Swiss Birth Stories
Our mission is to share diverse birth stories from across Switzerland in a way that empowers the storyteller. We aim to create a supportive space where each person is in control of their own narrative. By recording and sharing birth stories in Switzerland, we hope to inspire those planning their own birth, offer insights for birth workers, or allow listeners to reflect on their own birth experiences. Tune in to hear real, personal, raw birth stories. Available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast is in seasons; during an active season, episodes will be released weekly.
Episodes
24 episodes
S02E11 Ladina: Continuity Of Care, Sibling Bonds, And The Unexpected. Two Different Birth Experiences at Triemli in Zurich.
Ladina's resources are at the end of this description. Plans rarely survive contact with labour, and that’s exactly where this story shines. We sit down with Ladina, a Swiss parent who grew up in the US and Brazil, to trace two very...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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39:31
S02E10 Henar: A High-Risk Label Rewritten By A Tenacious Mother- Informed Choices, Type 1 Diabetes, and an Unplanned Cesarean Birth
This episode is a must listen for every pregnancy. Henar's story of finding answers, self-advocacy, hard work and tenacity, as well as leaning in when things went differently than planned holds lessons for everyone embarking on pregnancy and bi...
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48:30
S02E09 Joanna: Rethinking Authority, Confidence and Where We Give Birth. One Hospital Birth in Poland and One Home Birth in Switzerland.
Joanna is a small business owner living in Glarus with her family. She owns Moon and June, a non-alcoholic apertif made in Switzerland. Her resources are below this description. A decade can change everything. Joanna went...
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1:12:59
S02E08 Maggie: How A Planned Twin Cesarean Became A Grounded, Joyful Birth And A Gentle Postpartum
Maggie Wyss, PhD, is a researcher, writer, and international health expert exploring the intersection of gender, health, and society. Her work is centered on how women navigate complex decisions, particularly in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood...
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58:28
S02E07 Kristina: Pandemic Pregnancy to Empowered Parenting: Resilience, Gentle Support and Connection
Kristina's resources are below this desriptionIf you’re craving a nuanced, practical take on birth, breastfeeding, and entrepreneurship/work- light on dogma, big on real-life problem-solving then this is the story for you. A ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:07:29
S02E06 Josefina: How an unplanned NICU Journey Reshaped a Mother’s Identity, Priorities and Voice. Preeclampsia, Premature Birth and the Slow Bloom of Bonds.
Josefina is a certified pre- and postnatal yoga teacher and a pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise specialist (PCES) living in Appenzell, Switzerland. Her resources are at the end of this episode's description. The pla...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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54:26
S02E05 Gülkiz: Fast Labour, Birth House, Redefining "Doing It Right" Postpartum
Gülkiz' resources are belowA wrong email address reshaped an entire birth story. We sat down with a scientist‑mum whose path wound from Berlin’s buzz to Zurich’s quiet trails, through months of trying to conceive, a surprise double‑line...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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52:36
S02E04 Johanna: The Birth That Changed Everything- When Pain Transforms into Purpose
Johanna's resources (including her website and new podcast) are below this descriptionThe journey to motherhood transforms us in ways we never expect. For Joanna, an Australian expat living in Switzerland, what began as a dream-come-true...
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1:12:39
S02E03 Marie: What Happens When You Listen- A Journey Through Movement and Motherhood
Marie's resources are available at the end of this description- including a discount for her online prenatal yoga series!What happens when careful preparation meets the unpredictable reality of childbirth? Marie, an American yoga and fi...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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1:05:44
S02E02 Danielle: Finding a Way to Family- Two Births, One Birth Center to Hospital Transfer, One Birth Centre Water Birth
Danielle's resources are below this descriptionWhat happens when your carefully planned birth center delivery takes an unexpected turn? Danielle's journey from New York to Switzerland, and from birth house to hospital and back again, of...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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1:02:04
S02E01 Sonja: Advocacy, Intuition, High Risk Pregnancy and the Incredible Fight to Change Her Son's Future, Once Defined by Cystic Fibrosis
Sonja's resources are below this descriptionWhen an ultrasound technician uttered the words "his neck is sick" during a routine 12-week scan, Sonia's world tilted on its axis. What should have been a joyful glimpse at her second baby in...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:28:19
S01E13 Clare: Empowered Hospital Birth Without Pain Relief. Long Labour, Deep Sibling Bonds, Embracing Your Own Way
Clare's resources are below, after this description. Clare shares her story of giving birth to her second child in Switzerland after moving from the UK, highlighting the differences between birth systems and the beauty of sibling re...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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50:25
S01E12 Simone: One Birth in The Netherlands, One in Switzerland. Unexpected Home Birth, Surrender and Strength.
