S03E05 Giulia: Long Labour, Unplanned Cesarean Birth and A Diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease

Giulia's resources are below. 

Wow, what a story. You will want to stick around for the postpartum discussion and her incredibly brilliant moment which left not a dry eye on the recording that day. 

A birth plan can be thoughtful, informed, and deeply held and still get rewritten in real time. Guilia came into labour hoping for a low-intervention, midwife-led experience at Triemli Hospital in Zurich, supported by preparation, hypnobirthing tools, and the belief that staying open to Plan B matters. What follows is a powerful Swiss birth story about patience, endurance, and the strange mix of grief and gratitude that can sit side by side when labour stretches past 24 hours and a very difficult postpartum diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease. 

We talk through monitoring post due-date and induction choices, including acupuncture, a castor oil cocktail, and the moment an unexplained bleed changes things. Giulia shares what helped her cope during intense contractions, why the birth pool felt like relief, and how it felt to keep trying position after position while dilation and descent stayed stubbornly slow. When exhaustion takes over, she chooses an epidural, and eventually a caesarean section becomes the safest next step. The care and steadiness of the midwives becomes a central part of how she remembers a tough birth with warmth. Her incredibly willingness to truly "try it all" (and then some!) is such a powerful part of this story. 

Then, nine days postpartum, everything shifts. Feeding struggles and poor weight gain turn into an emergency visit, NICU separation, and a rare diagnosis: Hirschsprung disease, a gastrointestinal condition that blocks the colon. Giulia walks us through pumping and visiting daily, learning colon flushes at home, and waiting months for major corrective surgery. We also zoom out to the postpartum realities people don’t warn you about, from C-section recovery and breastfeeding pressure to freelance work, childcare costs, and finding a village in Zurich. 

If this story resonates, subscribe to Swiss Birth Stories, share it with a parent who needs hope, and leave a rating or review so more families can find these honest conversations. What part of Giulia's journey did you relate to most?

Transcript

Welcome And Story Preview

Julia 0:08

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

Christine 0:17

And I'm Christina Bliven. I'm a doula, baby wearing consultant, childbirth educator, and mother of three. Today we're talking to Giulia, who became pregnant quickly and envisioned a low-intervention, midwife-led birth within the supportive environment of Triemli Hospital. During Giulia chose to have an epidural, but when her son's heartbeat began to react strongly to the contractions, she ultimately opted for a cesarean birth. Her son arrived safely, but just nine days later, everything changed. After an unexpected emergency and the discovery of a blocked colon, he had to be admitted to the hospital while Giulia went home alone and visited him every day. Once he was discharged, they spent five months performing daily colon flushes until he was old enough for a major eight-hour corrective surgery, which was thankfully successful. Giulia shares a powerful story of resilience, navigating a birth that took an unexpected turn, and a postpartum period defined by medical uncertainty. Today her little boy is thriving, and her journey offers so much strength and insight for other parents. Good morning, Giulia. Thank you so much for joining us.

Giulia 1:30

Thank you. Thank you for having this space and having me here.

Giulia’s Background And Pregnancy

Christine 1:34

Do you mind starting off by just introducing us to you and your family?

Giulia 1:39

Yeah, of course. Um, so my name is Julia. I am uh coming from Italy and I'm 35 now, and my baby is one now. I am uh self-employed, and this will be interesting maybe later when I talk about my postpartum. And um I'm self-employed in the creative industry. I'm a freelancer, animator, illustrator, and filmmaking. Uh yes. Uh and I arrived in Zurich around eight years ago. Um, and then here I met my partner, and we started to live together. And after some years living together, we decided to try to have a child. This happened actually quite uh quickly. So after three months of trying, I was uh pregnant, and uh it was my first pregnancy, and so I it was everything new for me. The beginning was uh quite uh, you know, the first trimester quite tough with some uh usual symptoms, but overall it was a very good pregnancy. Um at least my my gynecologist was very happy about it. Um yeah, uh I had yeah, what I had was nausea and uh a lot of acid reflux that actually started very early and didn't leave me for the whole time. Um, and then another symptom that really bothered me was uh I started to have sort of low lower back pain quite early, around in the fifth month, until the very end. But apart from that, which was sure annoying, but nothing um out of the ordinary, I couldn't really complain. Um, I was uh very busy with my work uh as I usually am. And um in a way I was uh trying to enjoy as much as I could uh from the pregnancy, but I also felt a bit sorry because I felt like I cannot really enjoy as much as I would, like in this idealistic way of uh constantly being present. I was very running uh up and down and working a lot. Um, but uh yeah, I think and I hope I found some moments where I could be present and grounded. And in any case, because as I said, it was my first pregnancy, I really wanted to learn um as much as I could. I was reading a lot, I was uh yeah, really searching the web. Uh I was apart from the technical or uh medical aspect, I really wanted to hear from other stories, and I was watching a bunch of um vlogs or blogs, uh reading blogs, and I could find a lot of stuff uh from America. And actually, I wish I could have found this podcast earlier because I was really looking for something from here, not coming from here, I didn't have a lot of uh friends uh with the Swiss experiences. So uh, but in any case, my idea was to have the most wide uh spectrum in mind so that I could be ready for everything. Uh, in fact, yeah, that was more or less my my um approach or my my um yeah, my theory was to have the most open uh to be most open about all the possibilities and ready for everything, even though my dream was uh to have the most natural birth as possible. Um, yeah, so for this reason, I of course I did uh the antenatal class, uh, also with my partner. And at that time we were living um in Alstetten, so Trimli was the closest hospital, and we did their the antenatal class, and we liked it very much. They also had a very new maternity ward, which was very cool, and they were also telling us about the um uh the midwife's

