May 30th is Mother's Day in France and I spent the day thinking about motherhood and the birth of my sons who were born here when I lived in Paris in the 1970's. They were born in the Clinique du Belvédère on the southwest edge of Paris. The Belvedere was a former chateau with lovely rooms and gardens. This is also where I was introduced to the Lamaze method of childbirth which was to become a lifelong passion of mine. I was anxious to return to the Belvedere clinic and to learn how things have changed in childbirth practices in the intervening years. I was dismayed to learn that the maternity clinic closed in 2003 and the building is now in private hands. It still looks the same from the outside, but the gardens seem much smaller:
I didn't bring many old photos along with me, but here is a picture of me and my son Philippe reading a book for his first Christmas in Paris. He has always been a reader!
This is a picture of me and my younger son Eric, taken in the Belvedere clinic. You can see that my hairstyle hasn't changed much in 32 years!
Happy French Mother's Day! Great photos - I had never seen any of them before. Looks like Eric has always liked to sleep in, but I think now we're pretty much neck and neck in terms of reading new books. I might know how to say 'apple' in French, but only Eric knows all of its TCM properties...
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article. I’m an American who lived in Paris in the late 70’s. I too gave birth to my daughter, Charlotte, in the Clinique de Belvedere. Also using the Lamaze method, it was a wonderful experience. Beautiful memories. 🥰
ReplyDeleteI too did. My daughter is now trying to track where her birth certificate might be. Any idea?
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