I chose to explore the childbirth practices in Sweden. What I found out was that in Sweden midwives
do all of the prenatal care and also most of the delivery care unless there is
a high risk factor or something goes wrong during the delivery. Almost all of the births are still in a
hospital setting. Midwives have a strong
history in Sweden and were able to hold on to their role in the midst of other
countries pushing midwives out. “According to the organization Save
the Children, Sweden is the second-best country in the world to become a
mother, behind Finland. Neonatal
mortality is low, at 1.5 deaths per 1,000 — the second lowest in Europe behind
Iceland — as is maternal death in childbirth, at 3.1 per 100,000 births,
according to the European Perinatal Health Report from 2010. (NY Daily
News, 2013)” In Sweden the government pays for their
health care and so pays for the cost of delivery and it is speculated that
using midwives lowers the cost of deliveries, gives better care to the
expectant mother, and puts the mother more in charge of the different aspects
of their pregnancy and delivery.
I almost lost my first baby due to secondhand smoke in my
workplace environment, I had to quit my job because it was my baby or my job,
they would not give me another assignment or make accommodations for me. When I finally went one day past my due date
I went in to the hospital and was finishing up a non-stress test when my water
broke so I just stayed in the hospital and delivered my 1st of 3
sons in about 10 hours. My husband was
with me the entire time doing his best to comfort me and give me ice
chips. There were times when I made him
leave because I felt like I could not maintain my composure when he was in the
room. The nurse had to come in and get
me breathing through the contractions. I
remember my husband cutting the umbilical cord and trying to bribe the doctor
to sell him the scissors he used. (Weird, I know) My prenatal care was with a
doctor, monthly until the last 2 months then every 2 weeks until the last month
which was every week. I had one
ultrasound after the first trimester.
References:
n.a., Midwives, not medicine, rule pregnancy in Sweden, with
enduring success, October
7, 2013, www.nydailynews.com/.../midwives-not-medicine-rule-pregnancy,
retrieved October 25, 2015
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteIt is funny you picked Sweden to do for your post as I picked Finland. I have a wonderful friend from Finland which is what inspired me to research it. Just as I figured, Sweden and Finland are similar. It does sound like both places offer awesome prenatal, birthing care, and beyond.
I am sorry to hear of your not so great experience with your 1st pregnancy:( I am sure it was stressful, but I am glad you had a happy ending. I enjoyed the story about your husband. He sounds like me finding ordinary items to attach special memories too. He also sounds like my husband. He wanted to keep the clip and umbilical cord when it fell off-gross! Thanks for sharing and I hope all is going well in this course!
My husbands family also has a tradition of keeping the umbilical cord (gross, I know), but you don't buck family tradition in this case.
DeleteUsing midwives would keep the cost down. I would not have a problem using a midwife if I am still in the hospital. But, I have to be IN the hospital just in case. I think keeping the scissors would have been cool. That is a great story though with or without the scissors.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason the article I read said it keeps the costs down is that with the mother in charge she doesn't necessarily ask for multiple ultrasounds, or other tests that might not be needed.
Delete