Preparing For Triemli Midwives

Giulia 5:55

led birth, and this really resonated with me a lot because I, as I said, I wanted to go natural or as natural as possible, uh, but also because it was my first birth, I was happy to be as close as possible to medical assistance in case of need. So, in that um scenario, I like this idea of having midwives with me at all times, and in case of any kind of emergency, at that point, the doctor would have been ready to come in. Um, so another thing maybe interesting about um pregnancy was that on the eighth month of pregnancy we finally found an apartment. And in as you might know, in Tsrich is very hard to find uh place. We've been looking for years, and uh it was not the best timing because I was very close to my due date, and uh also because I already found at that point my Wochen Bette Bamme, the midwife that comes after birth, uh, to your home. And because they're usually uh connected to the postcode, I really had to look and find a new one because we were moving on the other side of the city, and um I yeah, I was a bit stressed because I really looked for one um post-parmal midwife that could be supporting me with breastfeeding as well, so she was a lactation consultant, but luckily I managed to find another one in the new place. Um, yeah, um and I mean you know, moving was of course also a bit of a stress because I thought I don't know the neighborhood, I don't know anybody around, and uh the hospital is a bit further away, etc. But in in any case, it went well. And um my mom, she is in Italy, as you can imagine, and she was very excited to become grandma, and so excited that uh she really wanted to come earlier before the due date, and I kept telling her, I'm gonna tell you as soon as the baby comes, and um there's no rush, and also usually they come late, they say. Uh, but she was very stubborn, and um, she arrived in Zurich five days before the due date, and but the baby didn't want to come, so yeah, so it was a very long uh moment, like all this waiting. We were, of course, we were cooking a lot and preparing everything for the days ahead, and we were walking so much, and uh, it was even snowing, and we were walking out up all the Zuriberg and Utteberg, uh, but nothing was working. I was trying everything um you know I could. I was following all the tips, and um yeah, he the baby was uh probably very comfortable, didn't want to move. Um, and yeah, as I said, uh I I really wanted to go with a natural birth, so I was trying to avoid uh induction as much as possible. After the due date, uh the I had the last check at the gynecologist on the due date, and after that uh she told me to go to the hospital from that moment on. Um, so I went to the first check at the hospital and they started to tell me about induction. I I knew it already, but because I was signed up for this uh megalite take put, they they of course they told me there are first some more natural ways of inducting inducing, and then um more more let's say medical or like more aggressive in my in my opinion. Um but yeah, that was the first check, and I kind of pushed back. I think uh they were every time, of course, they were checking the situation, they were monitoring the baby, uh doing uh an ultrasound to check the water level. Everything was fine, uh, everything was great. So for this reason, I could push a little uh more. Um the only thing they were telling me, which I already heard from my um gynecologist, was the baby was quite big. Um, it was uh more than four kilos, and luckily it was in a good position, enough water, my belly was massive. Um, so because of that and everything, all the parameters were fine. They let me push uh this induction. Uh, but the

Moving Late Pregnancy And Waiting

Giulia 10:55

second time I went for the check, it was 41 weeks and three days. So I think really on the edge. And um, I knew that they would have pushed for the for the induction. And uh that time not only my mom came with me because she was always baby, but also my partner came and I don't remember, but I think I asked him to come because I felt like I will need some backup support. I really wanted to wait for the baby, like to see when he would be ready. But in any case, um it made sense, you know, that was also kind of the way to go. Um, when I when I arrived there, uh we did the usual test, you know, they checked again the heartbeat, and we did uh uh we checked the contractions, we checked the level of water, etc. Everything was still fine. And uh before we tried again uh membrane sweep, we tried it already, but never worked. So before trying this again, I asked, is there anything else we can try? Maybe do you have some acupuncture? Um, and they were like, actually, we have a midwife today here that can perform that, so I was very happy to do it. And so I was already on the bed, and this midwife came, she put a bunch of needles on me from toes to ear, and it was very quick, it was also quite painless. Uh, but uh here there is an interesting part of the story because as soon as she was done and she took all the needles uh away and she she went. Uh, I was left with uh my family and with the midwife that was taking care of me that day. Um, that midwife said, okay, now we want to try the membrane sweep. And she already prepared the cocktail for me, which is this um concoction of uh castor oil and uh apricot juice, which would have been the next step, let's say, for induction. Um, and she said, after this, we do the membrane sweep, then we send you home. Um, you can take this tonight, and probably tomorrow or tonight you're gonna come. Um so yeah, after the the acupuncture, I just moved a bit uh down the bed to allow the midwife to come and do the membrane sweep. And I felt something liquid uh coming. And at first, I not a lot, at first I thought, oh, looks or sounds or feels like um just discharge. And I didn't, I mean, it was a matter of seconds, I didn't really say anything. The midwife was already there, and she was like, Oh, there's blood. And it was like fresh blood, um, very red, not a lot, but a bit, and enough to make the midwife worry because she couldn't explain what this was. So we went for another round of uh um ultrasound and another round of checks because they wanted to make sure that everything was fine, and everything was fine, like there was nothing weird, they really couldn't explain the blood, uh was just a little bit and the bleeding then stopped. Um, but because they couldn't explain it, they didn't send us home and they said, okay, let's uh go for a walk around the hospital for an hour or so. So we did that, and when we came back, uh maybe they had some consultation or something, they decided to keep me there for uh to be monitored and in case, and so I would have um taken this cocktail uh there. Uh so I would have spent the night there and take uh the cocktail in the hospital. And of course, this was already different than what I imagined, um,

Overdue Checks And Gentle Induction

Giulia 14:55

because I was very happy and ready to start my labor at home, in my living room with my bowl, and I didn't even have my uh hospital bag with me because we just left in the morning for this hospital check, and I was so I thought worst case scenario, we get this cocktail and we take it home. But yeah, it was different. And but in in any case, I was not um my mood was still good uh because as I said, I really prepared um in a way that I wanted to be ready for everything, so it was uh okay. So my mom and my partner they went home. I was um put in uh in a room um where where there was also another another pregnant woman. It was actually funny because she was also Italian, was also in the same situation kind of, and we took the this cocktail 15 minutes apart so she could see her future in me.

Christine 16:00

Hi, I'm Christina, Adula, 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.

Giulia 16:22

In my preparation during pregnancy, um I, as I said, I wanted to learn everything, and I I even I started to read and to learn about hypnobirthing, and I downloaded an app for that, um, also to track contractions and to be able to go through the contractions with my breathing. So when I was in that room and I took the cocktail, um after I took the cocktail at around 8 p.m. And after around, I would say half an hour, I started to feel something, but it was very light, very light uh contractions. When they gave me the cocktail, they said it could take take up to six hours to kick in like properly. So I will I really didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe tomorrow morning we go in in the birth uh room, or who knows. So when they started the contractions, I thought, ah, this is it, like this is the beginning, it's very light. And I started to track my contractions with this app. And uh yeah, really, they were like period cramps, nothing more. And I was texting a friend who was the only friend I had, but back then with a child already, and she told me, Ah, that's great, blah blah blah, uh, rest now that you can. And I was like, Yes, sure. But then I was first of all very excited to track those um things, and then I didn't imagine how fast this would progress, so I lost or like wasted one hour, kind of around one hour of tracking, because after that time I really couldn't sit anymore, and I was already standing, and I couldn't really rest much. And I spent those four four hours in this room um starting my labor with a ball, and uh, I was already attached to the machine like with this belt, uh, measuring the baby heartbeat and uh the contractions, and my uh pregnant uh friend as well. We were going like together. And after four hours of this, it was um close to 1 a.m. The midwife that was coming regularly to check on us decided to prepare the rooms uh for both of us, and uh we called our partners. Um, just fun fact here I called my partner who was sleeping ready, and he asked me, Shall I wake up your mom? And I said, You really should, because if you don't, she's gonna get so upset to miss this. So, yeah, also because she would have been on the other side of the city and not able to join us. So, yeah, he woke her up and they came to Dreamly, and we all went together uh down to the birth ward. Um, I was already barefoot and I had to cross the hospital barefoot and had a couple of stops uh for contractions here and there, which was funny. Uh, we arrived

