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.
Swiss Birth Stories
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 different births at Triemli Stadtspital in Zurich—one long and medically complex, the next fast and grounded in simple tools and trust.
We start with the first pregnancy and a nerve-wracking NIPT delay over the holidays that coloured the months that followed. Labour opened with back pain and slow dilation, a middle-of-the-night epidural for much-needed rest, and oxytocin to restart contractions. Doctors weighed a C-section as her baby’s heart rate dipped, then broke her waters to reassess. With clear communication and steady midwifery support, her team helped her continue toward a vaginal birth. Postpartum brought a hot, crowded ward, sleepless nights, and the classic “flirt weeks” that soon gave way to evening fussiness. Breastfeeding clicked early, freezer meals saved their sanity, and expectations reset as reality arrived.
The second time, everything felt different. With a toddler at home, there was less anxiety and more trust in her body. A TENS machine became her secret weapon for back labour, letting her arrive at the hospital already seven centimetres dilated despite being two weeks past her due date. Induction was planned, then labour started on its own; she birthed without an epidural in a calm room with minimal staff. We dig into the Beleghebamme continuity-of-care model at Triemli, why it matters even when schedules don’t align, and how the right ally can keep options open without pressure.
Family life after birth adds honest layers: preparing a firstborn with simple rituals, navigating rough affection and parental triggers, and handling weeks of illness that often trail big transitions. We explore sleep ups and downs, self-weaning when pregnancy changed milk, and a daughter who refused bottles at daycare, pushing Ladina to pump at work and leave early pickups. The big takeaway is practical and humane: some babies sleep, some don’t; tools like TENS, doulas, and continuity of care help; and confidence grows when we allow plans to change without losing our voice.
If you care about natural birth, epidurals, induction, TENS in labour, breastfeeding, bottle refusal, sibling bonding, and Swiss maternity care, this story delivers grounded insight and real-world strategies. Subscribe for more birth stories and expert perspectives, share this episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.
Ladina's resources:
TENS machine rental from Lilybee: https://www.lilybee.ch/shop/tens-rental/
Beleghebammen Zürich | Carolina Iglesias, Eva Kaderli
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Hi, welcome to Swiss Birth Stories. I'm Julia Neal, mother, perinatal educator, hypnobirthing coach, and trainee doula.
SPEAKER_03:And I'm Christina Bliven. I'm a doula, baby wearing consultant, childbirth educator, and mother of three.
SPEAKER_00:Ladina, originally from the Engadin, tells us about her long labor to give birth to her son, and two years later, her shorter labor with her daughter, who arrived two weeks past her estimated due date. She encourages women to embrace the unexpected in birth. She describes her experience with Ebele K Bama, a continuity of care midwifery system available at only a few hospitals in the country at Trimli Stadtspital in Zurich. She takes us through a very long labor, labor augmentation with artificial oxytocin, postpartum, and then her quicker birth with significantly less intervention with her second child, also born at Trimli. I think she has some really incredible insights about sibling bonds and parental input later on in the episode. So sit back, do those chores, go for that walk, do whatever it is you do when listening to our show and enjoy.
SPEAKER_03:Hello, Ladina. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me. Uh we would love to start off just by hearing about you. Who are you uh and your family? Where are you from? How did you get to Switzerland?
SPEAKER_02:So I'm Ladina, and uh I'm actually from Switzerland, but uh I grew up abroad, so in the US and in Brazil, and I came here when I was 14 years old. Uh so then I had to learn German. And um uh my family, so my my husband is Slovak, uh, and we have two kids. So um one is uh Oscar, he's two, he's gonna turn three, and Olivia, who's gonna be one soon. And uh what can I say? Yeah, we live in Zurich, they both go to daycare, and we're both working 100 to 80 percent.
SPEAKER_03:And how did you guys come to the how did you decide that you were ready to start a family?
SPEAKER_02:Uh how did we decide? I think we both knew from the very beginning when we met that uh that was like our end goal to have a family. We both wanted kids. Um, my husband wanted four, I wanted two. Um and then yeah, I think we first lived together to see whether it works really. So we were two years living together, and then we decided we can start trying. And it took a year until I got pregnant, um, with the first one. So yeah, that's that's how it happened.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, and how was that pregnancy for you?
