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 birth in Switzerland.

Henar's resources are below this description:

What happens when modern diabetes tech collides with decades‑old pregnancy protocols? We sit down with Henar, a Spain‑born mum in Switzerland living with Type 1 diabetes, who turned a “high‑risk” label into a plan rooted in data, calm choices, and unwavering self‑advocacy. From preconception A1C goals and fine‑tuning basals to balancing nutrition, exercise, and hormones, she shows how preparation can rewrite expectations without ignoring real risks.

The cracks appear where many parents feel them most: care that’s split between specialists who rarely speak, blanket recommendations to induce at 38 weeks, and hospital assumptions about “big babies.” Henar walks us through bringing her endocrinologist and hospital team into one conversation, documenting individualised thresholds, and buying time for spontaneous labour. When her baby arrived malpositioned and pushing stalled, she chose an epidural, tried every repositioning strategy, and then moved into a caesarean that felt informed, respectful, and peaceful. The golden hour still happened. The love still crashed in to that operating room. You will not want to miss the description of her first few moments with her son.

Postpartum, the story shifts to pain management gaps, anaemia, and the vital role of practical support. We dig into breastfeeding with Type 1 diabetes: why milk let‑down can drop blood sugar, how CGMs and pumps with low‑glucose suspend help at night, and the simple power of snacks within reach. We also explore returning to work, protecting pumping windows, and making a values‑based call on extended breastfeeding despite criticism. Along the way, we spotlight the real issue: a data lag that hasn’t caught up with continuous glucose monitoring, smarter pumps, and broader access that make tighter control possible.

If you’re navigating pregnancy with Type 1 diabetes or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers clear strategies, compassionate perspective, and a reminder that protocols are starting points, not destinies. If it resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs encouragement today. Your notes and stories help this community get smarter and stronger.

Henar's resources:

Book:

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Enar And The Big Picture
• 2:20 Type 1 Diabetes 101 In Pregnancy
• 6:40 Outdated Protocols And Self‑Advocacy
• 12:20 Building A Care Plan Without A Team
• 18:40 Induction Pressure And Holding The Line
• 24:00 Labour Begins And Managing With A Pump
• 29:00 Fast Dilation, Malposition, No Pushing
• 34:00 Epidural, Reposition Attempts, Decision
• 39:30 Calm Caesarean And Golden Hour
• 44:30 Post‑Op Pain, Anaemia, And Support

Transcript

Julia: 0:07

Hi, welcome to Swiss Birth Stories. I'm Julia Neal, mother, perinatal educator, hypnobirthing coach, and trainee doula. And I'm Christina Bliven. I'm a doula, baby wearing consultant, childbirth educator, and mother of three. Today we're talking to Henar, originally from Spain and now living in Switzerland, about her powerful journey navigating pregnancy and postpartum with type 1 diabetes. From managing tight blood sugar control and using an insulin pump to facing communication gaps in her care team and undergoing a cesarean birth with a painful recovery, Henard shares the realities of a high-risk pregnancy with honesty and strength. She opens up about the challenges of breastfeeding with diabetes, finding the right postpartum support, and the fierce self-advocacy required every step of the way. Hi, Henar. It is so lovely to have you on the show. We welcome you here. Um, to get us started off, could you tell us a little bit about you and your family?

Henar: 1:12

Yeah, sure. Thank you very much for having me. So my name is Henar. I am from Spain originally, but I came here 12 years ago already. And uh I am married to a Swiss uh person, and I have a little boy that is uh three years old.

Julia: 1:31

If you would just tell us about how you decided to start a family, how did that go? Um yeah, sure.

