Grangettes Hospital

I have not written in a long time because I've been tired and busy.

When I arrived in Geneva, pregnant, I heard many positive things about the birth facilities here. Most of the people in my office gave birth in either HUG (the Geneva University Hospital), Clinique Beaulieu, or Clinique de Grangettes. When I spoke to my doctor, she told me that she only had affiliation with Grangettes and Beaulieu, my husband and I went to tour the facilities to choose. She did mention that if I gave birth before 37 week I automatically would have to go to HUG, since the clinics do not have all the resources that HUG does.

When I was pregnant, I really liked reading other people's birth stories, so I will tell mine here. I actually look back very positively on it, even though it was a painful experience.

Like many women today, I read and watched a lot of videos that promoted natural birth--no pain relief, no interventions, etc. I read many empowering birth stories, and even tried birth hypnosis. The hypnosis videos were great because they helped me sleep--sleeping when pregnant is not easy because you are heavy and uncomfortable. At one point, I was using five pillows--one to support my head, one between the knees to help my back, one against my back, one between my arms, and one under my enormous belly. The hypnosis tapes lulled me to sleep within 10 minutes, but maybe that's why they didn't end up working for pain management because I was always sleeping through them. I'd still recommend them and use them again though, since the sleep help was worth it.

Some women told me awful birth stories--labors that lasted two days and ended with cesareans, persistent chronic pain after delivery, being in so much pain they couldn't breastfeed their babies...several women told me that they would just elect for a cesarean next time instead of going through labor at all. I was trying to keep positive by reading positive birth stories, and it helped me feel less afraid about giving birth. I read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, and JuJu Sundin's birth skills book. Ina May works on a place called The Farm, in Tennessee. Women from all over the US, and some internationally, went to the Farm to have their children the unmedicated way. Had I been in the US, I probably would have tried to go there too. I'm glad I didn't! My birth ended up being more complicated, but I suppose even at the Farm I might have been sent to the hospital since my water broke and then my labor did not start.

Recently there are many articles and news stories about the high cesarean rate in a lot of countries, including the US. Supposedly doctors either get lazy, fear litigation, or are over prudent, and will resort to cesareans even though they are not really necessary. Many women also prefer cesareans if they have an option, even though it actually is a major surgery. Thus, in many hospitals and clinics the cesarean rate is 30% or more. I was worried about this as well--since I don't have medical expertise, it would be hard for me to tell whether I was being bullied or duped into getting a cesarean, or whether it was really necessary. After all, I would feel really awful if I insisted against a cesarean and something bad happened to my baby or myself.

Had I been in the US, I most likely would have had to have a cesarean. I had a condition called placenta previa, which means the placenta is close to the cervix. There is a risk that during labor, the placenta will come out before the baby, which means the baby risks suffocation and the mother risks hemorrhage. My case was actually marginal, so it wasn't so bad, and I did not have any complications during my pregnancy. However, the risks really scared me. My doctor told me I would have to have a cesarean, and would have to have it around 38 weeks because they could not risk having me go into labor. I asked her if there was any possibility I could avoid the cesarean, and she told me that she was willing to attempt a vaginal delivery if the placenta moved to at least 2 cm from the cervix.

For most women, placenta previa resolves as the pregnancy progresses. For me, it stayed at around 1 cm for my entire pregnancy. At 38 weeks however, I measured at 1.9. This was enough for my doctor to tell me that I could try to have a vaginal delivery if I wanted to. I spent hours researching people with similar cases as mine, and there weren't many. This is partially why I wanted to share my story. A few women delivered without complications, but there were also two who had horrible experiences and almost died. The risk of hemorrhage is higher because the placenta supplies blood to the baby--after the baby is delivered, the uterus contracts which signals that the blood flow needs to stop (sorry, I'm not a doctor or a scientist and it's been a while and I can't exactly remember the terms and am too lazy to look it up). If the placenta comes out first, then the blood keeps flowing out.

I wavered back and forth. Some articles that I read said that a delivery with placenta previa would require having a supply of blood on hand, in case you start hemorrhaging. My doctor said that we were close enough to the hospital that they would have blood delivered by ambulance if something bad happened, and warned me that there would be a higher risk of an emergency cesarean. In this case, she told me that I would just see a lot of people running around, and nobody would have time to explain anything to me. I decided to try to deliver vaginally, partially because I wanted to avoid having cesarean for my first pregnancy since it may mean that I would have to have cesarean for the rest, and partially because I think I might have always wondered if I could have done it or not.

