The researchers in the Imagine Euro network asked 21,000 women giving birth, of which almost 5,000 in Sweden, to fill in a survey during the first year of the pandemic.

There it turned out that 62 percent of them had not been allowed to bring a chosen person to the birth.

42 percent felt that they did not receive sufficient help with labour.

Overall, the Swedes rated their experience of maternity care highly.

Luxembourg and Norway were also high.

Croatia and Serbia were the worst.  

- We have good maternity care in Sweden, but there are still things to work on, says Karolina Lindén. 

Feel vulnerable to abuse

Seven percent of the Swedish women answered that they had been subjected to physical, verbal or psychological abuse during their time in care.

Croatia was the highest with 23.5 percent.  

- Croatia is a terrible example, Sweden is the lowest of the countries surveyed, but I think seven percent is very high.

In the worst case, the consequence can be post-traumatic stress that can linger for years.

You may not want to give birth again.  

Another thing that was seen was that a third of the Swedish women who gave birth with the help of a suction cup stated that they had not given their consent in connection with the procedure.

- It is something we need to look into further, but it is serious, being involved in one's own care is about the right to one's own body.

Communication must work even if emergency situations arise, she says.

Missing midwives

There is a lack of midwives in 19 out of 21 regions in Sweden.

During the autumn, midwives protested against the working conditions in maternity care.

Although it may take time to recruit more, Karolina Lindén sees that things can be done already now.  

- We know from work environment research that a good work environment requires a present manager, that you have time to talk with colleagues and that the ceiling is high.

There are things for the management to do immediately.

In the clip, Karolina Lindén lists three things that can improve maternity care.