The 9 Months Podcast

In this episode we hear Kam sharing the births of her girls, Nora & Zoe in Prague, Czech Republic. Kam planned for a home birth with both of her pregnancies and experienced really smooth and active pregnancies leading up to the delivery. Kam shares her journey towards finding the right model of care for her and how she went about choosing a midwife and making a birth plan.With Nora she ended up transferring to Podoli, and with Zoe she transferred to Rakovník and both girls were born in hospotal after a long labour at home. We talk about the importance of being able to make informed choices and to surround yourself with people who will support your wishes around your birth experience.Kam really recommends hiring a doula or a midwife to support both you and your partner through the birth. She also really recommends Aperio.cz for all things birth in Prague. Also informing yourself and going for a course, hypnobirthing or other to prepare yourself for labour and delivery.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode we hear Lucie share her second birth, with her son Harry in the UK (Head back to Episode 8 to hear her first birth story with Freya if you haven't already). Lucie is Czech and her partner is from the UK and she is now based back in Prague where she teaches Hypnobirthing. This pregnancy was a surprise and Lucie shares with us how it was really hard to wrap her head around having another baby while her first daughter was still quite small. Freya and Harry are 2 years apart, almost to the day. She suffered with all-day-morning-sickness for the first 4.5 months of the pregnancy and after that settled she had a smoother time. Harry's birth started with the water's breaking and then Lucie went in to a long and slow labour. After 24h she ended up having an induction and 4 hours later Harry was born. We discuss choice, knowing your options and how incredibly important it is to educate yourself before going through birth so that you know what everything means in the heat of the moment.If you'd like to reach out to Lucie, or if you are interested in Hypnobirthing, she teaches courses in person and online, and you can contact her on lucie@hypnobirthingbuddy.com or visit www.hypnobirthingbuddy.com for more information.Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com for more information or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast*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.

In this episode I speak to Vinuta (you can listen to her birth stories on Episode 18). Vinuta works within the mindfulness realm and is running the Prague Womens Circle alongside her wellness and aromatheraphy business Aroma Laska. We set out to discuss the wide topic of Postpartum Care and talk about our own experiences and what it looked like trying to meet our own needs next to caring for a newborn. We speak generally about it all and the goal with producing this episode is to follow up by diving deeper into specific topics within the Postpartum realm. If you have a topic that you would like us to talk further about or if there is anything we didn't mention (probably lots!) in this episode then please reach out and let us know so we can create more useful Postpartum discussion, support & content.If you'd like to reach out to Vinuta, check out her work at @aromalaska on Instagram, or just send me an email at: the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com for more information or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast*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.

This episode is part 2 of Carly's birth stories and this week we hear about her second birth with Rosie. Check back with episode 46 for the first part if you haven't heard it yet. For this birth, Carly decided to go down a completely different path when it came to preparing for birth. She changed OB, hired a doula, took hypnobirthing and spinning babies classes. She got gestational diabetes in this pregnancy too but with a little one at home it was harder to manage this time around and she had to really focus on breathing and her stress-levels to make it work with. In the end she managed to have a successful VBAC, with assistance of her wonderful doula and she shares with us how important it is to do your research. To read up on everything to be able to make informed choices.Listen in for a very informative episode this week.If you would like to reach out to Carly, you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode, we hear Carly share the birth of her first baby, Santiago in Prague, Czech Republic. Carly is American and her partner is Czech. and they were planning for a birth at a Prague hospital. Carly had a good and calm pregnancy with the exception of finding out that she had gestational diabetes quite late in the second trimester. She was able to manage it herself without medication for this pregnancy and talks us through how it was to manage it day to day. She shares how she was in the mindset of ‘Women are meant to give birth' and decided to go with the flow when it came to planning for the birth itself. Carly ended up with a long, stalled labour with the waters breaking on their own as a starting point and getting induced 18 hours later. After a long time with different interventions the labour stalled and she was offered a c-section which she welcomed at that point. The c-section and postpartum in the hospital ended up being a great experience and she was able to rest a bit and slowly step into motherhood with the help of her partner, the nurses and staff.We also discuss paternity leave, which is the route they went down as a family after Santiago was born and it is a choice that is available for all families in Czech Republic. This birth story is part 1 of 2, so next week we will continue on to hear how Carly went down a completely different route for her next pregnancy and birth and how she managed to have a successful VBAC.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

