Childbirth Here and Around the World
Being a part of my grandson’s
entry into the world brought me a tremendous amount of joy. My daughter has
wanted a child for a long time and she was blessed with a perfect son. Her pregnancy was categorized as high risk due
to her age and prior to her pregnancy she was diagnosed with high blood
pressure which required medication during, the pregnancy her blood pressure was
perfect, she was instructed to discontinue her medication. She erred on the
side of caution and chose to have the genetic testing done to assure the
pregnancy was going well. Her test results were those of a twenty year old- she
celebrated her 40th birthday this past November. The doctor’s visits, two each week one to her primary
obstetrician and the other to the high risk clinic to monitor the baby as the
pregnancy progress caused a bit of apprehension but her healthy lifestyle and the
excellent prenatal care she received, her
healthy 8lb.1oz. son was delivered without any complications.
I waited in the family area during the
delivery. When Dad sent the first pictures I was overcome with emotions- relief,
happiness, and awe of the miracle of God’s work in the miracle of birth. I am
so thankful for the expert cares she received. Becoming a parent is a special event and the
blessing of becoming a grandparent is wonderful.
Maternity Care in Finland
Maternity care in Finland is free
to all expectant mothers. This was enacted due to the alarming infant mortality
rate. Early in the 20th century 153 out of every 1000 infants died
at birth. In 1940 legislation was passed
to guarantee free-of-charge maternity care. The infant mortality rate has
decreased steadily to a rate of 0.38. The health and well-being of the mother
and children is the focus of the clinics to include psychological counseling
for the family (Kapanen, 2010) .
Finland provides
the expecting family with several different compensation options. These include
the mother’s choice of baby box or 140 euro grant. This is a tradition that
dates back to the 1930’s. Clothes, cloth nappies, gauze towels, and blankets
are some of the items in the box. The contents of the box changes yearly. The
parents appreciate the bond the gifts create with children the same age from
all over the country (Kela Families, 2013) .
In Finland a doctor is not
present for most prenatal visits unless there are complications or the birth
unless the mother needs a cesarean section. A mid-wife delivers the baby and if the labor
is long they rotate. The mother is able
to choose from several birth positions; standing, squatting or to lay on their back.
If the parents are not married DNA testing and questions to determine the
father’s identity are possible. Home
delivery is not supported by the health care system in Finland (Kapanen, 2010) .
Kapanen, E. (2010, Apl 24). Finnish child care and
maternity clinics. Retrieved from FAST Area Studies Program University of
Tampere: www.uta.fi/FAST/FINSOCPOL/ek-child.html
Kela Families. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.kela.fi/web/en/families
Comments
I am so glad that your daughter's delivery went well. My mother was also pregnant at the age of 41 and she also had hypertension. There were many complications in her pregnancy but my brother was delivered and he is now so smart and active. Thanks for sharing information on Finland. The more discussions I read in other countries the more I see the word midwife. It appears that the other countries rely heavily on midwives. Why do expected mother's in these countries even need doctors. It appears that the midwives do all the work. Just had to bring this out.
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