Maternity ward – where you go when it is time to give birth

The maternity ward is staffed with midwives. They are specialists in childbirth.

The midwife usually works together with someone else. This may be an assistant nurse or another midwife.

Doctors who specialise in childbirth also work in the ward. They assist when needed.

You will first meet with a midwife.

They will ask you how you are feeling.

The midwife will determine whether your labour is well underway.

If so, you will stay at the maternity ward.

If your labour is not far enough along, the midwife may ask you to go home and come back later.

You will be given your own room

Your room will have a special bed.

It will also usually have comfortable furniture to sit on.

Usually, the room will be equipped with nitrous oxide, which is also called laughing gas. You can use this when you are in pain.

There is often a shower or bathtub in the ward.

You will talk about your birth

The midwife will ask questions about what you want the birth process to be like.

For example, you will talk about what body position you want to be in while giving birth.

Two transducers will be placed on your stomach

The midwife will measure your baby’s heart rate with a monitoring device called a CTG.
This is a good way to find out how your baby is doing.

The device is connected to two transducers that the midwife attaches to your stomach.

These are held in place with a belt.

The device also measures when the uterus tightens during a contraction.

Taking this measurement will not affect the baby.

You may stay in hospital for a while after the baby is born.

How long you stay depends on how you and the baby are feeling.

It is more common to leave hospital early if you have had a baby before.

In such case, you will come in for a visit after a few days.

Sometimes you and the baby will go to a BB ward

If you need to stay for a while after giving birth, you will be transferred to another type of maternity ward.

This is called the BB ward.

There, you can get help for the first few days after giving birth.

For example, you can get help with breastfeeding.

The BB ward is staffed with midwives, assistant nurses and doctors.

If others want to come and visit or stay overnight

Sometimes your partner or the person who was with you at the birth can stay with you.

Relatives and siblings of the baby are usually allowed to visit.

The baby will be examined before you go home

The baby will be examined by a paediatrician before you and the baby go home.

You can get help from an interpreter if you do not speak Swedish.