Bleeding Mystery Leads To Admission

Giulia 19:40

in the birthroom and uh it was set and ready. Uh the pool was ready, which was my wish to start in the water at least to try. Um so it was very nice. There was the the midwife already there. She asked us, uh, you know, how to make the atmosphere even nicer. Uh, she asked me if I had a playlist, and um my partner, she uh my partner gave her this uh kind of thunderstorm playlist that I like. It's it's like white noise basically, but it really relaxes me a lot. And and then I was in the water and I started to go through those contractions in the water, it was much better. I really liked it. And for me, the best was really to lean forward uh on the edge of the pool. And then every time I had a strong contraction, the midwife or my partner were pushing on my lower back, and that really helped. Um, and I went there, I was there for at least four hours, and it was really like it was good for me. But apparently, um again, I was still monitored with this um with this belt, and apparently the baby didn't enjoy this because apparently every time I had a contraction, uh the heartbeat was suffering a bit from that position, particularly like leaning forward, which was a pity because it was the best for me. Um, so yeah, we tried uh I even tried uh the laughing gas in there, which was not very useful for me, but it was giving me a sort of rhythm with the breathing. Um, so yeah, I think after four hours in there, um we switched and I tried something else. I tried standing, leaning. Um yeah, I was going around a bit, um, trying really again, I was really trying to avoid lying flat on my back as much as possible. And yeah, was your mom there as well? Yes. Uh right. Good that you asked because I was very surprised that they let uh both my partner and my mom in the birth room. Because I think I remember from the rules that you can only have one person, but uh I'm impressed that they they didn't say anything, at least not to me. And uh she was there with my partner the whole time. And spoiler, this uh was a very long labor, and they were there the whole time, and uh yeah, um it was great to have them there. Um, of course, after a while they fell asleep because it was such a long thing, and uh it was I even took a picture of them while laboring, sleeping on their chairs, um yeah, uh, because it was uh really going on and on. And about that, I was actually feeling good about it. I I felt like I got this, it's going well. It was um, in my opinion, progressing, but it was um kind of always the same. Like it wasn't the contractions were not getting worse, it was just constantly going on and on. Um, and I was surprised, I was looking every now and then at this big clock on the on the wall, and I was surprised how time was flying. It was like, oh, it's already six in the morning, it's already midday, you know. It was really going, and I we were trying everything, all the positions and all the things, and uh again, because I wanted to go as natural as possible, we started with uh the most like uh bland uh kind of painkillers and uh again acupuncture and then uh something to smell, you know, all these things. But um the pain was uh, as I said, was quite constant. That was not the problem, but um they were checking my dilation constantly. Uh and it was a bit dilated, I don't even remember how much, but it was not progressing. Um

Castor Oil Labour And Hypnobirthing

Giulia 23:55

so it it got a bit blurred. I even tried to ask my partner to, I was trying to write it down the weeks and months after birth. Uh, because over all in all, the whole labor lasted more than 24 hours. And uh I I just know, for example, that at 12 the day after, so after around uh 15 hours, um it was not progressing, and I was falling asleep through contractions, standing, which was a bit too a bit dangerous. But I really remember like this, I was so exhausted that every time I had a break, even if it was a couple of seconds, I was falling asleep. Uh, and also I didn't have any food or uh anything since um uh the dinner, like the the light dinner that I had before the cocktail. So they were giving me water um mostly. Um but I was not feeling hungry. That's also funny how our body works. Uh in that moment, it was uh I was very concentrated. Um, but yeah, what I wanted to say is that after trying all these uh things um at 12, I said, can we switch gear? Like, can we try something else? And I now in retrospective, when I think about it, it's fascinating how they really respected my um my wish of going natural until I really ask for it, like like not just complaining a bit or really asking, can we maybe have an epidural? They were like, Okay, we can do it. Um, and in a in a way, I really like that. They respected my my wish. On the other hand, because it was my very first birth, I thought now I think maybe I could have waited, I don't know, 10 hours and then asked for an epidural, not like 15 or so. But anyway, nothing really changed. I got the epidural because I was exhausted more than anything. Um, and uh it helped like to feel the contractions a little less, but I could still feel them, and I could actually walk uh with the epiduro as well. The um midwives were a bit surprised because I could move very easily. So I don't know uh if it didn't kick in or anything, but in any case, um we went on with all the tricks in the book, and uh they even uh pulled me from the ankles and shook me because they were trying to reposition maybe better the head of the baby because it looked like it was stuck, and at that point my waters also didn't break yet, and I think they also tried to break them, and then what else we tried? Um, again, many positions. I was a lot uh kneeling on the bed, uh, but um leaning on the top of the bed, kind of, which was again helping me, but not the baby apparently.

Julia 27:00

Once you got your epidural laid in, could you eat anything? Could you could you sleep more than a couple minutes, or was it really like um the same sort of was it really just everything was just the same sort of program as earlier in the labor?

Giulia 27:16

Yeah, no, they didn't I didn't eat this for sure. Uh they gave me a sort of uh ghettoid thing, uh, but I I really didn't drink it. Actually, my partner had it in the end.

Julia 27:26

Yeah, like sometimes the body is like no nothing in even though you might need it, just nothing, yeah.