SPEAKER_02:So the first one was um, I think I was very nervous uh about it because all the checks that you do, um all the actually, I think I I was nervous because at the first check of 12 weeks, I got this result that I had to do the nipped test. Um well, I didn't have to, but the insurance would pay for it. And um yeah, I think I was very nervous about getting the results. It took like it was over Christmas, so it took more than two weeks, uh, I'd say four weeks until I really got the result. And I remember I was very nervous, and those weeks were very tough for me to get the result and and know like what are we gonna do because we definitely didn't want to continue.
SPEAKER_03:Um, if there would have been some kind of yeah, yeah, I don't know how to call it, but that's a long time to think about all the what-ifs and Google all the possible things and oh man, and what were the results in the end?
SPEAKER_02:No, so the results uh were fine. Finally, my gynecologist called me also during the holidays, and she told me everything is good, um, and that it was a boy, so yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah, that's the unneeded stress then for for weeks when in fact everything is fine. But yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then the rest of the pregnancy, yeah, I think it went fine. Um, but if I compare it to the second pregnancy, I was much more nervous and stressed. I think also because it it just started out like that. I was like, I just kept on thinking of all the the things that could possibly happen. Um, but I must say I had uh a hebame, like a midwife, um, which is a big light hebame. So the one in Trimli that they basically you meet before giving birth, but also during birth, they they would be there on Piquet, like so they would really be there for you, and you know the person um beforehand, and then she would also come after one once the baby is born, and that was very helpful because she was very relaxed and she kind of had a strong character, so she had her opinion, and that helped me a lot, like to kind of chill out and be less nervous about it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. If somebody who has seen a lot of babies and attended a lot of births is calm, then it kind of gives you the idea it's okay. Yeah, yeah. And that's really nice to have that continuity from beginning through labor afterwards, you really get to know that person.
SPEAKER_02:Although she was never there through labor, really. Like when the baby was born, she wasn't there uh because it didn't work out, but um the the idea would have been that she she'd be there, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Um what kind of preparations did you do during pregnancy? Do you remember?
SPEAKER_02:So I went for the first time for the first pregnancy, I went to this Tremly course at at the hospital with my husband as well. So one day was with him, and one day was uh just me on my own. Um, I think it was helpful, but in a way, I have the impression like what you don't know what's coming until it's happening, right? It's very um yeah. That's why I think the second one is much easier because you know what to expect.
SPEAKER_03:And how did you know that that things were starting with your first label?
SPEAKER_02:Um well, I started to have a bit of like contractions like uh pain in the lower back. Um it started like Tuesday midnight. Um and then it continued through the whole night, so I couldn't really sleep. And then at some point I had blood coming out. Um then I called the midwife and she came to check on me at home, but I was not even like one centimeter open in the morning at six in the morning. That was your midwife, the yeah, yeah, yeah. And then she came again around lunch, but uh like she was like, Yeah, maybe you're two centimeters, so you can still wait, kind of. Um, and in the evening again, she passed by and I was still at two centimeters. So only Wednesday at midnight we went to the hospital because I was just in too much pain, but I was still only at two centimeters. So um I told her I want the the epidural because I I can't handle it anymore. Like I was too tired, I just wanted to sleep. And um she was like, Yeah, but if you do it at two centimeters, it's going to really kind of delay the whole process. And I was like, Yeah, but I I can't. I'm just up for too long. So yeah, I got the epidural two hours later, and I could sleep finally for four hours. Um, they kind of stopped the contractions. I don't know how that works, but and then the day after uh we started again around six in the morning, and they started to give me kind of oxytoxin to start again the contractions. Um, but it was a very long process, yeah. Finally, Oscar was born on Thursday at four in the afternoon. Wow.
SPEAKER_03:So Wednesday the whole day was with the epidural still in and getting the uh pitocin or synthetine. The yeah. Okay. And were you able to move around at all or what was what was that like?
