Lifestyle
I tested for you : Maison Gynécée, the house of women and maternity
To celebrate the arrival of her second child, Jessica went to a place that is loved by future mums (but not only!). Designed by women for women, Maison Gynécée accompanies women at each of life's major events, such as pregnancy.
Motherhood, this dizzying world
Currently pregnant with my second baby at 34 years old, I must admit that I discovered my femininity in the true sense of the word - or rather received it head on - during my first pregnancy. And during this first pregnancy in 2018, Maison Gynécée did not exist yet... Too bad for me, who was completely lost in the vast world of motherhood ! I didn't have many pregnant friends around me yet, and at the time my own mother gave birth, epidurals didn't exist... In short, I had no idea where to turn to for information in tune with the times.
" I discovered my femininity in the true sense of the word - or rather, I received it head on - during my first pregnancy. "
So sure, I had some great podcasts to inform me (like the Louves or even Bliss Stories which are great). I loved listening to these stories out of curiosity before I got pregnant, but during my pregnancy, these stories of childbirth ended up being rather anxiety-provoking. Each one crazier than the last! "Knowledge is power" you may say: but knowing how to preserve yourself to avoid anxiety is, in my opinion, just as important.
Learning to accept all the upheavals
Even though I was 31 years old during my first pregnancy, I realized that my femininity was completely unknown to me. I was painfully aware that I didn't know my body so well and my femininity. And this lack of knowledge came back to me like a boomerang during my post-partum period with, at the end, a great baby blues!
That's when I realized thatbefore becoming a mother, one must first embrace her status as a woman. And that it was therefore urgent to explore one's femininity in order to better understand and apprehend all this torrent of upheaval (whether in our body or in our head), that we go through during a pregnancy. Beyond the anatomy classes we all had in college, I'm talking about this energy, this incredible power that is our femininity! I find that there is still a silence and a modesty around pregnancy that makes it difficult to access the knowledge we need to be serene. And I'm not even talking about this outdated assertion, the one that consists in making us believe that it is "normal" to suffer when we are a woman!
"There is still a silence and a modesty around pregnancy."
When you feel like you're "missing out”
I'm one of those who need a fairly medical follow-up to feel confident. So I was followed from the 5th month of pregnancy by my obstetrician gynecologist (who would be able to follow me until the day of the birth). I was seeing a midwife at the same time, but the relationship did not go so well. So I stayed in a very "factual" relationship with her in the end. My first pregnancy went smoothly from a medical point of view and I consider myself extremely lucky for that. But I felt that I was "missing out" on this state of upheaval that I was experiencing in my head and in my body. I felt that I was missing a slightly different, more holistic and less cold guidance.
How I discovered Gynécée
It was during the 1st confinement that I discovered Gynécée. I remember sending a message to co-founder Salomé, simply to say THANK YOU for thinking of creating such a place. We're hearing more and more about "birth centers", these alternative alternative places where you can be looked after throughout your pregnancy (and even give birth if you're looking for a less medical approach). Much more than a birth center, Maison Gynécée is a privileged place for women who are pregnant (or not), or who want to have a baby (or not): this place, teeming with experts accompanies women from puberty through menopause to motherhood, offering individual consultations and group courses, as well as workshops, talks, massages...
My experience at Gynécée
What a relief when I was able to be followed in a global way, and not only medical ! In order to better live through the upheavals my body was going through, I was accompanied by a naturopath and a dietician (two different but complementary approaches to nutrition), as well as an osteopath, a facialist and a draining massage practitioner. That's it! Finally, in addition to the individual sessions, I attended workshops with other moms (via Zoom Covid), on breastfeeding and other very interesting subjects, to prepare myself for the arrival of my baby. For those who are more anxious about childbirth, you can also take sophrology classes to get rid of your fears and to approach this moment in a more serene way.
Finally, there is no need to be nostalgic, since Gynécée will also accompany me for the rest of my life, by helping me to better live my postpartum period as well as the resumption of work thanks to many specialists on the subject of parenthood (life coach, parental accompanist...). Finally, Gynécée even offers workshops for teenagers and young women, notably on the subject of contraception as well as on the menopause. I think it's brilliant!
The information...
Gynécée La Maison de la Femme, is located at 62 rue blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris and is open from Monday to Saturday, from 8 am to 8 pm.
List of workshops and registration here.
contact@gynecee.paris
Tel : +33 (0)9 84 41 55 06).
Did you like this post? Discover also our selection of baby care products right here as well as the care to adopt for the future moms right here ! And we take this opportunity to wish all the happiness in the world to Jessica, who gave birth to her second little wonder in the meantime :)