Giulia 27:32

Yeah, in the end, I just thought water, which was very crazy uh in retrospective because so many hours passed. Uh, but in terms of sleep, we were I say we because everybody was quite exhausted. So I think I remember they gave me some medication, and we had like half an hour of sleep, everybody kind of to continue because uh yeah, I was really tired. Um, but then yeah, then we went on. And by the way, I didn't mention in all this time, of course, there were a bunch of uh midwife shifts, shift changes, yeah. And in a way, it was nice, like they were all amazing. Uh, I really loved the stuff at Dreamly, and in the other way, it was uh really uh a proof for me that so much time was passing because in a way it went very fast, but then I was realizing it's nothing is happening, we are very stuck, and it's been already almost a full day, and uh, and then also a couple of times I think they called a doctor just to check, and I had a lot of uh people checking on me. I never had so many doctors checking on me at the same time, and so many people checking my dilation on the same day, and um it was fun, but in general, everybody was saying the same, like uh it looked like it was going well. Uh, the cervix was super soft, but somehow the baby was not descending enough. And um, and at some point there was also a bit of a stress because they thought there was a miconium in the water, but then maybe not. Anyway, at some point they gave me a sort of ultimatum, and this was already evening, so I'm jumping ahead because time was really blurry at that time. Um, and at some point they told me, okay, we give you one more hour of trying. At that point, I was even pushing on my back, they really were trying everything. And they told me one more hour, and then if there is no progress, we will have to go to 4C section. And um, of course, that was not my plan, but at that point, uh, first of all, I thought we really tried everything, and then I was trying trying to embrace the situation and also trust all these amazing people I had around. So, again, we tried for one more hour, nothing really progressed. So they said, okay, it's time to go for a c-section. And this was already like 8 p.m. at night, so 24 hours after I took the cocktail, kind of already. And um, because the epidural didn't um work so well, they figured that for the c-section I needed a spinal anesthesia because uh yeah, apparently the same kind of needle wouldn't have worked, came to prepare me for uh the c-section.

Pool Coping And Labour Stalls

Giulia 30:40

And uh I remember with uh the midwives that were in that moment in the shift, we were just saying, Yeah, we really tried everything, right? And they were like, Yeah, we never had such uh like really trying everything in the book. Yeah, you really did well, they were really supportive, and uh as I said, I was ready for plan B and C and D and Z because we really literally went through everything, but somehow I felt a bit um disappointed or a bit sad or a bit frustrated, maybe, because really I didn't really didn't want that, and even though I was ready for it, or like I thought I was ready for it, I was very confident that I would have managed. Um so when when we arrived, when I arrived in the surgery in the operation room, and they were prepping me, and there is this moment where you have to be very still with the chin tucks, and they are putting the needle in you, um, and you're not supposed to move there. I kind of started to cry. And uh, it was just a release cry, really. But everybody around me thought maybe I was scared or something, and they were trying to, they were very sweet. All the surgeons and everybody uh they were trying to comfort me. I think it was just a release because I really told myself, yeah, we tried everything and it's fine. This is just ultimately what we want to do is to have a healthy baby and to get him out. At that point, I really wanted to have him out of my belly. Um, so yeah, there was this moment, but um, then they prepared me for uh the surgery, and uh it was very funny because um at the end I couldn't feel anything up to my neck. Um, and it was a very funny sensation to actually feel something happening, but not understanding what. And I think they also kind of distracted me in a way that I didn't know when they started. And uh I thought they were still prepping me and cleaning me, but they were already cutting and this is impressive. Um and then they let my partner in when the baby came out. Um and um yeah, we had this very first moments together, let's say, like they tried to put the baby on my chest, and uh um he was crying a lot, and they gave him this uh wool hat, it's very cute, we still have it. And um yeah, I'm trying to remember those moments, of course, were a bit blurry, but we have some very nice pictures that the midwives took for us. Again, great. Yes, I really that that uh we we kept saying this, we we'd still say it. This uh stuff was amazing, and I in retrospective again, I think it was quite a rough birth and quite like traumatic kind of experience, but I have a good uh good memory, and I think it was uh like a big part was because the team was so great and supportive, and um after that we went back to the birthroom where my mom still was uh waiting for us, and um we stayed there for a couple of hours after that. Uh I finally had dinner, they brought me a lot of food that was very good to eat.

Julia 34:14

Did you have your appetite back?

Giulia 34:16

Yeah, yes, definitely.

Julia 34:17

So good. They really like I love I love hearing this story so far because you can tell how much they they really looked after you, you know, like they knew you wanted to do everything. So literally there are midwives hanging you out, you know, holding you upside down by your ankles, trying to just, you know, shake the baby gently into the right position. Probably me feel gentle, but it's just so beautiful, and you know, and then he took the photos of you guys and made sure you ate really quickly after. This is so like this is uh such a clear version of the of course it matters what happens to you, like that, of course, and your feelings of being disappointed are completely understandable. Everyone would understand that, and if they don't, that's them problem, not a you problem. Yeah, like but it's about how people treat you, yeah. And and this is so beautiful and wonderful to hear. How was your husband feeling during this? And your mom, I guess, as well. Have they talked to you about like this moment during the surgery?

Giulia 35:23

Yeah, they were feeling, yeah. Also before the surgery, I think because it was such a long labor, they were really a bit shocked and feeling sorry for me because it was such a long process. But most of all, both of them they were amazed by the team, and uh especially my husband, uh, which is not my husband, my partner. I never know how to call him because calling me boyfriend at this point is weird.

Julia 35:48

I apologize for the assumption I made. I'm really sorry.

Giulia 35:51

It's fine, it's just me when I say husband, it's weird. Um, but yeah, it he was uh also, I think, being a man and never really projecting himself into a birthroom. Um, he was really humbled and he he kept telling me how amazing this midwives are and like what kind of incredible like job it is, and uh how empathetic they were. Like I was for months I was thinking about them and I was thinking I need to write a letter to them. And I managed in the end because I was um stuck in my postpartum bubble and bed for a long time. And then when I finally managed to go to the hospital, actually to visit a friend who gave birth, I left uh uh an envelope for the midwives, and I hope they got it because I I think I will remember them forever. It was such a great support. And uh about my partner also uh in our birth plan, I wrote that I wanted him to cut the cord, but because uh everything happened differently, they actually brought the placenta in the birth uh room after the surgery and they let him do it, and we also filmed that. Um, so it was very good. They they showed me the placenta as well, and it in a way it was a good compromise to be able to do what we wanted to do, even though things went differently. And I think this is the biggest takeaway of the whole experience for me. That first of all, it was good to be prepared, even though I was very confident to do it uh in another way, and then it was it's always possible to find a compromise that makes you still feel good and still have a good um memory or a good experience overall.

Julia 37:39

Hi,

Epidural Choice And More Interventions

Julia 37:40

Julia here. If you're pregnant, preparing for birth, or navigating those intense early weeks with a newborn, I want you to know you can plan for this time with confidence and support. I'm a Zurich-based doula and I support families through pregnancy, birth preparation, and postpartum with services like birth preparation workshops, hypnobirthing plus courses, postpartum massage, and personalized postpartum meal planning, designed to help you feel calmer, more confident, and truly cared for during this time. Supporting families in this way isn't just my work, it is truly my passion. I believe this kind of care is part of a quiet revolution, one where parents are supported, listened to, and valued. You can learn more or book with me at juliathedoula.ch, and you'll find me on Instagram at juliathedoula.ch. And now let's get back to this week's Swiss birth story. And then um take us back to the to that postpartum room and you're not postpartum room yet. Sorry, you're in the birth room. They've got you back there. You've had your food. Are you were you quickly retaining feeling in your body? Um, or was that something that took a little bit longer?

