Since the start of the Ukraine war, the Czech Republic has sheltered around 500,000 people, of whom 476,000 remain in the country. Julia is one of over 200 Ukrainian mothers who have delivered babies at a maternity hospital in Prague. She talks about her experiences since the war started in February 2022.
29-year-old Julia Melnyk lives in Prague with her baby son, Sviatoslav. The happy, healthy baby gurgles in her arms and she looks adoringly at him. But the circumstances of her first year of motherhood have been completely different to what she had envisaged when Julia and her husband found out they were going to be parents in September 2021.
“I was working as a lawyer for a construction firm and my husband is a detective working for an anti-corruption firm. We both had good jobs close to Kyiv, and we had so many plans for the future. We were delighted when we found out that I was pregnant.
Last February I was in the seventh month of pregnancy and had just started my maternity leave. I was getting ready for the baby’s birth. The baby’s grandparents were looking forward to spending time with their grandson, and I knew that I would have a lot of support in the first few months. Everything seemed quite certain, and we felt sure of our safety and the future comfort of the baby. We were building plans for tomorrow and we had a lot of dreams for the future.
That all changed when war broke out on the 24 February. In that moment, we immediately knew that this was war, this was serious. In that moment there was no longer any certainty that our lives were safe, neither mine, my husband nor the life of our baby. I also knew that there was no certainty that I would be able to receive adequate medical care to deliver my baby.
My husband and I decided together that I needed to give birth in a safe place where I could receive proper medical care. I decided to leave Ukraine with my friend, her children and her mother. When we left our home, there was active shooting and my husband gave me a bulletproof vest to wear that he had received at work. When I put the bullet proof vest over my stomach, I could not believe that this was reality, it was so different to how I imagined my last months of pregnancy.
The journey itself was quite frightening and difficult. There was the sound of artillery everywhere. When we eventually got to the Polish border, we had to wait for around ten hours to cross because there were huge lines of people.
Our friends hosted us for the first couple of weeks. We were so grateful to them. I was so frightened about what was going to happen to my husband or my parents who had stayed in Kyiv where the fighting was very heavy. It made me very nervous.
After a few weeks we found out that the Czech Government was offering Temporary Protection for Ukrainian citizens escaping the war, and that they were issuing visas and providing health insurance. My due date was getting closer and I knew I needed to focus on the delivery, and the baby’s health and future.
It was quite a lot of paperwork to get the visa and register at the maternity hospital, but I knew that my main task was to ensure I was able to give birth safely. Having that focus really helped me to survive at that time and cope with the reality of my circumstances.
When I eventually got an appointment at the maternity hospital, I had the standard examinations and procedures. It was on my second visit to the hospital when I met Dr Darina. She is of Ukrainian origin, and I immediately felt reassured when I spoke with her because we could communicate properly and knew that I could trust her. All the staff at the maternity hospital were very professional and helpful, which made me feel safe.
I was very lucky that I had quick and uncomplicated birth, with Dr Darina supporting me all the way. My baby was healthy and we didn’t have to stay long in the hospital.When I was discharged from hospital, I had quite a lot to do to get the baby legally registered in both Czechia and Ukraine, because he is a Ukrainian citizen. But I also had mixed emotions. I was happy that my baby was with me and that he was safe and healthy. But at the same time, I was alone in a strange country, without my husband to support me and he didn’t even have the chance to see our son. My family was so far away and I was so scared about the future and I didn’t know what would happen to our home or our country.
The most painful thing was being apart from my husband. But although he is not physically present with me, he is very supportive. He encourages me all the time, and says that he is happy because the baby and I are safe and that I must try to cheer up and be optimistic.
My son is now ten months old and he is strong and healthy. We have a wonderful pediatrician here who we visit for check-ups. We are grateful to the government of the Czech Republic for all the help they have provided to us. We are safe and comfortable here.
WHO support in Czechia
The refugee population is provided with culturally appropriate service delivery and communications campaigns with information in Ukrainian on how to access health care. Infectious diseases have been the main focus of communication campaigns while
mental health and psychosocial support have been the key areas of support provided for refugees. Additionally, WHO has supported Ukrainian psychologists to provide mental health services for refugees.
WHO continues to support the Ministry of Health in the Czech Republic in the co-ordination of the humanitarian health response. This includes strategic and supplementary interventions in mental health as well as support to national immunization programmes, HIV services, disease surveillance, providing priority medical equipment based on needs assessments, and capacity building.