SPEAKER_02:Um so yeah, I could move around. Um I mean I got it Wednesday at two in the morning or so. So I could it was in the back and I could still move, yeah. Um I guess it was some kind of epidural where you can still move. I'm not sure which one it was. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Um walking epidural, you can still walk, you just have to roll your little medicine bag with you.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly, yeah. But I mean, during that time I was mostly kind of laying down uh or being on my knees um for the contractions. But yeah, so I got the epidural Wednesday around two in the morning and then Thursday at four, he came out.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's it. And did your midwife did she leave? Like, was there a transfer when you got the epidural to the to the normal hospital part?
SPEAKER_02:Or um, so she stayed with me for 24 hours, okay, but then she left because she was like, I have to sleep.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And uh then I got another team from from the Trimly, which was also great. Like it was two midwives, super great. And uh and then the team changed again to another two midwives, and in between, um, the doctors also came because at some point they thought we should do a C-section, uh, because um, you know, it was taking so long, and the heartbeat of Oscar wasn't so good, so it would kind of um go up and down, and it wasn't reacting well to oxytoxin. Um, so then they decided to break the water to make sure that the water is still clear, because the water didn't break. So they broke it and the water was clear, so they thought, okay, we can still continue trying, and they really try their best until the very end to make sure I don't get a C-section. But at some point they were explaining to me the procedure of the C-section because um they thought because of the heart rate, it might be best to do the C-section. And at some point I was really like, just do the C-section because I'm fed up. Um, but then all of a sudden I was eight centimeters open, and then it was just happening. And um, I think at two in the afternoon I was eight, and then um and then at 4 30 he was born.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:And when did they break your water? Was that Thursday? That that was Thursday morning around 10 in the morning.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And what was it like immediately after when he was born? It was great, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um so they gave uh Oscar to me, um, and directly he went to the to the breast um to breastfeed, kind of. Although I think at the beginning you don't have much milk, right? It's more like the colossal. Yeah. Um yeah, it was it was great. It was uh I'm I was so happy to have him finally there. It took so long and uh I felt actually quite okay, like energy-wise. So I mean I could easily stand up and so yeah, it was a great great moment.
SPEAKER_00: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 happydaybumps babesbeyond for more details, useful content, and support. Now, on to this week's Swiss birth story.
SPEAKER_03:And what about the Wochenbeed, like the time in the hospital before you went home?
SPEAKER_02:Um, so I was still in the old um building of the Trimli, and it was super warm. Uh like it was terrible. Um, but I mean overall it was a good experience. It's just that it was really warm in that room, and we were three. Um I actually wanted a private room, but there was no option. And um I remember even the one of the neighbors in the room like was listening to rap music, and I felt it was completely inappropriate. But and she also had her husband come in um quite late. Like, there's some hours when they can come visit, and he was coming late, and uh then the the midwives had to come and get him out of there. It was quite annoying until until she finally left, and then I had another neighbor who actually spoke my mother tongue, uh Rumanch, and that was great. She was actually from uh a village nearby um my origin like village uh in the Ingadin. Yeah, and that was really a great experience, then yeah. So the first night wasn't good, but the second night was great.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Uh it was a bit difficult because the babies they were all crying at some point, right? So you can't really sleep. Um and I was just hoping to go home as soon as possible, to be honest. Yeah, and then I thought, okay, next time I'll just get a private room. I mean, hope, hope for one.
SPEAKER_03:And then what about getting home? How was that? Did you have support from family or was it just the two of you?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so um my parents came to visit, uh, but they just came to visit, so they didn't stay with us at home. But I remember with Joseph, we my husband, we had prepared um some food beforehand, and we froze it in the in the freezer, so that was uh already a big help. Um and then actually the first weeks we were quite surprised. We were like, if this is having a baby, then it's just too easy. Like the baby's just sleeping there, and we could just eat, have dinner. It was really like we were thinking, okay, this must not be it. Uh, but then our midwife said, Yeah, the first weeks it's like the flirt weeks, kind of like the first three weeks.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then it starts like the crying in the evening, the witching hours. And then, yeah, that's when we noticed um the witching hours started around six and it continued until 10 or so. Yeah. But uh at the very beginning, we were really like, wow, this is just too easy. So everything went well with breastfeeding. Um, I remember one day I had this, like, I was shaking, and it I was like, I thought I was getting sick, but that was just the milk coming in.