Henar: 1:39

I mean, uh I actually didn't want to have kids. I mean it was not uh like a hard no, but it was something like uh maybe I was not foreseeing so much. Uh I was not very good with kids. I was always like seeing kids and they were crying when they were with me. So I was like trying to avoid that part. But my husband comes from a very large family, and uh he wanted three. So we did, okay, let's say, let's have an agreement. The average is uh 1.0. We said, okay, let's start with uh trying with one, right? So that was the agreement that we reached. Um I have to say that I am diabetic, and also that I mean diabetic women can have complications during birth. So maybe that's why that was also one of the reasons why I was in my mind thinking, maybe maybe motherhood is not for me, maybe my body is not uh meant for it. And uh maybe just to give a small introduction of what diabetes is for those who don't know. I am diabetic type one, which means that I don't produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that opens the door for uh the sugar to enter in the cells. The sugar is basically the main food for our cells, without it, we die. And uh, I mean, I don't have this key. I mean, let's say that the insulin is a key to the to the door of the house of the cell, and I don't have it, so I have to inject it. And things that influence a lot uh this uh this key or the amount of insulin that you have to take are diet, exercise, and hormones. So you can imagine that all of those things during pregnancy can uh be very challenging, right? Um so there are a lot of risks associated with uh pregnancy when you are diabetic. For example, I think it stopped uh in the 70s, but uh before the 70s, diabetic women were recommended to not have children. Uh historically, yeah, I mean it's it's dusty here, but it's it's how it is, right? Historically, I mean there are a lot of uh statistics and data about it, and uh diabetic women have like uh three to five times more probabilities to have uh defects uh for babies, uh organ um problems for the babies, brain, uh, heart, spine, and also women can have consequences, especially the eyes and the kidneys. So it's definitely a high risk pregnancy. However, uh, this is like historical data, right? And diabetic uh diabetes has changed a lot in the in the past years. There are a lot of um medical advances, there are a lot of technologies, a lot of gadgets that we can use. And I will say that especially in the 10, the last 10, five years, things have improved a lot for us to have a better control. Unfortunately, the data that we have for diabetic pregnancies is based on all the whole history, right? So you will still see a lot of um medical advice that come from those uh long period data, because of course it's uh it's not, I mean, maybe in the last five years you had one study, and in the past uh 40 you have 20, right? So still uh you have a lot of medical recommendations that are maybe not up to date. And this is at least what uh I encountered uh when I started this process. Um I am very lucky because I am uh my mother is a doctor, so I started being diabetic when I was seven. And I have a lot of information, and I have always uh been very, very well controlled. Um for the preparation of uh getting pregnant and all that, I knew that uh my sugar levels need to be very, very stable and very controlled, and I did a lot of preparation, a lot of work trying to get there, right? So I was having very good levels, and uh actually my doctor, my endocrinologist was saying that I could uh I mean I have values for a non-diabetic person, which was the greatest accomplishment, the greatest uh compliment that he could give me at that moment, right? Um yeah, so basically, I mean, it's not an easy path, and I'm not saying that uh every diabetic uh person uh needs to do it or can do it. It's it's tough, it's not easy. So, and I mean, I had a chance that um the job that I have allowed me to have this good control that I could eat uh a lot of times at home. So I knew exactly what I was eating, what I was doing. My husband was very supportive. I could, for example, go for a walk when I needed to lower my sugar levels. I could do the exercise that I needed when I wanted. So all of that helps. I understand not everyone has those um like privileges. I was very, very happy that I could do all this, right? But uh the good thing is that I had a very good uh control. And um I consider myself as a normal pregnancy. Of course, there are more risks, and there are a lot of things that you don't see, and you cannot have as good control as a normal person. But I am sure that uh because of the type of diet that I was doing in all the efforts and all the regular sport, etc., I was like in a very good position.

Julia: 6:52

Nevertheless, yeah, sorry. I'm just curious where you found information for because you've dealt with diabetes for a while, but not diabetes in pregnancy. And if all the information is kind of old.

Henar: 7:03

Yes, uh, there is a book. Uh I could give you the the the reference if uh if you need, I don't have it at hand, but I can give it to you. And there is a book that I particularly read that had like all the I mean, it was written I think five years ago, and it's uh it has several uh revisions, so it gives you the latest information. The only problem that I found is that um it's from US, and medical treatment is not the same in Europe than in US, right? So uh I don't know, for example, they were giving recommendations for diet, and all of them have a peanut butter, and I'm like, oh I mean, that's a stupid thing, right? But uh these things that uh that uh make you feel well, this is not exactly what I would be doing. But a lot of that came from there. Then uh at the end, uh you need you because I was doing this before the pregnancy, a lot of the things that you can do is to look at how food affects your sugar levels. Each person is different, it's it's one of us uh might metabolize things differently, how the if the exercise that you do uh help you to have very good basels so that to understand very well what type of insulin, how much insulin you need for everything. And all of that is work that you can you can prepare and you can have done beforehand, right? So all of that, even if it's not related to pregnancy, can help you. But what is true is that I felt very alone uh in the process during the pregnancy. Because, as I said, for example, in US, um all risk pregnancies have a specialized doctor.

Julia: 8:38

Yeah.