Simone's resources below Simone shares her remarkable journey of giving birth to her two sons in two different countries (the Netherlands and Switzerland), revealing how cultural and systemic differences profoundly shape the birth e...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:00:40
S01E11 Veronica: Beyond the Birth Plan. A Story of Resilience, Calm and a "Dream" Birth.
See Veronica's resources under this descriptionVeronica shares her journey of giving birth in the midwifery led program at Stadtspital Triemli in Zurich, including a "dream birth" and a surgical repair of a third-degree tear caused by h...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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57:51
S01E10 Agata: Five Unmedicated Hospital Births. Motherhood, Creativity and Transformation.
Agata, mother of five children, shares her experiences of pregnancy and giving birth at Hirslanden Hospital in Zurich with remarkable honesty, self-awareness, and optimism.• Originally from Russia, Agata met her German husband in the UK...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:13:29
S01E09 Karina: The Most Empowering Thing I've Ever Done Was Give Birth. Unmedicated Hospital Birth.
Karina shares her empowering unmedicated birth experience at Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich, where she welcomed her daughter Amalia Luna after navigating nine months of severe pregnancy nausea.• First-time mother from Poland partnered with...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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54:33
S01E08 Belén: Birth Centre to Hospital Birth. Making Birth Choices with Confidence.
Belén's resources are below this description. Belén shares her empowering birth journey from Argentina to Switzerland, demonstrating how informed choices and self-advocacy created a positive experience even when her birth plan chan...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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56:46
S01E07 Ashley: Finding Peace in the Process. The Layers of Building a Family Through IVF.
Ashley's comprehensive resources are below this description. Ashley shares her remarkable journey through IVF, international moves, and a picture perfect birth which she was encouraged to share. Her story demonstrates how resilience...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:03:12
S01E06 Rossana: Birth Centre to Hospital Transfer. A Journey into the Unexpected.
Rossana's resources are below this description.The ultimate plan-maker meets the ultimate plan-changer: motherhood. Rosanna's journey reveals what happens when our carefully crafted expectations collide with the unpredictable reality of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:01:40
S01E05 Delia: Four Home Births. Trust, Transforming Fear and Birthing on Her Own Terms.
Delia's resources are below this description.Delia shares her four powerful home birth stories that began when she was a young midwife trainee who discovered her pregnancy at 26 weeks. From catching each baby in her own hands to navigati...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:11:12
S01E04 Mihaela: Breech Birth. Positive, Self-determined and Empowering Breech Birth Experience.
Resources from Mihaela under this descriptionMihaela shares her empowering breech birth story, defying medical expectations through tenacity and informed decision-making to deliver her daughter naturally at Hirslanden Clinic in Aarau, Sw...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:10:56
S01E03 Elli: From fear to trust. Two babies, Two Different Experiences.
Resources follow this summaryEllie shares her journey of giving birth twice at the University Hospital in Zurich, exploring both the emotional challenges of pregnancy and the profound differences between her two birth experiences. Throug...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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54:09
S01E02 Mona: From Initial Disappointment to Empowerment. Reframing the Cesarean Birth Experience. 3 Planned Cesarean Births, Recovery, Self-advocacy, Breastfeeding and More.
Mona, mother to three "little female dragons" - now aged 21, 16, and 7, shares her journey of three planned cesarean births in Bethesda and Kantonsp. Mona's uterus is uniquely shaped, which prevented her babies from turning naturally into the o...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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43:02
S01E01 Dipal: One Birth in India, one in Switzerland. Navigating Cultural Differences, Bilateral Clubfoot and the Transformation to Motherhood.
Resources mentioned in this episode at the bottom of this summaryDipal shares her powerful birth experiences in India and Switzerland, highlighting cultural differences between healthcare systems while navigating a bilateral clubfoot dia...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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1:09:41