ernest is not moving to Milan - we're going to Munich!!!!!! In just 3 weeks. Yikes. Help.

[ernest]

So after months of not looking forward to Milan, at the 11th hour dh work change of plan - we're going to Munich. I am really pleased about change of plan, but a bit shocked it's so sudden - dh starting there 1st March.

so - having baby in Munich - good? Hospitals good?

We are considering the Munich International school to the south of the city - anyone know if any good/ or how it compares with the Bavarian IS to the North? Or are state school really really fab and seriously worth considering?

Thinking of Solln/Pullach/something else beginning with P all in south . these any good or any other recommended areas for families on pub. transport network?

Anything else I should know?

I've heard the accent is mad - is this similar at all to Swiss German? or just a mad accent rather than weird dialect?

[Fimbo]

.

[CaptainCod]

i LOVE bavaria

[CaptainCod]

god for the summer
the accent is mad - a bit akin to gerodie in the uk - conprehensibel but funny
my german is bavarian accented. they do haev th odd word of epxression different.

lovely food lovely towns
great acessibililty

realxed folks
GREAT

[CaptainCod]

adn imo more easy to understand than swiss german
a lot more

[belgo]

that's good news ernest, I know you really weren't looking forward to Milan. I hope you'll be happy in Munich.

[lilyloo]

Ernest glad you have got some good news!
Now you are happy about it it could be the freash start your looking for!
Sorry can't answer the ques but good luck with the move and keep in touch r/e the baby

[Baffy]

No idea re your Q's but just wanted to say hi, and so pleased that you have some happy news Keep us updated!

[geekgirl]

I'm sure we've got a MN correspondent in Bavaria - can't remember who though.

Don't know anything about Munich really, other than that house prices are v. high, but I can comment on the Bavarian accent - it's nothing like Swiss German (which I can't understand at all, and I am German), it's proper German with a regional accent.

[MamaPyjama]

You want Nightynight, she's in Munich I think.
Lucky you - I'd love to move back to Germany, even to Bayern...

[LIZS]

excellent news I'd have thought the German school system was akin to the Swiss one tbh .

[Gracelo]

ernest,

could it be Perlach, the other P in the south of Munich?
I lived in Solln while I was a student. It's a nice area but I wouldn't know about schools there.
The accent isn't that bad but then again I'm from northern Bavaria. It's not as different to German as Swiss German is.
If you need to find out about the best option for giving birth in Munich I can ask a friend who is a midwife which hospital she'd recommend.

[GrapefruitMoon]

Gosh Ernest, I obviously haven't seen any of your posts for ages - the last I remember you were very keen to stay in Switzerland and a baby was most definitely not on the cards! Congrats on that btw...

[ernest]

thanks everyone for your kind words.

In a bit of a whirl as been planning move to Milan since last October/November, and had house, school etc all sorted, and now need to start from scratch all over again. Gracelo, that'd be great about the midwife- I'm planning on a planned c-section if that makes a difference, so don't need to worry about various policies on natural birth etc.

planegg was the 3rd area we had in mind, but it's really all based on looking at the s-bahn map - absolutely no idea where is good/bad/better.

We're erring so far towards MIS in south west so I guess somewhere south er westish would be best.

I've made an appointment to visit the school a week on Friday. Now just trying to decide how to break it to the boys with minimum upset/confusion etc that when we said Milan, what we actually meant was Munich... Not looking forward to that conversation. We're planning on doing a slight detour via Munich at the weekend kon the way home from Austrian holiday where we are now, so we have only a couple of days to put the best spin on it. For them it makes much more sense anyway, and will be much better, but it's enough of a shock for me, so don't know how they'll react. Fingers crossed.

[Baffy]

Bumping for you for any more advice...

I hope the boys take it well ernest. I'm sure they will, especially if you sell it to them like you're planning to. As long as you and dh seem happy about it, I'm sure they'll pick up on that and be happy too

[finknottle]

Munich/Bavaria is a great place - loved visiting.
I'd have reservations about the language but you've learnt Swiss German so it's a bit like going from Klingon to Federation-standard English

No local knowledge but you will find loads of expat stuff. There's a website iirc - found it when scouting stuff for NN.

they have a Munich forum

Keep us posted if you come up for air 3 weeks notice

[ernest]

indeed! Thanks for link.

Where's nn then, sounds like I ned heer?

[finknottle]

You "ned heer"? Are you practising bayrisssch already?

Bump for her later - she'll be still at work. Or does Bavaria also close down for Fasching? Maybe she's on the Weissbier? Not much work being done here today - think my dh is one of the few at work.

