Swiss Birth Stories

Belén: Birth Centre to Hospital Birth- Making Birth Choices with Confidence

• Julia and Christine • Season 1 • Episode 8

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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 changed. Her story highlights the importance of preparation, language accessibility, and strong postpartum support across continents.

• Originally from Argentina, fell in love with a Swiss man while traveling
• Prepared her body for pregnancy by tracking cycles, training her body and focusing on nutrition
• Thoroughly researched Swiss birth options before choosing Burgdorf Birth Center (in the Spital Emmental network)
• Labored in the birth center using movement, water, and music for comfort
• Transferred to adjacent hospital for epidural when labor became challenging, described the ease in this transfer as the institutions are separated by corridor and reflects on this choice with a lot of introspection
• Successfully advocated for space and time to try natural methods to help baby descend before interventions
• Delivered baby Milo, who was in an unusual position as he had his hand up by his face, with vacuum assistance after respectful discussions with providers
• Experienced excellent language support with all providers communicating in English
• Received comprehensive postpartum care from visiting midwives and family
• Spent three months in Argentina with her newborn surrounded by family support
• Found the most beautiful moments in the quiet nighttime connections with her baby

Don't forget to rate, review, and share this podcast to help our community grow! Follow us on social media @SwissBirthStories for resources and updates on upcoming guests and events.

Belèn's resources:

Doula & placenta medicine and more
https://www.instagram.com/wise_woman_maternity_?igsh=MWs1MTVtdHc1Z2QwYQ==

Doula & pre and post birth courses & stillen berater from La leche league
https://www.instagram.com/nacer.suiza?igsh=NWg3a2E0NHBhMm91

Geburtshaus Emmental
https://geburtshaus.spital-emmental.ch

Instagram:
@happy.day.bumps.babes.beyond



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Julia Neale:

Hi, welcome to Swiss Birth Stories. I'm Julia Neal, mother, perinatal educator, hypnobirthing coach and trainee doula.

Christine Bliven:

And I'm Christina Bliven. I'm a doula, baby-wearing consultant, childbirth educator and mother of three.

Julia Neale:

Today we have Belén as a guest on the podcast. She's a mom from Argentina. Belen gave birth at the Burgdorf Spital and Birth Center in Canton-Bern. She shares her story of birth preparation accessing resources using primarily midwifery care, flexible thinking when it comes to birth plans and postpartum care. This is a wonderful episode of self-advocacy and empowered birth. Let's get into it. Hi Belen, welcome to Swiss Birth Stories. Hello, we would love to start off by hearing a little bit just about you and your family.

Belén:

Okay, well, I'm from Argentina and I came to Switzerland because I fell in love with the Swiss guy when we were traveling. We met in Brazil like seven years ago, because I was living there and we just met. He went travel, I was living over there. Then I came by chance to Europe.

Belén:

I lived some years in Andorra and one weekend I said, oh'm gonna go to Geneva. I never been there, I so want to meet Geneva. And I said, oh, wait, I know someone in Switzerland, so I'm gonna send him a message so we can meet and have a coffee. And he said, hey, oh, cool that you come. It's like you come for the weekend. And I like, yeah, you can come, we have a coffee. And he said, hey, look, I have the weekend. And I'm like, yeah, you can come, we have a coffee. And he said, look, I have the weekend off, so I'm going to go to Geneva as well. So he came to Geneva that was five years later, married in Switzerland with the newborn. And yeah, we travel, we live here. We have a project in Brazil where we are building some tiny house, like in a small villa, like there are some people, a community with the bio construction and so and that's kind of pretty shortened up the story.

Julia Neale:

That is so cool, very, very, very romantic and also really interesting about your project in brazil.

Belén:

What an amazing global story you have it was like very shortened, but the highlight points of the story.

Julia Neale:

Julia here. It's my mission over at Happy Day to mentor and support you in creating a pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience that is empowering, holistic and uniquely tailored to your needs. Together, we'll uncover the tools and knowledge you need to thrive with confidence, mindfulness and self-compassion at the core of your journey. That's the reason why I offer my three hallmark courses to parents in person in the Zurich area and online. They are Hypnobirthing Plus Mindful Postpartum Preparation and Hypnobirthing for Planned Caesarean Birth. Check out my website, happydayhypnobirthingch or Instagram at happydaybumpsbabesbeyond for more details, useful content and support. Now on to this week's Swiss birth story.