Giulia 39:11

Yeah, I don't remember exactly the hours, but I feel like I was numb for a long time. And especially because they were trying to teach me like the very first uh moments of breastfeeding, it was weird because I couldn't feel my breast very well.

Julia 39:24

That is like a really high spino. Usually it is slightly below the breast. That's a really high spino.

Giulia 39:29

Yeah, it was below when they started, but it came up during surgery, kind of. Wow, yeah, because I remember when the um the anesthesiologist checked me on the on the birth on the operation table with this cold uh something, I could feel it, and then by the end of surgery, I couldn't feel my chest, so yeah, it went up. Uh, but yeah, I think slowly it got better. Uh after that, they they put me in the maternity ward. I was there for two nights, and um, of course, there it got better and better. Uh, but I was uh moved from the the how do you call it, like this moving bed to the actual bed by people because I couldn't move my legs, and uh and then I was impressed and surprised how my belly was still very, very bloated, first of all, and then it took a long time to deflate or like to go down, like really months, and um uh and also the sensation. I mean, I could have guessed, but with such a big cut, um the the numbness of the whole area lasts uh lasts for a long time. I mean, by now it's been one year, I still feel numb in some parts, which again it's I expected, but I didn't think about it. And for many weeks or months, it was really weird. This feeling of having it it felt it's a bit funny, but this was how uh I was describing it to my family or the midwife. It felt like having a funny pack uh attached to my skin because I could feel it, but it was not feeling like belonging to me, it was very weird, and uh yeah. So yeah, this was uh also afterwards with uh in Beth de Bom, she was taking care of the scar and uh teaching me how to handle it, and it was very hard. It's very hard to do scar massage or handle the scar when it feels so weird and stranger. Um, yeah, but uh going just quickly back to the the first nights in the hospital. We spent two nights there, and um everything seems fine, and the baby was sleeping a lot, and uh which I think I read it was expected after birth. I was um, I think I overall I was happy and everything was nice. I was struggling to go to the to walk to the toilet because of the C-section. I really felt like I couldn't sit up straight properly because of the stitches or because of the old pain. I was a bit like uh hunching, and uh this made me

C-Section Decision And First Moments

Giulia 42:25

feel very bad. I felt like uh yeah, I was wondering when I would recover from that. But after a week I was already much better. Um, anyway, what I want to say for the story that's coming, um, this first two nights in the hospital were fine. Um baby had some myconium, which is like the very first uh poo. Um and um, but then I remember there was a sort of issue. Uh they found he had he had uh low sugar in in his blood, and because of that, they were pushing uh to give him uh some bottle to give some extra energy or extra sugar. And um of course I've never been there, so I was just trusting them and they were trying to do this. But there was um there was already some vomiting, like the baby was not um not not just, I don't remember honestly if it was just from the bottle, or in any case, there was some speeding up, but nothing to be worried about, apparently. So after two days and the paediatrician check, they sent us home. And um there we had the first uh rough week. My mom was still there, actually. She postponed her uh leaving date a bit to be able to be with me the first very first days, even though I was not really with her a lot, but she was taking care of me and she. Cooking a lot, and uh and yeah, those first days were a bit rough because, of course, we have to get used to a newborn born at home, and the first night was a bit of a um mess uh for everybody, and then uh the the midwife started to come, and this is by the way, on a side note, such a great uh thing that Switzerland offers. I'm really, really uh grateful for that. I think also coming from Italy, my mom was shocked uh by the amount of care that uh everybody gets uh by default, and uh the uh this ebame, this midwife, uh was great. And uh she was taking care, of course, in the beginning, also the baby, measuring the weight every time and uh of my scar and me. And uh she was the one who who realized it after she realized after one week that baby was not gaining weight. Um, and also, I mean, I was also realizing it, even though I didn't have any past experience to compare it. Baby was never drinking more than three minutes. Um, he was drinking and then stopping. The latch was great already since the hospital, actually. Uh, so that was not a problem, but he had a lot of speed ups. And uh again, I because I never had a newborn before, I didn't know how much is normal. Um, how much also is normal to just drink five minutes every 20 minutes? I don't know. So it was a bit um hard in the beginning to figure that out, but luckily this midwife was very hands-on and very proactive. And in the first uh days, when she noticed that she already pushed for trying bottle and pumping because she said maybe it's something related with breastfeeding. So luckily we uh like rented a pump a couple of days, uh like after five or six days. Um, and then we were trying different bottles and different things, but nothing was really helping. There was always the same spit up situation. And after a week, so actually a week home, baby was nine days old. She came again. She was coming every day at that point, and she said, Okay, baby's not drinking enough, he's losing weight. A bit in the beginning is fine, but not as much. And so she sent us to the kind of spital. And I really I want to emphasize, I really loved how hands-on she was because we were all numbing this postpartum when we were, you know, new parents, and uh and we wouldn't have been so proactive for sure, even if the midwife would have said go to the hospital, and then she would have left. We would have probably still waited, but she really called the hospital and said, These people are coming. And uh, this was very helpful. And by the way, the same day my mom left, so it was not great for her because she missed this um danger moment. We went to the AR, and uh again, timing was perfect because the moment we arrived in the ER, the belly of the baby was very bloated, much more than we never noticed. And um we spent 11 hours in the ER, and it's again great that we just rented the pump the day before because we brought it with us, and I was able to pump to release uh my relieve my breast a bit because uh basically, um, long story short, they did a bunch of exams in those eight hours. They did um x-ray of the belly, and the belly of baby was stuck, was uh completely constipated slash stuck, and um, it was a bit of uh like a stressful moment, uh have to say for me, especially the first hours I was in distress. I was really crying and in shock, and uh and actually uh it's funny how me and my partner we had very complementary and opposite reactions. Like the very first moment he was a rock, and then after this first uh day in the ER, I switched to autopilot mode and very strong, and he crumbled. So, in a way, it went well. But basically, after so many tests, because they did a lot of exams during those uh hours, they had a couple of options. What it could be, um they were like more like positive options, would have been like maybe it's uh uh immature bowel, maybe it's something else. Uh they had like three, four different options, or uh the worst case would have been something called morbus irsprung, which is something we never heard about.