Henar: 8:38

That is not even the endocrinologist which treats diabetes or the gynaecologist. Yeah, exactly. And here in Switzerland, I had my gynecologist and my endocrinologist that they were not talking to each other. And I believe that in Switzerland you have a great medical care, and women are treated with a lot of respect during birth in general, but uh there is uh for me the biggest issue is that this lack of communication. My gynecologist, my gynaecologist had zero idea of what it meant to be diabetic. He could give like zero advice for me on what to do and how to manage the situation. And then my endocrinologist could say only things that were related to diabetes and general data, but he didn't have like a lot of information as well, right? So I felt, okay, I know what I'm doing because I know my body, I know how things work, but I could not rely a lot on anyone from the medical community. My endocrinologist is very, very good. He knows a lot of things, but again, it when you have no data, um you cannot support. He said, Oh, also, you are the first the first uh person that I have with this type of control. So he could also not provide me any help. I was reading a lot from like uh uh yeah, US community on how they were doing things, and I was learning a lot from them. So uh that that helped me a lot. Also, how to deal with some situations with uh some doctors where they, because you are diabetic, they treat you in a certain way, right? They by protocol, for example, you are supposed to give birth at week 38, and your your baby is going to be big. And that's by protocol, right? And and it's very tough sometimes to, if you are not with your normal gynaecologist, to go to a visit. And for example, the first time that you go to the hospital where you're going to be giving birth, where you have the first uh moment where your gynacologist, and normally it's the first time that he has seen you, and next time you will have a different one. And they just treat diabetic and they just put you in this uh box, and then it's very difficult to make them change their mind, right? Um, so as I said, yes, I mean I was very pushed at the beginning uh to give birth at 38 weeks to have an induction. And I have read a lot about what happens with these inductions because it's not uh it's by again, it's by protocol, it's not because there is a danger to the baby, it's not because they see something, it's just okay, with 38, you have to deliver. And most of the times uh this ended up in a c-section because the body was maybe not prepared uh for for birth. And I wanted to avoid that at all costs. So my endocrine and my and the gynaecologist and in the hospital, they I mean I put them together to talk, and I asked my endocrinologist to give like uh this letter that said that I didn't need to deliver at least until the 40th week. It's supposed to be the minimum that I wanted to do. And uh like two days before my due date, I got a membrane swap, which is basically that uh yes, put a finger inside the vagina, they do like a small uh circular motion, and that is supposed to accelerate things or or make things happen. In some cases it works, in some cases it doesn't. So, well, I don't I don't lose anything for it. I was very scared because some people said that it was like very, very painful.

Julia: 12:03

Yeah, my question was gonna be how you experienced the membrane sweep because we're listening, you're gonna be like, oh, I want to know.

Henar: 12:10

I mean, yeah, I mean, I read a lot about it because I am the type of person that likes to know everything that is happening about the medical issues. So I even watched videos of C-sections, I watched videos of birth. I wanted to know exactly what were the possibilities. So I read a lot about that. This and I mean I was prepared for the worst. But I was also thinking, I mean, if I cannot support this pain, how the birth is going to be? So better to at least have a taste. But I went there, and it was for me, it was uncomfortable, but not super painful. So I'm very grateful for that. So I went home, nothing happened, and I thought, like, okay, it doesn't work, blah, blah, blah. And I had an appointment for an induction at uh 40 plus one. And uh I was all the time thinking, I mean, what am I going to do? Because it's just an appointment. No one the police is not going to your house and dragging you to the hospital and telling you, hey. Exactly. It's not law.

Julia: 13:06

It's not law. Yeah.

Henar: 13:08

Exactly, right? Uh so um I was thinking, I mean, what should I do? Should I do it or not? Because inside you, you were thinking, I mean, I don't want to be this like a stubborn person that just because believes that has to have a perfect natural birth uh is going to endanger their baby, right? So I mean I was thinking about it, but luckily uh on my birthday, I uh I started with contractions. I don't know if it was because of the shrapnel or what, but I started with contractions.

Julia: 13:37

We don't know.

Henar: 13:37

Yeah, yeah. I remember that that I mean I woke up with pain, and I mean my husband and I we were doing like uh videos during the whole process, right? So I remember that the first video is us, he he he ha ha ha, laughing because like, oh, it's starting great. And the next picture is like me dying basically. So yeah, I mean, I think it started at I don't know, three or something, and then at nine, I was having contractions every 90 seconds. Wow. Were you at home still? I was still at home, but I went to toilet and I saw a little bit of blood, and because of that, we said, okay, let's go to the hospital. Again, uh, I was by when I entered, I mean, they they put me in the bath. Uh I was two centimeters dilated, but still, like it was 90 seconds apart. The contraction it was like super, super strong. And I thought, oh my god, I'm going to be one of these persons that's stuck at two centimeters forever. I don't know, I'm going to do this. But uh the first thing that calmed me down a lot is that I mean, I really wanted to try to go to the bath because I love water. And for me, it was very important to try to stay in the bath as much time as possible. I know that as a diabetic, I cannot give birth in the water. And uh, I mean, I was okay with that, but at least uh part of the process I wanted to do it in the water. And uh my pump, I mean, I wear um insulin pump, which is what delivers insulin to me. And the nurses were super nice, they helped me to put a bag around it because it cannot enter in the water. So it was like really, really nice the way they treated me, my husband, and how all we needed was done in that sense. So that calmed me down a little bit. And the next thing I know is like I was 10 centimeters dilated. My water broke. I mean, probably it was, I mean, it was not in one second, right? But I felt that it was like manageable. And I wanted to try and medicated birth. So uh all that was going well, and uh yeah, I mean, I mean, water broke, 10 centimeters dilated. Okay, now now great, now is the time, right? However, my baby was not well positioned. So normally you are like a cocoon with the head a little bit like with the chin on your on your chest. My baby was like looking at the stars. So his head, yeah, his head was like kind of in my hips, and um they were asking me to not push. This was one of the worst parts of it because I, you know, I mean, the only thing that liberates you in that moment is to like scream and push, and and and they were telling me don't push. They were putting hands inside me, trying to pull the baby like in position. It was like the worst part of it, I think. Uh, and then there was a point where I mean the overarch, so the chief doctor came and they said, Okay, not going well. And they decided to, when they asked me, of course, they said, look, we think it's the best is to to give you um the pidural to calm down the contractions and try to reposition the baby, and then let's see what happens. And of course, the let's see what happens, I knew what meant, but no one wanted to say the words.

