LIVING

In Spain, medical intervention during pregnancy and labour is high compared to other EU countries, which can be daunting for those new to the system and new to pregnancy. According to the Barcelona Birth website, 85 percent of women here receive episiotomies (a surgical incision on the perineum and the posterior vaginal wall during the second stage of labour), while Caesarean sections are performed in 22 percent of public sector births, and 36 percent of private sector births. The EU Caesarean average is 17 percent.

When information and options are key components of a stress-free pregnancy, it’s reassuring to know then, that in Barcelona there is a wealth of services available for pregnant women and their partners, with English-speaking practitioners on hand to guide them through the process and offer natural birth alternatives.

Uby Muñoz is a trained doula, with two-and-a-half-years’ experience in the UK, as well as an acupuncturist and in charge of a successful Well Woman Clinic in the centre of Barcelona. A doula is a woman, usually a mother herself, who offers emotional and physical support during the pregnancy and labour. “When women come to see me, they are usually nervous, even if they have had a baby in their own country,” said Uby. “They feel more insecure, so I help them relax, get in touch with their bodies and then offer support throughout the pregnancy.

“What women want at this time is information. If you don’t understand what is happening, you feel helpless. Here, it can be difficult to get answers to your questions, so, having seen it all before, I can help with that. I know of one woman who was under a private obstetrician and every time she had a question, he said: “Don’t you worry, the baby will come out.” She just felt she didn’t have the right to ask anything.”

Esther Jones, who set up the Barcelona Birth website, believes an informed mother, with choices, is a more relaxed mother, and that the “medicalisation” of giving birth here can go against the natural order of things and create more stress for the mother.