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Tag archives for Baby

Baby news

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When I first heard about the baby, which was quite a while back actually, I knew it was true. Not because I believe gossip (me? Never!) and not because I figured it could be true since they got married a year ago, she’s reaching thirtyfive blah, blah, blah – no, I knew it was true because I had a reliable source; a friend of a good friend. And that’s what it’s like in Sweden. It’s so small, you always know someone who knows someone, who knows something. It’s great when it makes you feel like one big family, like Princess Victoria’s and Daniel’s wedding, and sometimes not-so-great, because when tragedy hits it hits everyone.

Everyone I know knows someone, or knows of someone, who either died or survived when the cruise ship Estonia sank in September 1994. Everyone I know knows someone, or knows of someone, who was in Thailand when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004. Swedes in general are empathetic. I’m not just saying that because I’m a Swede and proud of it – believe me, being empathetic can be a curse – but maybe that’s just it: there are so few of us that there’s always someone who knows someone.

Of course, this can be fun, too. Everyone I know knows someone who knows or has met a celebrity – and I’m not talking about passing Pernilla August or Alexander Skarsgård or Crown Princess Victoria on the street. Even I’ve done that. (Hell, I’ve even walked past Tony Blair.) I mean truly met. So if you’re tempted to become a news reporter, come to Sweden – you can get hold of anyone.

Back to the wonderful baby news, which I also knew was true because Swedes rarely lie. (If we do lie, we feel bad about it for weeks, until it eventually comes out on a drunken night out.) That’s why companies trust their employees to work from home and take flexible hours – called freedom under your own responsibility – because we DO work every minute we should so that we don’t feel guilty when we get that pay check at the end of the month.

Since I’m not a gossip girl, I kept my mouth shut about the baby news. Just passed it on to my closest friends – oops, just realized – and the rest of the world.

Congratulations Victoria and Daniel!

Fika plus gossip

Everyone in Sweden knows someone who knows someone who is famous. Photo: Henrik Trygg

Gisela

August 18, 2011

ALL THE INSIDER BABY-GOSSIP: What the English-speaking media doesn’t know and isn’t telling you

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Crown Princess Victoria has “en bulle i ugnen”—a royal bun in the oven!! Woohooo!!! I’m so excited. Victoria, Daniel, if you’re reading this, CONGRATULATIONS! (Omg, I would die if they read this.) If you’re trying to find out more about the royal-highness-to-be, but you don’t speak Swedish, you’re probably getting the following news brief from the Royal Family and not much more.

The Crown Princess Couple is expecting a child

Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are happy to announce that The Crown Princess is expecting their first child.

The birth is expected to take place in March of 2012. No changes in the schedule of The Crown Princess’s public engagements are planned during the fall of 2011.

All due respect to the Royal Family’s press office and all, but that is not enough information. And you know I can’t get enough of the Swedish monarchy.

So here’s all the royal dirt that there is to be found, collected and translated by yours truly from all the Swedish media sources I know (Aftonbladet, Svenska Dagbladet, Sydsvenskan, blogs…).

A CHILD BORN OUT OF LOVE, BUT NOT A LOVE CHILD

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel were married last year on June 19, 2010, which was also the 34th anniversary of the King and Queen’s wedding. The couple was given Haga Slott (Haga Palace) as a wedding gift, and they moved in shortly after the wedding. A commoner, Daniel was given the title “His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland” and his own coat of arms. (Sweet.)

According to Herman Lindqvist, a journalist and popular historian, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were the first Swedish monarchs to marry out of love. Victoria and Daniel continued in this tradition.

Prince Daniel's coat of arms and royal monogram.

HEIR TO THE THRONE?

According to Roger Lundgren, Royal Expert, the new baby will almost definitely be a future King or Queen of Sweden. The Swedish Act of Succession was revised in 1980 to allow the first child to become the country’s monarch regardless of sex, so the baby can become King or Queen regardless of whether it is a His or Her Royal Highness.

Sidenote: Apparently “Royal Expert” is a real title because it showed up in multiple newspapers for more than one expert.  I don’t know how you obtain the necessary qualifications for such a position, but if reading gossip magazines is a requirement, I’m totally on my way.