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.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode we hear Amelia share the birth of her daughter Valentina, in Catalunya, Spain in 2020. Amelia is an entrepreneur, yoga teacher and found herself pregnant in early 2020, right before the pandemic started. She shares her journey of single parenting and single pregnancy with the support of her mother. She also shares how the lockdowns became an actual blessing that allowed her to slow down and focus on the pregnancy fully. Amelia's water's broke in the morning, early in week 39 and Valentina was born in the afternoon in the hospital that Amelia had chosen, supported by her mother. We discuss how fear is implemented in early pregnancy and how that can really take away from our experiences as we prepare for birth and postpartum.Amelia is a prenatal and postpartum yoga teacher and trainer, you can reach out to her on Instagram @nydum & @amelia.valls or you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode Tatum shares the birth of her two sons, JP & Liam Lionheart in California. Tatum is a medical doctor in residency and she takes us through what it was like being pregnant and navigating the system while going through med-school at the same time. With her first birth she had an induction that caused lots of extra intervention further into labour. She had an epidural in the end and she describes this labour as being rough, but the moment of birth itself being calm. In 2021, after having symptoms of brainfog, anxiety and migraines she spent some time cleaning up her diet and lifestyle and they tried for their second baby. Tatum shares her concerns regarding the western medicine approach that she is working with as being a ‘band-aid' instead of looking for the root-cause of what is actually going on in our bodies and she used the same approach for her second pregnancy and birth which she cared for herself. She had no official checkups, and ended up having a freebirth at home with the assistance only of her mother-in-law and her partner.Listen in for a different kind of story, for a story that might help us see that birth isn't one size fit all, but rather individual and that we have the power to birth the way we feel is right for us.If you would like to reach out to Tatum you can follow her on Instagram @tatumface or you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com/Directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode we hear Gitanjali sharing the birth of her daughter Lilyana in Berlin, Germany during the pandemic. Gitanjali is Indian and her partner is German and she talks us through their conception journey and what it was like to go through pregnancy in Berlin.Gitanjali shares how important it is to be able to say that we sometimes don't really like being pregnant, or how we actually don't hear about the big changes and shifts that can actually happen in the body as we are growing another human within it. Gitanjali shares how she experienced forgetfulness, breathlessness, heartburn and many other symptoms that made her feel quite uncomfortable throughout her pregnancy.She planned for and had a hospital birth with an epidural and stayed in the hospital for 3 days postpartum before reuniting with her partner at home with their daughter.We also chat a lot about breastfeeding and feeding in general and how important it is that we get the proper support to be able to figure it out whichever way we decide to go, breast or bottle.We also speak about @La.Leche.League which is an international breastfeeding support system and you can find more information on their website.If you would like to reach out to Gitanjali you can follow her on Instagram @hippie.mamaa or you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com/directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode we hear Bruna share the birth of her little boy Noah. Bruna is Brazilian/Italian, her partner is German and while they are currently living in Germany, her birth story took place in Prague, Czech Republic. Bruna shares with us how her journey to her pregnancy with Noah first took her though a miscarriage and how that affected the start of Noahs.We talk about looking for Pre-Natal care that we feel comfortable with and Bruna chose to go with Canadian Medical and giving birth in Podoli Maternity Hospital in Prague which she was happy with in the end. Towards the end of the pregnancy her doctors advised her that Noah was very big and Bruna opted for a planned c-section in the end. She shared her experience with going through a c-section during the pandemic and how that affected the choices they could make for the birth and postpartum in the hospital.Bruna really recommends listening to birth stories as a preparation for your birth experience and also talking to your friends and family who have given birth before.If you would like to reach out to Bruna you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.*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.

In this episode we hear from both birthing partners, Melanie & Tobias sharing the births of their two little ones, Aurora & Indigo. Melanie & Tobias are Swedish, but have been on the road for a few years and they birthed in Bali, Indonesia and Orba, Spain. When they found out they were expecting Aurora, they decided to seek out Ibu Robin Lim a renowned midwife in Bali, to support them through the process of becoming parents for the first time. They share their home birth in Bali, the experience of birthing in a country and language that's not their native and staying in for a month after birth.Melanie & Tobias had Lotus Births with both of their kids, which means that the placenta stays attached to the baby until it naturally falls off. They also practiced Elimination Communication, which is when the baby goes diaper free and parent and child learn to communicate through signs when it is time to go.Their second home birth, with Indigo, took place in Spain, and they share how it was trying to navigate planning for a birth during the pandemic and finding the proper support and the best place for them to birth.We also discuss how important it is for both birthing partners to be equally involved in the process of creating, growing and birthing a human and how there are so many ways for the non-birthing parent to help and support the one who is giving birth.If you would like to reach out to Melanie & Tobias, or if you'd like to see their births, you can find them as Love Conscious Family on the following channels:YouTubeInstagramInstagram (Swedish Version)You can also send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to them from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.

