Sweden

Sweden – a pocket guide 179
administer but are not
100 per cent reliable. A
more reliable method
is to contact a maternity
clinic, mödravården,
and ask them to do the
test instead. Maternity
clinics are usually situated
at the same place
as ordinary healthcare
centres.
Pregnant women receive
free check-ups at
maternity clinics, and
the father-to-be is welcome
to come along,
too. When you go in
for a check-up, you
will usually see a midwife, barnmorska, a specially trained
nurse. The midwife carries out various tests to confirm that
the foetus, fostret*, and the expectant mother are doing
well.
Maternity clinics often give courses for parents-to-be.
These provide information on topics such as nursing,
caring for a newborn and pain relief, smärtlindring, during
delivery, förlossningen. There are a variety of techniques of
alleviating the pain of giving birth. All maternity wards
provide pain relief.
In Sweden, almost all children are born in hospital. The
father or a friend or relative is usually present during
delivery. Fathers can spend much of the day at the maternity
ward after the baby is born. The maternity ward, or
BB, is where mothers and newborns stay before going
home.
Photo: Bengt Arne Ignell / REDAKTA
Almost all
women have
their children in
hospital. Fathers
are often present
when the baby is
delivered.
foster:
a child in its
mother’s womb.
Healthcare
and support