WHERE THE BABY WILL BE BORN

There’s some speculation about where the baby will be born, with some claiming that he or she will be born in a hospital and others saying that the birth will take place at the royal couple’s official residence at Haga Slott in Solna, Stockholm. Crown Princess Victoria was born at the Karolinska Hospital, but all of her siblings were born at the Kungliga Slott (Royal Palace) in Gamla Stan, Stockholm.

Victoria’s father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, grew up at Haga Slott with his four sisters: Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée, and Christina. The four princesses were known fondly as the “Hagasessorna”—a shortening of “Haga prinsessorna,” or “the Haga princesses,” a nickname that Victoria and Daniel’s baby could inherit.

BABY, SERVED ON A SILVER PLATTER?

When Gustaf V (King 1907-1950, great-grandfather to the current King, Carl XVI Gustaf) was born, the whole royal family was present, along with several governmental officials and foreign ambassadors. They all sat in an adjacent room where they could hear the mother’s labor pains. When Gustaf V was finally born, they brought him out on a silver tray so that he could be recognized and acknowledged as the next heir to the throne.

I tried to find the silver tray online, but no luck. Not the sort of thing you’d think was thrown away or reused as a sandwich tray, though… or at least I hope not. Ahh, yes, finally the tea sandwiches are ready. You know, this is the tray that little Gusse was displayed on when he was newly born! Afterbirth and all! Well, who’s for a little triangle of cucumber and cheese?

WHAT WILL THE NAME BE?

All bets are on a traditional name, which is fairly limiting when it comes to the men. Betting sites have placed the highest odds on “Carl” and “Gustaf” if it’s a boy, given historical tradition, but “Erik” and “Carl-Johan” are also in the running. If it’s a girl, odds so far are on Désirée, followed by Christina, Margaretha, and Maj. Royal Expert Sten Hedman also said that the name will probably be traditional, but suggested “Louise” and “Sibylla” as possibilities.

In any case, the royal baby will probably have 4-5 first names, so any combination of the above is a possibility. The list of reader-suggested names in Sydsvenskan, a Skåne-based newspaper, was heavily dominated by “Zlatan” combinations. That name did not show up in the betting odds, or at least not at the moment.

THE MEDIA SPECTACLE

Of course, everyone’s excited about the new baby. Top marks for enthusiasm have to be awarded to the German journalists who tried to disguise themselves as doctors and sneak into the hospital for an up close and personal look at Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. They were unsuccessful. For my part, I’m looking forward to non-stop media coverage of the royal baby bump from now until March. Maybe the baby and I will even share a birthday! (Mine’s the 21st… fingers crossed!) Photos photos photos!!

PHOTOS!

Sadly, all the best photos are copyright protected, and for some reason, Victoria and I are not Facebook friends. (Very disappointing.) For some exciting photos/photo galleries, click the links below!

Hello! Magazine photo gallery

Svenska Dagbladet’s photo gallery of Victoria and Daniel’s first year of marriage

Hello! Magazine photo gallery of Crown Princess Victoria’s and Prince Daniel’s relationship

The first official picture of Crown Princess Victoria, taken on Öland in August 1977

A little Daniel at his baptism at Almby Church in 1973

A proud King and Queen show off baby Victoria

 

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

August 17, 2011

Strolling Stockholm with a stroller

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The milk had gone off. Not a great way to begin the day for a Brit like me who likes her morning tea. So with baby in tow I nipped down to my local express supermarket.

Navigating the narrow maze of aisles with a pushchair proved something of an assault course. We were then almost imprisoned – our exit required brute force and a balancing act, having to hold open the heavy duty door with my backside while awkwardly squeezing the stroller through. It was a bad start and not a true representation of the city when it comes to strolling around. Considering it’s a fair-sized capital, Stockholm is fairly baby-friendly and as our day continued I took note.

