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A Sunday in May, 3:40 a.m. in Nusle, three days before the due date. Marina is sitting on the edge of the bath with a phone in her hand, timing: forty seconds of a belt tightening round her belly, then nothing, then again. Dima is awake in the doorway, already dressed, holding the bag that has stood by the door since week 36. „Po kolika minutách?“ he asks, in Czech, because they agreed to practise. „Po pěti,“ she says. „Asi od tří.“ That is the sentence the night turns on. Ten minutes later they are in a taxi along the river, past Vyšehrad rock, to Podolí.
Nobody tells you that the birth itself is also a language exam, only the examiner is kind. At příjem you will be asked when the contractions started and whether odtekla voda; on the porodní sál the instructions come short and fast, in the familiar ty form; and after it all, on the šestinedělí ward, a nurse will take your son for a drop of blood from his heel and hand you a report full of abbreviations. This lesson gives you the words for each stage of that night and the three days after: what to say on the phone and at the door, what the midwife means, what a císař changes, and how to read the discharge report before you leave with the car seat. It is not medical advice; it is the Czech you will want in your mouth when you need it.
The word everyone uses, from midwives to grandmothers. What matters is the frequency, said with po plus the locative: po pěti minutách, po třech minutách. A common rule of thumb for a first baby is to set off when they have come every five minutes for about an hour; leave earlier if you live far out or this is not your first.
Mám kontrakce po pěti minutách, pravidelně asi hodinu.
My contractions are five minutes apart, regularly, for about an hour.
In speech it is just voda, in the singular: „odtekla mi voda“ or „praskla mi voda“. If the waters break without contractions you still go in, usually within a couple of hours; if the fluid is green or brown, go at once. Note the time and the colour, because that is exactly what the midwife will ask.
Odtekla mi voda asi před hodinou, je čirá.
My waters broke about an hour ago; the fluid is clear.
The first door, day or night: you hand over the průkazka, passport and insurance card, are examined and put on the monitor, and only then sent to a room. Elsewhere in Czech life příjem means income, which is what the Úřad práce will ask about later.
Na příjmu po vás budou chtít průkazku, pas a kartičku pojištěnce.
At admissions they will want your pregnancy booklet, passport and insurance card.
In Prague it is rarely one big room: the sál is a corridor of porodní boxy, single rooms with a bed, a birthing ball and sometimes a bath, where your partner stays with you. „Jít na sál“ can also mean going to the operating theatre; context decides.
Z příjmu vás pošlou na porodní sál, do boxu číslo tři.
From admissions they will send you to the delivery suite, room three.
Read the letters the Czech way: tsé-té-gé. Two belts on the belly for 20-30 minutes at admission and then on and off: one counts the baby's heartbeat, the other the contractions. A beep is usually a sensor that slipped, not an alarm.
Lehněte si, dáme vás na chvilku na monitor.
Lie down, we will put you on the monitor for a little while.
Available in every Prague porodnice and covered by public insurance in 2026 ⓘ. It is placed by the anaesthetist, who covers the whole floor, so ask in good time and mention it in your porodní přání. Czechs say analgezie because you stay awake.
Chtěla bych epidurál, dokud to ještě jde.
I would like an epidural while there is still time.
In the pushing stage the instructions come in the ty form: „Zatlač! Ještě!“ Just as important is the opposite, „Netlač, jen dýchej“, when the midwife wants the head to come slowly. Outside the delivery room tlačit is the everyday push (tlačit kočárek, to push the pram) and also to press or pinch („tlačí mě bota“, my shoe pinches).
S další kontrakcí zatlač a bradu dej na hrudník.
With the next contraction, push, and tuck your chin to your chest.
The official word is epiziotomie; everyone says nástřih, from stříhat, to cut with scissors. Prague hospitals no longer do it routinely, only when needed; if avoiding one matters to you, write it in your porodní přání.
Nepřeji si nástřih, pokud nebude opravdu nutný.
I do not want an episiotomy unless it is really necessary.
In speech just císař, „the emperor“: „skončilo to císařem“. Planned is plánovaný, emergency is akutní. After a císař the stay is usually four to five days rather than three, and whether the partner may come into theatre depends on the hospital and the situation ⓘ.
Nakonec to skončilo akutním císařem, ale oba jsou v pořádku.
In the end it was an emergency caesarean, but both of them are fine.
Literally „the six weeks“: both the period and the ward you move to with the baby (oddělení šestinedělí, or just šestinedělí). The woman in it is a šestinedělka. The check-up with your gynaecologist comes at the end of these six weeks.
Ze sálu vás převezeme na šestinedělí, malý bude na pokoji s vámi.
From the delivery suite we will move you to the postnatal ward; the little one will be in the room with you.
Between 48 and 72 hours after birth a few drops of blood from the heel go onto a card and are tested for rare inborn conditions. As a rule nobody calls you if all is well ⓘ: silence is the good news.
Sestřička si malého odnese na odběr z patičky, za chvilku je zpátky.
The nurse will take the little one for the heel prick; he will be back in a moment.
