My Pregnancy Week 24
I’m 24 weeks pregnant in Zürich. I had my two girls, 5 & 7 years old, in Seattle, Washington. From everything I hear, having a baby in Zürich is like a 5 day spa vacation. How can this be? And do I want having a baby to be like a spa? To be honest, spas stress me out a bit. Am I crazy? I’m a fan of a pedicure, but anything more and I just can’t sit still or relax.
My First Two Babies
With my girls, I left the hospital within 24 hours both times, as I couldn’t imagine spending any more time in the hospital than necessary. Is a Zürich hospital really like a spa? Will I want to spend all 5 days there? Supposedly for natural births the normal time to stay is 5 days. And I’ve heard that the vaccines happen in the hospital on the 3rd day. But I am so tired this pregnancy that maybe I will need all 5 days to heal and recover from the birth. Who knows how it will all go.
My Doctor Appointments
So far I have had a 7 week exam to confirm the pregnancy, 12 week in which my daughter came with me and told the entire town the next day at school and I got a migraine, 16 week where we found out the gender, and 23 weeks last week. My next appointment is at 27 weeks. I’ve heard that from 12 weeks everything is covered by the Swiss healthcare system which sounds wonderful as these bills can get quite expensive. So far I am just taking a prenatal vitamin given to me by my gynecologist and magnesium because I mentioned my toes were cold at night even though we are having temperatures in the 30’s! I also got a prescription for support hose which I LOVE, but haven’t been wearing since the 30+ weather started, but they are toeless and thigh high! How cool is that? They are perfect for summer and I absolutely love them. I got them after I noticed a few too many new veins this pregnancy. And one in a place I never thought possible. But after Googling it, I found out it’s completely normal! Yikes.
The Fancy Blood Test
At 10 weeks I really wanted this new blood test that is supposed to tell genetic issues and the gender of the baby. I was excited to have this blood test as it’s non invasive and it’s new since I was pregnant before. My friends in the USA got it and some friends in Switzerland. As a 38 year old I thought I would easily qualify for it due to my “advanced” age. But my doctor said I was low risk and did not qualify to have it covered by insurance. The cost of the test is 1000 chf. So we did not have it done. I just love the new technology and thought it would be cool to have.
Which Hospital?
I have not officially chosen a hospital yet, but my doctor delivers babies at one hospital in Zürich, so I’m leaning towards going there. My friends say it’s a wonderful hospital, with a bar. They say that there are breakfasts with the other new moms, a date night with your spouse, and champagne. Wild! My friend told me that if the baby is born before 34 weeks that I can’t have the baby at that hospital and would need to go to one of the public hospitals as they have neo natal units in the larger hospitals. So I guess my next step is to register at this fancy spa hospital.
Have you had a baby in Switzerland? I’m excited to share this journey with you and see if there are any differences in a pregnancy and giving birth in Switzerland versus the USA.
Read more about our decision to have a third baby and our baby announcement.