In this episode we hear Jana share the births of her two little ones, Valentýnka and Tomášek. Jana is a personal trainer and she was just 23 years old when she got pregnant the first time. We talk about the changes in the body and still being able to stay active up until birth and the importance of working with our breath in labour. With her daughter, she got induced with a sweep at 40+5 and gave birth with the support of midwives in a hospital in Plzeň where her parents live. She got to come home to her mom's house for the immediate postpartum and we talk about the importance of having good and proper support during that delicate time.Jana's second pregnancy was planned, and she found out she was expecting her son in the fall of 2020, just after Czech Republic went into the longest lockdown because of the pandemic. She shares that it was actually a really nice space to be pregnant in, working a bit more from home and being able to rest more when she needed. Jana also studied hypnobirthing in preparation for this birth and prepared herself more with yoga and breathwork to support her wish for a natural birth.This time Jana was in Prague, and chose to give birth at Apolinář Maternity Hospital. She had a quick labour, only about 2 hours and she gave birth to her son with the full support of lovely midwives on a late June morning. Jana shares how it was different being home with two little ones instead of just one and we talk about how it can be very difficult if we have an infant who isn't sleeping for longer stretches of time.Jana really recommends reading about Hypnobirthing and listen to other parent's Birth Stories to prepare and inform yourself for birth. If you would like to reach out to Jana you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.

In this episode we hear Mandalei share the birth of her son River in Dublin, Ireland. Mandalei tells us about her Womb Healing Journey and what she went through to both physically and emotionally heal herself to make space for a new partner and baby in her life. In her mid-30's she found out that she had fibroids and she shares what she medically went through as well as emotionally to heal from that experience. She really wanted to become a mother, but as she didn't have a partner in her life she decided to freeze her eggs and had even chosen her sperm donor when things took a different turn, and she ended up meeting her partner David. They conceived very quickly naturally without trying and we talk about what it was like finding out that they were expecting so soon in their relationship. We talk about not being attached to the pregnancy in the beginning and how it grew stronger towards the end. We talk about the importance of having the right emotional support and making a birth wish and how we can get comfortable in it not being at all what we wished for. River was born during the very first couple of months of the world being in lockdown for Covid-19 and we talk about how that impacted their choices for birth support were available. After going through many hours of on top of each other, very strong contractions but without dilating, Mandalei had a light epidural to help her get some rest. She had oxytocin and a few other inventions before they realised that River was in distress and in the end he was delivered via C-Section. They later found out that the reason the contractions were so strong without dilation was because River was presenting posterior, or OPF which means that there wasn't enough pressure on the cervix to dilate properly and he got stuck.We also talk about the 4th trimester, healing postpartum and a very interesting South/Central American ritual called Closing the Bones Ceremony. Mandalei really recommends Christiane Northup's Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom to anyone going through a similar journey of looking to heal themselves from the inside and out.If you would like to reach out to Mandalei you can find her on Instagram @mandalei.medicine or you can send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.

In this episode we hear Irina share the birth of her daughter Charlotte in Berlin, Germany. Irina suffered from uterine myomas before pregnancy and she shares how that affected her and her partners journey to becoming pregnant in the first place. From the beginning when she found out she was pregnant her doctor recommended a planned c-section because of her pre exciting condition and she spent her pregnancy planning for that. Irina had an active pregnancy and we talk about the benefits of staying active before, during and after pregnancy to support the body through labour and birth.In the end she had a very positive experience with wonderful doctors and nurses during the c-section and after. We also talk a little bit about maternity leave, financials, choosing the right kindergarten and what it looks like in Germany where Irina lives.Thank you Irina for sharing your beautiful story with us!If you would like to reach out to Irina you can find her on Facebook at Irina Klose or send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast.

In this episode we hear Chantelle sharing the birth of her son Oliver in April 2020. Chantelle is originally from Canada and her partner Jan is Czech. She shares her quite easy way into getting pregnant and a more anxious first trimester, having fears about miscarriage and how she managed to find support through that time. While having a great second trimester, full of energy and being amazed at what her body could do she planned for a hospital birth, but as the due date came closer the world entered into a pandemic and she reconsidered and began planning for a home birth. They had everything set up with the midwife and just before the birth, the hospitals started allowing a partner to be present during birth and labour again so they again reconsidered and went back to the hospital birth plan. Chantelle had a long labour and was eventually offered an epidural which was a great choice for her. After that she shares many steps of intervention with us, waters broken, pitocin, the baby got distressed and Chantelles heart-rate dropped and she went into shock. She was rushed in for an emergency c-section and lost consciousness herself and was given CPR. Chantelle very generously shares a very overwhelming situation with us in combination with there being an unknown pandemic going on in the world around her.Out of her experiences her project Mothergood.cz was born where she provides a safe space of postpartum healing, sharing and exercises for parents in Prague. Through her own journey to parenthood she has created a place for support for other parents around her and if you are in the city, you should definitely check out all the wonderful things she has going on over at Mothergood.If you would like to reach out to Chantelle you can either check out the links above or send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.Visit The 9 Months Podcast directory for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast

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.