Postpartum Recovery And C-Section Healing

Giulia 49:10

But in any case, it was still not clear they wanted to do a biopsy, and they decided, of course, to keep the baby there. And by the way, in all this time, he didn't eat because of this uh obstruction. So again, it was great that I could uh pump, but at the same time, it was heartbreaking to not be able to feed him, and even more heartbreaking for me nine days postpartum to leave the baby there and go home for for the night. That was that was really tough.

Julia 49:44

The separation is so unfathomable. Um, but I'm really I'm really grateful that you're sharing this because this does happen and it's something we don't plan for, we don't want to think about. And if you could ever think about it, you know, while you're pregnant, it's so abstract, right? It's like, yes, of course, if the baby needs X, Y, Z, we'll keep him, but it it really can feel like, and for most women, feels like your arm is being cut off, you know, like you're literally leaving a piece of yourself, and that even that can sound really abstract, but it's not because it really feels like that. Like this is this is you, this is a part of you, you're leaving. Um, and yeah, of course, he's getting everything he needs. Yeah, he obviously needed help, but um God, that's so hard.

Giulia 50:36

Yeah, and um as I yeah, exactly as you said, it was really feeling like we were separated, like a piece of you was left there. I really, really suffered when we were driving back. Of course, it was for his good, and uh he was in very good hands for sure. Uh, but yeah, the plan was to leave him there. And uh for a week basically, every morning I was uh going to the hospital and spending the whek next to the NICU, like the intensive care, because he was then uh a bit intubated to have liquids and stuff and monitored. And yeah, I was uh also it's not like you rest a lot at home. I had to pump during the night, yeah. Um, and apart from uh what's as you said, like feeling like you've been separated, it was also stressful because I in these first days postpartum, I was tracking everything. Uh also the feed, as I said, he was just feeding two minutes. So I really I was tracking everything on one app and seeing the app saying one hour from the last feed, five hours five hours since the last feed, 12 hours since the last feed. I really felt like I'm letting my baby down a bit. It was very sad. But again, I was pumping, I was going to the hospital every morning with my milk uh pump, and there in the new actually kinders, it was uh great. They have a big uh milk uh, they gave me everything I needed for pumping. It the the the environment was very nice and supportive, but still it was such a hard week.

Julia 52:12

Um skin to skin with him with all the machines on him, or was this not much?

Giulia 52:17

Yeah, I mean, I was trying yeah, as much as I could um to have him on me, and actually, this was also funny. Uh, the moment I was uh going there and uh having him on me, at some point they even allowed me to press feet, which was great, of course. So good. Um, I was falling asleep. I was finally kind of releasing on that chair, it was the best sleep uh that I had, not at home without a baby, but with the baby on me in the hospital. Um, yeah, and long story short, uh basically after one week of uh tests and uh exams and so we had a lot of uh chats with surgeons and all the people. Basically, they told they confirmed that it was this Morbus Hirschprung, which was not a great um news for us. Um, especially I want to say for my partner, because I was reading this pilot autopilot mode where I was just focusing on the day, and this really helped me so much to go through things. I I I was telling him, we don't know what's gonna happen. Let's just focus on today and make each other's day better rather than worrying. And he's also a bit of a science uh man, he was reading all the papers about this uh disease and really reading the worst case scenario, and basically, for those who don't know, because many people don't, I didn't know, it's a very rare um uh gastrointestinal disease affecting the colon. It's uh so rare that it's like 0.02 percent of babies have it, which is one in 5,000. Um, I knew all the statistics back then. I think there are, I don't want to say 15 per year in Switzerland, something like that. And maybe I'm wrong, but in any case, uh yeah, it's quite rare. And what happens is

Feeding Red Flags After Discharge

Giulia 54:10

that the column, like or the last part of the column, or you don't know how much of the column doesn't work properly, and this means that then the baby is not able to poo, and so everything gets stuck. And if not, if there is no intervention, of course, it's very dangerous. And in our case, it was also a bit um strange because he did poo, actually, did have myconium, as I said earlier, but somehow maybe not enough. Um, so in this week in the hospital, they were doing like colon flushes twice a day for uh to allow the baby to free himself, and they taught us to do so. And this was um part of the difficult months that we had ahead. We had to perform this column flush uh flushings every day, twice a day, uh, until the surgery. And the surgery happened at five months old because the baby needed to be big enough to take the anesthesia. And because it was such a big surgery, the anesthesia, the surgery or the operation would have lasted quite a lot of hours. And this is also actually the interesting or difficult part about this disease is that until they do the surgery, they don't know how uh big or like how um extended this uh section is. So you don't know if it's six centimeters or if it's the whole colon. And this is also why you don't know if the surgery is gonna last four hours or 12 hours. And this was probably the reason why we were for many months really in a I want to say depressive state, because it was a rough start for all of us. And uh honestly, I also felt like I needed to keep it together also for my partner because he was uh, I feel maybe struggling even more than me because of that. Uh maybe I was ready for the worst and he was not, let's say. Uh, but yeah, again, uh fast forward because um I could talk a lot a lot about this. It was um very rough months where we had to do this, like uh keep track of his belly, how is he doing? And then uh uh when he was five months old, uh go for another week in the hospital for the surgery, basically.

Christine 56:33

So for five months you were doing this flushing every day. Yeah, that's a long time, yeah.

Giulia 56:40

And also as the baby gets bigger, I mean, of course, five months is still small, but he gets stronger, it's harder to do it. Uh, and also in the beginning, they offered us to have a spitex, which is a sort of uh house, uh nurse, I don't know how to call it someone coming and helping, but actually it was not helping for us because every time it was a different person, and uh we knew already that by doing this we had to be very gentle, we had you know gel and lubricant and stuff, but sometimes um the baby was bleeding, which it's okay, but not as much. And we noticed that with this, uh, every time a different person it was getting worse, so we decided to do it ourselves, and also for the timing, it was never good to just wait for someone, and yeah, um, yeah, so again, the after five months we finally got the appointment for the surgery, and that was also quite tough. Uh, but we were actually lucky because it sounds a lot, but it was only 25 centimeters long, which in a baby again sounds like a lot, but it was only eight hours of surgery, and uh yeah, that was that was hard because I had to spend with the baby one night in the hospital before surgery. Surgery is usually very early in the morning, and that night was very hard because he couldn't eat, and we usually call sleep, and in the hospital that was a little harder, and not being able to offer the breast when he was in distress, it was hard. And then, of course, it was very hard to leave him in the hands of the surgeons, and they told us, go home and rest as you can, because for sure it's gonna be four hours. So we were okay. We really tried to do something else. It was uh, I don't even remember. Ah, yeah, actually, we I went to to deliver uh for a friend who was pregnant a box, like a postpartum box that I prepared for her. And this gave me

