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Pregnancy and Birth in Spain
Lola worked during most of her pregnancy and walked 6 km a day. She was quite scared about going into labor, so they chose a doctor who really made her feel confident about herself. The doctor they chose had a reputation of standing back during most of the delivery and letting things follow their natural course, unless there is a complication, where he steps in if needed. Another important factor that made things easier was that the hospital was only a 3 minute walk away from their apartment. Lola loves sharing her birth experience because it was empowering and often epidural births aren’t told in that manner.
Lola Bio
Lola was born in Washington, D.C. to a Spanish Mom and American Dad. She grew up in the States for most of her childhood, but her family moved to Barcelona, Spain and most of her teenage years were spent in Barcelona. She’s currently working as an English teacher in Barcelona, and really loves her job! She lives with her partner who is from the Basque country—part of mid-north Spain with its own language and very singular and amazing culture.
Lola is 39 years old and was very unsure of becoming a mom because she had a difficult childhood. After having some years of therapy she felt ready to overcome her fears and they started trying. Lola got pregnant for the first time when she was 37 but unfortunately lost the baby early on. They kept on trying and got pregnant again 7 months after that. Her pregnancy with baby Julen was amazing and she felt energized, healthy, strong and confident. All feelings that haven’t always been a part of her life. You can connect with Lola on Instagram via @whatever.lola or @daniel_durall.
I’m an American living in Spain and due to give birth in the next few weeks to my first baby. I feel so glad to have found this episode! The process of navigating pregnancy in a foreign country has been at times a big source of anxiety for me, because not only is it my first baby and first time delivering but doing all of this in a foreign language is a bit intimidating. Hearing Lola’s story made me feel much calmer about how the hospital labor & delivery will go, and I appreciate her stance on how having an epidural can also be empowering. Great episode, great blog…thanks!