With free and easy travel, Stockholm's buses get parents' seal of approval. Photo: Christine Demsteader

We ventured into the city on public transport. Thumbs up to the buses, on which you can travel free of charge with a stroller. Most have a double door entrance, can fit two-three pushchairs and allow for easy access onboard. Beware, however, that the metro and commuter train charge fares as normal and the lifts can be temperamental with a distinctly off-putting odour at certain stations.

Enter at your nose's peril! Photo: Christine Demsteader

An oasis of greenery and pushchairs. Photo: Christine Demsteader

There’s plenty of green to be seen. When Stockholm isn’t covered in snow, there’s a plethora of parks, open spaces and grassy spots to take respite amid the hustle and bustle of the city. Unless you want to avoid practising your rally skills with your stroller, it’s probably best to avoid Drottningatan on a Saturday afternoon.

Otherwise, the sidewalks (note, I say pavements) are generally spacious. So much so that sole pedestrians may well encounter a whole line-up of prams coming at them head on. Groups of mums and dads with strollers don’t seem to adhere to a single file rule here. Steer clear of the winding 13th-century cobbled streets in the Old Town (Gamla Stan). They are a definite no-no unless your baby enjoys a particularly bumpy ride and you enjoy exerting yourself up 45 degree inclines.

Look out for this sign! Photo: Christine Demsteader

Babies are generally well catered for at cafes. During a pit-stop for lunch, you may well notice that handy microwaves are provided so you can warm food or milk to their taste. Most establishments have at least one toilet equipped with a fold-down table to change your baby’s diaper (note again, I say nappy.) If you’re passing NK – Stockholm’s posh department store – take a trip to the fourth floor and enjoy the comfort of their fancy breast-feeding room for free.

Stockholm has made great strides to ensure buildings are accessible for wheelchair users so ramps, lifts, automatic or sliding doors most often come as standard which makes lighter work with a pushchair too. All in all, a day out in Stockholm with a baby is do-able and shouldn’t leave you stressed out, frustrated or sour, unlike the milk in my fridge this morning.

Christine Demsteader

August 9, 2011

Parental leave: how do you spend yours?

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Baby-anything-you-like advertisements to fill your parental leave diary. Photo: Christine Demsteader

This is a photo of the noticeboard at the local children’s health center. Admittedly, it’s a tad depleted thanks to Sweden’s annual custom that is sommarstängt – where much of the country shuts down for holidays during the month of July.

Here parents can find adverts for baby swim, baby sing, baby sign, baby rhythm and baby massage among other baby-related activities for you and your small child. The list is both exhaustive and potentially exhausting.

There I was thinking all Swedish mums (and dads) took it easy during their parental leave and the highlight of the day was a cafe meet with their peers.

No, it seems, like me many feel subjected to a filling a full weekly diary of pursuits in search of progressing their child’s development. Is this where pushy parent syndrome starts, I wonder?

Given Sweden’s generous parental leave system I suppose there’s a need to fill those numerous weeks with more than lunch dates and copious amounts of coffee and chat – from the sights around the city of mammas en masse, one is led to believe this is the Swedish mum’s staple diet.

With that being said, I’ve been trying to think of a good collective noun for mothers. A pride? A babble? An ambush? I’d be interested to hear your suggestions. Pick any stroller-friendly cafe during a weekday morning or afternoon and you’re bound to find a bunch out in force.

Because aside from housing the noticeboard, children’s health centers in Sweden habitually organize a mother group (mammagrupp), bringing local mums with babies born within the same month or so together.

Note: they are often officially referred to as a parent group in order not to push father’s aside but rest assured, this is a mum thing.

It’s an interesting initiative; you strike up an immediate bond with strangers and find yourself discussing personal family matters close to heart. Either that, or end up comparing babies, their prowess in the pool and melodic singing talents over the obligatory beverage.

With that said, it’s Wednesday and fast approaching lunchtime which is my cue to go and meet my pride as we ambush a cafe and talk baby babble.