In this episode we hear Alisa sharing her journey to parenthood with her baby Aveline. Alisas pregnancy was a surprise both for her and her now boyfriend Pierre and she tells us the story of how they met and conceived and decided to spend their lives together. The pregnancy was event free and Alisa shares how she implemented her yoga practice while her belly was growing. Towards the end of the pregnancy Alisa experienced some symptoms like extreme itching and other signs that something wasn't really right but she thought it was part of pregnancy. After Aveline was born without intervention in Kralovske Vinohrady Hospital in Prague Alisa realized that something wasn't quite right. She visited her doctor and after a short while got diagnosed with cancer. She talks us through this whole journey with grace and confidence and as we speak she is on the other side of her strong chemotherapy and looking forward to spending her time with her daughter and boyfriend. Alisa's story is one of strenght and joy and courage and it is her wish that it might help someone else listening in one day.Thank you for sharing your beautiful journey with me Alisa!If you would like to reach out to Alisa you can find her on Instagram @missindigo and you can also always send me an email at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com .Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com episode list for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there..Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast

In this episode we hear Alex sharing the birth of her five little ones. Alex is a birth photographer and she's sharing her journey towards stepping fully into being a birth worker while having her babies. We talk about all things birth, like choosing your OB, following your gut-feeling, induction, c-sections and how important it is to try to create your own safe space to feel empowered though our birth experiences. Alex is very passionate about lifting up the fact that every birth is beautiful, no matter how our babies come into this world which I find such an important discussion to have. Alex also shares her 4th birth with her son Clark who was born sleeping at 22 weeks gestation and how that experience shaped her and her family. She started Captures for Clark which provides birth story and postpartum bereavement services free of charge to families who are facing similar prognoses that they faced with Clark: ‘saying happy birth day and goodbye all at the same time'. She also shares how it was like going into her last pregnancy with Teddy after experiencing a loss.Listen in for a wonderful story, thank you Alex for sharing!If you would like to reach out to Alex or see her beautiful photography, you can visit her instagram @alexandriamooneyphotography or go to her website AlexandriaMooneyPhotography.comYou can also follow me on instagram @9monthspodcast.

In this episode Anna shares the birth of her two little ones, Ted and Martha, with us. Anna is a Hypnobirthing teacher based in East London and she shares her journey of becoming pregnant the first time and ‘going with the flow' towards her first birth experience. She was induced at 40+1 and had an assisted birth and an episiotomy as well as experienced a postpartum haemorrhage. In between her two births she discovered Hypnobirthing and did a course which dramatically changed her view of birth and she was able to use the tools from the birth education for a more empowering experience the second time around.Anna also shares her journey to becoming a certified Hypnobirthing teacher herself and we talk about the benefits of keeping yourself informed about your body and your choices so we can have a birth experience that's not traumatizing.Anna really recommends taking yourself through any kind of evidence based birth course to prepare you for labour, birth & postpartum and to set yourself up with breastfeeding support before giving birth, should you need it postpartum.If you'd like to reach out to Anna or take an online/in person course with her you can find her on Instagram @hackneyhypnobirthing or you can send me an e-mail at the9monthspodcast@gmail.com.Visit The 9 Months Podcast episode list for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details there.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast

Carly shares her three birth stories with us with her three girls, Hazel, Olive & Juniper. Hazel and Olive were born in Texas in a birth centre and Carly shares how it was like to navigate the health care system and looking for a provider. Olive was a frank breech baby and Carly shares her journey towards trying to find support for a vaginal delivery and she managed to find a team of midwives who delivered Olive. The whole family then moved to the Czech Republic and Carly shares her journey through pregnancy while moving continents and trying to find care and support not only in a new country, but also through a pandemic. They had a home birth with Juniper and we discuss how it is finding support for a home birth in Prague and we both try to respect and protect the people that support the home birth system here as it isn't fully legal yet for midwives to attend home births. Hopefully one day I'll get to go in and edit this text to the contrary. If you have any questions about home birth in CZ you can reach out to either me or Carly and we'll try to guide you the best we can.*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.

In this episode we hear Tera sharing the birth of her daughter Hanna in Reykjavik, Iceland. Tera is Czech, but spent some time working in Iceland where she met her partner. Tera tells the story of how they met and found out early on in their relationship that they were going to be parents and how everything unfolded. She received care in the Czech medical system for a few months before changing over to the Icelandic one and she shares how fundamentally different the care was between these both places. We talk about birth not being painful, but hard work towards meeting our babies, about labouring in the midnight-sun, midwife led-care, trusting your intuition as well as surrounding yourself with people that you trust and about the importance of good postpartum support. Visit The 9MonthsPodcast.com for more stories or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.Follow me on Instagram @9monthspodcast

I this first episode of 2022 we hear from Alex as she shares the birth of her little girl Avalon. Alex shares her journey of going through a previous miscarriage in California and what kind of support and clarity that experience brought her and her husband. They eventually started to plan for a baby and she shares their journey toward becoming pregnant as well as going through the pregnancy and planning for a birth during COVID-19 in Prague, Czech Republic.Alex talks about finding her way through the Czech medical system and the choices she made while preparing for birth. Avalon was born via c-section and Alex shares her experience with that and how her postpartum journey went while recovering from surgery. She was only 4 weeks postpartum when she shared her birth story with me so listen in for a beautiful story that is very fresh in memory.

