Mom shares the culture shock she experienced after giving birth in Sweden: 'You can't do that'

No matter how much an individual might prepare, it is hard to completely assimilate into a different place's culture. In some way or the other, the lack of knowledge will come forth. In such a situation the best thing to hope for is an understanding individual who does not go the route of shaming. Miranda Hudgens—who goes by @mirandapandz on TikTok—found herself in such a predicament when she delivered her baby in Switzerland. She had been brought up in America and did not have a lot of awareness regarding Swedish culture, which led to an uncomfortable interaction with a midwife. The mother recreates this interaction on her social media and sends shockwaves through her comment section with the information she learned that day.

The video begins with the mother swaddling a makeshift baby. Thereafter, the midwife enters the room to take her for the X-rays. The mother greeted her with, "Oh, hi. Are you my midwife?" It was evident from the midwife's expressions that she had noticed something wrong in the room. The midwife inquired, "What are you doing?" The mother answered that she was swaddling her baby, a common practice in America where a baby is wrapped in a cloth. It was obvious that the midwife did not take to this practice positively.

Rather than having a direct conversation with her, the midwife went to the father and relayed her objections and concerns. The man came back and told the mother, "You can't do that to the baby anymore." He goes on to add how the midwife told him that the practice would kill the baby. This took the mother aback, as she did not expect this reaction. He ended with, "We don't do that to babies in this country."

Göran Wennergren shared in his 2021 study that in Switzerland, the practice of swaddling is frowned upon as it is believed that it will make the baby prone to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). This is not the opinion held in the United States of America and the practice is encouraged to make babies feel secure after their arrival. The practice also ensures that the baby has a comfortable sleep and that the startle reflex does not cause any disturbance.

Having grown up in America, the mother did not know about this difference of opinion regarding swaddling and did what came naturally to her. Later on, she did more research and decided against swaddling. However, she did feel a certain way about the attitude she was met with in this situation. Rather than a conversation, she was dismissed and everything was bypassed to her fiancé.

The comment section shared similar experiences. @candylover.emily wrote how the same incident happened to her in the country: "This happened to me too, they told me not to swaddle and were super rude about it. Everyone in my home country and many around the world swaddle." @codswall0p commented on what she was told in regards to swaddling: "I was reprimanded for it here in Sweden. She said that swaddling = too deep sleep = increased risk for SIDS."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 11, 2023. It has since been updated.