The Birth of a Child as Experienced and Narrated in the 1990s Finland

In this article, I examine the way Swedish-speaking first-time mothers living in Finland narrate their experience of giving birth between 1993 and 1997. The object is narrating about the moment of birth and experiential dimension of giving birth. This includes an analysis of stylistic means used in narration, and the points of narration. The material consists of childbirth stories told by 14 Swedish-speaking first-time mothers in interviews during the 1990s. I define the story as a personal experience narrative. The stories show that the women’s experience is embodied. The birth-givers are more focused on giving birth than giving birth to a child and they relate to ambient norms and values in their narration.