In this episode I tell my own first birth story with my son Phineas from 2016. Phineas was born in London and I tell you our story of how we ended up there as a family and how it was navigating care within the NHS and deciding on a home birth halfway through the pregnancy. I also talk about trying to get a job while being pregnant and how small I felt when I would get declined because I was expecting and I also hope I really share how much I truly love brith stories and how helpful they have been for me preparing for my own births. My waters broke while seeing a theatre show and Phineas was born at 39+6 in our bedroom in Hoxton after about 7-8 hours of labour with the support of a two wonderful midwives. Tune in to hear it all and do leave me a comment and let me know what you think about it all. To be honest I'm quite nervous to put my own one out there for the first time!

In this episode I speak to Nyssa and she's sharing her birth story from Melbourne, Australia with her daughter. Nyssa and her partner chose to hire a private midwife and still go for a hospital birth within the public system and they had a very good experience. We talk about wishes for birth and how important it is to give consent and to be able to debrief the experiences that we have. Nyssa gave birth to her daughter with a bit of assistance, including epidural and forceps and she had an episiotomy and she shares how it felt in the moment and how it has been to process her birth experiences afterwards.We have a discussion about postpartum maternal health and the golden month and I have a feeling we might get back to more on this topic in a later episode as we are both quite passionate about maternal health.

In this episode I speak with Tessa, a specialist mental health midwife in the UK and she's sharing the birth of her son Roo with us. Tessa shares her journey to becoming pregnant, experiencing a miscarriage scare around 7 weeks gestation and experiencing antenatal anxiety. Tessa planned for a midwife-led birth centre birth at the hospital where she works and she shares how the system works over there. Her waters broke at 38+5 and when it was time to push, baby presented OP (posterior) but she shares how her midwife helped guide her through the pushing stage until the birth of baby Roo.Tessa is very passionate about Mental Health in pregnancy, birth and postpartum and we speak about the importance of asking for help, of recognising that as parents we are never alone and there is always someone to reach out to if we feel like we are not coping. Follow Tessa on her Instagram @mentalhealth_midwife for wonderfully supportive and informative posts and you can also reach out to her there.

In this episode we hear Silvana sharing her two births with us. Her firstborn, Aurora, was born via emergency c-section at 35 weeks and was born with complications that led to her passing away at 8 days old. Silvana generously shares her experience going through loosing her daughter and how she and her partner managed. We talk a lot about how important it is to share stories of loss to remove the taboo that surrounds talking about miscarriage, stillbirth and baby loss.Silvana also shares the birth with her little boy, and how it was navigating a second pregnancy after her experience with her daughter. He was also born via c-section, so listen in for a beautiful story today.

In this episode we hear both parents, Marisa & Kes, tell the birth story of their little boy Aldo. Before having Aldo they experienced a miscarriage just shortly after the baby was diagnosed with Trisomi 13 and they both share their perspective of going through that tough time together. When they were expecting Aldo, COVID-19 hit and they share how it was going through pregnancy, birth and postpartum during that uncertain time, especially because they were going back and forth between Prague and Warsaw as well. In the end, they opted for an elective c-section and both share a very positive experience after making that decision to going through birth and postpartum in a Prague hospital.

‘I was watching myself from above and just kind of observing the sensations instead of feeling it as pain'‘The things that I have control over are my breathing, my affirmations & my visualisations and also my movement'In this episode we hear Rachael sharing the births of her two little ones; her daughter was born in Melbourne, Australia and her son was born in her home country of New Zealand. Rachael shares her experiences going through pregnancy, birth and postpartum in two different countries, and how it was going through pregnancy and deciding to move countries during a pandemic. We talk about how birth never ends up being exactly as we planned, and Rachael shares her experience of losing control over some things she really wanted for her births and how she managed to turn inward and really listen in and focus on the things she still had control over to birth both her babies the way she wanted. Listen in for two birth stories really beautifully and joyfully shared with lots of truly valuable insights on how we can actually take control over our births with the right mindset and preparations.

In this episode we hear Anja sharing the birth story of her little boy Frederik. Anja and her husband Pavel tried for several years to have a baby and Frederik was finally conceived naturally when they last expected it. We will hear how it is going through pregnancy and birth in Germany while also going back and forth to Czech Republic for work and family. Towards the end of the pregnancy, Anja had to have more scans because Frederik was a little bit small and they found a profusion on the umbilical cord. In the end she had to go for an unplanned induction and Anja shared how that all went. In the end Frederik was born vaginally but had to stay a couple of weeks in the NICU for some extra support before they were able to take him home. Anja also shares how it is having a baby in the NICU as a new parent and how their breastfeeding journey went.

