HypnoBirthing Blog

As a resident in Spain, whether you're working for a company or self-employed, you have access to the public healthcare system throughout your pregnancy. Healthcare in Spain is organized regionally, by autonomous community, which means it can vary somewhat in the different regions of Spain. In this article, since I give my HypnoBirthing Courses mainly in Malaga and the Costa del Sol, I´ll focus on how healthcare for pregnant women is structured in Andalusia. 

Here in Andalusia the healthcare is arranged by The Andalusian Health Service ¨Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS)¨, which offers the medical care for all pregnant women residing in the region.

Standard maternity care offered in the public system

Being pregnant is an exciting time and especially if it is your first, time you will probably be searching what suits best and what is advised but doesn't necessarily feel good for you. Once pregnant, you-ll receive loads of well meaning advice from everyone; your mom, siblings, mother-in-law, friends, and even neighbours or total strangers. Remember that advice is just that: advice. It´s up to you weather to take it or leave it. Some advice will probably be outdated, some will be not suitable for you, and some may fit just right.

Here are five essential tips to guide you through this remarkable time:

Everyone by now knows drinking water and eating healthy is good for your overall health, but why is this important during pregnancy? Let´s have a look.

"That sounds so freaking scary! Do I have to?

That would have been the first thing I thought a few years ago when reading the title. And yes, if you desire an empowered, beautiful pregnancy, birth, and motherhood experience, this would be the way to go. According to me, that is…" 

My own journey

How will you honour your placenta?

There are many options:
💛 Eat the placenta

🧡 Incapsulate it and take it as medicine 

💙 Make a placenta print art and hang it on your wall

🩵 Make placenta and/or cord art

💜 Plant it on a beautiful spot or underneath a tree

🤍 Keep baby attached to the placenta until the cord lets go by itself

❤️ Donate to the hospital

🩶 Nothing…. Dispose as medical waste

I don't like baby showers, at all!

Now you know.

Mountains of gifts for the baby, a ´diaper cake´, silly games like eating peanut butter from a diaper or drawing baby bodysuits... YIKES! NOT for me!

Worst of all? All the ladies attending seem to think it's a good idea for the mother-to-be to hear their horror birth stories and then one tries to top the other!

That is my idea of a nightmare before I would have to start my own birthing journey.

Are you also not a big fan of baby showers and looking for a less commercial way to celebrate a mother that is soon to give birth?

Why would you refuse constant CTG monitoring?

In Spain, as in many parts of the world, constant CTG (Cardiotocography) monitoring during labor has become a common practice. CTG monitoring also called Electronic Metal Heart monitoring (EFM), is the constant (registered on paper) monitoring of the baby’s heartbeat. This type of monitoring uses ultrasound technology. 

The constant monitoring is not compulsory. You have the right to refuse and explore alternative options, but why would you? Many women find it reasuring and assume that with the monitoring they and their babies are safer. But is this assumption true?

In this blog post, I will delve into the reasons why you might want to reconsider constant CTG monitoring and the alternatives available to you so you can make your own informed choice!

This article was written in collaboration with Esmarel Gasman of Dalalou Natuurlijk a webshop for natural postpartum products, blog on natural and conscious pregnancy. If you want to read the FAQ in Dutch click here.

What is the function of oxytocin?

This article I wrote in collaboration with Esmarel Gasman van Dalalounatuurlijk.nl If you like to read the article in Dutch clic here. 

One of the key components of your pregnancy cocktail

How to get a good night's sleep during your pregnancy? Are you having bad nights or poor sleeping quality? This can be common in pregnancy, about 80% of pregnant women report sleeping poor sleep.

In this article I wrote for Dalalou you will find tips on how to ensure a good night's sleep during your pregnancy. For the article in Dutch click here. 

Factors that can keep you awake during pregnancy