The infant seat is called vajíčko, „little egg“, for its shape. If you go home by car or taxi, bring one and practise buckling it in before the birth, not in the Podolí car park with a three-day-old in your arms.
Až vás budou propouštět, přineste vajíčko na pokoj.
When they discharge you, bring the car seat up to the room.
Just after half past four in the morning, ÚPMD Podolí. Admissions, then a delivery room with a ball, a bath and a window onto the dark river. Marina has had contractions five minutes apart since three; Dima carries the bag and the folder. Jana, who did their check-in at week 36, is the midwife on the night shift.
Jana (midwife)
Ahoj, já jsem Jana, známe se z poradny a dneska v noci mám u vás službu. Můžu ti tykat? Jak ti mám říkat?
Hi, I am Jana, we met at the clinic, and tonight I am the midwife on duty for you both. Can I call you ty? What should I call you?
Many Czech midwives switch to ty and first names on the delivery suite; it is meant as closeness, not condescension, and some ask first, as Jana does. At the week-36 check-in Jana still said paní Kuznetsová and vy; the switch happens here. Every other professional in this course stays on vy.
Marina
Dobrý… Ano, jasně. Marina. Kontrakce mám po pěti minutách, asi od tří.
Good… Yes, of course. Marina. My contractions are five minutes apart, since about three.
Give the two facts the midwife needs in one breath: the interval (po pěti minutách) and the start (od tří, from three o'clock). If your waters have broken, add the time and colour.
Jana (midwife)
Dobře, Marino. Dej mi průkazku, lehni si a dáme tě na monitor. Pak se podívám, kolik máš otevřeno.
Good, Marina. Give me your booklet, lie down and we will put you on the monitor. Then I will check how far dilated you are.
„Kolik máš otevřeno“ is dilation, counted in centimetres. The průkazka goes into the hospital's hands now; your Czech results from the last nine months are what replaces a long admission interview.
Dima
Dobrý den, já jsem manžel. Můžu tu s ní zůstat?
Hello, I am her husband. May I stay here with her?
Dima stays on vy, which is always safe. „Já jsem manžel“ is the short way to introduce yourself on a ward; „já jsem její manžel“ is just as correct.
Jana (midwife)
Jasně, tatínku, tady máš židli. Jen při vyšetření na chvilku počkej za dveřmi.
Of course, Dad, here is a chair. Just wait outside the door for a moment during the examination.
Fathers on the ward are „tatínku“ (vocative), mothers „maminko“: the whole unit runs on these two words. A partner at the birth is normal in Prague; some hospitals charge a fee for the companion ⓘ.
Marina
Jano, chtěla bych epidurál. Půjde to?
Jana, I would like an epidural. Will that be possible?
„Chtěla bych“ (I would like) is polite in both ty and vy, and „Půjde to?“ avoids choosing a form at all. The vocative Jano is what a Czech would say.
Jana (midwife)
Máš otevřeno na čtyři centimetry, to je akorát. Jenže pan anesteziolog je teď u akutního císaře, takže to bude tak půl hodiny. Zatím ti napustím vanu, jo?
You are four centimetres dilated, which is just right. But the anaesthetist is in an emergency caesarean right now, so it will be about half an hour. Meanwhile I will run you a bath, OK?
The honest complication: one anaesthetist, several rooms. „Akorát“ means just right, not exactly. The warm bath and the ball are what Czech midwives offer while you wait, and they genuinely help.
Dima
A co můžu dělat já?
And what can I do?
The best question a partner can ask. The stress falls on „já“ at the end, which is how Czech marks „I, for my part“.
Jana (midwife)
Masíruj jí kříž, připomínej jí, ať dýchá, a mezi kontrakcemi jí dávej pít.
Massage her lower back, remind her to breathe, and give her something to drink between contractions.
„Kříž“ here is the small of the back, not a cross. The partner is given real jobs on a Czech delivery suite, and the bottle of water Dima is holding is exactly what is wanted.
Marina
Jano, epidurál už skoro nepomáhá. Já už nemůžu.
Jana, the epidural has almost stopped helping. I can't do this any more.
Every midwife in Prague has heard this sentence thousands of times, in every language. It is allowed, and Czech is perfectly fine for it. The epidural did come after the promised half hour; in the pushing stage many women feel it fading, and „už skoro nepomáhá“ (it has almost stopped helping) is how to say so.
Jana (midwife)
Můžeš, už je vidět hlavička. S další kontrakcí zatlač, bradu na hrudník. Tak, a teď netlač, jen dýchej.
You can, the head is already showing. With the next contraction, push, chin to chest. That's it, and now don't push, just breathe.
Push, then stop pushing: the second order matters as much as the first, so the head is born slowly. Learn „netlač“ before the day.
Dima
Marino, je tady! Je tak malinkatý…
Marina, he's here! He's so tiny…
Malý, malinký, malinkatý: Czech piles up diminutives the way you will in this moment. The vocative Marino is right here, as always.
Jana (midwife)
Gratuluju, maminko. Dáme ho hned na tebe, kůže na kůži. Tatínek pak může přestřihnout pupeční šňůru, jestli bude chtít.
