Prenatal Care MVC Barnmorskemottagning
When you find yourself pregnant in Sweden you should contact a prenatal care facility to get in touch with a Midwife. In Sweden all prenatal care is the responsibility of a midwife. If complications arise during pregnancy the Midwife will refer you to the proper care facility or person for further care.
The number of times you will meet your Midwife during pregnancy may differ depending on where in Sweden you live but also on your individual needs.
Your first meeting with your Midwife will be as early as possible during pregnancy. This check up is based on giving you tools to be and remain healthy during pregnancy. This will include topics as diet, exercise and overall health. This appointment will usually be early in your first trimester.
Your second check up is more of a deeper check up of your health with blood tests taken, etc. this will be towards the end of your first trimester.
In Skåne, where I am based, there’s no check up with your regular Midwife until around week 25-28 again. Between your first appointments and this time you will have been offered two sonograms. The first is during the end of your first trimester. A scan of the fetus will be made, and if you choose, you can take a blood test which together with the sonogram give you an estimated risk if your baby has Down Syndrome or another genetic variation.
The second trimester sonogram will look at the anatomy of the baby. The scan is to make sure the baby is developing according to schedule. This will also be the scan when you find out your due date. And if you want you can ask to find out the gender of your baby, however there is always a small chance the sonogram is incorrect or that the person that is performing the sonogram can not see the gender at that time.
Thereafter you will continue to see your Midwife regularly. They will check your blood pressure and urine to screen for signs of preeclampsia, they will follow your weight gain and measure your uterus as it grows, as well as listen to the baby's heart rate. If you have any questions or concerns during pregnancy, voice them with your Midwife, they can help you with an array of things. Which screenings that are routinely done during pregnancy vary a bit due to where in Sweden you are, in some areas for example they screen everyone for gestational diabetes, in some they don't. Ask your Midwife for the routines in your specific area.
The point of these check ups is to make sure you remain healthy during your pregnancy and make sure that baby is growing according within normal range. You will continue going to these check ups until your baby is born.
Some, if not all, prenatal clinics offer what they call “parent education classes” which usually focus a lot on birth and what to expect, as well as the first months or so with your baby. In some locations these classes are available in English or you can have an interpreter if the classes are in Swedish.
After the baby is born you will return to the same Midwife you saw during pregnancy and do a postnatal check between 8-12 weeks postpartum. Then you will talk through your birth, be offered a vaginal exam and be offered birth control.
If you at any time don't feel that the Midwife you have is suitable for you, maybe they don't feel like the right person for you, then you can switch midwives. You can either choose someone else in the same clinic or a different clinic all together. But if you are in a smaller town or rural area your options may be quite limited.
There are special LGBTQI-certified clinics as well, but all clinics should be able to care for you regardless. But if you rather want a LGBTQI-certified clinic check out RFSLs page where there is a list of certified places.
In some places there are special “parental educational” groups for LGBTQI, or single parents to be. Ask your midwife for information regarding this.
If you want to find out more about Birth in Sweden watch my video on this topic here.