Had I chosen the cesarean, my son would have been born 15 days earlier. He ended up arriving 5 days after my predicted due date, which is normal, but was an agonizing wait. Towards the end I was so heavy that it was hard to stand up. My hips and back hurt, and I was not sleeping well. I had a lot of false alarms. I complained to my friends, and one friend of mine told me that two of her friends had their water break while hanging out with her. I joked that we should meet up, because I wanted the baby to get going! I met her for a drink, and my water actually did break. At first I had actually thought I just peed myself, and was annoyed (as this happened quite often during my third trimester). It was completely unexpected because at my appointment earlier my doctor had told me that I was not dialated at all. My husband had drunk four beers because we were so certain that it would not happen.

As amniotic fluid continued to leak, we left the restaurant and took the bus home. I have great friends here, and someone immediately agreed to look after our dogs while we went to the hospital. Most women do not have their water break before labor starts, contrary to what we see on TV. I had my bag packed since week 35, so I grabbed that and we headed out. Unfortunately, if your water breaks you need to be at the hospital sooner because there is a risk of infection.

My labor did not start, so they had to induce me. I entered the clinic Wednesday night, and my son was born on Friday morning. I was exhausted because I was not sleeping at all due to the pain and discomfort. The pain intensified on Thursday night, and it felt like my baby was head butting me. I had pain management tips, which definitely helped, but eventually I asked for an epidural. Prior to that, I had been really regretting that I did not opt for the cesarean (though now that it's all over I'm really happy about it). After I got the epidural, I fell asleep. In five hours or so I woke up to horrible pain again, and they had to give me another dose. Grangettes has a walking epidural, so I was able to get up and move around. When the nurse checked me however, she said that my baby had descended and I was ready to push!

I pushed for about 45 minutes, but it didn't feel like that long. The epidural had worn off, and the doctor told me that pushing during contractions would make it less painful. I did not want an episiotomy, but unfortunately I got one. However, I was in so much pain from the pushing and the contractions that I did not even feel the cut.

My son came out crying loudly, and that sound was, at the time, the most wonderful sound that I had ever heard. One, because it meant that he was alive and breathing. Two, because it meant my pain and suffering was over. They put this warm, sticky little thing on my chest, and as I held him he stopped crying. I was worried before that I might not love my son right away, but when he arrived I was overwhelmed by the love that I felt for him. It was, and is, a love beyond what I could have imagined. I am grateful that I did not have post partum depression during the months after his birth, since I know women who did and it seems like an incredibly difficult experience.

I got to have my son in my room with me, although that meant that I got no sleep. I was woken up by shrieking every two or three hours. My mom came to take care of me, and made me food that is supposed to help with recovery and promote lactation. Apparently babies get really angry around day 3 because your milk typically isn't there yet, and they are very hungry. I had a bit of difficulty at first, since my milk came in late--my son lost a lot of weight, and had to have a bit of formula. However, by day 5 my milk starting coming in, probably thanks to all of my mom's good cooking. Then, my son transformed like the very hungry caterpillar--from a small thing to a big, plump baby with sausage roll arms and three chins. At one point her was in the 97th percentile for weight!

He's a bit less fat now, since he has grown longer. 

Anyway, it took me a while to write this, so I'm glad I'm finally done!

Gruyere

When my husband and I got married, my colleagues from work gifted us a mini honeymoon package in Switzerland, since they knew that we would be moving here. It was a "taste and harmony" package at Hotel Cailler in Gruyere, which included an overnight stay in their junior suite, entrance to the thermal baths, and a five course meal in their restaurant for dinner and breakfast buffet in the morning. It also had a bunch of other little perks, like chocolates, meringues, and a bottle of prosecco (that my husband drank by himself since I'm pregnant). I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a relaxing weekend; it was a great present, because it's not something that I would have thought to buy for myself.

When I was younger, even just a year or so ago, I never understood people who went on vacation just to "relax". I have friends who said their ideal vacation was to go to a beach and lie on a beach all week. It sounded so boring to me. For me, vacation was an opportunity to see things that I normally don't get to see. Thus, I was usually on a mission to see as much as possible when I traveled. 

After this weekend, I now understand and appreciate a relaxing, do nothing holiday. I have been especially tired lately, being pregnant. This is a late post, since we actually went in February. We brought our two dogs with us, and since my husband was tired from the drive, he and the dogs took a nap in the room, while I went to the spa. I checked the temperature, and it was safe for pregnancy. I love hot springs, and have really missed being able to go to saunas and hot tubs during my pregnancy. It was also kind of nice to have a private "spa" trip for myself.

There were two major pools, one indoors, and one outdoors. The outdoor pool had a great view of the mountains, and since the water was so warm, it did not feel cold to be outside. It made me think of those travel brochures to Iceland. Many people brought small children with them. There are saunas available, as well as hammams. It was really relaxing for me, because I didn't feel as heavy while floating in the water.

