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Giving Birth in Brazil as a Digital Nomad (Florianopolis Birth Story)
Hello my loves, welcome back to the Wanderlover Podcast!
I am recording this from Florianopolis, Brazil, and this episode was actually requested by Angeline Mendoza. I’m so excited to finally sit down and share this because it has been one of the most surreal and special experiences of my life.
Just to give you a bit of context, our current circumstances are that we both have online businesses, we are in the middle of applying for Ragz’ green card, we both surf, and we have been traveling full-time for seven years together.
We chose Brazil because of jus soli, and I knew I wanted an elective C-section. We flew to Brazil at 28 weeks pregnant, and it was our first time in Rio. We found our doula there, and I spoke to three doctors before deciding on the one I liked most. We rented an Airbnb for a month, then another for a month, and then our final one for three months, about 15 minutes driving from the hospital.
I was texting doctors on WhatsApp, attending all appointments and scans, and having bi-weekly check-ins.
Choosing a C-Section Date in Brazil (39 Weeks Pregnancy Planning)
Back in January, we met with my doctor, who I had been seeing regularly, and I decided to schedule the birth at 39 weeks — February 25th, 2025. She then asked what time I wanted the surgery, which felt surreal. Not only could I pick the date, but also the time. We chose 8:00 AM because she recommended doing it in the morning since I would need to fast beforehand.
After deciding the day, the one thing I really hoped for was not going into labor before 39 weeks. There was a real possibility that it could happen, but I refused to believe anything other than what was going to happen according to plan.
This is my mindset: when you have a plan B and focus too much on it, your plan B eventually manifests itself. So I had a plan B, but once I defined it, I chose not to think about it again. I even wrote my Instagram caption beforehand, describing the birth as smooth and safe.
The day before, I felt great. We went to the beach, I went swimming, and we had coconuts. That night, we packed our hospital bags, preparing for a two-night stay.
Hospital Experience in Brazil (Private Birth Team, Doula & Photographer)
The morning of, we left for the hospital at 5:30 AM and arrived around 6:00 AM. We checked in and met our full team — our photographer and doula joined us, and we started taking photos in the hospital room before I was wheeled into the operating room.
While everyone else got changed, I was already in the room with two doctors, my anesthesiologist, pediatrician, physical therapist, and the rest of the birth team — most of whom I had met before, which made me feel very comfortable.
The operating room was super clean, and I got to play calming music. The entire experience felt so new, and I didn’t know exactly what to expect, so I just let go and trusted the experts around me. I was lying on the operating table knowing that for the next hour or two, I would just go with the flow.
After the anesthesia, I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. My doctor narrated the entire process, which kept me calm. I was holding Ragz’ hand while he watched everything. I couldn’t feel anything physically and was also on morphine, so I was in a very surreal, calm state, watching the ceiling lights above me.
C-Section Birth Story in Brazil (Leven’s Birth Experience)
After 41 minutes, baby Leven was born at 8:41 AM. The first thing I heard was how much hair he had, and then when I heard him cry, I became so emotional. That was the moment it hit me — I am a mother.
That feeling is something that cannot really be explained. It’s like your entire brain chemistry shifts in that moment, and I felt like a completely different person.
While this was happening, my physical therapist was creating a placenta painting, which is also common in Brazil. We chose the color blue, and they turned it into a tree symbolizing the tree of life.
After they stitched me up, I was wheeled back to our suite. My parents arrived around 10:00 AM and got to meet the baby. There was so much happening, but it was one of the most exciting days of my life.
Everything went perfectly. I was still on morphine for the first few hours, but that day is something I will never forget. It is probably one of the best days of my life so far. We stayed two nights in the hospital before being discharged.
Bringing a Newborn Home Abroad (Digital Nomad Family Life)
After the surgery, my physical therapist applied muscle tape across my stomach, which I wore for two weeks to help with healing. After she removed it, I used a silicone patch on my scar for 12 hours a day to keep it compressed and support recovery.
The other surreal moment was bringing the baby home and realizing we were now this small family responsible for a whole human being. It felt both beautiful and slightly unbelievable.
Leven had these funny, judgmental facial expressions, and we would always joke that he knew we had no idea what we were doing. It really felt like he was looking at us thinking, “What am I doing here? I was so comfortable before, and now I’m with these two people.”
But overall, the entire experience was smooth, calm, and exactly what I had hoped for.
Final Thoughts
I honestly could not have asked for a smoother or better experience. This entire journey has been one of the most surreal, emotional, and special chapters of my life, and I’m so grateful to have been able to experience it this way.
If you’ve been thinking about giving birth abroad, navigating pregnancy while traveling, or building a lifestyle that gives you this kind of freedom, I hope this gives you a real, honest look at what’s possible.
And if you want to hear the full story in Danielle’s own words, you can listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
I’ll see you in the next one. Have an amazing week my loves.
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