How's your knitted baby coming along? And why are you having an elective cs? I did too for dd after 2 emergency ones.

[franke]

How refreshing - a thread where someone is excited about moving to Germany

I'm not in Bavaria so not much help I'm afraid. Good luck

[ernest]

ah yes, fasching. Austria has ground to a halt for that too.

Baby knitting coming along nicely, ta tho, given circs, too quickly.

elec. sec cos ds2 tore really badly (vbac1) put it down to 1st time bad luck. ds3 didn't think they'd be able to put me back together again. was at Kinderarzt with mil and she said, my, i've just read the birth report. how terrible. and a runtured vagina too. are you ok?? very and . so after 2x v. bad 3rd degree tearing etc etc I swore never again. took nearly a year to recover.

I bet you wished you hadn't asked now ;)

where are you then fn?

that link v. good. will be on it forever. ta again.

[finknottle]

Am in Rheinland-Pfalz, Village surrounded by vineyards, wee castle on hill, v idyllic.

Am only on laptop in kitchen right now as am googling fudge recipe for pancakes

Ouch at tearing - mine not as dramatic but can vouch wholeheartedly for elective cs (vs emergency anyway) and will bore you with details another time. Friend had her 1st CS with her 3rd child and was up and about in no time. "Schonender C Sectio" or something.

Oh and look at the thread about skin products for babies/small children. You prob have Weleda stuff already.
Honestly compared to friends back in England I was so glad I had my 3 here. Excellent hospital, midwife visits for 1st 10 days at home, paediatrician for check ups etc.
Only bugger (and a big one) was the 10-day hospital stay after caesarean.

[ernest]

ooh, I'm on Rhein atm in ch with the idilic vineyards!

Is that right - 10 days hospital after c-section in Germany? Am sure it's about 5 or 6 in CH. That would be worth finding out, as my mum flying over to look after ds1,2 & 3 (omg, they'll eat her alive!) she def. wouldn't be able to do 10 days.

dh reading dcs story now, so better look lively before he catches me at it. nabbed a copy of January's 'Eltern' mag and there's a big article on Munich in it. strange coincidence, but handy for some tips to dazzle dss at weekend so they have a great time and thus break the news a bit better. Fingers crossed for a bit of sun, that always helps.

[ConfusedMover]

I know nothing about Munich but I do know it also has a European School www.esmunich.de/english/data/aktuelles.php which might be worth a look. There are roughly 11 (or is it 13) throughout europe, including one in the UK.

[emkana]

It's not necessarily 10 days, my SIL had two CS and both times she stayed about 5 days

[thequietone]

WOOOHOOOOO!!! Hi Ernest! I moved from the UK to Munich last August with Dh and DS. I'm having an elective C Section in 20 days AND I live south of the city. My god, could our lives be any more similar????

Having a baby here is very good. We've got top end health insurance (needed as no NHS equivalent here), so appointments are thorough. I see a gynaecologist every 4 (now 1 or 2 weeks) and have a scan EVERY time! Also brief internals each time, but the less said about that the better. got lots of advice on hospitals for birth and have plumped for Lake Starnberg. It's amazing, I almost can't wait!
Look, I'm knackered due to only 20 days left, 4 days of just me and DS (DH is in Russia until Friday) and a torn rib ligament (aaaargh), but please write back. I'm only 6 months ahead of you so can be as honest as a newcomer can be.
xxx

[Gracelo]

ernest,
I havn't heard back from my midwife friend yet, but I did ask other mothers in Munich and I got quite a few suggestions. I had forgotten how much choice there is. I'm slightly since my choice was between the local hospital with a midwifes-only maternity unit and a hospital 90 miles away.
Anyway, it seems you need to decide if you like to have the baby in a hospital with a newborn unit, in case of complications with the baby, or not. If the hospital doesn't have a newborn unit you risk getting separated from the baby in case the baby needs special care.
There is also the system of "Belegbetten", which means you find a gynacologist you like and the gynacologist has a contract with a hospital (a "Belegarzt"). You get cared for by this hospital but birth and all medical treatments are carried out by your gynacologist.

One hospital with a baby unit that got mentioned positively a few times was the "Rote Kreuz Klinik in der Taxisstrasse" but the baby unit there is very small and you still risk getting separated from your child in an emergency.
Another one that got recommended is called "3.Orden" but supposedly this one is so fashionable at the moment that you have to register by time of conception, according to one mum.
Most seem to think that "Klinikum Grosshadern" is big and ugly but has very good medical care.
Other hospitals highly recommended were: "Geissenhofer" and "Wolfratklinik" but it seems for both you need to have a "Belegarzt".

I let you know my friends opinion as soon as she writes back.