MY FREEBIRTH STORY
The story of my free pregnancy and birth
I don’t call my birth unassisted, but free, because that is exactly what it was like. I had been gradually preparing and sorting everything out for myself for several years. I decided to gift my trust and love to my newly expected child and a birth with reverence and respect to my body. I did it because I felt that it was right – to start one’s life noninvasively without a stranger’s hands, machines and instruments.
Kobi (my son) is already 6 years old. I have been longing for another child for the last 2 years. I have always felt that it will come to me… a girl… daughter – Katka. We managed to get pregnant more or less immediately. I missed my period and felt slight pregnancy sickness for the first time. I felt a little unwell all day and constantly. I never vomited but I never experienced this with Kobi. Luckily it only lasted for about 10 weeks and then it went away. It felt as if I was pregnant for the first time… it was just as beautiful and a completely easy pregnancy. We moved from Czechia back to London and Kobi (my son) started going to school. After a few months, we opted for homeschooling, so I spent my whole pregnancy with Kobíšek. We would go for swims and to the forest, we met a group of like-minded parents and when I was 7 months pregnant, we even went camping.
I am a doula, hypnobirthing teacher, practitioner of perinatal and prenatal psychology and kabbalistic visualizations Dreambirth by Catherine Shainberg and more. See my full bio.
My vision for my pregnancy was clear. I had had enough time in the previous 6 years to carefully study everything and find out what exactly it is that I want. My job as a doula allowed me to experience different births in different environments and with different kinds of support women get.
This is my gift to you, my daughter.
PREGNANCY
Before I went to a midwife appointment, I registered with a GP. The registration included a check-up. The nurse pointed out that I should get a Pap smear. I told her I was pregnant and she noted it down in her book and said that in that case the smear was not to be done and we would wait until after the birth. They found protein in my urine and the doctor prescribed antibiotics for the potential (!) urinary tract infection. I had no symptoms of a urinary tract infection. I bought cranberry capsules, D-mannose, vitamin C and urological tea. If nothing else, I can support my urinary tract. I returned the tablets to the pharmacy after some time.
Standard care includes: 2 ultrasounds, taking blood and urine samples, blood pressure, weight, OGTT (for at-risk women), no vaginal examination, measuring the stomach with a tape measure and consultations with the MW. In case of public care, a woman who will give birth in a hospital or a birthing centre meets a different midwife at almost every pregnancy check-up. My husband and I talked about what kind of care we wished to get during this pregnancy early on.