Belén:

So now I'm here and looking forward to help someone if need, because I do really think that it's amazing what you're doing. Uh, when I came here to Switzerland, I see that we have so many resources and uh, but the people, they just don't know about them could you tell us then, um through this amazing story in the last few years, how the decision came to start a family?

Belén:

Well, it was like so. We talked about this some years ago and as we were traveling and to do the project in Brazil, I stayed in Brazil. So I was coming only six months, like one month here, six in Brazil, one year, six in Brazil. I spent the whole year like so and we said, as we have this project, which is not finished yet, but the bigger part was running, at that point we said we want to have baby, but this is not the moment, so as soon as I come back we can try. And as I was there alone, by myself, I I used that time also to to kind of prepare the body to get pregnant. So I took care about my food, my supplements, I trained and I started to do the following my cycle with the Synthothermic method.

Belén:

And well, I came here in December 2003. And by February 2024, I was pregnant with Milo, beautiful body. It was a wished and loved baby and actually I thought it was going to be a little bit harder, but it came fast. We had a lot of plans because we were like, yeah, we can just, we start, just we, we start, we try, we check and what no plus needed to change a little bit um what?

Christine Bliven:

what did you do during your pregnancy to, to kind of prepare?

Belén:

uh, before or during the pregnancy?

Christine Bliven:

sorry, during the pregnancy during the pregnancy during the pregnancy. During the pregnancy.

Belén:

During the pregnancy. What are you talking about During the pregnancy? Well, first of all, I have like a great gynecologist that she recommend me. I mean, I went through all this getting all the information because know that here in Switzerland we have a lot of resources that you can have the, the abames. You can choose whom you are going to have, the controls where you can give birth, you have this and this and this and this options. She gave me everything and I started reaching out information. I started to train with the person that you know.

Belén:

I was like that trains with pregnant women and, uh, as I, here in switzerland, you need to do everything very much in advance.

Belén:

So, as as soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I started to reach out to the different professionals to check what I'm gonna do, because I heard so many stories about my friends that they didn't have, uh, um, they didn't felt, uh, how to say, held I don't know if that's the word that we could use, but the even like it was or the partner that was not prepared.

Belén:

They, they were not prepared or they didn't know about things, so they didn't have very good experiences. And I was saying this is I don't want this to happen to me. You know there are so many things that you cannot control, that's true, but there are some others that if you have at least the information, the knowledge, you can maybe act different or have a different result, and if not, if something that you don't expect happens, you might be able to deal better with that when you're like, well, some people they're just lucky and they don't do nothing and they go. Everything goes good. But you know, I saw many experiences and I was maybe a little bit scared, I don't know. Something like so happened to me and then don't have a nice memory, or so this is what I did. Basically, I take care of my food, training and information.

Julia Neale:

That's great that you had a gynecologist who presented your tests so early on. How did you feel in your pregnancy?

Belén:

Well, I felt very good. I think that because of all the things that I did, I didn't feel I didn't have any symptoms. It was by chance that I just found out that I was pregnant and I had a very, very good pregnancy. Only at the very end I have a little bit. You know, like this when you get solo. I don't know in English.

Julia Neale:

Swelling.

Belén:

Yeah, yeah, only this in your fingers in your ankles, yeah, in my hand and a little bit in the feet. That was like very bother me when I was sleeping, but that was the only thing that you might say. Hey, I had this, but during the pregnancy, and also by the professionals, I felt very I don't know the word in English it was like when someone is by your side.

Julia Neale:

Supported. Yes, would that be right? Thank you.

Belén:

I felt very supported. So good yeah, yes, would that?

Julia Neale:

be right. Thank you, I felt very supported, so good. Yeah, how did you make your initial choice for your birth space? And we'll get into the whole story. How did you come to that?