Julia: 16:50

Hi, I'm Christina, a doula, baby wearing consultant, childbirth educator, and mother of three. I'm the owner of Lily Bee, 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.

Henar: 17:13

And that moment it was like already 13 hours. So I mean it was it's not too long, but unmedicated is this stuff. Yeah. So I mean, they gave me the epidural, and I remember that there was a nurse there, but I thought, but this nurse is not so nice. And the moment that the epidural came and it went very well, I was like, oh, but actually this nurse is very nice. Isn't that interesting? So yeah, so really like my whole experience changed with the epidural. And it was, I mean, it went very well because I could still, I mean, I I then I had to stay in the bed, but I could still feel my legs, I could feel my whole body, I could feel the contraction. So I mean, I was very lucky with uh with the epidural, right? They put me upside down, so basically two nurses took me on my legs and they shaked me.

Julia: 18:02

This is to try and like, yeah, get baby's head a little bit unstuck because if if baby's sideways or their chin isn't tucked, then it's really not optimal and sometimes not possible to deliver. So putting holding you up by your ankle your ankles is um a way, it's a pretty drastic measure to um see if baby can disengage to then reposition themselves. How were you feeling when that happened?

Henar: 18:29

I uh honestly, I I think I was still relieved because I the pain was gone. Okay.

unknown: 18:36

Good.

Henar: 18:37

Um I had so so strong construct uh contractions and so close to each other. So this thing that I had learned about, I mean, yeah, the contractions are a wave and they come and they go, and then you can breathe in between. I didn't have that feeling at all. I felt that it was pushed, pushed all the time. So I mean, even the fact that I was upset that I was not feeling bad. I was, I mean, it was all done with a lot of care. So I didn't felt anything bad that was happening to my body. I mean, yes, I was upset, but it was fine. So, in that sense, I was okay. I was still hoping because I mean, I I think, I mean, I was thinking, do whatever you need to do because I don't want a c-section. Basically, I think this was my thought process. Unfortunately, nothing worked. And uh, yeah, I mean, they told me at the end, look, I mean, it had the doctor again came, blah, blah, blah. Okay, it has to be a c-section. And um, of course, I cried a little bit because it was not what I wanted, but okay, I mean, it is what it is, right? I saw that they have tried. I mean, I didn't feel violated at any point. They were all the time conversing with me. So, okay, it in the sense that I mean it was not prepared, so it's uh it's called an emergency c section, but I didn't felt any rest. My baby never had like fatal distress, everything was fine. So I I felt calmed during the whole process. Then I mean I entered in the emergency room. Um, my husband entered when I when he was prepared, so we did the whole thing together talking. I mean, I mean I was cold, but because I mean I'm normally very cold always. And but that was the only like feeling I didn't have any. I mean, I didn't felt bad at all in that moment. The moment that my baby was born, uh, they put me, they put him on my chest. Um and my my husband recorded that because actually in that moment I started to tell him, I'm so sorry for not wanting you. I love you, I love you, you are the best thing that ever happened. I'm always going to protect you. And I mean, that that is also something that I mean, I'm very happy that my husband like recorded it because it um it's something that you forget, right? Yeah, I mean, I even get emotional now. And uh I realized that that trust of love, I mean, all those things that I have heard about, and I was I was so afraid that okay, maybe with a C-section I'm going to miss them, I'm going to lose them. No, they they were there. Like, I mean, having him on me was was like a really the best uh sensation. It was amazing. Yeah, so um it was great, and um what was not so great maybe was the uh after that because I didn't know, I mean, I was not prepared at all for a C-section, right? I mean, I had this uh idea of trying and like know a pedural, maybe if I need a pedural, maybe ask for it. But I it's like the C-section was like deleted from my mind. Also because I was advocating so much for not having an induction because I wanted to avoid it. So I mean I've read things, I knew that when you have a c-section, it's important to move afterwards, etc. But I was really not prepared. And I remember that the moment that the I mean they gave me a paracetamol, I was like, okay, they will give me something else afterwards, right? I mean, they just cut me up entirely. And uh the moment that the uh epidural went off, I started to feel such a pain that I could not even breathe. And I asked, please, please, can you give me something? Because I I I could not stand it, right? So and I have gone through birth almost. Um, so yeah, I mean, I remember that was uh like a like not nice feeling of hey, please, I mean, I had an operation of my surgery, please help me. I mean, of course, later on I got uh medication. I guess also they were like concerned that if I my milk comb, I mean, they don't want that you have your milk and then you breastfeed your child with medication, right? But uh well, I mean I survived that. Uh I had also expressed colostrum in case my baby had low sugars, because it's very common that babies that of diabetic mothers they are born with low sugars because they they are used to produce insulin for both of you. And then when they don't have this uh extra sugar that the mother is giving them, they have a lot of insulin on their body that is not uh that has no sugar on it, right? Uh but luckily he was very fine, so uh nothing happened on that sense. And they also had holostrum to give him, so that went uh uh very well. So baby was perfectly fine, basically, zero complications. And uh then mama was the one that was a little bit uh more like weak. Uh I lost a little bit of flow during the process. I was already anemic uh during my pregnancy. So my I remember the recovery like uh as a tough one because I was super, super weak. My parents were with me, my husband as well, so they helped a lot. And thanks to that, that I had a lot of help, I could like keep doing things. But I remember that my parents stood with me one month. Basically, my mother was uh doing uh most of the stuff, and I remember that the day they were leaving, I was like, but but how am I going to do this alone now? I am I still like I mean, go for a walk and I I I get tired after like uh giving like 10 minutes work. But of course, you you survive everything, right? I mean, I mean, I had wonderful husbands, I have uh wonderful friends, and I mean all of that. I mean, you create a community that supports you, and uh everything went well.