SPEAKER_03:Um, so yeah. And that just that went smoothly, and you didn't need any extra support besides your midwife.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that went really well.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's incredible.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, I hear it's not always like that.
SPEAKER_03:No, definitely not. But it's nice to hear that it can.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. No, I hear sometimes breastfeeding is more complicating than than giving birth, right? So I'm really, really happy happy for that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then how at what point did you did you decide to have a second, or was that yeah, we definitely wanted a second, and we thought um that the first it took so long, like it took a year, right? So we thought actually, as soon as I got my period back, but it was like 12 months, um I got it back. Um or maybe it was even later, like 13, 14 months after uh giving birth. But we thought, okay, let's try. And then it actually worked out from the very first trial. So we didn't expect that, and we actually thought we'd have some more time. Uh, but uh it was also fine like that. I mean, we were very happy that it worked out so fast and helpful. Also because of my age. I mean, I'm um turning 38 this year. Which is fine, right? I mean, but um it's a great age.
SPEAKER_03:Um okay, yeah. So then how how did you how did that pregnancy go, especially in comparison to the first?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that was much more easier. I was less stressed. I mean, I was really not nervous at all about it, and I could basically I couldn't really focus on it because I had the little one, the other one. Yeah, and somehow, yeah, it just made everything much easier in a way for myself mentally, because I couldn't really focus on whether there would be an like any issues with this baby. So I was much more confident about it in a way. But in another way, it was also more tiring because you know, you have the toddler around and you can't really just sit on your chair and be served by your husband as it is in the first pregnancy. So um, but I think I enjoyed my second pregnancy much more because I was more relaxed about it, and I didn't have this issue at the very beginning with the test, so it was much more relaxed. Um yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Nice. Um was there anything that you did to prepare differently given now you had experience with the first?
SPEAKER_02:So I didn't take a preparation course this time because I thought, you know, I I know what's coming. Uh, but what I did do was um many moms were telling me about this tense machine. Um and then I thought, okay, I don't know. I didn't hear about it for my first pregnancy. I was completely ignorant about it. But then when I heard about it, I was like, okay, I'm I'm definitely trying that for the second one when I get the contractions. And that kind of um, I don't know, that I think that saved my my not my life, but your labor. My labor, yeah. It was um very helpful to have that tense machine. I I actually rented it from you. Okay. Um and I think when we arrived to the hospital, I was seven centimeters open, and that took only like let's say three hours to get there with and with the tense machine, basically I could handle it. And then when I was I mean, yeah, once I arrived there, it just went another two hours and then she was out.
SPEAKER_03:It must have been such a relief to get there, and you're not one or two centimeters, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I think had I had it for the first one, I think it would have helped as well. Because somehow you don't know what to expect, and the pain is so big that um even you know, at the very beginning, I mean to me the contractions were more painful than giving birth itself. Um, and it's so much pain in the lower back that uh I think had I had the tense machine the first time, I would have stayed longer at home and it would have gone more smoothly, I think. Okay, interesting.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Did you have uh beleg hebame again with the second?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I had the same belek hebame, but unfortunately she wasn't there for birth because exactly that evening she had a party and she had her replacement and she was like, Okay, don't give birth that evening, but uh the others I'm there. And then yeah, it happened. Yeah, I was two weeks uh over due due date. So they were gonna um start the how's it called the induction the day after. They actually wanted to start it on Saturday when I went to the hospital for the check. And then my Beleghebama was saying, like, okay, please give her another day because tomorrow is her her son's birthday. So just let her enjoy the birthday, and then you can do the induction starting Sunday evening or Monday morning. So we would be a bit more over the two weeks. Um, and then they were like, okay, we can do it Sunday evening after the birthday, but then she came Saturday evening. So I was really happy that there was no induction because I heard that inductions are maybe more painful, the contractions. And I was not looking for that.