Belén:

decision. Uh, the thing was like my gynecologist. She said, look, here you can give birth. And she explained me like a little bit, overall, you can go to a hospital, you can go to a private clinic, you can go to a house, and she's a birth house. And she said, look, I can't recommend you some hospitals, uh, this because this I gave birth and I don't recommend. She had three kids here in Switzerland, I gave birth here and I can recommend this and this one.

Belén:

I know the people and she also knew some professionals that spoke in English, in Spanish, so I was researching about this and then I said and she said, don't go to a private clinic. She explained, why not? And then she said I know that the this birth house and I went and I check out where the birth house called my attention and I said, hey, why I cannot try this? And I was searching and I found that it was reasonable, the amount of time to get there and it was also the first house, it's inside the hospital. So I said, in case, that I just cannot take it or I just want to change my mind. I have the option as well.

Belén:

And for sure it's not. You know so many, so much people chose the place because of the NCU NCU, that's the name and I was like, yeah, and I was like, well, I'm not going to use this criteria, because this is like thinking about the worst. I'm just going to think that I'm going to be able to do everything, that the baby is going to be fine, and I want to have some other choices in case. I just can't take it anymore. And that was at the end. And also because the professionals they spoke in Spanish and English.

Christine Bliven:

Yeah, that sounds like you really did your research, which is great.

Belén:

I had time and I was like how it's possible that we have so many options, so many tools here and we are not able to use them? No, that's not possible. I'm going to use them. I'm not possible. I'm gonna use them. I'm gonna make my life easier.

Belén:

Yeah absolutely and, like you said, you have to know that those resources exist right yeah, that's why I said that this is fantastic, because I think many, many, many of the bad experiences come because of the lack of information. Yes, and I mean sure that things can happen, sure that there are a thousand possibilities, but the first, the most for me important, is the lack of information.

Christine Bliven:

So that's why it's great what you're doing. Thank you for sharing with us. So how, if we can get into kind of the labor? How did you know that things?

Belén:

were starting. What? What kind of signs did you have? Well, this is a look. I was already in 40 weeks. I went to my checkup. Nothing was happening. I I was, I think I was a little bit opening, but nothing, no symptoms, no contractions. I didn't even feel the Braxton kicks or the soft kicks I don't know their name. And the night before the Milo was born I was, you know, dancing to see if something happened. I was going we have stairs in the back and I was like up and down, up and down, and it was very late at night. It was like 12 in the evening and I went to the toilet and I start bleeding and I'm like, hey, this is very fresh blood. And I said, said.

Belén:

I'm gonna call my Obama because, as they are 24 7 from the your due date available for you. So I sent her a message and I say, hey look, I'm bleeding. And she's like how much you're bleeding. So I send the pictures and she's like, do you feel the baby? And I'm like I'm moving so much I don't think I'm feeling nothing but.

Belén:

And it's like I'm not scared but I also I'm not feeling nothing. But and we agreed that we were waiting like an hour to see if I was bleeding, I'm feeling bad, not feeling the baby, things like so. And I was checking, following and I kept bleeding. And the next morning I had control and she said, look, we're gonna do this. You come to the birth house and we just do the control now, because you anyway need to do it at eight in the morning, it's midnight, we do it now. And so I went, uh, and we did all the controls. Then everything was fine, the baby was fine, nothing was broken open, nothing. And she said well, I think that the process just started. So she invited me and said, hey, better you stay the night here and I come in the morning, because I think the process started and it was like so so then after that in the morning, then how did things progress in your labor?

Belén:

Well, after we did the controls controls, I started with some contractions. They were every 7-10 minutes and she said well, try to sleep a little bit and I come back at 7 8 in the morning, or if you need me, you call me because she lives nearby. And then I tried to go to sleep, but that was not possible because the contractions started.

Belén:

They were not painful, but they were more often and I had contractions and needed to go to the toilet. Contractions need to go to the toilet. So my body started to clean and I was like, I was like okay, and I tried to sleep and I couldn't. And around seven in the morning, I think, the contractions, around three minutes each. And so I said to my husband, hey, all the. And then she came and we start preparing the birth room with the pool.

