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HEALTH

Swedish health watchdog criticizes doctor over woman’s toilet birth

Sweden's health watchdog has criticized a doctor after a pregnant woman was sent home and gave birth in the toilet moments after being told to take paracetamol.

Swedish health watchdog criticizes doctor over woman's toilet birth
File photo of a baby not related to the story. Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

As The Local reported last year, the woman from western Sweden was 31 weeks' pregnant when she started getting stomach pains on a visit to Ystad in southern Sweden and contacted the hospital.

The obstetrics and gynecology unit found traces of blood in her urine, gave her antibiotics and sent her home.

Later that evening she contacted the hospital again, but a CTG and vaginal ultrasound did not show anything out of the ordinary, so the same doctor sent her home once again.

Her husband called health services once more that night explaining that his wife was in so much pain she was unable to speak, but was told that she should take an Alvedon – a Swedish brand of paracetamol-based painkillers.

In the report filed to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate the woman explained that she then threw up and ran to the toilet, where she had three contractions, pushed and gave birth to a son in the toilet chair. Half an hour later an ambulance came to get her.

Both the 39-year-old woman and the child are understood to have been at good physical health afterwards, but the woman later contacted the hospital in Ystad to get an explanation about what happened.

“I have thought a lot about the incident and called Ystad to see if they had done any investigation and if it had provided some answers as to whether or not they could have done something differently. For example let me stay the night for observation,” regional newspaper Kvällsposten quotes the woman as writing in her report to the inspectorate.

But when she called the hospital none of the senior doctors were aware of her birth.

The health inspectorate found that she should have been admitted for observation, especially considering that it was believed she had an infection which could trigger early birth, Kvällsposten reports. The watchdog also criticized the doctor who examined her for not signing the medical log.

For members

HEALTH

Should you take vitamin D supplements if you live in Sweden?

Shorter days make it much harder to get enough vitamin D during the colder months of the year in Sweden. Is it worth taking supplements during the winter?

Should you take vitamin D supplements if you live in Sweden?

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient for overall health and well-being, and most people are aware that it can be absorbed via sunlight. 

Sunlight isn’t in abundance in Sweden during the winter. A lot of places across the country only get a few hours a day, typically during working hours, when the majority of the population are inside at work or school.

This makes it much harder to get enough vitamin D. A deficiency can lead to several health problems in the long run, like muscle weakness and cramps, fatigue and depression. In extreme cases, it can cause rickets in children (known as engelska sjukan, English illness, in Swedish).

Where else can I get vitamin D from?

Aside from sunlight, vitamin D is primarily found in fatty fish, roe and fish liver, as well as red meat, egg yolks and liver. Around 100 grams of salmon or herring provides enough vitamin D to cover your daily intake. 

Vitamin D is also added to several foods in Sweden, such as milk, yoghurt, butter, as well as their non-dairy alternatives. The nutritional label on food packaging will state how much has been added. 

If you are unable to incorporate these foods into your diet, or if you spend a lot of time inside or with your skin covered, then you will probably need to turn to supplements. 

How much should I take a day?

According to the Swedish Food Agency, children and most adults should consume at least 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day, rising to 20 micrograms per day for over-70s as well as people who rarely have sun on their skin.

Most people get enough vitamin D through their food, but the agency does recommend supplements for some groups.

For the following groups, it recommends taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D supplements per day (you may also see supplements measured in IE, in which case 10 micrograms is equivalent to 400 IE).

  • Children under two 
  • People who don’t eat fish 
  • People who don’t eat food with added vitamin D (such as milk, butter, and non-dairy alternatives)
  • People who eat neither fish nor food with added vitamin D
  • People with little or no exposure to the sun
  • People who are pregnant or breastfeeding 

The following groups should take 20 micrograms (800IE) a day:

  • Over-75s
  • People with little or no exposure to the sun, who also don’t eat fish or food with added vitamin D.

If you spend time outdoors in the sun during the summer months, you don’t need to take supplements between May and August.

There are also upper limits to the amount of vitamin D you should take, so don’t be tempted to take extra if you’ve missed a few days.

Children up to the age of 11 should take no more than 50 micrograms per day, while anyone over the age of 11 should take no more than 100 micrograms per day.

Where can I buy it?

You should be able to get hold of vitamin D supplements at health stores, pharmacies and larger supermarkets. Search for D-vitamintillskott if buying online. Parents of children under two should be given liquid vitamin D drops for their child for free at their child health centre.

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