Christine Demsteader

July 27, 2011

Isn’t he… pretty in pink

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I once favorably commented on a garment worn by a fellow expat in Sweden who, like myself, hails from the north of England. It was a pink shirt. It looked nice. I told him so, then added: “I bet it wouldn’t go down too well in your local pub back home though.” He agreed and admitted that while Sweden brought out his metrosexual side, he drew the line at lemon sweaters casually thrown over the shoulder.

The World Economic Forum tells us that Sweden is one of the top countries when it comes to demonstrating gender equality. Yet, kidswear stores in Sweden have yet to catch on to the concept that pink could be the new black for boys. And I’m pretty thankful to be honest. I couldn’t quite see myself kitting out my little boy in head-to-toe Hello Kitty.

Kalle in his spotted pink number. Photo: Staffan Claesson/Helena Kulle

Still, cross-dressing for kids is up for discussion. Writer Anette Skåhlberg was pretty disgusted when her son’s daycare had a quiet word about his dress sense. He liked to wear his sister’s dresses and his mother didn’t view it as promblematic. Other parents did.

So Skåhlberg took it upon herself to create the character of Kalle, based upon her son, and wrote the children’s books Kalle med klänning (Kalle with a dress) and Kalle som Lucia (Kalle as Lucia).

The stories, aimed from age two upwards, are part of a wider selection of fairytales penned by Skåhlberg to expose children to equality, openness and tolerance at an early age.

There’s also the likes of Princess Kristalla who goes against the wishes of her parents who want her to marry a prince while she wants to live happy ever after with her girlfriend. Meanwhile, male giraffes Jösta and Johan want to have a baby together and go on the hunt across the world looking for an egg.

Toys have certainly moved on an age since the days of my youth when it was strictly Action Man for boys and Barbie dolls for girls. But the thrill of “dressing up” has stood the test of time. When I was at nursery school I looked forward to Wednesday afternoons. That meant a great big chest filled with clothes and hats would come out of the closet along with our imaginations.

Today, no one will turn a blind eye to Pia becoming Pirate Jack but what about Fredrik who wants to be Fairy Frida? At the Egalia pre-school in Stockholm you can be whoever you want to be. The agenda is gender-free – with teachers refraining from using personal pronouns and instead refering to both boys and girls as “friends”.

The pre-school has recently made international headlines over its methods to break down typical male and female roles, which one commentator  labelled “gender madness”. I am inclined to agree. Let us not forget the story of Pop – the gender-free tot - whose Swedish parents cause a stir by deciding to keep their child’s sex a secret. While I commend the country’s mindful gender-gap endeavours, such lengths leave me red-faced rather than tickled pink.

Christine Demsteader

July 14, 2011

Silence is sometimes golden

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There is a veritable selection of books about the Swedes – sociological insights into their cultural quirks and how to get to know them better, or how to get to know them at all. Indeed, making friends and acquaintances in Sweden takes time. I’m celebrating my 9-year anniversary in Stockholm this month and that’s enough to boast numerous good relations. In the book Swedish Mentality, noted ethnologist Åke Daun refers to “shyness” when it comes to social interaction with the Swedes.

“Shyness…..has been little investigated in Sweden, despite the well-known stereotype of Swedes as rather shy, reserved, withdrawn, stiff, and in many cases not very interested in approaching someone they do not know.”

In Modern Day Vikings, Christina Johansson Robinowitz and Lisa Werner Carr hit the spot. “In Sweden….silence is a trait to be valued. Swedes are generally uncomfortable with small talk, finding it unnecessary or, worse, intrusive.”

This generally holds true until becoming a mum, I found. A sure-fire way to get random strangers talking to you at the bus stop or in the supermarket is to equip yourself with a stroller. Only yesterday, a kind lady reminisced about her now grown-up children with me in the frozen vegetable aisle. So a stroller is a key conversation starter. Put a cute baby in it and you’ll even get your neighbours to chit-chat and pass the time of day with you. Amazing.

Perfect pickings in the park for the unwanted advice brigade. Photo: Christine Demsteader

Yet, Robinowitz and Werner Carr continue. “…(Swedes) see conversation as something that should have a purpose. When they do communicate, however, they can be surprisingly blunt.”

No kidding.