Belén:

It's what I like about the birth house is that they don't look like hospitals, so you feel a little bit more cozy, the beds are maybe more comfortable, you can be a little bit more free, I don't know. And then we prepared the room and we moved to the room and then the thing started. So I started feeling pain and the contractions came. We went to the pool. It was, you know, at the beginning. It was like, you know, okay, you start feeling some pain. I was listening to music. We were kind of dead.

Belén:

I really needed to stretch myself when the contractions came. So I was, I was going, you know, to sit in in the toilet and stretch me because I felt like this and we were going from the pool to the bed dancing, we were listening to music. I was not hungry at all. My husband we brought some snacks and he was bringing me the snacks and I was like I cannot chew. But then he was giving me, I mean, the snacks that we brought I didn't want. I started to eat some bread with a little bit butter he was giving me while I was inside the pool and I think, kind of progress a little bit. I don't know what is fast for the people, but I was. When the Obama came, I was I don't know two centimeters, but then it went to four. At 10 in the morning, at 11 or so I was like six centimeters. After 12, I was eight and it was so painful, so painful, you know, when you hit your elbow and you get this electricity. This is what I was feeling with the contractions that came like.

Christine Bliven:

So Like radiating. Yeah, this way, like everybody says that they feel it differently.

Belén:

That came like so, like radiating. Yeah, this way, everybody says that they feel it differently. I felt it this way and I would say that it was very nice, was painful, was very nice. But Milo he was, and he came with the hand in the front so he was looking, looking, looking and he couldn't get down Because at the end it was two in the afternoon, I was starting to get very tired.

Belén:

I was in very much pain because that. And then it was when I said the Obama told me that I was very tired. I was in the pool like so tired, and and she said that if I want to go to the bed, if I want to rest a little bit, or if she want me to call the Obama's in the hospital, she started to present me all the options that we had at that moment and then I said I haven't so much pain, I want a PDA and I'm like for a while I blamed myself to make that decision, you know, because it was not what I expected to do. But in the other hand, then I understood that I got prepared for that. You know, like I knew that the moment that I started with getting interventions, things might not go the way I expected, but I also was like, hey, I just need to avoid to get to the very last point when you cannot take it anymore. You know, and this was the moment that I chose to have a PDA, and then we need to move all to the hospital, which is in the other side of the corridor, like in one hand, so like in the right side it's like a boat house. You have all the rooms, very beautiful, and the other the hospital. But don't get me wrong, they're great. All the team in the Bordorf hospital and the kaput house, they're amazing.

Belén:

They all was not even a single person that didn't talk to me in English didn't talk to me in English because it was not lucky, but my Obama that spoke in Spanish was not on call that day, was the other, but the other spoke in English. So for me it was the same. I mean, I was prepared if I need to speak in German. But I think that some things is like a lot of miscommunication you misunderstanding, you cannot think very much very clearly. And so everybody, as they saw that I was talking in English, they changed it. The everybody, from the nurses to the doctors, to the gynecologists, the Obama'samas, everybody, the anesthetists, everyone. I was very surprised because all my friends they were like no one talked to me in English, not in Spanish, not nothing, and they didn't even were able to communicate with the personnel, with the professionals.

Belén:

And then we moved to this hospital and then we prepared another room and I got the PDA and I was like hi, for a while.

Belén:

I was like, oh, like in heaven. It was funny. That was funny because they put me the PDA and I was like this is a little bit my fault, because this at the end complicated a little bit the thing, because I was like such in a relief from the pain that I just like I realized I was like, oh, I was sending messages. You know, I took my phone and I said, because I went to the hospital and I didn't say nothing to nobody, so I was like, hey, I'm in this hospital, I just got the PDA, so I'm a little bit high, like I'm having a good time and how we are eating. It's like if I was in a hotel. Uh, that was fun. And then, well, then the contractions came back and we started to do the only bad part of the PDA is like you need to have the monitors. The good thing is that in both of they have this, that they are not connected to the machine, so you can move could you, could you move even with your epidural yes, a walking one?

Belén:

and you have such relief too yes, well, but then is I mean because it's like, so you, I, I pressed many times the boost, the boost you know, like, but yeah, I think that also it's because the guy that put the anesthesia was good, because you know, it's like only one part that you don't feel. You still need to feel. He was explaining, you still need to feel some contractions because otherwise you can you lose everything, kind of. Then they need to guide your contractions. If you don't feel anything, you don't feel when it comes.

