What can I expect from a prenatal course?
With prenatal preparation, we try to provide clients with enough information to help them eliminate their fear. Fear often stems from the unknown. The first step they gain in the course is therefore awareness. They will learn how the first, second, and third stages of labor work, what procedures are in place in the Czech Republic, what rights and entitlements they have, and what they may encounter during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Besides awareness, we also work with the mind and body. Hypnobirthing uses techniques that help women find a sense of calm and relaxation – for example, through affirmations and breathwork. We also rely on yoga, which we perceive as a connection between body and mind. From yoga techniques, women and couples in our courses learn to better perceive the signals of the body and recognize what they are communicating to us, which enables them to consciously work with these sensations.

Jaký je rozdíl mezi dulou a porodní asistentkou?
Doulas and midwives in the Czech Republic operate differently than abroad. Unfortunately, here it is not common to have continuous care from a midwife who would support a woman throughout the entire pregnancy, assist during childbirth, and provide support in the postpartum period. However, in recent years, this gap has been filled by the option to pay for a private midwife or doula.

Midwives with us are divided into several categories. There are those who work only privately, have their own practice, and attend births in maternity hospitals. In such cases, however, they do not function as healthcare professionals in the hospital but rather as companions. Another type are midwives who combine their private practice with employment in a maternity hospital. This option is very advantageous because they can privately support you during pregnancy and also be your support during childbirth in the hospital where they work and know the environment. Such a combination ensures continuity of care and better communication with the hospital staff.

Midwives are medically trained professionals who conduct physiological births. In cases where greater expertise is needed, they call in an obstetrician or doctor.

Doulas, unlike midwives, do not have medical education and cannot conduct childbirth. However, they are trained in the care of the laboring woman and play a key role primarily as emotional support. Nowadays, they often help women communicate in the maternity ward, act as intermediaries between the birthing woman and medical staff, and support women in being informed and feeling confident.

What advice would you give to women who have fears about childbirth or negative experiences from the past?
Don't sweep fear under the rug. Look at your fears during pregnancy, when you have enough time and peace to process them. Mindset plays a key role. Where do the worries come from? Maybe they aren't even ours. We often carry them over from the media, friends, or family environment. Try to analyze your fears and look for relevant information about them. You will often find that they are myths that have nothing to do with the reality of childbirth.

Work also on your self-confidence and trust in the birthing process. Hypnobirthing and yoga can be great tools to prepare for childbirth – they will help you better understand the physiology of birth and realize that the female body was perfectly designed for the baby to be born easily, safely, gently, and naturally. Fears are also closely related to how we speak to ourselves during pregnancy. So it is important to work with words and self-confidence not only in yourself but in the entire birthing process,

What techniques should actually be used after a negative experience?

• One technique to process fears is to write down your own birth story. Write it out, confide in it, express it. Give your fear attention.

• Another way to conclude the birth story is the bone closing ritual. It is a nurturing process in which the mother is cared for by other women who wrap a rebozo around her pelvic area. It is a time when the woman fully dedicates herself to her birth story, experiencing it from dizzying heights as well as depths, and can internally close it. This ritual helps the woman emotionally process the birth experience, whatever it was, and find peace and reconciliation in it.

Remember that every birth story – even for the same woman – is different each time. You can always enter your next pregnancy with a clean slate and prepare for the next birth according to your needs and expectations.

We are advocates of the belief that no matter how your birth goes, trust that you are the best mothers for your children.

The rest of the interview can be found on our Instagram.