Having a baby is essentially the same worldwide, though each nation’s approach to prenatal and maternity care varies according to national policy. In Sweden, most mothers-to-be enjoy the services of midwives instead of doctors and nurses. It’s also rated #2 as the best place to be a mom, according to Save the Children, the London-based non-government organization devoted to promotion and protection of children’s rights throughout the world.

Swedish moms usually get only one ultrasound and not a single gynecological exam during a pregnancy, relying instead on the services of midwives for all care to a mother and the child she carries; the service is free. Maternity care is part of the Swedish national health care system and it’s been meted out by midwives since the 18th century. In most cases, a woman has one team of midwives guiding her through pregnancy and a second-team that assists with delivery.

Additional health care services are available to mothers experiencing complications of pregnancy. When a midwife detects a concern, she refers the woman to a physician. Also, about half of all Swedish women ask for an epidural during delivery, which requires a physician to administer it.

Marie Berg, a professor in health and care sciences at the University of Gothenburg Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden says, “pregnancy is a normal condition” with no need to treat it as an illness. Sofie Laaftman, a midwife based in Stockholm, agrees, adding that most healthy women under age 40 don’t need medical care to guide them through a process as natural as having a baby.

The Cochrane Collaboration agrees with the value of midwifery. In a scientific study published in August 2013, the organization found most women could benefit from seeing a midwife rather than a doctor during a normal, healthy pregnancy.

The European Perinatal Health Report for 2010 lists these statistics for Sweden:

• 1.5 neonatal deaths per 1,000 births — in all Europe, only Iceland has fewer
• 3.1 per 100,000 deaths of a mother during childbirth