Belén:

So we started, we had lunch and then we started to move. I, we were actually it was like very much to go down from the bed with the thing and I was like because you have the, the vein, how it's called, yeah, the IV, the IV have the ivy and the in the spine, yeah, canal. And so we were moving, actually in the bed, it was rotating, and also the evangelists they came. You know they were helping me like try this position. We tried this position. But there were some because of the position of the milo that they were very painful because he was not finding the place and with the hand, and so he was like a little bit, I don't know, he didn't come like in the like, so he was a bit sort of sideways.

Belén:

Yeah, yes, and some positions I couldn't do because it was so painful I couldn't. And then it's when the contractions started to lower down, get more space in between, and I was already nine, I don't know Right after the PDA. That's why then I was like questioning myself, oh, what I did, if I will have known, and so, but this is already out because it doesn't change anything and I needed to do what I thought at the moment that was best and use my tools. And I was nine already and the contractions, they went like over six minutes in between. And so, for sure, they came and say, hey, the contractions are like very much a space in between, we need to go through the oxytocin. I'm like, oh my gosh, this now and we talk with the team and they say, well, we can wait a little bit longer because all the vitals of the baby are good and everything looks good, so we can wait a little bit. They came again and at that point we said we had a small meeting and we said, hey, can we wait one hour more? We're gonna try to do other things. So we want the space for us, that everybody leave the room, we want to dim the lights, we want to put some music, and so we did this. They brought, like a salt lamp. They put out the lights, they left the room, they left us alone and we were dancing, we were hugging, we were moving, we were listening to music, me and my husband, and they were like, okay, they went with one conditions like you like check the monitors and if, like the alarm rings, you called us and we managed to bring back the contractions, but anyway, they were still much space in between and so we said, okay, we tried, we did it, they gave us the space and then we, okay, we need to do this, because it was already six in the afternoon, so it was very long the whole day and I couldn't sleep. I think that maybe it would have helped if I would have been able to sleep, but I couldn't.

Belén:

And then they came with the oxytocin and the contractions. They start to come again. And then the abomas they came and they were. They were all great. Actually, they were very helpful.

Belén:

I had two, like it was my husband and twoamas, and they were like moving my legs to help, holding my hand, like cheering me up, like you're doing great, you're very brave, even, you know, like one of the Obamas when we asked for them the space, she came and said hey, I'm very proud of you. I don't remember if this was the word that she used, but she said because you are looking for your rights and you are raising your voice and you're like, you are like fighting for what you want. This would be like the whole meaning behind. And she said you are doing very great Like. She said this before she left and they were very supportive. They were very cool. That's why we also, you know, trust them, because then when the oxytocin came, then they came, they were doing the monitors and the Obama came and said look, we are not in danger, the baby's not in stress, but it's like, but it's not compensating the contraction as well as it was before, so it would be better that we do something about it.

Belén:

At that point I was like very exhausted because the contractions were very hard, very painful, and I was like you know what? Do a C-section, do me a C-section please? And my husband was like oh my God, oh my God, a c-section please. And my husband was like oh my god, oh my god, if she wants a c-section, it's because she's not taking it anymore. And they were like wait, wait a moment. We have other options. We call the doctor. I mean we can keep like so, but you know that might get a little bit. Um, it's not dangerous. They didn't say that it's going to be dangerous, but it was not as good as they expected and she said we can call the doctor either. You have the option of the I don't know how it's called the procedure the vacuum Vacuum, vacuum vacuum. Okay, because it's ventosas.

Julia Neale:

Yeah, the ventous.

Belén:

Yeah, okay, this, we have this option and the C-section. And I was like blinded. At that point I said I want the C-section, call the doctor, call the doctor, call the doctor, call the doctor, call the doctor. They called the doctor. The doctor was very funny, he was such a figure. He came to the room and was like, hello, oh, what we're doing here. Oh, this kid looks amazing, let me check how you are. I was like, oh, this kid looks amazing, let me check how you are.

