I approached my birth with excitement but also a mix of apprehension and fear. I really wanted a natural, positive and empowering birth experience, but I was nervous about giving birth in a foreign place where I don’t speak the local language (we live in the French part of Switzerland). I was also hoping to find a birthing house inside a hospital (as with A, my first daughter) but there wasn’t one nearby, so I had to choose between the big student hospital, private clinics or