ER Crisis And NICU Separation

Giulia 58:50

again, this was my trick during those five months, like to take care of others or to take care of us as a little family really kept me going. Um, but yeah, what I wanted to say is that after that, and after having a nap, because I really needed a nap, and those four hours were past, like the minimum amount of hours for the surgery, we started to worry because the the longer the surgery goes, the more invasive the surgery is, and the more uh long the earsprung tract is. And also I didn't mention that. Um they start the the I'm gonna go a little bit into details here, but they start the surgery through the anus, but if the tract is very big, then they have to cut open the belly, and so we were really hoping that the baby wouldn't have gotten like a full um surgery through the belly, even though it was an option. And in the end, we were lucky enough that they didn't have to, because of course it would have been a harder uh recovery, and so all in all, we were lucky, but I learned so much about this disease uh over the months, and I read a lot about it, and again, I didn't find enough. I was looking for more like personal stories, and I didn't find them. So I'm thinking to write my own so that maybe in the future some other Irsprung parent can find it. So, yeah, and in a way I feel like we started to enjoy um the fact that we had a baby after that. Because then after surgery, he recovered actually very well, quite fast. And so far, knock on wood, things are going well. Also with starting solids and everything, which is a big uh topic for the Ishprong babies. Uh, but yeah, I really feel also with my partner that we really started to relax a bit after that, like when it was six, seven months.

Julia 1:00:51

Do you want to surprise? Oh, I can hear something in the background, but that's okay, that's normal. That's like that's life with the baby. That's fine. Um, I I'm just like processing uh what you guys, the three of you all went through as a really fresh new family. Um, were the doctors able to give you any reassurance about like a long-term prognosis, what his life, what your life would look like afterwards? Um, or did that only happen after the surgery? I I guess it did, because then those those when they found out the length. Once they did, then were they able to give you any kind of roadmap for the future?

Giulia 1:01:36

Yeah, so it's um yeah, it's funny because of course I think they they don't tell you anything before the surgery, but maybe not to scare you, because it depends how the surgery goes. Yeah. But because my partner was so reading every paper, every time we were seeing the surgeons before the operation, it was basically the surgeon and my partner discussing papers all the time. And the surgeon was a bit surprised that uh he read everything and knew even sometimes like the latest paper more than the surgeon. So we already knew all the options, you know, from the worst case scenario with a stoma to the best case scenario where you forget about it. Uh, and then after surgery, uh, because it was a good like it was, I don't remember how it's called, but like the short, the short, short section, source, short section, um Hirsprung, it means uh, yeah, it shouldn't be as much the problem, but you have to see how the bowel develops, how the baby develops. Uh, now how it goes, because it could go two directions, it could go like constipation, like chronic constipation, or the opposite, kind of incontinence, kind of. But so far, we are having very good feedback, like uh so far, he's uh pooping on his own and uh it's all good. Um, so we have we have regular checks with the hospital, and they're very, very helpful. Um, and also I didn't mention this, but again, it was such a strange coincidence, but very good. The very first weeks when we got diagnosed, and our me, the one the Bochen Bete Bame that sent us to the hospital, she she followed the whole story. Uh, she told us that her best friend, who is also a Bochen Bete Bame, has a daughter, 15-year-old daughter with the same disease. And uh she came to us to have a talk when we were like two weeks uh after birth, or two weeks post pardon. Um, and she really comforted us also because unfortunately for her, her daughter had the worst case scenario, really. She had the full colon uh removed. Um and um and she's having now a very nice regular teenage life, so it was very good to have this uh feedback back then. And I also thought during those months of preparation for surgery, I was also thinking after surgery to look for a sort of support group or like families with the same problem, but because we're so lucky and now everything is fine, I haven't done it yet, or yeah, but I feel I felt uh like definitely support, and they're always uh um yeah, open to ask uh to to answer any question we have at the hospital. I felt very supported, yes.

Julia 1:04:44

Um, you mentioned early on about your job and about how that comes into play in the postpartum. Having a child who's unwell um impacts work, right? How how how did your work, your husband's work? I feel so crass to talk about this, but it is like we have to, yeah. Um, how uh how how did that go? How did it yeah, tell us about that?

Giulia 1:05:14

Yeah, no, thanks, thanks for reminding me because I completely forgot. It's actually a good point. And uh I I would say not just having a baby with some medical conditions impacts your work, like having a baby impacts your work. I really I feel so I was so naive because I I've always been very motivated and very career-driven. And as a freelancer, also I really work a lot and uh it's my own um, you know, as a self employed, it's your own business. So I really put everything

Hirschsprung Disease And Home Flushes

Giulia 1:05:50

uh in there. And somehow I always thought, of course, I can go back to it. Like also, I thought because am I doing a creative work and I'm very flexible. I was so sure I would have been able to combine my work and the baby. And it's been actually very tough. And again, from the outside, everybody's telling me, but you're doing so many things. And it's true, I'm I'm actually still doing things. I I even wrote, I was I didn't mention it, but I started a side uh like master studio a couple of years ago, and I wrote my thesis during postpartum uh in on the bed, you know. I have pictures of the baby sleeping next to me in the pillow and me writing. Uh, and then I I still manage to do things, but it's a very good question, and actually I'm very passionate about it now because I feel like postpartum is such a like invisible bubble that only people leaving it or people like you working with new moms can understand. And I almost feel like there is a sort of um collective amnesia that people forget how it is for real. Like, even like people that were moms, but like years back, they forgot how it is. And I also I was really analyzing this. Maybe it's a sort of trauma response. You forget about the hard stuff.

Julia 1:07:20

I was gonna say it's like collective gaslighting, actually, because it's so hard, it's so impossible that it it feels like a different planet because it's just our current system of living just does not support like new families, postpartum women in any way. So it's almost like we have to collectively gaslight ourselves just just to keep moving on, just to keep existing in this system.

