Giving birth in the Czech Republic

My baby is already 8 weeks old and growing so fast. I haven't had a lot of time for myself since he was born so that's a good excuse for forgetting about this blog. I'm here now to tell you that while never the best day in a woman's life, giving birth is soon behind you when you look at that little bundle of joy.

I gave birth through an emergency C section in a hospital in the Czech Republic. C section was not on my birth plan but my boy decided to go out on his own terms. Nevertheless, the experience was not so awful and this is in part thanks to the health system here. Although not perfect, the nurses hold too much power in my opinion and you can barely get to see your doctor without the nurse being in the middle, the care we received was excellent.

Initially, I was supposed to give birth in a modern birth room, complete with bed, adaptable birth table, bathtub, shower, all the latest in the field. In the end, it happened in a very modern OR. If you are curious, you can see pictures here and a 3D view, here.

We've been living and working in this country for a few years so we have Czech health insurance which paid for everything related to the birth and care of the baby and to my care as well. All we had to pay was the stay in the hospital, a mere 20 euros for 5 days plus 20 more euros per day for the single room. I was alone in my room, only sharing a bathroom with another lady. The standard is 2-3 ladies in one room which isn't half bad either but this was better because I freak out in hospitals and I was able to get some rest.

The nurses here were divided in nurses for the baby and nurses for the mother. The ones for the baby give you all the training you need to care for your little one: washing, changing, feeding, giving medicine, etc. They were patient with me but they did not speak English, maybe they do in Prague, in one of the big hospitals but not here. I managed all right and now that I am not so stressed any more, I think I am doing a good job. At least the nurse who came for the visit at home said so.

Expect to read a lot more baby talk here because this little baby took over everything in my life.