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A near home-birth in Swedish winter (and what followed)
“Sweden”.
What comes to mind is cold, beauty, precision, high tech, nature.
One of these holds true for Eileen’s story. It was cold (-11 celsius). The rest? - not so much.
You will be surprised to hear that baby’s heartbeat is monitored for large parts with a wooden Pinard Horn. That baby’s size is not calculated via ultrasound but by measuring the belly. That she didn’t see a gynecologist even once in her entire pregnancy. It may sound appealing to have such a low touch approach. No labour induction before 42 weeks. No medical interventions. A midwife-run system. Government-funded hypnobirthing courses. It did for Eileen. Until she was on the bathroom floor surrounded by towels and only a husband who had prepared for birth by reading Penny Sinkim’s “The Birth Partner” but did not actually imagine he would become the person indeed birthing the baby. So far, so traumatic. Haha.
Eileen’s gallow’s humour will make this episode entertaining but boy, or rather girl, just when you think it is all over, it isn’t. It’s a unique story in a unique setting (although she assured me that extreme and frightening stories like these are “more common than not”) which is highly unlikely to happen to you. But nonetheless, it’s always worth being prepared and maybe also appreciating the situation you are in!
When you think about the so-called “First World”, think again. This episode isn’t for the faint-hearted.Now go and make yourself a sandwich (listen at timestamp to find out why I am writing this here) and tune in.
Note: We had audio issues during the recording of this episode. I apologize and recommend you listen to it with headphones and turn on the subtitles.
Books mentioned in this episode are:
Penny Sinkim: The Birth PartnerKatharine Grave: The Hypnobirthing book
A general note: This podcast is based on personal experiences by mothers. The makers of this podcast are not doctors. Information shared, even if medically founded, is purely personal. For medical questions, we urge you to speak to your physician and/or relevant medical professional.
This episode was produced by Harkat Studios and edited by Mahreen Alam.
Intro music by Akoth Jumadi (https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yzpHN73mIqHg8uP8KnyYo?si=ZzNUZAtTRFOffvz8BDDTYw)
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By Michaela Talwar (at and with Harkat Studios)“Sweden”.
What comes to mind is cold, beauty, precision, high tech, nature.
One of these holds true for Eileen’s story. It was cold (-11 celsius). The rest? - not so much.
You will be surprised to hear that baby’s heartbeat is monitored for large parts with a wooden Pinard Horn. That baby’s size is not calculated via ultrasound but by measuring the belly. That she didn’t see a gynecologist even once in her entire pregnancy. It may sound appealing to have such a low touch approach. No labour induction before 42 weeks. No medical interventions. A midwife-run system. Government-funded hypnobirthing courses. It did for Eileen. Until she was on the bathroom floor surrounded by towels and only a husband who had prepared for birth by reading Penny Sinkim’s “The Birth Partner” but did not actually imagine he would become the person indeed birthing the baby. So far, so traumatic. Haha.
Eileen’s gallow’s humour will make this episode entertaining but boy, or rather girl, just when you think it is all over, it isn’t. It’s a unique story in a unique setting (although she assured me that extreme and frightening stories like these are “more common than not”) which is highly unlikely to happen to you. But nonetheless, it’s always worth being prepared and maybe also appreciating the situation you are in!
When you think about the so-called “First World”, think again. This episode isn’t for the faint-hearted.Now go and make yourself a sandwich (listen at timestamp to find out why I am writing this here) and tune in.
Note: We had audio issues during the recording of this episode. I apologize and recommend you listen to it with headphones and turn on the subtitles.
Books mentioned in this episode are:
Penny Sinkim: The Birth PartnerKatharine Grave: The Hypnobirthing book
A general note: This podcast is based on personal experiences by mothers. The makers of this podcast are not doctors. Information shared, even if medically founded, is purely personal. For medical questions, we urge you to speak to your physician and/or relevant medical professional.
This episode was produced by Harkat Studios and edited by Mahreen Alam.
Intro music by Akoth Jumadi (https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yzpHN73mIqHg8uP8KnyYo?si=ZzNUZAtTRFOffvz8BDDTYw)