Giulia 1:07:44

Yeah, exactly. I I'm really blown away by this. Really, it opened these doors and it's like a Pandora's box, and and um it made me also more angry and more feminist than before. And uh yeah, and again, I I was trying as much as I could to go back to work, but at the same time I felt this pressure, even as a freelancer, I didn't even tell my peers or my co-clients that I was pregnant because I thought then I'm not gonna get jobs again because they're gonna put me in this mom's box. And and uh yeah, and I still feel like that, and it's it's been and it's still it's still very hard to go back or not even go back, like finding a new balance to work as a freelancer, I think it's very hard because of course baby becomes the priority, even if I love my job, I want to make more films and everything. But then I think um, for example, like very pragmatically, if I put the kid in the childcare, it's a cost. But then I don't know if my freelance clients are gonna be enough or if they're gonna come. And so if I have to put him in the child care and then go home and wait for a client, then I feel like I should be with my baby. What? So yeah, it's been very hard actually, and is not in childcare yet, but we are starting in January with one day. Um, I really I really learned a lot about uh this and how support system, village, does it even exist, and how the structure and the society we're in is not really designed. Uh it's very it's very annoying because uh this is about creating new people and new life, but uh the society doesn't support it. And um, yeah, I am very, very angry about it, I think. And um uh what I wanted to say, uh right. I really felt or found the support in new moms. Um, it's probably the only people I can relate to uh because they're living through the same thing. And I don't know if it's a Swiss or Zurich thing. I ended up in so many WhatsApp groups, uh, and there I found some local new moms. And this was the most, I think also for me that uh I'm living away from my family. It was very crucial to have uh someone around me that could understand me and going through the same thing. Uh yeah, so that for sure, at least that's a bare minimum that's necessary to go through this.

Christine 1:10:36

Yeah. We've heard that before on the podcast and in Moms That We Encounter, this that it really

Surgery At Five Months Old

Christine 1:10:45

you kind of know things are uneven, unequal. But man, motherhood just shines a glaringly bright spotlight on all the things that are not not quite where they should be in our society.

Giulia 1:11:04

Yeah, and um shall I shall I mention something about my breastfeeding journey? Please. Because I forgot to mention this. Uh as I said since the beginning, we had a very good lunch, and with all the the things that happened and what I what we went through, I was very glad to be able to breastfeed him. Um of course uh we had a couple of breaks during these hospital stays when he was intubated and um and when he had uh IV and stuff. And by the way, side note, it's already super hard to learn how to hold a newborn. But when you have to hold a newborn like with five cables, it's very hard. Uh but yeah, but um but being able to breastfeed him was very good. Um, also because luckily he was born like a big baby, was four kilos. Uh being able to keep him healthy and and big in a way was great, also because I felt like I'm preparing him for surgery, for example, or I'm helping him into especially because the the breast meal goes through, you know, the testing and everything. It felt like I could uh help or do do my best uh to to help. And that's also what the the doctors and the surgeons were suggesting, if it was possible to breastfeed uh as soon as uh as much as possible. So uh that was um for me a good experience, even though I discovered how such a roller coaster the breastfeeding journey is. It's never like uh a straight line. Uh I guess because it's a constant learning, because as soon as you learn something that the baby changes and you have to readjust and learn again, we both learn. So overall it was a positive experience, but I also had some moments of like I went to a couple of uh uh breastfeeding consultant uh sessions, which by the way, again, it's great that they are three. The three, the first three of them. I had uh some issues like uh clog duct and uh maybe mastitis, but not clear, and vasospasm, but then great again, and then you know, these ups and downs, and lately it's been good, apart from now there is a biting issue. Um, but it's still going on, and I am planning to keep breastfeeding as long as he wants or as long as we can.

unknown 1:13:37

Yeah.

Julia 1:13:39

Yeah, and breastfeeding through that kind of separation is really hard. And and it's great that they told you, yes, like is the best thing for them, but that does add a little bit more pressure, right? And to something that already has a lot of pressure. Um, but I'm I'm really happy to hear that yeah, that you kept going and kept and kept doing it. Um that's wonderful for him. And yeah, the biting, it's a phase, it's a phase. Yeah, yeah. Some sometimes it's very short and sometimes it's a little bit longer, but it is a phase. Um Julia, we are gonna have to slow down, stop soon. But I um I actually still have so many questions for you. Um, if you don't mind if I could put something in the show notes where if maybe someone else has um the same disease as your son, if they could get in touch with you or any other resources that you'd like to share, um, we'll have them down in the show notes because I am sure, and I know this through previous guests, that um, you know, a Google

Work Identity And Postpartum Systems

Julia 1:14:45

search or word of mouth or, you know, one Hebama knowing, oh, there's this episode of this podcast, you know, it it gets to the right person. Um, and so that would be great if we could do that.

Giulia 1:14:55

Of course, actually, I would be very happy to okay.

Julia 1:14:59

Um, so then before we go, we're going to ask you our final question. We ask all moms this question. Um, and it's deliberately vague and open-ended for you to take it in whichever way goes, it goes for you. And the question is in this whole process of becoming a mother, so the whole entirety of the process up till now, what would you say sticks out to you as your most brilliant moment?

Giulia 1:15:26

Yeah, I I I was trying to get ready for this question because I listened to all the episodes and I know that this question is coming, but it's very hard, I have to say, to even if I had the time to think and to prepare, it's very hard to decide one, but I'm gonna try. I would say um when we came home from the hospital, and maybe before all this journey, like this mess and these ups and downs happened, um, there was a moment where uh probably it was early morning, uh third or fourth day, um, where I was finally quiet or finally alone with baby. We were uh sitting like on this armchair that I prepared for breastfeeding, and it was like, yeah, as I said, early morning, like there was some light coming in. And for the first time, I felt like he was staring into my eyes for many minutes. Yeah, and it was really emotional. Like I really felt, I don't know, probably at that age they don't see well, but we were quite close, and I felt really he was staring into my eyes, and I it was like finally meeting him and be like, hi, yeah, it was it was very, very emotional too, kind of after the long birth and all the ups and downs to be like uh finally meeting you because I I remember also when he was in my belly, you kind of know them because they're there, you've you know the kicks, but you still don't know that like you. I was still waiting for the moment, like you have face-to-face and you can hold

Breastfeeding Ups And Downs

Giulia 1:17:05

hands, and I think that that was my moment. I can remember it very well.

Julia 1:17:14

That is hey, well, we're all crying, so it's such a uh such a privilege to hear that. Um, Julia, thank you.

Giulia 1:17:23

Thank you, thank you for this. Uh, as I said in the beginning, I'm gonna repeat it. I feel like this chat for me was a very important uh kind of one year because it just turned one year, a sort of recap and also looking back because this year was such a blur with everything that happened when I was preparing for this chat with you. I really had to go through my memories and kind of process them for the very first time. I went to look at my pictures from the very first days, and it was very therapeutic to do that. So thank you also for creating this space, which is very important. You're so welcome.

Julia 1:18:03

Thank you so much for being here. 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

Brilliant Moment And Closing

Julia 1:18:35

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