Belén:

And, very importantly, everything that they did on me or touch me or check me, they always asked me before. No one did nothing on my body or any procedure that I wasn't authorized to say. They were very, very respectful. And so he checked and he said but the kid is already almost here. I was like, let's work it out right. And he said and so we were talking with my husband and I said, well, okay, let's do the vacuum.

Belén:

But me, I didn't know that I needed to help out the vacuum. Yeah, sounds funny. But like, at that point I was not thinking. And the doctor said, well, look, this I cannot do alone. You need to push and I'm gonna pull. And I'm like, no, I was so excited. But then he came, he brought all the material and the thing was the reality, the Milo with this looking through the way he got like bump and so he was not that down as the doctor thought. So probably he felt the bump, you know, because he needed to pull more than I don't know. I think the normal is like two or three times and he needed to pull, I think five or so.

Julia Neale:

I need to read the partogram, because I have it here, which is actually very cool.

Belén:

The power of an informed mother, yeah.

Belén:

That is amazing that you have that, yeah, well, they gave it to me. They asked me do you want to have it? And I'm like, well, they gave it to me. Like they asked me, do you want to have it? And I'm like, okay, give it to me. And for sure you don't understand very much.

Belén:

But some, with the eva med that came in the postpartum, she was reading it with me, and also in the hospital they said that you have the chance to go and talk about your birth so they can explain you what happened, because sometimes you get confused in the hours, in the times that everything was or not, and so you can get the detailed walk through what happened. But I think I thought there's no need because, as I have the partogram, if I have anything any doubt I can just check it out. And so they, they came the, the contractions, the doctor this was a little bit painful there to say. It's like when they, they installed the machine and they were like crazy, this contraction, like very, it was I in my mind, was I, was, I was very like from my guts. They came like wow, and they were like holding me and we were like it was like a fight, but not in a bad way, no Like to get the strength. I was like screaming. And then Milo came finally with the vacuum vacuum. But I felt how he was pushing and that was was crazy. I didn't you know. That's the only thing they haven't considered, because this I didn't know. About the vacuum, look all what I prepared. I many options, I knew about interventions and things and so, but the vacuum does not. Because what I've seen is like this is more likely.

Belén:

In other cantons In the burn area it's more common that they use the vacuum, for example, in Bordorf. I have a friend that was giving birth in Bordorf. She also needed to get to use vacuum. I have another friend that she gave birth in the Canton Fribourg in Fribourg. In Fribourg it's Canton Burn, it was Canton Fribourg, I don't remember Fribourg's Canton Bern, I don't remember and she used vacuum as well. But all the people that I know that come from Zurich. They were never off vacuum, they were straight to the C section. See, and that's why I knew that in Zurich, all my friends, they got the 10th opening and they were like so exhausted that they couldn't go through, so they needed to go to the C-section. And here in this other side of Switzerland it seems that they give you other options before the C-section.

Belén:

And well, then he came, he was, they took it out and he was not crying. He was not with any problem, but he was not crying and I was like, give it to me, give it to me. And they were, like you know, doubting because they do these checkings of the scale, I don't know. And so they gave it to me and he cried in my chest and so everybody was like yeah, and then one of the Obama said do you want to cut the cord? And then one of the Obama said do you want to cut the cord? And my husband said no, we're going to wait until stop pulsing. So we wait until the blood came out from the placenta to the baby. So when, stop this? He cut the cord.

Belén:

And what I don't remember is like if I, if it was first the placenta came out or after, but she said cough, and I coughed and the placenta came and I asked them for keeping the placenta, because then I used it and I got, yes, I needed one or two stitches, it was not much, but at this moment I gave the baby to do skin to skin with the puppy while they were doing this and they asked him to go there.

Belén:

It's like when they were stitching me, they were asking him to control and I was like everything is like. This also was surprising, kind of. They were like quality control, if you say that they. They were asking me hey, look this, this, and explaining it was very cool. And then we you know what Also an important part that he couldn't get down All the information comes Like I couldn't pee-pee. Back then I didn't realize that there were many, many hours where they couldn't pee and when I tried, I couldn't and they tried to use a catheter and was everything already very swallow and they couldn't. They couldn't use the catheter, and so that was making the things a little bit extra hard because there was no space hi everyone, I'm just I'm gonna pause it here quickly.

