Pregnant in Geneva, and now what?

This guide is filled with information for all of you who found themselves pregnant in Geneva and are unsure of what needs to be done, when, or where.

So, you peed on the stick and saw the two lines. Assuming you’re not experiencing double vision caused by a girls night out, it’s safe to say – CONGRATULATIONS!

• Choosing your doctor. In Switzerland, in general, pregnancies are followed by doctors (OBGYNs), not midwives. So if you’re pregnant in Geneva, you need to get one. Check out how to find a medical specialist here, or go to the Baby & Child Group on Facebook, and ask for recommendations from fellow mamas.

***check with your medical insurance provider whether you’re not obliged to use a doctor from their list.

• Home birth. If you’re pondering on the idea of giving birth at home, best to consult your OB/GYN and l’Arcade Sage-Femmes asap.

 

 

• Choosing a birthing place part 2. Beginning of the 2nd trimester is a good time to start. If you’re a holder of a basic medical insurance you don’t really get to choose and Maternity Ward of HUG (Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve) will be your place. HUG is great and by many is considered to be the safest place to give birth in Geneva.

• If you’re a holder of a semi-private or private insurance, your choice is much wider: Hopital La Tour, Clinique des Grangettes, Clinique General Beaulieu, and HUG. Yes, apart from the private hospitals, you can still consider HUG. They have different rooms for holders of semi and private insurance. You can also schedule a visit to see the place in person, and get more details. Bare in mind, that if certain complications occur during your labor in a private clinic, you will be transferred to HUG anyway.

• You can also check out Geneva’s birthing homes: Dix Lunes in Puplinge or La Roserie in Geneva.

• Enrolling into a pre natal course. No matter if it’s your 1st, 2nd, or 10th pregnancy, a prenatal course is a great opportunity to get information, help, meet resourceful people, other moms, who will give birth around the same time as you. Many courses are offered in Geneva, for example in Grangette, in Arcade Sage-Femmes, in Hopital La Tour, and other places. (Simply google « cours de preparation a la naissance » or simply « prenatal course Geneva »).

 

• Postpartum midwife. One of the final things to do is to choose your postpartum midwife (not obligatory). After you give birth a midwife will visit you at home. She will check if you’re healing all right, whether the baby is fine, weigh the baby. She will also be there to answer any questions you might have about your health and caring for a newborn, including breastfeeding. They are pretty awesome! You can either choose one by going to l’Arcade Sage-Femme, or wait till they assign one to you (the hospital will get in toucj with them before you’re released).

• Baby’s medical insurance. You already have medical insurance, and when getting your medical invoices, you know how expensive medical care in Switzerland is. It would be financially devastating if your baby was born without having the insurance (and no chance for reimbursement). Costs rise dramatically in case of complications. And let’s remember that birth is tricky, we never know when it will occur. So, apply for your baby’s medical insurance in the beginning of the third trimester the latest. You will not be charged a cent before the baby is born.

• Birth registration. Obviously, it is something you will do after the birth. But. Prepare all the documents beforehand, as you will need some from your home-country. Some of those documents cannot be issued by consulates/embassies, so check out the list of papers to gather and be prepared. If you complete the file on time, you will be able to register the birth in the hospital (within 3 days after birth). After that you will need submit the documents at the l’État Civil.

• Paediatrician. Last but not least it is highly recommended to choose a paediatrician before your baby is born. So had over to amge.ch or Parentville’s Facebook group of several thousand members and ask around.