45 | Lisa & Avi - A Homebirth in Czech Republic, Midwifery-Care & A Difficult Postpartum

In this episode I share my own second birth with Avi. I was fully set on having a homebirth this second time around too and was very intimidated when I found out the rules around working with a midwife here in the Czech Republic. Mind you, this was in 2019, and many things might have changed since then (I hope!) but my journey was pulling me between the fear of having to go through with a system where I didn’t feel supported at all and the hope of having everything play out as I wanted with a supported homebirth. I found a couple of fantastic midwives who supported me, Trygve & Avi through this journey and the birth turned out to be all that I wanted, and full of magic.

Postpartum was a different story, the first little while was wonderful, then lockdown happened and going from one to two kids while being home 100% of the time was difficult. It was really hard to find my place in all of this, while going back to work, worrying about the world, wearing masks and caring for two little ones. Avi also didn’t sleep well his first year and it’s hard to remember those first few months because I was so tired.

I truly hope that this story can help someone else out there looking for a different kind of birth experience and I am always happy to answer any questions so please reach out.

And here’s that Postpartum Padsicle recipe:

Ingredients:

• Biggest pads you can find (I pre-made about 30 of these each time, so get enough)

• Witch Hazel

• Aloe Vera

• Lavender Essential Oil

1. Partially unwrap a few pads at a time, but don’t detach the wrapper. Spread the aloe vera generously up and down the whole pad. Don’t just do the middle part, but spread it further down almost to the bottom of the pad.

2. Add a teaspoon of witch hazel down the middle.

3. Add a few drops of lavender oil. Fold the pads back up and put them in a big ziplock freezer bag, then freeze.

4. Take them out one by one, as needed postpartum (you can start using them day 1 if you want) and let them thaw for two or three minutes before use.

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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.