Julia Neale:

Uh, there's a little confession I have to make. My two little children love playing with my microphone and they had changed the connectors that I use for when I'm recording a little bit and I hadn't realized. So, if you haven't noticed until this point, my audio is a little bit off in this episode. Unfortunately, at this point in the episode I asked Belen a question and you and on my master track I couldn't hear it at all, so I'm going to just add it in here. What I ask her is wow, like she couldn't urinate for so many hours. I was curious if, after her baby was born, if she could go to the bathroom easily and how that went for her. So here's her response.

Belén:

I use it and I sit down in the toilet and I was like non-stop peeping and I'm like, oh my gosh, yeah, but it's like they. They took me. They said when I got down they were like, oh, jake, if you can walk, I could walk, like go slowly because and I was down and yes, I could do bb and then they cleaned up us. They cleaned us up and she asked the eva me ask for a moment to wait. The milo measure him, put some clothes on and we went to the room. They were very cute. They made a small tiny bracelet with his name.

Belén:

Instead of you having a band from the hospital, it was made with the like this that the kids do, the. It would be yes, oh, it was so cute with the card that said milo and the feet of the milo. They even asked us do you want a special color? They were like that was very cool, it was very nice, and they brought it to the room and they start helping me try to breastfeed this. This was the only thing that I was like a little bit, hmm, because I was trying to put him on my breast while we were in the birth room and someone said, oh, then you have time for that. They were not paying much attention at that point but then after they were very helpful, like trying to uh bring out the colostrum in english. It's correct, and they were, because me I never was able, but they could do it. It's like I don't understand the moment that they do lives are magic.

Belén:

Yeah, they. She was like look, and they was coming. She was with the with the syringe, picking it up, giving to the baby. It was very from all they were helping the only one that was, yes, one that I felt a little bit pain and I know this was not right, that this can change like the course of the breastfeeding, and the woman was like you need to do it, you need to do it. Yes, it's gonna hurt. And I'm like, no, that's not possible.

Belén:

So I called the others and they gave me everything. It's like. I said, hey, it's hurting. They brought me this protection, the silicone protection. I said use it. They explained me. They brought even the machine because I said I can pump because it does a little bit burning and I said I don't want to get hurt because then it gets complicated. And this way I avoided to get hurt and we were doing it fine. I mean with their help, of course, because if there is something that I regret, it's like I prepared a lot for the pregnancy and the birth and so, but breastfeeding also needs attention. We underestimated At least me.

Julia Neale:

Nope, it's not just you. How did the rest of your postpartum go, besides the feeding? How did the rest of your postpartum go besides the feeding.

Belén:

Again, for me it's all about the professions that come to you For sure, your family, your partner. They have a very important role. Also, my midwife from the postpartum. She spoke Spanish and she was not making births because she works also in burdorf. That's why she didn't do all the process, because I chose to change from the gynecologist during the pregnancy to the controls with the abamis.

Belén:

So I did all the controls from the five months I think, in the in the birth house, with no only ultrasound when it was needed if it was something strange or so, but out of that was only measuring, hearing the heart giving me. They measured the belly, they might weigh me. And in the postpartum she was also great. She came and she was like telling to the husband look before. In the meeting before she was like she needs to lay down, she needs to have everything that she needs, she needs to care of the baby and her wounds and she was very like you need to do this because look our moms or our grandmas, they had a lot of troubles after that. They no one thought it was because of the birth, but they wanted to do normal life and this is not possible.

Belén:

So I had also very nice friends that they were like oh, what can I give for you, for the baby? And I will say you can make me a soup and I freeze it. So I had food in the freezer broth, cookies, these things like some. Also my husband didn't need to think much because also everybody needs to. You know, he needs to be there for me and as less things he needed to have on his mind or his list, he could help more and that's why I had the freezer packed with food.

