Health, and Expat Quotes

Looking back at our time in France, I feel my biggest accomplishment was giving birth to Mikus. Although we repeatedly joked that as long as I knew the French word for “push” everything would be fine, I was nervous and a little scared during my entire pregnancy. In addition to overcoming the language barrier I was also faced with a bigger challenge: I desired to birth naturally after the Cesarean I had with Lauris.

I have written before that the two pregnancies couldn’t have been more different, not just in end result but the whole nine months. In fact, the only similarity might be that both babies were boys! A long story short: I was able to successfully VBAC, overcome the language barrier, and have the birth I had long hoped for in addition to birthing a healthy 10.5 lb baby. Much of this is due to wonderful advice and support I received from my husband, and friends in Clermont-Ferrand, French-speaking and other expatriates both. Where I relied heavily on pregnancy books during my first pregnancy, it was mostly talking with other women about their experiences in France that guided me during my second.

4 months pregnant and feeling great!

The gratitude I feel towards every single one of those supportive friends that kept my hopes high and disposition healthy is immense, and I wish I could help them through their pregnancies in return. However, being here in the US while they are in France and elsewhere (and of course not all my friends are pregnant!), I will have to find other ways to express my thanks. I’ve decided that a good start may be sharing the advice and kind words that were bestowed on me during my pregnancy, and one of the mediums I have found is an expatriate online resource, Expat-Quotes.

This website has many different categories, designed to help expatriates connect as well as find assistance in everything from obtaining visas to finding a veterinarian, and would have been a valuable resource should we still be in France. It is in the “Health” section that I have found a niche; I invite you to read my article, “Prenatal Care in France” and leave a comment if you find it interesting or valuable. Of course, for my non-pregnant readers, thanks for supporting my writing and I value any feedback.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!