I did my first tour of a swiss hospital (Private) and will be giving birth in the heat of the summer. (Due end of July) To go through the hospital on a warm (winter) day +14 degree's and find it hot in the delivery room was rather concerning.
Any mom's deliver in Switzerland in the heat of the summer? How was the experience in the non -air-conditioned hospital?
I have found out both Hirshlandin and Bethanien have no A/C.
I already found it smelly in there and its not even summer yet- Im freaking my self out. They claimed it is not air conditioned because it can cause infection... I don't believe this. I do not know of one North American hospital that does not have air conditioning.
Please share experiences.. my nerves are rattled.. This just adds to so many other things Im freaking out about.
Thank you.. Nervous mother to be
I delivered in January and was in hospital the week before with high blood pressure. I was in a ward with 2 other ladies and 2 of us were too warm and opening windows. That earned us lots of 'tuts' from the 3rd lady who was furthest away from them!
Hopefully you will acclimatise to the heat - 2 years and counting and I still haven't!
Yes, it gets hot here in summer, but really only for a month or so.... I resorted to buying a fan for my apartmet.
To reassure you, healthy babies are being born here all the time! If you are concerned about the heat during labour, then ask if you can bring a small electric fan. Also ensure that you have plenty of icecubes and cloths to soak in ice or cool water, for cooling you down. Rest assured that the prize at the end, is worth the discomfort of the summer heat. :-)
Okay, what else are you freaking out about? Give us the complete list, so we can go through it with you.
There are different concerns obviously pertaining to labour/birth.
That is just normal, preparing my self for it over the next 4 months will better ready me. I've just got to get over this no air conditioning thing I guess. Unless anyone knows of any private hospitals in the Zurich area where there is air Conditioning?
I called the local hospital I would deliver at in Canada and they said the non-airconditioning thing is more of a concern/cause for infection/ spread of viruses than not having it.
It just stressed me out, but I guess nothing can be done other than just dealing with the situation at hand.
Don't quite know how to say this as you are a bit nervous. But once you are in childbirth- you will NOT notice whether there is air con or not Bonne chance.
I agree with this.. but after being in a hot sticky hospital is not ideal for me - used to air conditioning all my life- and felt ill last summer un pregnant in the heated apartment even with a fan.
I guess my option is to fly to Canada and have my babe there.
Sorry to hear you're worrying! I feel for you. I'm due fairly soon and already too hot just from pregnancy/hormones. I'm up every half hour each night with bad sweats.
Ultimately, if there's no air conditioning, I'd say you have to just be proactive and solve the issue yourself. I know it's not as good but consider bringing in a fan. Take whatever you think you may need to feel comfortable. For instance, I'm going to bring in some of my favorite music to play during labor.
*big hugs from one nervous pregnant girlie to another*
I had my first child in the high of summer in London and with no airconeither, and even thought I had a fan along, I was not allowed to use it... butit is true what other mums said above, you will not even remember that much atthe time of delivery and the prize will be worth the effort
I'm also a few days short of my due date with my 2nd baby and suffering withthe heat already, but my trick the 1st time around was to bring bottles offrozen water to the hospital and I was sipping on them all the way and usingthem to refresh myself around my neck and back and it worked. I also used thebirth pool and although the water is hot in there it help to cope withcontractions and heat. Good luck!
Okay fellow EFers - there must be at least one scientist here who can come up with some stats of reassurance at this point.
Yes me ,but I am no scientist .I just wonder what they doing in Africa BTW there are lots of hospital in Canada which have no AC.OP is a wimp
It's a load of bullcr*p. Only poorly maintained a/c systems cause infections - but so can poorly maintained ventilation systems without cooling capability and they do have them in hospitals here.
There are barely any in Ontario without AC... Since the 1980's it has been
Not sure about other parts of Canada but know for sure its like this in Ontario
Have news for you ;I work in HAVAC in hospitals in Ontario
Remember last week it was something like -15 in Zurich? Good chance the hospital heating is still cranked up to deal with freezing temperatures outside and have not adjusted for a tiny wee warm spell especially as the snow will be back in a couple of days.
Both my kids were born in summer during hot days and I don't remember it being a problem at all. You will be too busy with your baby to be too worried about being a bit too warm.
It's not all about the mother. Think about the baby.
Newborn babies like it warm. They've just spend 9 months in a hot tub and the last thing they want when they come out is to be subjected to a blast of cold air from air-conditioning.
Every sympathy with prospective new mums. I remember what it felt like, in a foreign country with any family or friends around. But honestly, of all the things to think and worry about- air con is hardly top of the list
Bonne chance.
Thanks for everyones opinions / advice I just thought given its private and very expensive to be on this insurance it would be very top notch facilities.
I know there are more important things to worry about/ think about regarding labour.. I just want to feel as comfortable and as at home as possible. I've decided to have the child here so my husband can be here because of work..
Canada is still an option and Im still 4 months away.
The facilities in the private hospitals are top notch, air conditioning is just not common here at all.
You'll find that the medical facilities WILL be top notch and, as was pointed out, neonates need to be kept warm immediately after birth (they have an awful lot of rapid physiological adjustments to make going from womb to world) and a warm/hot delivery room won't inconvenience them at all, and the newborn is the most important person in the room.
Furthermore, during labour your circulation will be so awash with endorphins, enkephalins, adrenalin, oestrogens and Heaven's knows what other hormones that your immediate surroundings will be the LAST thing on your mind...
As for no A/C, you DO get used to it and you end up dressing seasonally and coping with the "heat" (although it's nothing in comparison with either Egypt or Malaysia in the summer...)
My son was born end of july last year and to tell you the truth, I was cold and needed a blanket to cover me up I also thought the same as you. I was going to go to Canada to have my baby just so I would have more support from my family. But decided to stay here because of my Husband. I am glad I madde that decision because it was nice to have him in the delivery room with me. Time will go by so fast in the delivery room you won't even notice =)
I hope all goes well with you in whatever/whereever you decide to have the baby!