Swedish culture

There exists different mortality rates among different countries and although the goal is to ensure that all children survive childbirth, the culture of a nation greatly determines the survival and health safety of infants. The Swedish culture in labour pain and post partum care considers giving birth to be a personal and fulfilling experience which gives the mother giving birth the right to make most of the decisions before, during and after child birth. As part of their culture, most births take place in hospitals where inducement of labor and caesarian delivery is fairly common. When dealing with labor pains, pain medication is used to help the mother cope with the pain. The mother is informed of the pain management options available to her, when not to use various types of medications and any side effects that may be experienced from the medication. The mother is then left to make the decision of whether to use medication to relieve her pain or not (Johnson, 2015).

            The mother tends to have a lot of say when it comes to giving birth in Swedish culture. While a physician is present, the mother makes the decision of whether the mid wife, the husband or any other family relative or friend will be in the delivery room (Johnson, 2015). The midwife is very informed and knows a lot about child delivery and what procedures to follow. The mother on the other hand decides whether to include the midwife, her husband, a friend or all of them as she is giving birth. Privacy is however valued and the mother can decide to only be with the physician and only the person she chooses to be with her during the delivery process (Johnson, 2015).

When it comes to post birth cage, parenting is done, by both parents who greatly contribute in ensuring the child’s positive development. The personal relationship associated with giving birth is extended to parenting where parents make decisions on what is best for the child (Johnson, 2015). In today’s society, a lot of technology is involved in securing the health safety of infants especially in the case of caesarean deliveries. However, it is still up to the mother to decide what actions will be done to enhance the child’s safety. The decisions however are well informed as the mother is given adequate input from the midwife, the physician and any other person involved in the prenatal and postnatal process of child birth (Davis, 2017).

While the mother has more say over post and pre birth care, she can decide to choose her husband as a non specialist attendant during childbirth. It is therefore the father’s responsibility to ensure that the wise makes the best decisions during and after childbirth to ensure the safety of the child. While the immediate family is expected to contribute in ensuring the well being of the child, most decisions are made by the mother. Advice and suggestions from family members are however welcomed as mothers rely on such information to help assess what is best for the baby. When it comes to the diet, women often prefer to consume hot food such as warm rice and drinking warm water. Cold foods are avoided but the diet soon changes to accommodate all types of diets regardless of whether hot or cold (Davis, 2017).

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Davis S, (2017) “Birth and maternal health around the world” Parents Magazine, retrieved from, http://www.parenting.com/article/birth-maternal-health

Johnson E, (2015) “Giving birth in different worlds” The New Yorker, retrieved from,             http://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/giving-birth-in-different-worlds