35 | Louise, Julia & Selma - Two Very Different Hospital Birth Experiences in Czech Republic

In this episode we hear Louise, who is Danish and lives in the Czech Republic, sharing the births of her two little girls Julia and Selma. She shares her journey of making the decision to become a parent in her mid-30’s and what it looked like for her and her husband Pavel to navigate the system once they found out they were having their first baby. Louise shares the difference in the care from her home country and how hard it can be to navigate a system that is unfamiliar while trying to ask the right questions. She shares how she found her midwife and hospital and how she was induced at 41+3 and Julia was born 3 days later in Rakovnik Hospital after an episiotomy and great support from the people around her.

When Louise got pregnant with Selma, she was in her late 30’s and had the standard testing done which came out with positive markers for Trisomy21 or Down’s Syndrome. We hear how she managed to navigate the difficult questions that arise and further testing and the unknown surrounding her pregnancy. In week 21 she finally got some good news and we talk about how Ina May Gaskins Guide to Childbirth was a great book to read in preparation for her second birth. She went into labour at 41 weeks on her own and after a fast labour Selma was born into the water. Louise shares how different her two labours and births went and how both of them were empowering experiences in their own way.

Louise really recommends the Danish labour technique called Laboro (here in Danish only), and to have someone with you that speaks the language of the country where you are giving birth. She also really recommends her midwife Marketa Gasparova if you are looking for support in Prague.

If you would like to reach out to Louise you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I’ll forward everything to her from there.

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*The stories on this podcast are personal experiences and should never be interpreted as medical advice. Always seek out a birth professionals expertise before making any medical decisions. The 9 Months Podcast is in no way advocating for a specific kind of birth, but on the contrary, we believe that all births are beautiful, just as they are.