Childbirth, breastfeeding and the first days in the maternity hospital

inspired by Mothercare

Τhe experts analyse everything about childbirth, the days spent in the maternity hospital, but also breastfeeding

Moderator: Jenny Balatsinou, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder ImpacTalk.gr

Experts

Pantelis Trompoukis, Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Aristea Patsoura, Pediatrician - Intensive Care Specialist, ICU Director, Children's Hospital "P. & A. Kyriakou"

Lamprini Pallikara, Midwife

To watch the full Experts Talk video

Childbirth, breastfeeding and the first days in the maternity hospital

The arrival of a baby in the world is the most significant moment in the life of a couple. Every expectant mother, until the time comes to hold her baby in her arms, wishes all the best at the time of childbirth which is the most critical phase of this journey. Whether with a normal birth or a caesarean section, when the miracle of life takes place, the doctor’s and the midwife’s goal is just one: a healthy mother and a healthy baby.  

The notions that have been expressed over time about what is "right" and "wrong" regarding childbirth and breastfeeding tend to fall apart from time to time. Free will and emotion are the catalysts for everything to go well, especially when leaving the maternity hospital. If, among other things, a woman decides to breastfeed exclusively, or chooses her own way of feeding her baby, it can no longer be a matter of criticism and a source of guilt.

In this Experts Talk the experts analyse everything about childbirth, the days spent in the maternity hospital, but also breastfeeding, the preparation for the procedure and its importance. Jenny Balatsinou, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder ImpacTalk, welcomes the obstetrician-gynecologist, Pantelis Trompoukis, the pediatrician, Intensive Care Specialist and ICU Director of Children’s Hospital “P. & A. Kyriakou", Aristea Patsoura, and the midwife Lamprini Pallikara, who dispel the myths around childbirth and breastfeeding and give valuable advice for the most magical moment in a woman's life.

 

Jenny Balatsinou
Entrepreneur, Co-Founder ImpacTalk

Jenny Balatsinou was born in Thessaloniki and then she moved to Athens where she grew up.

She was actively involved in sports and started playing tennis from an early age and soon she participated in the National Youth Team. At the age of 12-17 she attended a sports school in France and got a transfer to a French team.

She became active in fashion and television where through innovative shows she communicated to the television audience the world of fashion, beauty and aesthetics.

In 2000, she set up her own business, Beautyworks, a pioneer in sophisticated cosmetics in Greece which was bought in 2011 by a leading group of cosmetics.

In May 2011, she decided to create her own blog www.jenny.gr which is distinguished for its quality and high aesthetics, developed into one of the largest and most influential women's sites and in 2019 it was bought by KOOLWORKS. She is currently Executive Consultant & Concept Creator of Jenny.gr

She is also the inspirer of a major initiative, Hautes Grecians. Haute Grecians is an institution that supports Greek fashion and promotes Greek designers both in Greece and abroad. It has always been associated with a charitable cause, aiming to support fashion and upcoming talented designers illuminating the cause of charity organisations too.

In April 2021, along with communication specialist Konstantinos Kafiris she co-founded the Greek subscription platform of alternative education ImpacTalk.gr.

Jenny Balatsinou is now married to the politician and Greek Minister of Health, Vassilis Kikilias, with whom they have a son, Panagiotis-Antonis, while from her marriage to Petros Kostopoulos she has two daughters, Amalia and Alexandra and a son, Maximos.

Pantelis Trompoukis
Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Dr. Pantelis Trompoukis graduated from the 3rd Medical School of  Charles University in Prague in 2000. In 2001 he performed a twelve-month field service (rural) at the Health Centre of Metsovo and in 2003 a nine-month training in General Surgery, at the 2nd  General Surgery Clinic of Asklipieio Voulas hospital. In 2004 he served in the medical corps of the Greek army. In 2005 he started his specialty in Obstetrics and Gynecology as a Senior House Officer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, NHS Trust in London, which he completed in April 2009 at the 3rd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the University of Athens at Attikon University Hospital. 

During the last year of the specialty, in 2008, he received an educational license to practice in endoscopic gynecological surgery and In vitro fertilisation (IVF) at Princess Royal University Hospital, Bromley Hospital and NHS Trust under Professor John Erian MBBCh FRCOG. In October 2009 he was appointed as an assistant curator of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the 3rd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Attikon University Hospital. 

In 2010 he specialised in laparoscopic and robotic surgery at the internationally renowned IRCAD / European Institute of Telesurgery, and at the Hautepierre University Hospital, CMCO hospital and Nouvel Hospital Civil of the University of Strasbourg in France with well-known Professor Arnaud Wattiez, with whom he continues to have an excellent relationship as he is now called as an instructor of endoscopic surgery at the IRCAD centre in training seminars. They also perform together very often, as a surgical team, pioneering surgeries in our country, as well as "live" surgeries at conferences for educational purposes. 

In 2011 he received the title of Lecturer of Obstetric Gynecology (PD 407) at the 3rd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the University of Athens at Attikon Hospital. In 2012 he started working as a private obstetrician-gynecologist and as a member of the endoscopic department One Day Surgery Unit of Iaso hospital. 

In 2013 he became an Academic Scholar of Obstetrics and Gynecology (former lecturer) with the subject of Gynecological Endoscopic Surgery of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens at the 3rd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Attikon University hospital. 

Since 2014 he has been the only Greek doctor member and trainer of the international team "Winners Project" that offers adequacy and certification in laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery to gynecologists from all countries. The first Winners Project world conference in which he was president was held in Greece (Portocheli, Argolida), in 2014. In July 2018 he was elected a member of the board of directors of the "IASO" Group. 

In September 2018, he was elected Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the European University Cyprus. In 2019 he was elected a member of the board of directors of the Hellenic Society of Gynecological Endoscopy, EEGE. 

In 2020 he took over as head of the team of Gynecological Endoscopic Surgery "ODS" of the IASO hospital, Athens. He holds a Master’s (MSc) in Pathology of Pregnancy and a Doctoral Thesis (PhD) on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the fetus with the 1st Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the University of Athens. 

He is a member of the Hellenic and European Society of Gynecological Endoscopic Surgery (ESGE) and the American Society of Gynecological Laparoscopy (AAGL). He has a license to perform Obstetrics-Gynecology ultrasound according to a ministerial decision (Art. Γ5α / Γ.Π. 89221). He has published many scientific articles, works and surgeries on the internet. 
 

Lamprini Pallikara
Midwife

Lamprini Pallikara graduated from the school of midwifery with a scholarship in 1979. In 1984 she received her second degree in primary education. 

In 1986 she went to Mountainside Hospital in Bloomfield, New Jersey, to be trained in high-risk pregnancy and cardiotocography, which didn’t exist in Greece at the time. She has been trained in phenomenology on issues of family counseling, psychology of pregnant women and midwives. 

She has organised parent groups during pregnancy and postpartum groups since 1980. However, her great weakness is childbirth that she has been serving since the beginning of her career. She is a member of the disciplinary council of SEMMA and laboratory collaborator in the Department of Obstetrics of the University of West Attica (former Technical School of Athens). 

Her basic goal is to apply and practice science ethically, in order to promote the physical and mental health of people.  
 

Aristea Patsoura
Pediatrician - Intensive Care Specialist, ICU Director, Children's Hospital "P. & A. Kyriakou"

Aristea Patsoura is a Pediatrician, an Intensive Care Specialist and the ICU Director of Children's Hospital "P & A Kyriakou".