Belén:

And also the family is like what do you want? They brought me food, like, what are your wishes? Oh, I want so much to eat salmon. I wanted to eat it. So my father-in-law brought me like 10 packages with the melatich and horse radish, everything. So I was also very well nourished and very, very, very, which this was. No one was much agree. But I traveled to Argentina with my husband and the baby and he was 25 days and I spent the three months over there with my family, with my friends, and this, I think, also changed a lot the experience, because even though no one was actually taking care of the baby, they were taking care about me like that I don't do anything, that I just have food, that I had a lot of social life, saw the people, I got a lot of love and this made the experience incredible.

Christine Bliven:

So that sounds ideal.

Belén:

That was a game changer. And also when I was in Argentina, I said, oh my gosh, I booked my flight for three months. I'm not going to because you know, over there nothing. Here I have the things for the baby a little bit more prepared house, and over there no, and I was using things that my friends you know like oh, I have a baby wagon, I can give it to you. You use it while you're here. So they were not my stuff, which made it not as comfortable as could be. But at the end, looking back, it was much more about the experience, how I felt and how it progressed and was great.

Christine Bliven:

So this I can say that was a good decision yeah it would don't look like not that's very wise as well, that it's really less about the perfect stroller and the things, but more about feeling supported and loved and nourished yes, yes, because also he was.

Belén:

You know, if my husband wouldn't have asked for he had the puppy holidays and then he asked for holidays to go with me, otherwise I should be here alone and here working from seven in the morning to six in the afternoon and I guess that there the experience would have been totally different and I wouldn't be as fit, as happy or as relaxed. For sure it's like not ideal. I'm not saying that I was like happy 100% all the time, because it's like a new baby. You don't know what it is, you need to learn everything, something new. But there it's more than the happy side, that actually the feeling bad or stress.

Christine Bliven:

Hi, I'm Christina, a doula, baby-wearing consultant, childbirth educator and mother of three. I'm the owner of Lilybee, a family hub in Zurich, where you can find resources, community and support in English as you begin your journey into parenthood. It takes a village. Find yours here. We have one final question for you, which is from your whole pregnancy birth experience, what would you say is your one? I'm sure there are many, but one brilliant moment that stands out for you.

Belén:

You know, for me it's like when the baby you know you get, he wakes up in the middle of the night, you know, and you're looking at the baby and you're like, oh my god, or you have, I don't know, you want him to sleep and he doesn't sleep and you start getting very frustrated or helpless and you don't know what to do and the baby's like, looking at you, like so, and you see the face. It's like, oh my god, like I want to be so mad but I can't. So these are the moments for me, like the, the, what I can. It's like and even, for example, I had a lot of moments that I don't know.

Belén:

I talk with a lot of mommies and seems that happens that when you get so frustrated that you start crying from nothing, I was like, oh no, I tried to make this baby sleep for two hours and he doesn't sleep. Oh, I get stressed, frustrated, helpless, let's cry. And then look at you like this, because you're like, I'm crying because you cannot sleep, but look at your face, I cannot be mad with you. It's very beautiful and these are my highlight moments and all the things that they're. It was it and I was like looking at his face looking at you so pure, beautiful that is really.

Christine Bliven:

I don't know if that answered the question 100%.

Belén:

Yes, yes, I'm sure that all the mom isies.

Christine Bliven:

This is probably what everybody is like in their hearts yep, they makes it all worth it somehow. Yes, that is really beautiful. Thank you so much, belen, for sharing thank you for opening this space.

Belén:

I hope this all that you are doing reach a lot of women that can have the best experience that they can with the, using all the tools that they can here because they have, and thank you for helping the people, thank you thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Swiss birth stories.

Julia Neale:

Thank you helps this community grow, so please also take a moment to rate and review wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps us reach even more parents-to-be. Don't forget to share this episode with a friend or loved one who could benefit from it, and be sure to follow us on social media at Swiss Birth Stories for even more tips, resources and updates on upcoming podcast guests. Tips, resources and updates on upcoming podcast guests, courses and events. We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and birth stories too, so feel free to DM us, fill out the form on our website, swissbirthstoriescom, or tag us in your posts. Until next time, keep sharing, keep learning and keep connecting with each other.

People on this episode

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Julia Neale

Host
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Christine Bliven

Co-host