I consider myself lucky, both times my birth experience was good with just a few minor issues.

With my second baby I wanted to go to the same hospital where Pixie was born in Nice, I knew already their procedures and I had a pleasant stay there. I only considered another due to logistical reasons. Now we live right next to the public hospital in Antibes. Nice is not that far away but if there is traffic it can take more than an hour to get there. If you know the French Riviera this is not news for you. When choosing your hospital you have to take traffic into consideration. :)

Everyone was warning me that the second time the labour is much quicker and I might not have time to get to Nice. But I still wanted to have my second baby there, I just kept the hospital next to us as a plan B.

I think regarding the pregnancy and birth if you have to make a decision the best is to go with your guts! You’ll feel what’s right for you, and that’s the best decision.

We needed to think about our different childcare options for Pixie. Since we do not have a regular babysitter it was an issue we needed to solve.

We had a plan from Monday to Thursday (working hours) and also for the weekends, I was hoping to avoid the evenings but Friday evening was our most complicated option, childcare-wise. Spoiler alert, I gave birth on a Friday night :)

When you live abroad without family it’s not easy to find someone who can look after your kids with just a few minutes of notice.

You can easily find babysitters with a few days of notice, and it is the best if you have a regular one. Pixie is so shy she needs some time to get to know someone and feel at ease.

We never really needed anyone before. She goes to her nanny during the week but obviously, she is not available during the night.

Our friends offered to take care of her over the weekend. And had a few friends on standby. But we had another logistical issue, our friends live in Antibes. Giving birth in Nice and asking someone to take care of Pixie in Antibes would have meant that my husband would have to come and go between the two towns. Taking me to the hospital, waiting to see if I was really in labour, taking Pixie back to Antibes, coming back to me to Nice… yes, I know giving birth is not easy but I thought that the hard part takes place in the delivery room, not all the logistical issues.

It might sound like an OCD but you’d really have to be prepared for all possible outcomes. Or Murphy’s law finds me in every case, or not sure what else. It’s better to be prepared!

When I was pregnant with Pixie I did the traditional preparation classes so this time I wanted to try something more alternative. I’ve found a great midwife who thought me how to react to the pain and how to find the position where it’s better, how to concentrate on my breathing, how to use a small ball to massage my back if I’m alone. Basically, she prepared me so I could manage the pain even if I’d be alone, and my husband couldn’t attend.

It was great! I truly felt ready!

Since Pixie came 3 weeks early it was a surprise and nothing was ready yet. This time I was prepared! I packed my bag one month prior to my due date. It was just sitting in the closet and waited for the day when the little guy wanted to come out.

So, the hospital was chosen, had some childcare options for Pixie, my bag was ready and I was mentally prepared for the delivery.

I just had to wait patiently for any sign from my baby. And it was the hard part.

Every morning I was a bit surprised that baby was still in there and there was nothing that would indicate that he’d like to come out.

The last weeks were not so difficult, I just thought he’d come early as well and I was prepared for an early May delivery, so every day during that month I was a bit surprised that he is not born yet.

Delivery dates are definitely not something you can count with. You should be prepared to go in labour early but don’t be surprised if your little one feels comfortable inside and doesn’t want to come out. Wait patiently, be prepared and everything will happen as it should.