Summer in Lausanne means barbecues, lots of Mövenpick ice cream and ice-cold coffee treats to beat the heat and humidity hitting the city. If you are like me and indulging in some (or all) of the above, maybe you are feeling a little bit guilty about all the goodies you’ve been tucking away. And, if you are like me maybe you are not as motivated to get moving and sweating in this sticky, warm weather.

Luckily, there are a number of gyms/fitness centers in the area that can get you going in relative comfort and maybe you can treat yourself to a cool swim afterwards. Silhouette is a gym here in Lausanne that offers childcare so you can get you workout and not have to worry about finding someone to watch your little one.

Their website (available in English!!) says their crèche “provides the possibility to train in complete tranquility while your child is placed in the care of certified staff.”

Silhouette Lausanne
Rue du Valentin 32
CH – 1004 Lausanne
021 320 56 76

Practical Information
- Children are accepted from 1 months old.
- A child should not be left for more than 2 hours.
- The parent must stay within the club.
- Please adhere to the rules.

*Posted by Caro

**Logo courtesy of Sillhouette

I always admire entrepreneurs. Always – no matter how small (or big) the business is. This is the reason behind my decision to add another category to this blog: “Mommy Entrepreneur”, so that I can share the inspiring stories of non-Swiss moms who run their own business in Switzerland. As the premier post, here is the story of Jessica Marti, the owner of the Etsy store “Belles Mademoiselles”, in her own words.

Hello fellow English speakers of Switzerland.  My name is Jessica Marti, I am married and have two daughters; Rachel who is 6 years old, and Elodie who is three. My girls are the inspiration behind all of the items I create and sell. I have been involved in arts and crafts in one way or another for as long as I can remember. Although it wasn’t until six years ago with the birth if my first daughter that I started sewing.  It all came about because I wanted a handmade one of a kind baby blanket, and I didn’t know anybody who could do it, so I bought a sewing machine and gave it a try. I was hooked, it felt so good creating things I could use for my baby that nobody else had. I then started making things I really couldn’t use, and needless to say stuff started piling up. My next logical step was to start selling my things, so I turned to ebay which I was quite successful with for a while…

We moved from Los Angeles California USA to La Neuveville Switzerland in Nov 07. Wow what a change!!! All my designing and creating was put on hold until we got settled. Now I am back into the swing of things again, and I have opened up a little online shop on Etsy called Belles Mademoiselles.  It is named after my girls of course. After we came here many people would say look at the “belles mademoiselles” in French of course, but you get the picture. Now I design and make clothing and accessories for girls. As well as tote bags, and originally designed over the shoulder bags for women.

I love making clothing and accessories for my girls, and I think they like it too. They pick the fabric they like, and tell me for example, I would like a skirt, or that would be a cute headband. That’s how many of my items end up in my shop. It’s so satisfying to see them in something I have made for them, and they like wearing something they helped create.

Everything featured in my shop has been first created for me or my girls before it’s listed for sale. So I know how it will hold up to severe treatment, and washing etc. I would never try to sell anything I wouldn’t use for my girls or myself.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me, and if you are interested in my unique handmade clothing or accessories for girls, or perhaps something unique for yourself. Please have a look at my shop at BellesMademoiselles.etsy.com. If you decide to purchase enter coupon code LMB in notes to seller at checkout, and save 15% off your entire purchase. Or if you don’t have an etsy account you can still see my shop, and contact me through email at Bellesmademoiselles(AT)yahoo.com. I also make travel pillows and small pillows for children not listed in my shop. Thank you again and I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you, Jessica, for sharing and for the coupon code! I’m a big Etsy fan and totally tempted by the coupon code!

And, psssst, for those of you who want to read more of Jessica’s crafty stories, don’t forget to visit her blog!

*Pictures courtesy of Jessica Marti & Belles Mademoiselles

Sometime ago I blogged that I asked the hospital where I work for a nursing room. Now I will tell you what happened (sorry this update took so long after the original post):

Within 2 days I was told that I could use one of the meeting rooms in the hospital. It’s not ideal since sometimes the room was occupied but it was already better than pumping milk in the toilet. But after several days the human resource manager told me that there were 2 rooms that would be more suitable for me. These rooms are located within the children facility of the hospital (i.e. where they teach blind children many important skills). They are in fact bedrooms — with beds, desks, and sinks. I was given a key that was used only by me (and another nursing mom who works in the same lab as I do) and it was just perfect. I can go there at any convenient time, lock the door, and express my milk in tranquility, knowing that no one will bother me there.