Julia: 24:15

I mean and your husband is back to work at this point, presumably.

Henar: 24:20

Uh well, yes. Uh my husband took some days. I mean, we tried to uh elongate as much as possible the time before putting him into Kita. So my husband took a couple of days at the beginning, and because my parents were there, it was like uh they were helping me, and I had my maternity leave, and then he took uh at that at that moment he had one month of uh paternity leave. So he took it after me. And uh it helped also because I was working from home and he was at home with me, so basically I could still breastfeed uh the whole time. Basically, he was bringing me the kids and I was breastfeeding, and then he was taking it out, and I was continuing uh working. So that was very nice. Uh I mean I didn't have any problems for breastfeeding. Actually, I always had a lot of milk. Uh it was not painful, it was not, I mean, um I had a weird reaction when I was uh still at the hospital. My milk came and I started uh shiver a lot. I was like uh my temperature dropped a lot. They had to put me like uh hot blankets, hot blankets, and uh it lasted for like a couple of hours, but then everything went uh back to normal. And since then, I mean I mean I had breastfed until my kid was almost three. So yeah.

Julia: 25:38

Does breastfeeding, because I know breastfeeding increases your need for calories, um, and it can um have impacts on um your fluid levels in your in your body. Did you find that breastfeeding impacted um your diabetes at all?

Henar: 25:55

Yes, but uh, I mean, I was I was I had such a tight control that the moment I gave birth, I said, it's fine, I can eat, I can do whatever I want. So basically, I I felt that okay, now I don't need to be so exigent with myself in that regard. I can even take something sweet when I want, or even because before it was really, really I mean, especially the third trimester, um, you have to be very careful with everything you eat because everything puts you very high. So I I just uh didn't care that much. And it's true when you breastfeed, normally your your blood sugars go very down, so you need to eat. And at the beginning was a bit challenging because you never know. I mean, it's sometimes it's not even when you breastfeed, it's like when your uh breast starts to be full with milk. And it's not always something that you can time. Uh, what I was doing is to always have like food at hand. Uh so I could breastfeed and, for example, drink some juice or take some sugar or things like this. This was uh something that, especially at the very beginning, where the milk consumption is higher, I really, really needed this. Um but again, I didn't feel it as a challenge in comparison with the pregnancy, at least for me.

Julia: 27:12

I'm wondering, um, I have a lot, I have so many questions. I I'm wondering how your relationship with your endocrinologist and your gynecologist was during this and then also after pregnancy. Were you able to kind of provide them with education? I guess is what I'm asking. Like, did you do you feel like you impacted their practice at all with the fact that you were really working hard on having your levels be controlled throughout pregnancy, which is a huge feat, like amazing. And also doing so much research on your own and so much self-advocacy. Do you do you think that you had any impact there? Do they talk to you about that?