Sometimes, I’ve found their chosen words are simply just unwanted advice, badly timed at those crisis moments when you’re unsuccessfully trying to settle your crying baby. I’ve had people tell me he needs picking up, share their knowledge of preferable sleeping positions and the pitfalls of pacifiers.

There is a Swedish proverb: “Tala är silver, tiga är guld” – To speak is silver, to keep silent is gold. I used to moan about missing a friendly few words with passers by, but after nine years in Sweden I got used to holding my tongue. Now there are moments when I wish they would stick to being the solemn silent types I have come to know and even love.

 

Christine Demsteader

June 30, 2011

Cries from the motherland

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I counted 14 out of 20 strollers on a sunny Stockholm day sporting a plastic coffee cup holder. No, it seems I’m not your average Swedish mom. I am one of 2,7 million mothers residing in this country and according to Statistics Sweden the majority are called Eva. According to my meagre quantitative research most also boast the nifty coffee cup gadget. I, however, own neither name nor accessory. And I probably haven’t read the going rate of parenting books either.

Still, there are some universal truths to being a parent wherever you are in the world. Like sleepless nights – hence the need for a caffeine kick within easy reach, quite possibly. With that said I find myself typing this first post at 5am after flicking through chapters of The Contented Little Baby Book and The  No-Cry Sleep Solution – I have a sizeable library of US and British child-rearing literature kindly donated by fellow moms but despairingly overlooked by this one. Until now.

I choose sleep over selected bedtime reading. Photo: Christine Demsteader

These maternal gurus write that my near three-month-old son should now be well-versed in a four-hourly feeding routine by now. In fact, I should have set the pattern rolling shortly after he took his first breath in the open-air. The Swedish healthcare system, however, continues to encourage me to feed on demand – a fair method methinks since I advocate it personally. Put philosophically, I’m hungry, therefore I eat. (Feeding on demand seems somewhat strange in a country where just about all office workers feel compelled to leave their desks for lunch at 11.30am prompt.)

But back to the matter in hand, being a first-time mom in my non-native land leaves me somewhat stuck in no man’s land. Should I take heed and hark back to the way things are done back home? How about comparing notes with fellow moms from my motherland? Or should one sit back and fully embrace the good guide to Swedish parenting?

I succumbed to both caffeine and consensus in the end. Photo: Christine Demsteader

While I’m keen to expose my Englishness on his upbringing, I hope to avoid conflict when choosing my way over the Swedish superbaby highway. This is just one of many considerations I intend to explore further in this Mamma blog. For now though, it’s unlikely I’ll be changing my name to Eva but those practical café latte holders seem more appealing by the minute.

 

Christine Demsteader

June 20, 2011

Catching Baby Fever In Sweden

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Catrin carrying baby - Photography by Lola AkinmadeDrinking tea - Photography by Lola Akinmade

I can currently count on both hands (and a few toes) how many friends and colleagues of mine who’ve recently had babies, or are expecting babies.

And it seems to come in two waves – those who conceive during the sheer happiness early Swedish summers bring – and those who conceive during the boredom dark cold winters bring.

Not too long ago, I met up with friends for fika – tea and hallonpaj (raspberry pie with vanilla sauce) – at Ulriksdal slott to meet their adorable new son.

Lola Åkerström - Photo

March 16, 2011

Hundreds of Baby Strollers In Norrmalmstorg

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Strolling with babies and dogs - Photography by Lola AkinmadeWomen gathering in Norrmalmstorg - Photography by Lola AkinmadeBabies and strollers - Photography by Lola AkinmadeWhite Ribbon Alliance - Photography by Lola AkinmadeStrolling down Hamngatan - Photography by Lola AkinmadeIn celebration of International Women’s Day today, hundreds of women (700+) with babies, strollers, dogs, and a few men in tow gathered in Norrmalmstorg, then headed down Hamngatan, past Kungsträdgården towards Sergels torg – the center of Stockholm in what is called Barnvagnsmarschen (Babystroller March) – organized by Unite For Women.

The march also took place in 18 other cities across the country.

Lola Åkerström - Photo

March 8, 2011