I gave birth to my oldest son Konstantin when I was still studying at university, and I remember how much I needed information about pregnancy and childbirth then!! I tired out our psychology tutor with my questions. I felt really scared of not knowing and what is more, I was far away from my mother at the time. I was with friends and peers who, to give them credit, cared for me as much as they could. I remember that on my first day of our practical lesson, I ran into class on sky-high heels with a massive belly, and my course mates pleaded, “Veronika, be careful, don’t run like that”.
I was in good health and went through pregnancy like a breeze, but when I was giving birth in the labour ward, the nurse who was fed up of the shouts coming from mothers in labour warned me, “If you shout like that, your child won’t shout at all”… and so I remained silent… As a result, the doctors missed the active labour phase and had to use forceps to help the baby out, which is a huge trauma for both mother and child. When giving birth to my second child I screamed with all my might, which was probably not the best thing either. And when giving birth a third time I didn’t shout for another reason – I knew it all!!! I chose the maternity ward myself – one where the child is put to the mother’s breast straight away and stays with the mother from the moment it is born. This seems like the norm now but 25 years ago only one maternity ward provided these conditions. The nurses were drinking their morning tea and didn’t feel like stopping their conversation. I told them, “Ladies, I’m giving birth to my third child, I know what to do, just show me where the labour ward is.” And when the waters broke I ran past the nurses holding a sheet under me and shouted, “Ladies, follow me!” I got onto the chair by myself and breathing calmly and pushing with a feeling of joy and great happiness, without shouting even once, I gave birth to a wonderful hero!
Aleksandra Alma’s book, Womb Bloom, is indispensable for future mothers. It contains a lot of hints and ancient experience on how to give birth to children with Knowledge, Skill, Happiness and Joy!!!
Director of a PR agency, personality figure in Russia, mother of three children.
Vera Zhestovskaya