In the evening, we went to the restaurant for our meal. It was listed as five courses, but there were also small amuse bouches so it was really more like eight. The entire meal was 3 hours, and it was a really nice, romantic experience. I have never had such a long meal before--for me, food had always been a very practical thing. Good food, which I would usually eat too quickly due to lack of self control! In this case, we got small portions of very good food, which encouraged us to really savor it. The service was excellent. It was almost like a food performance. We started with a poached lobster with citrus sauce, and a sauteed fois gras. My husband doesn't eat shellfish, so I ate his lobster too! We then had a seared tuna dish, followed by something that I can't remember now. Our main course was a roast pigeon, which tasted like duck to me--which is great because I love duck. I had some reservations about pigeon, since I had eaten a pigeon soup at a banquet in Taiwan and got incredibly sick from it. We had something after the pigeon too, but now I can't remember that either. This is why I often regret waiting too long to write, since I forget too much!

We had a cheese plate, which I didn't really appreciate. I like cheese, but I have a very simple palette for cheese--my favorite cheese is mozzarella, followed by St. Andre/D'affinois, then cheddar, then American cheese.  The common denominator? All cheap and mild cheeses. I understand that the cheese they had was fancy cheese, but some of it was so pungent that it was not enjoyable. Maybe this is how non-Chinese people feel about stinky tofu, but this cheese was just too smelly. On the bright side, my husband has been learning French, and this experience was the first time I heard him speak French! He said to the waiter, essentially: "I...want...grape. Red." The cheese plate had grapes on it that didn't come with the cheese, but I guess he wasn't a fan of the cheese either--and apparently he likes red grapes, but not green grapes.

He has actually been very creative with his French. He went to the market to buy popcorn, but did not know the word for popcorn, so he asked the employee for "corn of the cinema". The employee actually did understand him, so he was successful!

Anyway, the meal ended with two different desserts--a pre dessert, and then the final dessert. I can't remember the pre dessert, but the actual dessert was a pineapple coconut cake that was very good.

The next day, we went back to the spa together, and then to the breakfast buffet. There I finally tried Gruyere double creme--I would not have tried it, except a friend of mine highly recommended it. It looks just like a bowl of soft cheese, but it's actually a thick cream, eaten with meringues and berries. I never liked meringues before, but these meringues are light and fluffy. It became my new favorite food for the next month.

We left in the afternoon, but will hopefully be back again. Maybe we will even make it an anniversary or Valentine's day tradition. 

Yvoire

A good friend of my husband's came to visit us in Geneva this weekend. After a long, gray, and rainy winter, we were lucky to get a weekend of sunshine. We took him to Yvoire, France. This is our second time to Yvoire, and this time we drove. If you do not have a car, you can take the train to Nyon from Geneva, and then take the boat to Yvoire. The boat ride is very nice, but it is far cheaper to drive. The drive itself goes along Lake Leman, which we refer to as Lake Geneva in the US.

We bought a deep fryer the other day, which we have both been very excited about. My husband spent the morning making donuts, and his friend asked him, "how do you make the holes in the donut?" And he replied, "You make a snake, and then the snake eats its tail." The donuts did not come out as well as we hoped--it absorbed too much oil, so we probably need to troubleshoot our recipe. 

We took our two dogs to Yvoire as well. It is a beautiful medieval town on the water. There is a little jetty where there are ducks and swans, and a lot of little shops and boutiques. It is a good place to go for lunch, since most places have a lunch special. I have had fish twice there, and was very happy both times. 

In the evening, we went to La Galerie for a friend's birthday party. Apparently it is a soup kitchen during the day and a bar at night. This explains some of their clientele. It was a really warm, inviting atmosphere, with bowls of chips laid out and blue grass music. However, there were a few people who looked like drug addicts, possibly also homeless, who hung around and harassed people (in particular, women). 

Barcelona

We spent another three and a half days in Barcelona, which might normally be enough time to see everything, but for us it was not. Mainly because I was really fatigued, being pregnant, so we ended up only doing one major activity per day.

The first day, we went to walk around the gothic quarter, which is a series of narrow stone alleys lined with boutiques. It is fun to go shopping there, though everything seems marketed towards tourists. On the way there, we went to Arc de Triomf, and the park behind it. The two dogs enjoyed chasing the birds, which included the typical boring pigeons, but also these bright green parrots which I have only seen in Barcelona.

Restaurants in Barcelona were diverse, affordable, and high quality. We actually went to a Chinese restaurant and an Argentine restaurant--the Argentine restaurant, called Restaurant Graella Alfonsina was by far the best Argentinian food that I have ever had. We ordered empanadas, and the mixed platter for two of grilled meat. I would suggest ordering meat less cooked than you would like--I ordered medium and ended up with almost well done. The Chinese restaurant is nothing to write home about, but it was nice comfort food for me.

