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Ep. 7 - An American in Germany

An overseas work assignment for Jessica and her husband didn't only offer the perfect opportunity to travel and grow their relationship more, but also presented a unique option of trying for a baby in a social system that provided a variety of benefits they wouldn't necessarily have at home. After a year of living abroad, they chose to take the plunge and pursue a different kind of adventure together!





Jessica and her husband were an adventurous couple who chose to pursue a 3-year work assignment stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. Beyond the career benefits and a chance to travel more, the pair had also considered that the timing was right in their relationship to start trying for children. And, what better way than to do so in a country that provided unique economic advantages!


After traveling and learning the language for a year, the couple decided to start the conception process, assuming it could take a number of months or years. But on a girl's trip to Paris after their first cycle of trying, Jessica was in for quite a surprise when she took a test before traveling!


She had a healthy pregnancy but after her waters broke with no progress in dilation, her labor was induced with pitocin to strengthen and encourage contractions. A bit of an epidural debacle was encountered, but in the end, she received the pain management she needed and dilated from 3cm to 10cm in a mere couple of hours.


”And then [when the epidural finally started working], the anesthesiologist came back in with Google Translate up and it said, ”Do your legs feel furry??” And I was like, ”Actually, yes - that is exactly how my legs feel!”

Jessica rounds out her story by discussing issues with weight gain and some jaundice for her baby, and then the process of re-patriating back to the US with a 3-month old baby and a case of mastitis on the day she traveled back!


If you have any questions and would like to contact Jessica about her experiences or about immigrating to Germany in general, she can be reached on Instagram @roomforgelato or on her blog at http://www.roomforgelato.com.


The YouTube childbirth classes taught by the Canadian midwife which were referenced in this episode can (at the date this blog is published) be found here (Part I), here (part II) and here (part III).


TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Immigration story, quick conception, healthy pregnancy, PROM, pitocin-induced birth story, vaginal birth, weight gain issues, and repatriation.



Hyperlinks to our social media and podcast player platforms:

ACAST (Android users): The Birth Abroad Podcast


 
 
 

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