Henar: 27:50

I mean, with my endocrinologist, yes. Uh, he said that I mean, uh, he would like to take this experience as a learning uh for other uh cases and also to to show that to other people. So that was very nice. With my gynecologist, not so much because again, I think it was very disconnected. So I didn't go because at the 30th week I started to have my checks in in Trimley, in my hospital, and not with my gynecologist. So I felt that the heaviest part of the decisions, etc., lied on Trimley and not on my gynecologist. So also I think at the very end, C we went to maternity leave or a trip, I don't remember exactly. So I even changed my gynecologist uh like the normal one. So I didn't have so much uh like maybe confidence or or or time to ask for things. I I don't know. But with my endo, yes. But uh, I mean, but that's a good point.

Julia: 28:48

I maybe I need to discuss this with her. And then my my other question in regards to breastfeeding, because most of your milk production is at night. So if you're saying you noticed like your blood sugars would go quite would go low during these moments of production, were you getting alerts in the middle of the night that your blood sugar was low? Uh yes.

Henar: 29:10

Normally, I mean, I have a sensor that reads my my sugar levels, and when I go down, it has alarms. And the alarms for going down, you cannot uh remove them, right? They they ring.

Julia: 29:23

Yeah, I mean that's logical. They need to be loud. They need to be sure you eat. Yes.

Henar: 29:27

Yeah, in general, I I feel when I'm going down, even if I'm sleeping, I normally wake up, but I mean, here we have to be careful because at the beginning you're sleeping with your baby there, and you don't want him to wake up just uh because you need to to eat something, right? So, I mean, there are also mechanisms in the pump, uh, and the insulin pump that communicate with the sensor, and then they if if they detect that you are going down and you're going low, they stop giving you insulin. So So this is also good. For example, this is something that you cannot use during pregnancy because the pump has certain levels. The pump tries tries to put you in a higher level, and in pregnancy you want something more strict. Right? But afterwards, yeah, you can do it. So this also helps to take something, some parts of the control uh to like delegate on something, in this case to someone, to the machine.

Julia: 30:37

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, happydayhypnobirthing.ch or Instagram at happydaybumpsbabesbeyond for more details, useful content, and support. Now, on to this week's Swiss birth story. And then when you got into the room, you were calm, even before he was born, it sounded like.

Speaker 2: 31:53

Yes.

Julia: 31:54

And I'm just curious how you were able to make that transition. Because I think that is something that a lot of people struggle with when it's unexpected.

Henar: 32:02

Because I knew that the baby was safe, and the whole procedure, I nothing was rust. Uh I was all the time well taken care of. I asked a lot of questions and they always have a reply for me. So uh I knew when my husband mean my husband was with me all the time, but the moment where uh I was being prepared and and he was getting like all the stuff, so I felt very accompanied all the time, right? So um maybe I also internally accepted it and they let me the time to accept it. It was not that okay, you're having a section and we rushed to the emergency room. Uh it was really calm and the whole process was like very natural, okay. So that that I felt um I felt that I have my time to process it.

Speaker 2: 32:52

Okay.

Julia: 32:56

And then um I think we sort of blurred through the recovery in the hospital a little bit or after we talked about the pain, pain medication. Do you mind telling us a little bit more about how about how your hospital stay was?