Congratulations, Mum. We will put him straight on you, skin to skin. Dad can cut the cord afterwards if he wants to.
Skin to skin straight away is the standard in Prague; weighing and measuring can wait. Mother and baby usually stay on the delivery suite about two hours for observation before moving to šestinedělí, and vitamin K and the Apgar score happen in that time.
Newborn discharge report (propouštěcí zpráva novorozence)
You leave with two reports: one about you, for your gynaecologist, and one about the baby, for the pediatr you named at discharge. The baby's is one or two printed pages from the neonatal department; layout and exact labels differ between Podolí, Apolinář and Motol, so treat the labels below as typical ⓘ. Read it on the ward, not at home: a question asked before the taxi costs nothing.
| Datum a čas narození | date and time of birth | The time is to the minute and in 24-hour format. It must match what the matrika will print on the rodný list; if the hospital wrote it wrong, this is where you catch it. |
| Porodní hmotnost / porodní délka | birth weight / birth length | Grams and centimetres, for example 3 400 g / 51 cm; the space is a Czech thousands separator, not a typo. These are the numbers every grandmother will ask for first. |
| Gestační stáří | gestational age at birth | Written as weeks plus days, for example 39+4 on Daniel's report. It tells the pediatr whether to watch for the issues of an early baby; between 37+0 and 41+6 counts as full term. |
| Způsob porodu | mode of delivery | Spontánní (vaginal, no instruments), císařský řez (often shortened to S.C., sectio caesarea), or an assisted delivery. It explains the discharge day: three days after a spontaneous birth, four to five after a císař. |
| Apgar skóre | Apgar score | Three numbers at 1, 5 and 10 minutes, for example 9-10-10. A lower first number that rises quickly is common and not a verdict on your child. |
| Vitamin K | vitamin K given | Given after birth against newborn bleeding, by injection (i.m.) or as drops (p.o.) ⓘ. If it says p.o., ask whether further doses are to be given at home or by the pediatr, and when. |
| Novorozenecký laboratorní screening | newborn blood-spot screening | Usually only „odebrán dne…“, taken on, with a date; the results are not on the report. Nobody calls if all is well ⓘ. If the baby went home before 48 hours, check how the sample will be taken. |
| Screening sluchu (OAE) | hearing screening | A small probe in the ear while the baby sleeps. „Oboustranně v normě“ means both ears fine. „Opakovat“ (repeat) is common after a noisy or fluid-filled first try; make sure you know where the repeat happens. |
| UZ kyčelních kloubů | hip ultrasound | The first of the three Czech hip checks. All three are done by a paediatric ortoped (orthopaedist), by hand and by ultrasound: in the first week in the porodnice, at about 6-9 weeks and at 12-16 weeks ⓘ. The report may already name the follow-up. If the ortoped prescribes „široké balení“ (wide nappying: a double nappy or abduction pants), that is ordinary Czech practice, so follow it. In everyday speech: „kyčle“. |
| Hmotnost při propuštění | weight at discharge | Usually lower than the birth weight; a loss of a few per cent in the first days is normal and expected. The pediatr will weigh at the first visit and compare with this figure, so keep the report with you. |
Rule one: on the delivery suite you become Marina. After nine months of „paní Kuznetsová“ at every desk, the midwife's ty lands like a hug from a stranger. It is a ward custom, not a lapse: the porodní asistentka is the one person in Czech medicine who meets you at your most unguarded, and the profession decided long ago that formality does not help a woman push. You may answer in ty or stay on vy; nobody will mind either way. Your husband becomes tatínek, you become maminka, and the doctor who appears at the end remains „pane doktore“ with his full vy.
Rule two: paper speaks before you do. The porodní přání you printed in week 36, the průkazka with every result, the registration confirmation: Czech staff read them and act on them, which spares you negotiating in a second language while in labour. Keep the wishes short and calm, one page; a ten-page manifesto gets a polite smile.
Rule three: the ward is yours and the baby is with you. Rooming-in is the norm, the cot stands by your bed day and night, and the dětská sestra teaches bathing, nappies and latching rather than doing them for you. Since 2026 you also leave with a žádanka for three home visits by a porodní asistentka during the šestinedělí, paid by your insurer. Ask on the ward who will come and when; if nobody is arranged, pick a contracted midwife from your insurer's list, and ask the insurer if you cannot find one ⓘ. It is a midwife for you and the baby, not a paediatric patronage nurse, and three visits go fast, so ask everything here too. Visiting hours are limited and the ward is quiet; the Czech family comes after you are home, not to the hospital in a crowd. Bring your own nightdress, flip-flops for the shower and a phone charger with a long cable; what the hospital provides varies, so check the porodnice's list ⓘ.
Rule four: say thank you the Czech way. On the day you leave, many families put a box of chocolates, a bonboniéra, on the nurses' desk. It is not a bribe and nothing depends on it; it is how the city says goodbye to the people who were there at 4 a.m. Then Dima carries the vajíčko down to the taxi rank on Podolské nábřeží, the river is exactly where it was three days ago, and everything else is different.
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At admissions the midwife says: „Ahoj, já jsem Jana. Můžu ti tykat?“ What is going on?
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