Recently a young couple of non-Norwegian ancestry had their first baby in
our hospital.  The mother was not yet 17, but was extremely maternal and
seemed to be a natural at the whole art of nurturing.  There were some minor
problems getting baby to breast because she had a tendency for nasal
congestion which made latching difficult.  I couldn't get very worried, as
long as the mother was able to hand express as well as she did, and she
eagerly kept baby skin to skin, patiently waiting for her to start feeding
well.  Both she and the father have grown up in Scandinavia and are very
much at home here, but they speak the native language of their parents'
country of origin to each other.

I understood a little better why this teenager didn't seem unfamiliar with
how babies are, when her own mother arrived to visit, along with the baby's
two youngest aunties.  When I went over to say hello to the grandmother, the
littlest aunt tried to turn around and see who I was, from her perch on the
grandmother's lap.  Couldn't quite turn all the way to face me, though,
without letting go of the breast in her mouth.   You just know that things
will work out fine for the family when the grandmother sits there, casually
breastfeeding her own two year old in the corridor of the maternity ward for
all to see.

Definitely the sweetest moment of my entire shift, if not that entire week,
and one I could not keep to myself any longer.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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