We bought tickets online to see the Sagrada Familia. Before going, my husband told me it was the most beautiful cathedral he saw in his life. Having visited many cathedrals, I was skeptical, but he turned out to be correct. I was really blown away by the Sagrada Familia, and think now that Gaudi is a genius. I was never a fan of Picasso, so I didn't pay much attention to the texts lauding Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is an impressive blend of classic style with modern architecture and the personal artistic touches of Gaudi himself. The outside is beautiful, but the inside put me in complete awe. We went in the afternoon, so the sun was coming in through the stained glass on the west side windows. The entire cathedral was awash in colorful light. Apparently Gaudi designed it so that the east side windows would have cool tones, and the west side would have warm tones.

Nature was a major inspiration for Gaudi, so he designed the inside of the cathedral to look like a forest. He wanted there to be as much light as possible, so it is designed to be bright. This is in contrast to a lot of other cathedrals that I have seen, which are really dark inside. There are random details that reflect his love of nature--for example, a turtle carved below a pillar, and panels above doors that feature flowers and dragonflies.

Supposedly the cathedral will be finished in 2020.

Canet de Mar

After Christmas, we drove from Geneva to Costa Brava, Spain, for a one week vacation. We brought our two dogs with us, partially because it is difficult to find someone to watch them during the holidays, but also because we thought it would be nice to have them with us. Airbnb is a great resource for people with pets, since we can usually find accommodation that is dog friendly.

The drive is about 8 hours, so we split it up with a rest stop in Southern France. We spent about 3 days in a small town called Canet de Mar. There was a recent vote on the independence of Catalonia, so we saw a lot of posters about democracy, voting "yes", and even some spray paint of the swastika over the Spanish flag. The town is pretty quiet, with a small city center. We stayed only a few steps from the beach.

Of our two dogs, one goes completely crazy for the snow. The other however, goes completely crazy for the beach. Maggie, our mystery mix, runs into the waves and then rolls around in the sand. When I was younger, I would wonder why parents go to children's amusement parks, since it must be so boring for them--they are too tall to go on any rides, and the lines are ridiculous. Even as a dog owner, I now understand. You get joy from seeing something you love so happy. Dogs and children express happiness with such exuberance, that you can't help but absorb it too.

Coming from rainy Geneva, the blue skies of Costa Brava was a welcome relief. It was quite warm, though definitely not warm enough to go out without a jacket. This is perfect dog beach weather because it is not too hot for them, and also because nobody else goes on the beach so they can run around without disturbing anyone.

The town is very dog friendly, and also quite clean. In Geneva, people are very bad about picking up after their dogs, so the streets always have dog poop on them. Not at all in Canet de Mar, or even in Barcelona. There are many eateries where you can sit outside with your dogs and have a meal. We had coffee with milk and pastries in the morning, and went to some good restaurants.

Since we arrived for the New Year, almost all restaurants were closed. On New Year's eve, all restaurants were either closed or reserved. Luckily, we found a Chinese run tapas bar. When we walked in, a huge feast had been prepared for three little girls--it reminded me of the meal that my relatives in Qingdao made for me--heaping plates of clams, grilled shrimp, octopus, sliced meat, crab legs, fried fish, and so much fresh fruit that it looked like they were preparing an offering for a buddhist altar. The parents were still working in the kitchen, but the three little girls tucked in to the food, chewing loudly and talking to each other in Spanish. The mother would come every now and then, and they would speak in Chinese to her, but among themselves they spoke entirely in Spanish.

I ordered several tapas, including grilled octopus and prawns, and paella. There were a few elderly people in the bar, perhaps looking for a place to spend the New Year without family. One woman remarked at all the food I ordered. "She is pregnant", my husband explained, though I definitely would have ordered all of that even if I wasn't pregnant--after seeing the feast on the table, I knew that the restaurant was really good at making seafood.

In the evening, there were fireworks, which we did not end up attending because Maggie apparently, is terrified of fireworks. A few people had set some fireworks off which scared her as much as thunder does, so I didn't want to leave her alone. We could hear the fireworks and the music from our apartment though (much to poor Maggie's dismay).

After New Year, we went to a local restaurant called A Media Luz. The Chef was from Uruguay, and the food was fantastic. We have a sampler platter of croquettes, and grilled steak. I had a duck ham salad, as well as a creole pie and ravioli. I was going to order more food, but the waiter advised that it would be too much. Coming from Geneva, food seems really cheap in Spain. We had molten chocolate cake for dessert.

From Canet de Mar, we took a few short trips. First, to Begur, where we hiked up to a small castle. Second, to a monastery, Sant Miquel del Fai. The monastery itself was closed, but there was a nice hiking trail nearby. The monastery is tucked into the side of the mountain, and there is a nearby waterfall that you can see well from the hiking trail.

At the beach in Canet de Mar

At the top of a fort in Begur

Also in Begur

A Media Luz

Monastery