SPEAKER_03:And now she could pick her own time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. So she picked one day before her brother's birthday. Wow. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And then how was that with the immediate postpartum? That often is a little bit different when you've got one at home already. It's a bit of a different feeling.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I was very nervous about it because um our first one, Oscar, he was never like sleeping alone without me or Josef. So I was very afraid about how to handle it. And I thought, like, usually labor is in at night. I mean, usually that's what my midwife said. So we were always thinking, okay, how are we gonna do it? But obviously, we had the grandparents come um to be to spend the night with him, but I was so afraid he wouldn't sleep, and I was just and of course we prepared him mentally, like we had books and everything, but I think what he couldn't really imagine what was gonna happen, and um but in the end it went fine. Like we went to the hospital around I think it was nine in the evening, and my parents were with Oscar, and it went fine. I think he slept very late, like he fell asleep very late. But um, and the next morning was kind of tough, but then my husband came and and uh was there with him. Um, so for me it was more like I was a bit anxious about Oscar um and how he would handle it, and I felt kind of guilty.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:For leaving him to go give birth, yeah. Also, like guilty for you know uh having now someone else in the family in a way, but I know you we shouldn't be guilty because it's it's like very enriching for him as well.
SPEAKER_03:But um at the very beginning I was very guilty, and at the very beginning, there are very little benefits to him, it seems, you know. Later they can play together and you can kind of see the good at the beginning, they are all consuming, and then it does feel like yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I actually yeah, I remember I just really wanted to put him to bed uh in the evening, and my husband was telling me, No, like we shouldn't change a procedure, let me put him to bed because if not, he's gonna be wanting you all the time, and uh and I remember that was kind of a struggle, but um but then in the end it worked out. Yeah, I think the first weeks were tough with with Oscar also because he was sick all the time, and I think emotionally it was also kind of I think he was sick for five weeks because uh also of birth. I mean, because of this whole emotions kind of popping in.
SPEAKER_03:I've heard that from a midwife that the older kids will often get sick. Okay, yeah. Maybe maybe need attention or or I don't know, yeah. Interesting. He was never that sick, and it was summer, right?
SPEAKER_02:So oh yeah, it was terrible.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and then you're worried about is it contagious? Is the baby gonna get it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. And we were constantly going to the doctor's, and uh uh the doc when we went to my parents' place, the doctor was on holidays, like the kids' doctor, so we had to go to another village, like one hour away. So my husband was constantly going back and forth, and uh at some point he wasn't drinking enough, and we thought he has to be hospitalized. So it was really tough, but in the end it went out fine. But I really think it was kind of linked to to birth, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Wow. Um so what kind of support did you have in that time? Your son is sick, you've got a newborn. You said you mentioned, is it your parents or your husband's parents?
SPEAKER_02:So it's my parents. Uh they came, they my mom stayed with us the first week uh at our flat. And then um kind of the I think when she was 10 days, we went to to my parents' place. They have a big house in the mountains. Um, so we went there. Uh, so we had support, um, but it was really tough because yeah, he was constantly sick. But my husband had taken five weeks off, so he was constantly with um my son.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, that is helpful and sadly generous for here.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Actually, he took um every time he had taken uh five weeks off at birth, and then he could also take uh paternity leave later on, so he took uh two months. So that's very generous.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03: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. Uh and the breastfeeding with your daughter, was that smooth sailing as well?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that went fine, yeah. The only thing with my daughter is she didn't take the bottle, uh, so she um basically refused any kind of bottle we would give her. And also Akita, when she started daycare with uh six months, she didn't want the bottle. So that was tough. And uh I would just go there early, um like around four to pick her up, sometimes even earlier when she wouldn't drink. Um and then she started to take solids and all that. She didn't like the purees and all that, but she liked kind of solid food. Not much was coming into her, but uh because everything was on the floor. Um but yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Mostly play at that stage. Um the text. And how did how did um Oscar react to his new sibling?
SPEAKER_02:Uh so he came to visit at the hospital. Um for the first time, that's when he saw her. And we made sure that she was in the bed, not on me. Um and she he also got a gift from her, so a big teddy bear. Um I think he was quite confused when he saw her for the first time. And he was like, What is this?
SPEAKER_03:Because he was not quite two.
