Articles

Pregnancy, birth & postpartum in Portugal

Honest articles drawn from our podcast conversations with parents and perinatal practitioners, with sources for the medical and legal facts.

• A full toolbox and a speedy second birth: a home birth in Ericeira

  Giulia's first birth in Paris left her with one tool: water. For her second, a home birth in Ericeira, she built a full toolbox, and Charles caught the baby.

• Frozen eggs, IVF and motherhood at 45: Mara's story

  Mara froze her eggs at 37 and became a mother at 45 in Lisbon: a pregnancy after 45, a chosen caesarean, and a postpartum no one prepared her for.

• From home birth plan to pre-eclampsia: taking back control of an induced birth

  Isabel planned a home birth in the Azores. At 36 weeks, pre-eclampsia meant an induction. With Pepe by her side, she still had the birth she wanted.

• Three premature births, three different stories: from trauma to empowerment

  Midwife Sara Arruda had three premature babies in the Azores. How she went from a traumatic first birth to the birth she visualised, and why self-care matters.

• Matrescence: the word that changes everything about becoming a mother

  Somatic psychotherapist Hannah Staunton explains matrescence, why new mothers feel on edge, how birth trauma goes unnoticed, and how to prepare for postpartum.

• IVF alone, a premature birth and a healing caesarean: Rita's story

  Rita became a single mother through IVF in Portugal. Her son was born at 28 weeks; her daughter came via a mother-assisted caesarean that helped her heal.

• The role of a midwife in Portugal: from birth trauma to home birth

  Midwife Filipa Piedade turned a traumatic birth into a mission. What midwives can do in Portugal, why birth plans help, and the reality of hospital work.

• Home birth in Portugal: what a midwife wants you to know

  Midwife Raquel Cajão on home birth in Portugal: who attends it, what a safe birth really means, when to go to hospital and how to protect your labour.

• Giving birth in the Azores: a hospital fire, a midwife on a plane and a home birth

  When the maternity ward burned weeks before her due date, Irene Jaspers had 24 hours to choose a new plan. Her story of trusting her body in the Azores.

• Mother-assisted caesarean: when you lift your own baby out

  Dutch obstetrician Koen Deurloo explains the mother-assisted caesarean (MAC), a gentle C-section where the mother guides her baby out with her own hands.

• Giving birth in Portugal: what they don't tell you

  Doula and activist Sara do Vale explains how maternity care works in Portugal, public vs private, your rights, and what to do when things go wrong.

• Planning a home birth in Portugal: when plan B is the right birth

  Maria, a doctor, and Carlos planned a home birth in Portugal. After five nights of labour, they transferred to hospital and still had the birth they needed.