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Sara is a researcher and doula in Zurich, her own website and her resources are below this description.

What if the difference between a hard birth and a healing one was a few well-chosen words, a handful of choices and a team that truly listened? Sarah’s story spans two countries and two radically different experiences where she found her rhythm, her voice, and her power. Her first, an induction in Denmark marked by pressure toward an epidural that failed, and later, in Zurich, having to forgo her goal of giving birth at Delphy's Birth House, for an induced hospital water birth at Triempli Stadtspital.

We walk through the real contrasts in maternity care. Denmark’s midwife-led approach offered continuity and calm, with minimal medicalisation. Switzerland provided more monitoring, options, and risk framing. Both helped in different ways, but the decisive factor was how supported Sarah felt. After a tough recovery the first time, including a third-degree tear and weeks of painful feeding before a tongue tie was found, she dove into preparation for her second: a birth house plan, a doula by her side, and tools like hypnobirthing, sophrology, breath counts, and a TENS unit. When her waters likely released and the clock started, she transferred to hospital and advocated clearly: no oral misoprostol, start with a midwife’s brew, then use a reversible oxytocin drip. An “angel midwife” kept the space safe. The oxytocin built, she stayed in rhythm, and the team filled a birth pool. With calm coaching to slow crowning, she birthed her son gently with no tearing.

Sara's Resources:
Why and how to use the TENS machine

Blog post on TENS

Epi-no device, to train and stretch the perineum, to prevent tears (a good alternative is perineal massage):

Favorite international birth stories podcasts:

- https://australianbirthstories.com/

- https://www.thepositivebirthstorypodcast.com/

hypnobirthing listening track and meditation/timer app for labor:

Favorite and super knowledgeable IBCLC lactation consultants (in CH/IT/DK - all offer online consultations in EN)

Fitness and pregnancy/birth wisdom

Surprisingly true and favorite reads: 1 2

Sara's own doula websit

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Please connect with us! See below for how to contact and interact with us:

To share your story: https://www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch/swiss-birth-stories

All episodes:

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Our websites:

www.swissbirthstories.com

www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch

www.lilybee.ch

Instagram:

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@happy.day.bumps.babes.beyond

@lilybeezurich

Tiktok:

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Substack:

https://julianeale.substack.com/

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Andrea's resources are below this description.

A birth can change your life. Two births can change your map. Andrea, a teacher and author living in Lenzburg, opens up about a first labour that moved faster than anyone expected, a cramped exam room at Hirslanden Aargau standing in for a delivery suite, and the cascade that followed: retained placenta, agonising uterine compression, a major postpartum hemorrhage, and surgery during the height of pandemic restrictions. With her partner sent home and information scarce, recovery stretched into a week in hospital and months of fatigue, anxiety, rage, and insomnia. Therapy named postpartum depression. Bloodwork finally revealed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, connecting dots and restoring stability with the right medication.

The second time, Andrea did more than hope; she prepared. Counselling helped process trauma. A clear plan flagged her prior PPH, requested the delivery suite, and lined up colostrum in case of separation. Her partner trained to advocate. Friends handled the midnight drive. Rest, snacks, an acupressure comb, and warm water carried her through. In the quiet between surges, she felt her son’s head, waited, and delivered him into her arms in a peaceful water birth. He surprised everyone at nearly 4.5 kilos, and the placenta followed smoothly out of the tub, with a blissful first latch to seal the moment.

We talk about birth trauma in Switzerland, trauma-informed care, postpartum mental health, thyroid health after birth, building a real support network, and why postpartum rest is part of recovery, not a luxury. Andrea’s story is a reminder that healing doesn’t erase what happened; it gives you a new chapter to hold it with care.

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Andrea's resources:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51290494-why-did-no-one-tell-me-this - a book I found at the local Orell Füssli and was very glad I read! My husband even referred to it while I was in labour.

https://www.youtube.com/c/BridgetTeyler - the one and only YouTube channel I used during pregnancy and postpartum.

https://www.thenakeddoula.com/ - I found her visuals to be striking and memorable. The flashcards helped my husband and I prepare for the birth, and I also made my birth plan using her visuals.

https://www.born-together.com/ - counselling with Francesca helped me process the trauma of my first birth story and prepare for the birth of my second child, which turned out to be a truly healing experience. We also had one couples counselling session.

https://www.thewavecomb.co.uk/ - I used the wave comb and water to help me have an unmedicated birthing experience and feel in control.

podcas

Support the show

Please connect with us! See below for how to contact and interact with us:

To share your story: https://www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch/swiss-birth-stories

All episodes:

https://swissbirthstories.buzzsprout.com

Our websites:

www.swissbirthstories.com

www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch

www.lilybee.ch

Instagram:

@swissbirthstories

@happy.day.bumps.babes.beyond

@lilybeezurich

Tiktok:

@swissbirthstories

Substack:

https://julianeale.substack.com/

Send us a text

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

Support the show

Please connect with us! See below for how to contact and interact with us:

To share your story: https://www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch/swiss-birth-stories

All episodes:

https://swissbirthstories.buzzsprout.com

Our websites:

www.swissbirthstories.com

www.happydayhypnobirthing.ch

www.lilybee.ch

Instagram:

@swissbirthstories

@happy.day.bumps.babes.beyond

@lilybeezurich

Tiktok:

@swissbirthstories

Substack:

https://julianeale.substack.com/