In this episode Samar shares her two births with her little girls, Sára & Lea. With Sára, Samar had an eventful pregnancy, starting with the first scan showing markers for Downs Syndrome which turned into being nothing in the end. She experienced hyper-thyroidism and didn't gain much weight and ended up being hospitalised for about a week at 30 weeks gestation. Samar was induced around Sáras due-date and went through a long labour that in the end turned into an emergency c-section under general anaesthesia because Sára was sunny-side up. With Lea, Samar shares a much smoother pregnancy with no major hiccups and opting for a planned c-section. Leas birth was empowering and calm with Samars partner being able to be present in the room and we hear how different postpartum was the second time around.

Marie is a mother of 4 kids (Kristian, Luisa, Johan & Bohdan) and an entrepreneur and business owner of czechcourses.cz which she has been running since her first pregnancy all alongside being a mother. We talk about how it is chasing your dreams as well as stepping into motherhood and Marie talks us through all her 4 births. With her first, she went overdue and had an episiotomy during delivery. She shares having trouble establishing breastfeeding and how she wishes that someone would have told her earlier that it's ok to give baby formula and it's ok to not breastfeed if it isn't working out. Her second birth, baby came early around 36 weeks and Marie shares the extra worry that she had going into the birth and also postpartum. We discuss a Czech method called Vojtova Metoda or Reflex Locomotion that she practiced successfully with Luisa when she didn't have muscle tone to turn over on her own. With her third and fourth birth, the babies came quickly and with Bohdan they almost didn't make it to the hospital.

In this episode we hear Bori sharing the birth of her little girl Liza in Prague, Czech Republic. Before getting pregnant with Liza, Bori experienced miscarriage and describes how that journey went for her and her partner. We have an important discussion about daring to talk about pregnancy loss and miscarriage these days because so many women go through it on their own. After getting pregnant with Liza, Bori changed her care provider to a private one for a bit more personalised care and had a calm pregnancy overall. In her 39th week she started feeling sick and dizzy and fainted at home so they went to the hospital where nobody could find anything wrong with her or baby. They decided to deliver Liza via C-Section and she was fine, but Bori continued not feeling well. She transferred between Podoli and Vinohrady Hospital and after a few days they found that Bori's womb had been to big and perforated her small intestine and colon so she had to have surgery. Bori shares this unexpected journey into motherhood for the first time and how he fought for herself to become better to get home to Liza. She pumped in the hospital and managed to keep her supply during this difficult time to establish breastfeeding once she got home.

In this episode we hear Vinuta sharing her two birth stories from the Czech Republic with us. Vinuta is from the UK and her husband is Ukrainian and both of her births took place in Prague. In her first pregnancy, she shares her journey dealing with a severe case of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe morning sickness) and having to be hospitalised and how she dealt with that. Due to undiagnosed gestational diabetes, she lost her little boy at 39 weeks and experienced a stillbirth via c-section. She shares that pregnancy and birth with us and she talks about listening to your gut-feeling and daring to ask again if we feel like something isn't right. She also shares her journey with losing her baby and what kind of help she got and seeked out to be able to cope with such a tremendous loss and being able to move forward and get pregnant again. For her second pregnancy, she again dealt with HG and talks about the worries from her previous experience and pushing her c-section to happen earlier because of listening to her instincts. Vivi was born and Vinuta shares how important it is to have support from family in postpartum and how she handled being a new mom.* Trigger warning: This birth story is a story of loss and if you don't feel like you are in a good place to listen to it, then I'd recommend you skipping this one or coming back to it later.

In this episode we hear Katie sharing her birth story with her little girl Edie Rae in London, UK. Katie shares the journey to becoming pregnant and how it was deciding to make space for a baby in her life. Katie went through pregnancy during lockdown in 2020 and talks about the importance of community and family support and how she was able to find her way through all of that. We discuss how it is to have wishes and plans for how pregnancy, birth and postpartum will go and how that reflects in reality with how much pressure we can put on ourselves to have the perfect experience. Katie opted for a Birth Centre Birth at Homerton Hospital and after a very long labour she had an epidural and little Edie just needed a bit of support to descend with a Vonteusse and then Katie pushed her out. Katie tells us her story just 3.5 weeks postpartum so it's very fresh in memory and a very important story to listen to if you feel like you might be putting just a bit much pressure on yourself to have the perfect experience.

In this episode we hear Maike telling the birth stories of her two little ones, Tjada & Tammo in Prague, Czech Republic. Make is German and her partner is Czech and they opted for a hospital birth, registering at Podoli Maternity Hospital. They also hired a midwife to support labour at home as long as possible and to follow them to the hospital in the role of a doula. Maike found that the transfer to the hospital slowed labour down a lot and needed some help to get it going again and was given an episiotomy to help baby come out. She shares valuable information on her experience both during birth and staying in the hospital postpartum with baby.When they tried for the second baby, Maike shares her experience with having two miscarriages and seeking a bit of help for conceiving Tammo afterwards. With Tammo she wanted to try for a home birth and ended up labouring at home but baby was posterior and wouldn't turn so they opted to go to the hospital where baby was born very quickly. Maike and I also discuss processing the feeling of failure when things don't go our way in our plans and wishes for birth.

