Äitiysneuvola!
For most
Finns, this word marks the beginning of a long journey. This is the first
consultation visit of a new mother to get advice about maternity, and to
schedule an ultrasound. The father can come along, too. My wife is 10 weeks
pregnant, and we are going together to the äitiysneuvola tomorrow. As a scientist
who is well versed in embryology, I'm going to have trouble keeping my mouth
shut. Don't worry, though, my wife will make sure that I
do!
So, what does this word,
"äitiysneuvola," actually mean? When inserted into Google Translate,
it translates to the very benign sounding "Maternity Clinic."
However, if we look at the etymology of the word by breaking it down into its
parts, we find a much more specific answer: "Äitiys" refers to maternity,
so that's all fine and good. But, rather than a clinic,
"neuvola" refers to a center for guidance. This, at first
glance, may seem great, especially to a Finn who is used to outsourcing
important decisions to experts. However, I believe that this is the first event
in the life of a human being, which increases his/her reliance on the social
welfare system and perpetuates the idea that an expert is more qualified to
make your life's decisions than you are.
Yes, this
visit itself is totally benign. Still, it is vitally important for us to
remember that we, the parents, are responsible for raising our children the way
they should be raised. Outsourcing this job to the society, and blindly
following the directives given by experts would be irresponsible of us.
Don’t
get me wrong: my wife and I believe that education is a good thing.
Furthermore, we believe that each person should be responsible for educating
him/herself in the things that are important, rather than blindly relying on
the word of someone else deemed an "expert." We are all for mothers
getting as much information as possible to better the care of their children! It
would just be better if the information were complete, and up-to-date. Although
it takes more time to look at the latest articles in peer-reviewed medical
journals, the information you can get from your own research is a lot more
thorough and good than what you get from a 1-1/2 hour consultation.
Yes,
we are going to the neuvola although we could opt out. We’re doing this for three reasons.
1.
Her parents would kill me if my wife didn’t go. After all, as caring parents
we’re pretty much “obligated” to do it. Besides, if we pay taxes, we might as well exercise our "right" to two free ultrasounds throughout the course of her pregnancy. Ultrasounds are beneficial, and it will be good to get one (or two).
2.
I will be recording the entire consultation on my phone and analyzing it for your
benefit. If there is anything to be gained from the neuvola visit, you will
find it on this blog, shortly!
3. Even though societal pressure practically forces you to go to the neuvola, we set out to demonstrate that, whether we go to the neuvola or not, we will make our decisions in the best interest of our new child!
All
the Best,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment