Relocation Guide - Spring 2012
You’re a foreigner, you’re pregnant!
What do you do? In Denmark and holding a pregnancy test with two lines? Here’s what you can expect the next nine months to be like By Stephanie Brickman
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ou can’t help but be wowed by it. Whether it’s longed for or a total shock, the moment a woman finds out she’s pregnant is not one she’ll forget in a hurry. However, feelings of wonder are often swiftly followed by a wave of anxiety about relationship, career and last but not least, the fact that this baby will have to come out. For a woman who finds herself pregnant far away from home, without the support of family and friends, these feelings of anxiety can become overwhelming. For Hanne Ebbesen, it was her own experiences of giving birth away from her native Denmark, in Scotland and Norway, that led her to start her company Copenhagen Maternity Care and now handles seven births a year as well as giving antenatal classes geared to expat couples. “I had my first kid in Scotland and I had this horrible need to have some company, anyone who would take my hand and say: ‘Pregnancy is normal’. I needed someone who would come with me to the hospital and to the doctor. As a pregnant expat with a husband working 12 hours a day you can get so lonely. This loneliness doesn’t
sit well with giving birth, you can’t relax, you don’t feel comfortable and you don’t feel ready to give birth. That’s why I became a doula.” ‘Doula’ is a Greek word meaning a woman who cares for other women. Nowadays it has come to refer to an experienced woman who helps a couple through the experience of pregnancy and birth. The pregnant foreigner’s journey begins with her doctor, however the bulk of the care is delivered by teams of community midwives, based in health centres rather than at the doctor’s surgery. You are allocated a midwifery team according to where you live and you may not always see the same midwife at each appointment. This is not dissimilar to many European countries but to our North American sisters it can come as a bit of a shock. For Ashley Denhup, who hails from Pennsylvania, her second birth at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen six months ago was very different from her first in the US.
Hanne Ebbesen knows what it takes to make pregnant woman – and their newborns – feel at ease
“My first pregnancy was very straightforward and, being a healthy 27-year-old woman, my second pregnancy was really laid back. It was a bit of a shock that I was only seen by a doctor two or three times and it was a primary care doctor. In my first pregnancy I was seen every other week by an obstetrician. “With my first birth, in the US, they convinced me to have an epidural, so I never felt labour, I couldn’t even feel my legs. Here in Denmark by the time I got to asking for an epidural they told me I was past that stage. I ended up having my baby naturally which was the most empowering and awesome thing and it would never have happened in the States, I would have been given an epidural, I would never have pushed the baby out myself. That was one thing that was really great about being in Denmark.”
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AWC and Ladies International Group København both have bumps and babies groups that Byrge said were “much better than googling”, adding, “don’t worry that there are no doctors involved, it’s actually an advantage. Natural is the way to go and it’s best for mother and baby.”
Fact file | You’re pregnant. What next? • Contact your GP for confirmation of pregnancy and to be registered as pregnant. You will be given handheld notes, known as a ‘vandrejournal’. • Read up on what you can and can’t eat, drink and do. “What to expect when you’re
While Denhup faired well without an epidural, others might be less gung-ho at the prospect. Ebbesen is quick to point out that you don’t get, if you don’t ask.
expecting” by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon
“A woman must pronounce her needs,” she said. “It’s perfectly allowed in Denmark to say – I need more backup, you just have to make your voice heard. “
until around 13 weeks unless you experi
Irish nurse Maria Byrge, who has given birth twice at Hvidovre Hospital, also advises women to banish shyness and ask for what they need.
midwife appointment, scan and tests that
“In the hospital you need to be proactive and ask for help, whether it’s a cup of tea or painkillers or help with breast feeding, they don’t come in asking if you want anything every five minutes. You need to press that buzzer when you need something, but when you do they’re there.
identifies genetic abnormalities) is not
“The system here overall is very good. It’s very simple and basic but it really works. You don’t see the midwives very often but their knowledge and experience is superb and I also found them to be very caring. They all spoke great English as well.”
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ous with her advice and encouragement. Everything she told me helped me in labour.”
Mazel is widely accepted as an authoritative source of information. • Don’t expect to have any appointments ence bleeding, pain or other worrying symptoms. • At around 13 weeks you will have your first assess your baby’s risk of abnormalities. • Amniocentesis testing (an invasive test that given as standard in Denmark, it is discussed on a case by case basis. • Between 18 and 20 weeks you will have a foetal abnormality scan, an extremely thorough check of your baby’s development that can also reveal whether you’re carrying a boy or a girl, if you wish to know. • Rigshospitalet has an informative website and antenatal classes, both in English.
Although both Byrge’s pregnancies and births were uncomplicated, the pain of the first birth made her fearful in the lead up to the second.
• Elective caesarians are possible in the
“I was lucky to meet up with Hanne through the AWC (American Women’s Club) ‘Stork Club’ and she was a great help and inspiration with my second birth. My first birth was fine but more painful than I had imagined and with the second birth coming up I was frightened. She was very gener-
want one.
Danish system, but you may have to present a fairly forceful argument as to why you
Useful links www.copenhagenmaternitycare.dk www.rigshospitalet.dk/RHenglish/Menu