Henar: 33:10

Yes. Um, so we have asked for a private room at that time. Um because I'm diabetic, I cannot have a supplementary uh uh insurance in Switzerland. Uh so we knew that. Um I mean this is for everyone, right? When you're a diabetic, you cannot opt for anything but the basic. So uh but we wanted to have this time for ourselves, so uh we paid for the room that is uh subjected to availability. So the first night I was alone, uh, which for me was fine. I remember that I couldn't sleep at all. I had the medication for the pain, so that was fine. And uh I was just uh um looking at my baby. I mean, the nurses were coming to me uh to put to put him on me and and for me to take him because it was difficult for me to do it alone. So that part was very nice. The next day my husband could come and uh he was with us all the time. This is what where I mean he learned how to change diapers, how to do all these things while I was like in bed most of the time. Uh my parents came to Switzerland uh that day, so they were just waiting for us to call them and they just took a uh a plane, uh flight from Spain, and they came. Um, of course, they were only on visiting hours, but that already for me was like um huge help because I felt really, really weak. Um, I knew that I had to stand up and the the first moment where the nurse came and asked you to to move. Felt like I mean, I cannot do it. I mean, and the toilet was outside the room. I don't know if now has changed, but the toilet was outside the room. That walk until the toilet was like uh like a marathon for me. It was really, really tough. Um, but I I I was like really trying to to get in in shape. I I I wanted to get things. I mean, it was upsetting me the fact that I was not a functional human being. So I said, okay, I mean, even if it hurts, I had to do it, I had to do it, I had to do it. And uh like I was forcing myself as much as I could uh to walk, to to to try to to move, to to stand up. The most difficult part was to like stand up from the bed and and and go to the floor, basically. Uh but uh yeah, I remember that during the stay in the hospital, this was okay. I felt that maybe they could have looked a little bit more on uh my iron levels because I was again very, very weak. Um and um I had some stomach problems during the pregnancy, and for example, I could not uh take iron because I was uh had a lot of uh stomach pain. So I knew that the only way to get better was to uh do an inf an infusion. And I think they should have like looked into that in the hospital and not me like then calling my gynecologist and saying, hey, I'm not feeling well, I think I'm anemic. But I guess they thought, okay, delivery done, baby's okay. Uh next. This is a little bit uh how I felt, right? Um and then just going home, the recovery is that I had a lot of support. I I didn't, I never, I mean, I felt that when the baby was crying, if it was taking me too much time to stand up, someone was coming with the baby and the baby was placed on my chest. So I um didn't need to like do a lot of efforts that I couldn't do. And of course, my husband was cooking, my parents were cooking, they were all doing the cleaning, so that that was very nice. I had a bad experience with the um with the midwife though. Uh, you know that in Switzerland, I mean, you have this program where you like a person comes and visits you. I chose, I mean, in this person, you can choose it. I chose a person that seemed to be like very nice and that uh personality-wise was working for me. But she was starting the business uh with I mean, she was starting a business, he was the head, like but uh trying to get more people. And she uh put me, I mean, I mean, I don't know, we had like five visits, and three of them, two of them were with other people. And in for those things that are like very personal, and uh I mean, you are like showing a lot of parts of your body when you are not in your best shape, right? I mean, you don't want uh someone that is changing constantly, right? I mean, you have chosen a person because you had a certain feeling. So because that was happening, I ended up changing uh the person because I didn't felt uh comfortable uh with that. So yeah. Maybe people can I mean can know that uh they can also change if they don't be confident.

Julia: 38:03

Depending on where you live, and you live in the Zurich area, there are tons of postpartum midwives who are are happy to support you. And that really is a shame. This is a very it's a very intimate relationship actually that you have with your postpartum midwife and should be very supportive and feel um and feel really good. That really is such a shame.

Henar: 38:25

Yeah, I mean, I don't know what I mean. I again I think it was because of her personal situation that she was trying to start uh something else. But uh yeah, I mean, even she told me that she could do some acupuncture for like helping with uh the pain, etc. And I mean, I don't know, after two years I received a bill for that. And I was like, wow, you have a nerve. Yeah.

Julia: 38:53

Seems like after that amount of time you let it go. If you forgot to bill me, that's on you.

Henar: 38:58

First of all, because I mean, yeah, I had an appointment with her, and but I thought it was part of the treatment of of the, you know, that was what was included in the in the usually if they offer other services, it's in it's included in their sort of postpart.

Julia: 39:14

They're coming to your home anyway, and like it's part of their program um or what they offer. That is cheeky.

Henar: 39:20

That is what I thought. But I never prayed, of course. I mean, I told her, look, I think this is a mistake, and uh good.

Julia: 39:30

Um so you said uh your feeding story went well and you fed for nearly three years. Yes.

Henar: 39:39

Wow. I mean, not everyone was I mean the first year was okay because everyone says that uh the first year I used to do it. The second I encountered a bit of uh like criticism. The third year the criticism was like all over the place. Um I mean, but okay. Uh it was a lot of people tell me, I mean, you're doing it because of you, not because of your child. I don't know. The truth is that I had a very like lovely relationship with uh with my my baby when we were breastfeeding. Uh it was taxing because a lot of times it was at night and and uh he could not sleep if I was not there. But overall, every time that he's not sick and the kids around are sick, I say, This is because of the breastfeeding. All the antibodies. Exactly. I mean, I don't know if it has anything to do, but uh definitely, I mean, it was something very beautiful for both of us.

Julia: 40:37

That's funny how at the beginning people are oh you're breastfeeding, that's wonderful. That's all the best thing you can do. That's so great. And then at some point it clicks over that you're still breastfeeding. Oh, okay. Exactly.

Henar: 40:50

I mean, sometimes it was also like like uh difficult to to. I mean, we tried once to stop, and and I don't know why, because we said okay, only in the mornings or in the afternoons, and then it uh continued for uh at the last time when we said okay, yeah, I mean it it's time to stop, and and he still sometimes looks for it, but but yeah, it's clear now.

