Intercultural motherhood in Finland: the paradox of the “baby box” and neuvola services.

​For Mother's Day in Finland, I would like to share reflections and experiences about the maternity package and neuvola services in Finland. If you make a quick browse online, you will read that ” The maternity package (in Finnish: äitiyspakkaus,) known internationally as the Finnish "baby box," is a kit granted by the Finnish social security institution Kela, to all expectant or adoptive parents who live in Finland or are covered by the Finnish social security system. By neuvola services I refer in this blog to the prenatal care offered by public clinics of the Finnish healthcare system.
What is the paradox that I want to tell?

​Expectant parents (yes, in plural or singular) are denied the maternity package and neuvola services when the mother, who is physically in Finland, is not covered by the Finnish social security system. The Executive Director of Familiary, Elina Helmanen, described this situation accurately in an opinion publication:

“The real problem with the maternity kit is not the name but the fact that only the mother can have it. If the mother is not covered by Finnish social security, the package is not issued and the father cannot apply for it. Not even if the father of the child is covered by social security or is Finnish. Even if the parents of the family live in Finland and the child is born as Finnish, the future parents are not entitled to it if the mother is not covered by Finnish social security.
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These situations concern, for example, families living in Finland where the mother is not entitled to Finnish social security because of her employment status, or the mother is waiting for a decision on a residence permit.”

​When Kaksplus interviewed my husband, I felt that the fuss over this topic was clouded because I was a diplomat when the maternity package and neuvola services were denied to my family. It is truth that my employment status had a nuance of privilege. Despite this, my work insurance could barely cover the high prices of private health services in Finland.

​I remember my pregnancy days as very stressful ones. My husband and I had to endure economical and logistic sacrifices to receive maternity health services and find a suitable hospital to give birth in another city (Tampere), to avoid acquiring an enormous debt. 

​In addition, not receiving the maternity package communicated to my family that we were different, in a way, not truly welcomed into Finnish society. This is especially important if you take a look at the Birth Certificate of my Finnish daughter that reads that she was born "abroad" (Ulkomaat), in the city of Tampere – Finland, as a consequence of my migration status. ​

The question of equality directs us also to fatherhood and other family typologies. Expectant fathers and tutors covered by Finnish social security, shall be equally able to apply for the maternity package and neuvola services, regardless of their gender.
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The maternity box has become an international brand Finland takes pride in as a symbol of equality. Nevertheless, are all babies born in Finland welcomed on the same grounds? My situation was not unique. Read the stories of two mothers like me, who had a bumped start into the waters of intercultural motherhood in Finland. 

K.Z.

I was living and working in Finland with an au pair residence permit, which is a contract that delivers me the obligation to work with a host family, receive a monthly pocket money worth of 280 euros subject to taxation, and study Finnish language.
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When I got pregnant in the year 2020, Covid spread all over the world. I had no option but to stay in Finland, so it was natural for me to apply for neuvola services. Kela rejected my application many times. First, Kela claimed it was because of my au pair residence permit and that I did not have a permanent address registered in Finland. 

My husband and father of the soon-to-be-born child is a European Union citizen who had been living and working in Finland for three years at the moment of our first pregnancy in 2020. I applied for a residence permit based on family ties, but during the process of waiting for a decision from Migri, my application to access neuvola services was again denied.

In short, I did not receive free healthcare during my pregnancy in Finland. Not to even dream about the baby box. ​

I was so stressed and depressed because we did not have car at that time and the only hospital who accepted us was AAVA. This hospital was expensive and every check up cost us so much. Imagine paying 359 euros every time you go to see if your pregnancy is doing fine? I still have the papers of my bills in hospital that cost us almost 6,000 euros!

​As mentioned, traveling to my home country or my husband’s country was not an option due to Covid restrictions.

​In this context, it saddens me that Kela once told me to go back to my country! Every time I remember this situation I’m still in tears. 

Eva Suomi

I permanently moved to Finland in the autumn of 2020, almost 7 months pregnant. My husband is a Finnish citizen, born and bread in Espoo, and even before seriously considering having a child or living in Finland (we were based in the UK) I did know about the famous Finnish baby box. 
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It has been such a staple for me, representing something truly Finnish - with the new design every year and with the content really being tailored to the local conditions. Hello, super warm winter overalls! I always thought the idea of the box was an old school tradition worth keeping.

​I do remember being very excited about it and feeling kind of special to be receiving it...until I learned that I would not. I was unable to apply in due time because my transfer into the Finnish social security system was not finalized at that point.

My thoughts were: no problem, the father of the baby is registered, surely, he can apply instead! We were both quite surprised to learn that this really is considered "the mother's package" as the other partner is not eligible to apply. Even though the content of the box is 95% for the baby, not the parents! It is not like you cannot buy the same things elsewhere, it is more the disappointment from being left out from this nice gesture. 

​Luckily for us, there was a silver lining in the whole story. A good friend here in Finland made me my own personal mother's package, gathering unused and secondhand items from the original contents from her other friends who had received the package. It even included the condoms and baby nail scissors. 

Blog writer and Editor: Martha Cecilia
​For familia ry