering all the prenatal courses they do.

Still need to figure out my midwife situation 🤔

A question to those who have given birth in Switzerland before - is it worth paying extra for a private family room after the birth? I'm having an elective c section and don't speak German so may feel uncomfortable being on a ward.

@Teaplease - reply : worth paying extra for a private family room after the birth?

I haven't had the baby yet, but I had the same question and have been asking anyone I can about it .

The response I got from the ladies who used a general ward was ' YES ! ' , lol They said that if you are able to afford a more private room then it would be more comfortable and maybe make the first days more enjoyable.

I didn't know what the general ward would be like, and if I'd be in a room with a 100 patients with all different kinds of medical ailments. Rest assured, my friends said that's not what it's like at all.

The general ward is only for other women who have given birth and their babies, and if I remember correctly my friends said that their are about 10-15 beds in the ward.

They all had the same reasons for why they would have rather had a private room :

1.) Not quiet - the babies will cry at different times and wake you & your baby up all day/night .

2.) No privacy - you're sharing a room with a lot of other women.

3.) Too many visitors - This ties into points one and two. They said it was just a constant flow of people in and out and they couldn't relax, and had people staring at them .

4.) The bathroom - There was only one bathroom ( two if lucky ) that all the women had to share, and one of my friends was all the way on the opposite side of the bathroom. She said it was really difficult for her to get up and walk to the bathroom each time.


Something you might also want to consider :

If you want your husband/partner to stay with you or sleep overnight. I'm not sure if that's possible in the general ward. In a half-private or private room you have to pay a little extra for another cot or bed for your husband.

Windows ! This might sound ridiculous, but hear me out. A couple of friends of ours had their baby in the summer, and this was a concern for them. When I asked why, they said because the hospitals don't have air conditioning, and the rooms can get very hot because they didn't have windows. So, they were dreading the summer heat. Two people I met that worked for a hospital also confirmed that the hospitals don't have air conditioning. It's because it's thought to be safer and more hygenic so that bacteria, viruses, germs don't spread. However, I was told that hospitals DO have heating. So, not to worry if baby is born in the winter

Try going on a hospital tour and have a look at the different rooms and what the hospital has to offer. That might help you make your decision.


HTH
TheLaughingCow

I find it hard to believe that in any CH hospital there will be that many beds in one room on the general ward. There were 3 at the Universitaetsspital in Zurich and half my stay there I was sharing with only 1 other lady. All of us in the room had had C-sections and I think they put us together on purpose. I also thought about paying for private ahead, but decided that I could always change if I was not happy and there would be space. In the end I'm happy I didn't - after my emergency CS I actually enjoyed having someone to chat to about the crazy experience I just had been through

YES! I got to sleep peacefully without anyone else's baby screaming in my ear. I got to walk around in messed up pyjamas without fear of disapproving looks. I had my very own bathroom. I could watch my movies (I took the laptop with me) without bothering anyone else. And the husband could sleep in the second bed.

Depends on your area and the predicted birth date. I only had a mid wife for the Wochenbett and had to book mine with quite a few months in advance, as only 2 were available for my area, and I was booked for the 31st December, a time a lot of people like to have holidays. Ladies who gave birth around the same time as me but looked for one later than me ended up with no midwife.


And please please please, if you ladies count on working after the maternity leave is over and you need a Krippe/Créche, please look for one while you are pregnant. Places for babies (under 18 months) are very difficult to get in certain areas, and it's no fun to find out the place you reserved at 5 months pregnant is actually gone when your child is 1 month old.

__________________

Fighting for Pluto's liberation from the Dwarf League since 2006 @(°.°)=@)x.X)' ' '