“Why don’t they teach us this at school?” I’ve heard that question from friends so many times. Pregnancy opens up a whole new world, and we sometimes find its important pieces only as we go. I want to share the things that were missing for me and for the women around me.
I’ve been through three pregnancies, taking a slightly different path each time. The first time, I followed the route laid out by the healthcare system. The second time, I made more of my own choices within it. The third time, I followed my own path, with minimal use of routine Czech maternity care. Each path gave me a different experience and a different perspective.
What I share here is slowly taking shape from those experiences, years of study and conversations with other women. Things I wish I’d known sooner. Questions worth asking. Possibilities we may not even have known existed.
We each have a different body, a different story and a different need for reassurance. So I’m offering you a palette of experiences — mix its colours in whatever way you need. Some will feel close to you; others you can leave aside. We don’t have to take the same path to understand one another.
At a time when artificial intelligence answers so many of our questions, I feel an ever greater need to share ordinary, human experiences as women. What we have actually lived through, what was missing and what we came to understand along the way. That is why these articles are taking shape.
I hope this overview helps you find your bearings, discover your own questions and feel a little less alone on your path. You don’t need to have studied everything or know all the answers straight away.