In this episode we hear Rowan telling us the birth story of her little boy Noor in the US. Rowan and her partner are both Egyptian and live in Cairo, but due to the uncertainty of the future in Egypt they wanted Noor to have another citizenship so that he could choose his own way once he is an adult. So after consideration, they chose to go to the US and give birth there. Rowan talks about and compares the care she received in Cairo vs in the US and the different approaches from her doctors at home and at the hospital where she gave birth. We also discuss the immense pressure that women put on themselves to have a ‘fairytale natural birth' and how that sometimes doesn't translate in reality, leading to unnecessary feelings of failure for new mothers. After a long labour, Rowan ended up giving birth to Noor via C-section and she also shares having a wonderful postpartum support-team in her family and partner after birth.

In today's episode we hear Lorraine sharing her two birth stories with her little ones, Coen and Esme in the UK. We hear her talk about getting a bit of help to get pregnant, using preparation methods such as Hypnobirthing and the Gentle Birth Method and going to Pregnancy Yoga. After giving brith to Coen, Lorraine experienced postpartum depression and Coen got diagnosed with reflux, but it took a little while to get the diagnosis so they had a difficult time postpartum. Lorraine shares how they dealt with everything and how she managed to get support. With Esme, having been through it before, she talks about how it was a little bit easier and how she was more able to understand the whole process. Esme was born in the water at 39 weeks. Listen in for a couple of lovely birth stories today.

In this episode we hear from Corinna, sharing her birth story with her little girl Matilda in Czech Republic. Corinna is German and her partner is Czech and she had an induction at 41+3. Corinna shares her insights on how it was going through an induction in a hospital setting in Prague and what kind of support she received along the way. We briefly also talk about the difference in care during the pandemic and what could be expected with birth partners etc. Corinna had a lovely time postpartum in the hospital but struggled a bit after arriving home, especially with feeding but shares her experience with finding a lactation consultant and getting over the stigma she felt over feeding her baby a bottle. Corinna is a wonderful storyteller and shares lots of details in her journey through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

*Trigger-warning: Today's episode contains details of an abusive relationship. If you are not in a good place to listen to this today, then I would recommend skipping this episode.Zuzka shares the story of her son Marek's journey through pregnancy, birth & postpartum. Zuzka was in a mentally abusive relationship with Marek's father, but decided to leave halfway through her pregnancy. She moved back to Prague and found support in her family and friends and her new partner here. As things calmed down and fell into place in Zuzka's life she prepared for a hospital birth at U Apolinaře. After labouring at home, she had an ambulance ride to the hospital where she laboured with Marek being sunny side up and having back labour. Zuzka had an epidural and Marek was delivered with forceps-assistance and an episiotomy. Listen in for a beautiful story of strength and willpower to get out of a bad situation and the birth of a beautiful little boy (who we can hear smiling throughout the recording) and turning life around to the better.

In this episode we hear from Rebecca and she's sharing the birth story with her little girl Fern. Rebecca and her partner went through a long conception journey with IVF and experienced loss and grief along the way to finally get pregnant with Fern. Rebecca's generously shares her story, which is a journey of strength, of perseverance and finally of really allowing ourselves to grieve the things that didn't go our way and that it is so important that we talk about it. She shares how it was going through pregnancy with Fern after experiencing previous loss and at 35 weeks Rebecca was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome and Fern was delivered via c-section quite quickly afterwards. Rebecca also shares how wonderful it was to be able to breastfeed for a long time and how great it was for them to be able to establish a breastfeeding from the start. Rebecca is an amazing woman, and we share lots of laughs and jokes but also talk about infertility and loss in a really real way.

In this episode we hear from Karina, a yoga teacher originally from the UK who's been living in Czech Republic for over a decade. Karina and her partner had trouble conceiving when they decided to start a family and ended up turning to IVF for help on their journey to parenthood. She shares a few losses along the way and how it was going through IVF both in the UK and through a couple of different clinics in Prague. She ended up with two beautiful boys and we discuss the differences between both pregnancies, birth and postpartum inn terms of bonding, breastfeeding and healing after birth. Karina had both her boys in Krc Hospital and shares her experience there with us.