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, his birthday was the next day. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:He was two actually. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um and then when we brought her home, he actually kind of constantly wanted to be with her. Yeah. I have the impression he thinks she's a prolongation of myself, kind of. I mean, I I think he still thinks of me and her as one, kind of. Because she's always kind of still on me. She was always on me, right? With the baby carrier or so on. And also now when we go out, she's always kind of on me. And he always refers to mommy and Olivia kind of together. So I have the impression he thinks we're kind of one, but I don't know. Um yeah. Yeah, in the end, he he he really always wanted to touch her, to caress her. Sometimes he would hit her on the head, and that's when we decided to kind of keep distance because he, I mean, she wouldn't cry, but in a way I felt it was just wrong. Um, and now she's starting to walk, and he he's also very excited about it, and he's like, Oh, bravo! Like he copies us, like when we so I I think overall he's very excited about her and they get along well, but sometimes it's a bit physically too much. I mean, I think for Olivia it's nice. I think she likes to be, you know, always caressed, but then um when it's it gets too strong, I feel it's too much for her. But I don't know if it's if it's kind of because I'm also the second child, and I kind of identify myself more with Olivia, and then I kind of react, like get away from her, you know, in a way. Because sometimes she doesn't even cry and I still intervene. So I have the impression I have to be more laid back about it and let them be brothers and sisters. Like, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:That's really interesting that you identified that because I think that it brings out a lot of things from from our childhood, from the way, and and especially the things that we get really worked up about. If you kind of think about why is that? Why is it why is it that really gets me fired up?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, exactly. Um it does get me very fired up when he keeps on touching her all the time, and but she doesn't really complain about it, so it's really my problem.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. Oh man. Is there anything else that I that we missed in all these stories or that that would be important?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think uh for the first um for Oscar, um the breastfeeding part, I uh he was sleeping miserably, like waking up every hour. We even went to Trimley to make sure like there's nothing wrong with him. And um then when I got pregnant, he stopped breastfeeding on his own. Like he didn't want it anymore. And I think it's because the milk kind of changed, right? Yeah, so he he knew more than me that I was pregnant because two weeks later I got the the positive test. And um once I stopped breastfeeding, he slept much better. Uh so I don't know, he just slept much better. He he did still take uh powder milk, uh like a bottle in the night. Uh, and then later on we tried to kind of change it with milk, water, like having more water and all that. And then he really started to sleep well when my husband took over uh the sleeping kind of ritual. Yeah. So he started to sleep well at two years old. Umydia is not the same, she sleeps super bad, and she always needs kind of the breast. Sometimes it's every 40 minutes and sometimes it's every hour, sometimes she sleeps for two hours, you know, it depends. But now I'm very much less nervous about it because I see it's it's normal kind of. I mean, some babies sleep, some don't. Um, I'm just wondering how it will work out with Olivia because we're still breastfeeding and she's still not sleeping at all at night, and it's not like I'm I'm not planning to get pregnant um anytime soon. So with Oscar, it was kind of nice because we stopped breastfeeding. I wanted to stop, but I didn't know how, and it just worked out. And with Olivia, I mean, I'm fine continuing, but not, I mean, maybe until at a certain point I just want to stop because I still have to pump at work uh once a day, because if not, it's like too, and it's it's really like the the washing, the pump, uh, it's just a lot of energy consuming.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so this I don't know how it's going to let's see how how it's gonna stop with Olivia, but she's quite um boob dependent, I'd say, at night.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, that's a whole nother um chapter, isn't it? Is trying to figure out when and how and yeah, yeah, because at some point it is it is nice to kind of have your body back back yourself for a bit. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. I mean, I think it's important for them to have it one year because that's kind of their main, but obviously, yeah, their main source of nutrition.
SPEAKER_03:Well, our our closing question uh is in all of this, both pregnancies, births, uh, your kind of journey to motherhood, what was your most brilliant moment?
SPEAKER_02:So I think for me, the most brilliant moment was when the second time I arrived at the hospital and they tell me you're like seven, eight centimeters open. And I was like, okay. And that I managed to give birth without an epidural, nothing. There was only the one beleg hibame when the head was coming out, another midwife came, like at the door, she didn't even come to us, she just was there in case it was needed, and I it felt great because I only had this one midwife there all the time, no doctors coming in, nothing. And that was really like I think for me the the most crazy moment, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. That's cool. Thank you so much for sharing, Ladena. Really, thank you for having us having me.
SPEAKER_00: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.
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