Well yes, gynaecologists are specialists.... I recommend you try phoning one soon as they're sometimes very busy. The thing with good-"bad" doctors is that it's very often a personal thing - you like her/him or not. You can also have your follow-up at the Maternité (HUG), but you won't see the same doctor every time.

You can search for doctors on www.aemg.ch

A gynaecologist will do all the follow-up of your pregnancy and tell you where to go for the 1st and 2nd trimester ultrasounds. It's also possible to have a follow-up with a midwife (who might have more time for talking and counselling), check this: http://www.arcade-sages-femmes.ch/asf/ (the website is in French, but they do have English-speaking midwives if needed).

You still have time but you will have to think about where to give birth - Maternité (University Hospital) or a clinic - depends on your insurance and on what you prefer (University Hospital has everything incl neonatology in case something goes wrong, clinic is more comfortable...). You should talk about this with your gynaecologist or midwife.

first of all - congrats!

I will just correct a mistake in a link that eva gave you, it's www.amge.ch - association de medecins a/de geneve. you can search doctors of every specialty (except dentists), you can also search by language they speak.

I can recommend dr Andre Kudla. He's a good doctor. The only problem is his assistants, they are very messy but gyn himself is very good.

take care :)

Hi and congratulations! 

When i got pregnant, i came accross these two groups in Geneva and found there quite a bit of useful information about pregnancy, maternity, etc. Also got to meet some moms and future moms which is helpful as well. You can sign up for free and attend events, ask questions in forums, etc. Check it out: 

www.bumpsnbubs.com - information on doctors, recommendations, discussions, etc.

www.meetup.com/GenevaMTB - Geneva Mums, Tots and Bumps - meet-up group, discussions, etc. 

Once you decide on your OBG, call them up and make sure you say you are pregnant, then you will get appointment faster most likely as sometimes one has to wait 4-6 weeks.

Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your excellent advice and tips. I have been off line for a few days but coming back on and reading all this info is great.

thanks for taking the time and i'll let you know how it all goes :

May

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Good info so far.   Know that in Switzerland you can choose to have your pregnancy followed by an OB/GYN or Midwife.   Both can do the 6 prenatal visits which are covered by basic health insurance (not towards your deductible, a.k.a. franchise).   2 diagnostic ultrasounds are also included (not done by midwives, they refer out for these). 

Midwife-led antenatal care means:

- Birth at H.U.G. with midwife, or elsewhere with whatever OB/GYN is working that day.

- Birth at a Birth house (E.g. Dix Lunes, Grange Rouge)

- Birth at your own home

Independent midwives have a more holistic approach and offer global coverage .

OB/GYN-led means:

- Birth at a public hospital (e.g. HUG, La Tour, Morges)

- Birth at a private clinic

The above said, not all OB/GYNs attend births and not all attend births at all hospitals/clinics.

With any of the above you can also choose to have a doula who can provide additional emotional support (and sometimes English>French translation), antenatally, during labour & birth (if requested) and postpartum.

If you choose and OB/GYN you should also select a midwife in advance for your postnatal check-ups.   You also need to find a paediatrician (one is not assigned to you).

No matter what, you have to think about what you want for your care and birth?  Do a bit of reading or sit down with friends or a doula and then you can decide if you want to go for an OB-led or Midwife-led pregnancy & birth.

Have a good pregnancy,

-Michelle

http://tinyurl.com/expatbirth
http://www.moms-in-vaud.com