In this episode we hear from Kat and she's sharing her two very different birth stories with us. Her first, with her daughter Lyra, it took a while to conceive and when pregnant, Kat was starting to feel really low and only later did she realise that she experienced prenatal depression. She had an hospital birth, with epidural and 30 hour long labour. There was plenty of medical interventions from medical professionals who we discuss didn't really know how to address and support a woman in labour properly. After Lyra's birth, Kat struggled with breastfeeding and postpartum depression but when they got pregnant with Robert she knew the signs, and was able to ask for help and prepare herself for the birth better after her first experience. She planned a home birth and describes an empowering birth experience to us as well as a much better postpartum period. Kat's stories carries the importance of sharing our experiences with mental health and seeking out proper support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

In this episode we hear from Lucie sharing her first pregnancy and birth with her daughter Freya in the UK. Lucie is originally from the Czech Republic but lived many years in the UK. She is now back living in Prague where she works as a hypnobirthing teacher. Hypnobirthing is a practice that aims to teach that all women deserve to experience the kind of Birth that they hope for, regardless of it being a natural, induced or a C-section birth. No birth is the same, and sometimes things don't go to plan but Lucie tells us that hypnobirthing will give you the right tools to reduce anxiety, fears and make you feel positive and empowered. Lucie shares how she used these tools while giving birth to Freya in a hospital setting. We also talk birthing sounds, treating mastitis with frozen cabbage leaves and stepping into motherhood for the first time. Lucie is a great storyteller and I know you will enjoy listen to how Freya came into this world.

Vaya shares the birth of her daughter Maria that took place in Podoli Maternity Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. Vaya was pregnant and gave birth during the pandemic and shares insight in how her care was provided during that delicate time. They found out that Maria was in breech position and that she was also struggling to gain weight so she was delivered via a planned C-section. Vaya praises the care that she received and we also discuss some of the hardship in not being able to communicate very well with the staff sometimes as well as not being able to have a loved one with her during postpartum in the hospital due to the pandemic. Vaya's story is full of beautiful insight in pregnancy, birth and postpartum during 2020 so listen in to hear a wonderful story of how her little girl came into this world.*A little disclaimer here also regarding the sound-quality. A couple of times there is a little noise when Vaya is speaking, but its only for a few seconds here and there and the bits were too important to cut out, so bare with me as I slowly learn the craft of flawless audio-quality.

In this episode, Sascha shares her daughter Greta's birth story with us from Stockholm, Sweden. Shea had a fast birth and even though she didn't plan for a home birth, she ended up giving birth in her apartment just before the ambulance arrived. Sascha also shares her journey to becoming pregnant, and we discuss how maternity leave and pregnancy care looks like within the Swedish system. Listen in for a wonderful birth story that'll keep you at the edge of your seat for a bit!

Stephanie shares her birth stories with her two little boys Sebastian & Max in Dubai, UAE. Her first birth, with Sebastian, was a natural, vaginal breech delivery and Stephanie shares how it was like finding a doctor and a support system that allowed her to try for a natural birth with a breech baby. With Max, Stephanie shares a precipitous birth in the car in front of the hospital and dealing with loosing lots of blood and having to be put under general anaesthesia so shortly after Max was born. Stephanie is American, and her husband is British and she also shares her perspective of being an expat and giving birth in a country where she didn't grow up.

In today's episode we hear from Polina, who shares her two birth stories with her two little boys Teo & Imro in Geneva, Switzerland. Polina is Russian and her husband is Czech and she shares a lot of comparison between how the system works in all these places. She shares her experience with early miscarriage and a bumpy ride to conception and having to courage to make your own choices and listening to your gut-feeling as a mother. Polina is a straight forward woman who doesn't sugarcoat, so tune in to hear her unique stories of birth.*This episode has a couple of explicit words, so just a reminder if you are listening in with your little ones around, you know that might come up in the middle.

Sharka shares the births of her two sons with us, the first one took place in Dubai, UAE, almost 20 years ago and the second one in Manila, the Philippines a couple of years later. Sharka, originally from Czech Republic, is a yoga teacher who has travelled and lived all over the world with her family and shares valuable insight in how it is giving birth and finding proper support in countries that were not her native. Tune in to hear Sharka's calm voice guide us through her beautiful stories of birth.

Zsófi shares her birth stories with her two little ones, Ingrid and Bruno in Prague, Czech Republic. Zsófi is Hungarian and her partner Paul is German and she shares going through pregancy, birth and postpartum in the Czech Republic, while trying to learn the language and the customs around birth there. She ended up having an emergency caesarean with Ingrid, under general anaesthesia, and shares her journey of emotionally trying to process that birth postpartum. When getting pregnant for the second time, she found a doctor who was positive for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarian) and ended up going postdates but ended up giving birth to Bruno via a planned, and empowering c-section.

In this first episode we hear from Erin, sharing her journey through pregnancy, birth and postpartum with her little boy Oscar. Erin is originally from New Mexico but Oscar was born in Prague, Czech Republic. She takes us through how it was like giving birth in a country and a language that weren't her own and what challenges that brought. She shares her active pregnancy and how she experienced a bleed and a trip to the hospital in early pregnancy. We also talk about back-labour and choosing a doula and postpartum care in the Czech Republic.