American Mom in Finland

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Finnish Cultural Oddities

Finland has different cultural norms than the United States. I knew about the big ones before we moved - Finns are quiet amongst strangers, keep their space, smile less, drink lots and lots of coffee... Thats not what this list is about. This is about the little things that slowly popped up. Not big enough for people to widely discuss, but also completely different new for me! Finnish Dog Culture I always kind of assumed Finns would be cat people. They fit the stereotypes well enough - solitary, slow to warm up to new people. But no, dogs are everywhere. And I don’t mean people have many dogs - they are literally everywhere. In the mall, in the metro, on a tram. There are dog parking spots outside of grocery stores, one of the few strict dog free zones. There are little hooks to tie a leash to. And if there aren’t dog parking tie ups (inside a mall for example) people create them. And the coats! Dogs here have as many clothing options as the children! Especially the small dogs. Rain

How Finland has Changed Me

We’ve been living in Helsinki, Finland for a little over 2 years now. That’s not super long, but it’s long enough that our lives have drastically changed to fit our new environment. I still remember the first day we were in Finland in our temporary apartment, suddenly in a record breaking heat with no air conditioning, trying to figure out how such tiny grocery stores could possible have all foods we were used to, and completely forgetting that we actually had to carry our food home. Never mind the fact that my Finnish was limited to hei (hey), kiitos (thank you), and anteeksi (excuse me/sorry), which does not help you at all when trying to read food labels for allergens. We didn't have any bags, so S had to carry our groceries. It’s strange to think about those versions of us. Raising kids in Finland has forced us to adapt and conform to Finnish norms faster than we probably would have naturally, and I love that. I love that I’ve changed in many ways that will probably be permane

A Story of Two Births

Hey! Before you start, I’m going to be discussing both of my birth stories here, the good and the bad. This might not be a good read for anyone who is squeamish about birth details. Please skip Soren’s birth story if you are sensitive to birth trauma or medical trauma. Soren’s American Birth (Not all the details, but a summary of the big issues for comparison’s sake) Soren was born two years ago, precisely on his due date. Like most first births, his birth was longer and harder than average, because your body has never done it before. Even by those standard’s, Soren’s birth was a lot. I went into labor after a membrane sweep the night before his due date. I got an epidural when I was 3cm dilated, which wound up being quite early, especially considering I wasn’t allowed to eat. I labored for 26 hours (with epidural for 13 of them), and pushed for 3 hours. By the end of labor, Soren’s heart rate was dropping and the birth team began interventions. He was born by vacuum assist with the

Growing baby Elsie

When Aaron and I decided we were ready for another baby, we knew were embarking on a very different type of pregnancy. A different health care system, a different language, different standards of care, plus I would be chasing around our toddler part time. And then, of course, the pandemic struck, and even our newest plans were demolished. But let’s not jump too far ahead. Today I want to talk about the BIG culture differences in pregnancy care comparing America and Finland! (I used the private system for the first 36 weeks, and that may affect some of my observations) BUT WAIT Before you ask, no, we did not get the infamous baby box. 😭 Long story short, we are still paying into American social security, so we are not covered 100% by Kela which is who distributes the boxes. 1. “In Finland, we are just naked” This is an actual quote from one of my doctors in Finland 😅 Finns are accustomed to naked saunas (family or same gender). Combining this with an extremely efficient model fo

The Finnish Dentist

I never imagined I would be writing a post about the dentist. How different can it be? But the dentist turns out to be a great venue to describe the practical differences between the Finnish and American medical systems without mentioning cost and insurance. I am lucky to have rather uneventful teeth, and I see the private system in both countries, so it’s a relatively fair comparison. For those who aren’t American, I’ll also review what is typical for an American dentist appointment. Check in: America: First, get to the appointment at least 15 minutes early in case they need you to fill out paperwork or rescan your insurance information. You definitely drove there, and it is probably in a building that only has other medical things. At most dentists or doctors, you won’t enter the actual office until at least 5-15 minutes after your appointment time. You wait in a common waiting room by the check in desk with some bad magazines and usually some basic children’s toys. Ev

Adventures in Paivakoti

Well, friends, it's been three months since we returned from America and Soren started in Paivakoti. It's been a game changer for everyone. Let's talk about what paivakoti is, why we are using it, and what the biggest differences are from American day care. Paivakoti literally translates to day home in Finnish. It is a public service, closer to public schooling in the states, so placement is guaranteed within certain conditions. It covers every child over 1 until school age, which starts at 7. Although one is the minimum age, maternity leave is generous enough that many do not start until 3. Soren is attending out neighborhood Paivakoti for half days. The paivakoti is the first floor of the building, while school age classes are on the second floor. Soren has a group of roughly 15 kids, where he is the youngest, and the next youngest is 6 months older. He is the only one not walking, the only one doing half days, and the only one without a Finnish parent. But that isn