National Health Care Abandons Summertime Pregnant

(Norway) The utopian health care system in Norway has been criticized for not providing pregnant women with necessary services throughout the year. In the summer, labor wards are closed due to vacationing midwives.

Pregnant women have a hard time finding a midwife in the middle of summer. Many labour wards are closed for the summer, or, if open, find their staff dramatically reduced.

The Norwegian Association of Midwives (Jordmorforeningen) thinks the situation for pregnant women during the summer is "indefensible," and calls for the public health service to be reorganised, reports news agency NTB.

So, if one is Norwegian, it's advisable to do the conceiving in summer, not the delivering.