Julia: 41:12

And and in your return to work, um you were working from home. Did uh did you have to do regular pumping?

Henar: 41:20

Uh yes, um so I because in my office uh there was no place for me to uh press feed or to to pump. I I mean I had the agreement with uh with uh people in my in my work that I will not return to work, that I will be doing uh home office most of the time. And then after a while I was like going to afternoons. So uh when maybe I don't know, I think uh from the eighth month onwards, something like this. Uh but at the very beginning, I was basically, I mean, I was using the time that uh you have allocated from load to to to pump. So at the beginning, I was really, I mean, using, I mean, I was pumping three times per day, 30 minutes. Uh and I could also like feel it. I mean, I remember once, for example, I had to go to a site visit and we were the whole day out, and then I um my boss left the car and I was like in the car, like pumping and I like in a corner because it was the only possibility, right? And and because I had a lot of milk, I really had to do it because otherwise uh it was very, very painful and uncomfortable. So I could not go more than four or five hours without uh bumping. Yes. But at least that part was like uh covered and and I could do it from home.

Julia: 42:39

Okay, good. Um Christina, did you I wanted to ask uh just henna? We have a little bit more time. Was there anything else that you wanted to share from your experience before we ask our final question? Uh no, I think I went through all of it.

Henar: 42:57

Um yeah, I mean that is yes, uh, if you're a diabetic and and uh do you feel that you're against the medical system, fight for it because you can do it.

Julia: 43:06

Maybe just that I do have one one last question that pop popped in my head. I'm wondering if you know the reasons that you can't be in the can't give birth in the water if you're diabetic.

Henar: 43:20

I assume that it was because of the risk of infection. Uh because in general, uh diabetics uh have more sugar in the blood, which means that it's more prone to any type of bacteria to grow and everything. So if you mix that with uh the water, it can be a little bit dangerous for you, not for the baby. For your sake. Interesting.

Julia: 43:47

Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. I think we've learned a lot today, Julia. So much and I will tell you, I mean, I will give you the book and then you can uh learn more about it. And everyone can read it. Um definitely any resources for other diabetic moms out there will be really, really useful. We'll put all the resources that you'd like to share. Um and I think that they're so useful because I mean I had no idea about this data gap, this massive data gap in uh people who are having type one diabetic pregnancies. Um and for you to have to go digging for all this information yourself. Um kudos to you. Like that's that's a lot of self-advocacy, a lot of self-advocacy, that's a lot of work. Um, it can be hard to say um thank you for your information. I'm just gonna go and check. You know, I think I think that that does actually take a lot. And um, and that yeah, any resources that you share, please uh send them to us and we'll put them in the in the show notes, um, which you can access just under the podcast and um in wherever you get your podcast, and then you'll see them for yourselves. And it doesn't take so long for research to then hit actual practice anyway. And so something like this, oh, that's frustrating.

Henar: 45:14

Yes, exactly. I mean, I think that's a bit the problem, right? And and I think diabetic control has, as I said, changed a lot in the past 10 uh even five years, because not every not only that the resources are available, it's that they become cheaper and cheaper, which means that more people have access to them, right? So maybe 10 years ago having a um um a blood sensor was very expensive, and now it's like uh I mean they are competing and there are several branches. I mean, you can even see it like athletes uh wearing them because for the fun, right? So um it's because it's more spread, uh it becomes cheaper, it becomes more affordable, and and then of course the impact is on us that uh we can learn more and we can have better control.

Julia: 45:58

Before we go, though, we have a question for you that we ask everyone. And uh we would love to hear throughout your process of becoming a mother, um, what do you think has been your most brilliant moment as a mother? Uh in the whole process, however, however you want to interpret that, just what's coming to mind or what you what thought or memory you notice kind of sneaks up on you out of nowhere, and you're like, oh wow, yeah, that happened, that was amazing, or wow, I did that.

Henar: 46:29

Well, I think it was when um my parents left and uh my husband left for work, and it was the first time that I was truly alone at home with uh with my baby. And I remember like uh like hanging hugging him and telling him like now now it's it's now it's you and me, and like this feeling of okay, I'm a bit scared, but I can do it. You know, this this feeling of I'm I'm a mother now.

Julia: 47:01

And our thank you. This has been really interesting and beautiful, wonderful conversation for so many reasons. Thank you so much.

Henar: 47:10

Thank you for having me, and I hope that we can help uh some people with this. Yes. I'm sure.

Julia: 47:19

Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of Swiss Birth Stories. If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an inspiring birth story or expert insight. Your support means the world to us and 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 SwissBirth Stories for even more 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, SwissBirthstories.com, or tag us in your posts. Until next time, keep sharing, keep learning, and keep connecting with each other.