Based on this and some other experience, I found that people were very friendly and helpful when it comes to baby’s and mom’s need. I don’t get the feeling that it was just because the law was on my side. I also realized that many workplace don’t have nursing room since most working mothers in Switzerland can take maternity leave for many months, so that when they return to work, the babies have started solid food, and they either change the breast milk to formula or nurse only in the morning and after coming back from work. But, in case you’re like me, want to nurse longer and maximize giving breast milk to your baby, I encourage you to ask for such room. And I hope you will have such good response like I had.

*Many thanks for Mme. De Allegri, who helped me to get the nursing room

*Picture courtesy of gregoryjameswalsh, used under Creative Common License

So you’re approaching the due date and want to pack your hospital bag? And now you’re wondering what you’ll need?

I won’t tell you the “regular stuffs” you’ll need. You can find this kind of list in many other sites. Instead, I will let you know what you may need additionally, based on my experience delivering in CHUV.

If you’ll deliver in CHUV, on your 37th-week visit they will explain and give you a leaflet with a list of things that you will need. Pay attention to what official documents you need to bring since these documents are needed for your baby’s birth certificate. Different documents are needed, depending of the your and your partner’s nationalities. Make copies and put them in the birth bag, ready for the big day (or night).

Okay, now for the additional stuffs for labor. We brought some bottles of isotonic water. But I was told by the midwife that they also provided isotonic water there. In fact, we can ask for anything we want (water, tea, juice, syrup), but remember that no hard food is allowed since it can be dangerous in case C-section is needed. To get some energy during the long labor, I sipped on some honey. Then, don’t forget your camera and/or camcorder. When the baby is out and put to your chest, remind your birth partner to take the camera out and shoot some pics. You’ll cherish those photos forever!

Then, for the stay, I wished we had brought a small clock. Since the baby roomed in with us the whole 4 days and nights, the midwives always came to check and asked for the time and duration of the breastfeeding. I had a wristwatch, but I never remembered to check the time before nursing. When the baby already nursed, I didn’t want to move since I was so afraid that she wouldn’t latch well anymore (you know, first timer!). A small clock would be great to put on the bedside table so that you can see the time easily.

That said, it’s also good to have a notepad and a pen to note the time and duration of the breastfeeding. I happened to have this journal and it was fantastic. But you really don’t need to buy one, you can just write the details on a piece of paper. Or create a fill-in table yourself and print it several times. It’s also a good idea to note when you change the diaper as the midwives also ask about this sometimes.

Most women have sore nipples when nursing for the first time. You can ask the midwives for Lanolin cream to soothe your nipple. If you’re allergic to lanolin you can use the free Bepathen that (usually) can be found in your “Baby Box”. I personally like Rafael Ointment from Vivosan. It’s lanolin-based, and has several other ingredients that worked like magic to my cracked nipples. I’m not sure if the CHUV maternity has it, so if you want to try it, buy/order it at any pharmacy or in Babyzou.

I had natural tear on my perineum and had quite a lot of stitches. So, after two days of wearing the super thick sanitary pads from CHUV, I became really irritated when I had to sit, since the stitches were pressed by the thick pads. I asked the midwife if I can use the regular (thinner) ones and she agreed as long as I change the pad more often since the regular ones were not as airy as the CHUV ones and could contribute to bacterial or fungal growth. Fortunately I had a package at home that my husband could just grab, so there was no need to make him confused in front of the sanitary pads row in Coop deciding which type to buy.

And finally, for the geeky moms who can’t resist surfing the net, you can bring your notebook and have a wireless internet connection in your room. Register at the reception, pay a small fee and in no time you’ll be skyping with your in-laws back in home country (We had such a great time showing off the baby through skype during our stay at the CHUV).

Now, pack your bag, and relax. Enjoy the last days of being able to sleep whenever you want to.

*I made this post with Kelly H. & Peter D. in mind. I hope this post is not too late. I wish you both a wonderful birth experience and please keep me posted when the little angel is out!