Having a Baby in Denmark as a Foreigner

[@RobeTrotting]

🎧 You can hear more from us and Annie on having kids and whether it's in our future on the full episode of What Are You Doing in Denmark here ➡ shows.acast.com/what-are-you-doing-in-denmark

[@SuiGenerisAbbie]

Cultural differences videos are ever-compellingly watchable. 👍

[@Bronzescorpion]

My dad is 70 years old, one of his friends is a day older and they know each other because their mothers were sharing the same room when they were born. Mother groups are such a smart thing.

[@RobeTrotting]

Wow, that’s so cool 🤩

[@creepycasta9430]

Annie you are a delight, welcome to Denmark 🇩🇰

[@MadMadMandy]

My mom has four children, still drinks coffee with her all the mom-groups from each child. I'm 30, my oldest sibling is 36, so I'd say these momgroups can really make some lasting friendships! They talk a lot about how it is to be grandparents now, they bring it up everytime, it's heartwarming 😊

[@RobeTrotting]

So cute ☺️

[@annieineventyrland]

Ugh this was so fun!!!

[@RobeTrotting]

Omg YES 🙌🏼 💜 please come back soon

[@larsrons7937]

Hi guys. Thank you for the last videos. Its an interesting topic you have these days, about parenting and children in Denmark. I came upon this video about the Danish "forest kindergartens". Maybe that could be an topic for a video, perhaps with a guest invited? The video is 10 minutes: _SBS Dateline - "Denmark's Forest Kindergartens"_ I don't know what "SBS" means. "Special Branch Service"?

[@muhest]

I’m kinda surprised Annie opted out of the mom support group. I - just like her - couldn’t see how she personally could benefit having birthed 4 (FOUR 😳) children … but I would imagine she could have provided a sh!tton of support to the other moms in the group. Having birthed 4 (FOUR 😳) children … 3 in the states and one here … she certainly sounds like she could’ve provided experience, support and comfort aplenty. 😉

[@RobeTrotting]

That's true, I can say that I sometimes feel out of place offering advice as an American here unless it's something I'm put in a place of authority on (like professionally).

[@muhest]

@@RobeTrotting I can understand that. I kinda feel the same. But when I know my stuff, I know it well enough to advice on it. And Annie sure has her stuff down in the mom department. 😃

[@RobeTrotting]

@@muhest That's true for sure - she's definitely on top of her game there :)

[@kimf.wendel9113]

True, but it is a personal thing whether you want to or not. If she didn't need it in her life, then she would be better without. Also I doubt that the conciouness of how you can help others develop as sharply in America, the strength in the group is very enforced in scandinavia

[@muhest]

@@kimf.wendel9113 Lol … that’s true. But then again … Annie is a girl. Don’t forget that 😂

[@kimf.wendel9113]

Denmark needs children, and our birth rate is low. That's why the government will help any woman that wish to conceive a child, even if it is the 4th or 6th child. They know they need it, so it is better to help someone with experience rather than rely on accidents among 16 year olds.

[@RobeTrotting]

Makes sense

[@kimf.wendel9113]

From what I hear adoption is also a fair bit easier in Denmark, just need to prove the home is stable. But I have no comparisons to a country like America. Speaking of Mother groups, have you guys ever lokkede in to the subject of volunteers, and how they are handled (what they actually volunteer in) between Denmark and America?

[@Bettymis1]

The public health system in Denmark offers you 3 attempts of IVF (in special cases 6) and only if you do not have any children already. And they only help with one child. The woman has to be younger than 41, no age limit for men. Doctors can refuse to help, if they feel the family is not fit to take care of a child. If you want more than one child trough IVF, or you have children already, you have to seek treatment in the private sector

[@sismofytter]

​@@kimf.wendel9113Adoption in Denmark is super expensive 250000+ DKK

[@sismofytter]

​@@Bettymis1I really hate this free help, since there's no economic help to men that wants to adopt

[@rickybuhl3176]

I kinda feel like the assistance given isn't done just to check a box, to be able to say that they've "offered a service" but a bit more holistic.

[@chengifoo7603]

thank you for this. I was hoping to find out about the child's rights here being born in Denmark and the parents are foreigners but I believe this was not discussed here or I may have missed it by accident??

[@victorcapelo2840]

A child born from immigrant parents living in Denmark will have an easier time applying for residence permit. They will not automatically get citizenship if neither parent is danish.

[@RobeTrotting]

Other factors are involved as well like if both parents or one parents are: Danish, EU, or non-EU and their respective residency statuses. You can have very messy situations where the child and parent have different rights to residency in Denmark, made purposely complicated.

[@Flodhesten]

You sometines forget that what we think is a bare minimum, is a very fancy premium experience conpared with other countries. Oh, paternity is legally at least 11 weeks at this point in time

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, from last August. 2 weeks at birth and 9 weeks in the first year 😊

[@MyndeN]

The difference of cost could be interresting view, how much similar situations in us and dk would cost a family. For example with the pregancy complications mentioned in the video.

[@RobeTrotting]

It depends on the person’s insurance of course, so there’s no one answer or way of comparing. The lower taxes often make up for the healthcare expenses so it’s typically rather even for the majority of Americans. Our take-home income is about the same here as it was before we moved and our insurance would have covered all the visits and emergency complications etc - but there’s no set standard to compare.

[@wickeddanish5814]

Annie is so cute !! but guys .. when is it yours turn ?

[@RobeTrotting]

For a kid? We talked about it on the podcast episode :)

[@theriddler2277]

do itttt.... you guys would be a great influence on a kid and we can never have to many parents that are just that.

[@olejensen3125]

🥰

[@Anjaxo]

How do you get maternity leave benefits as an expat? Are you automatically entitled, do you have to have a job first (and do you have to have worked for that company for a period of time before you get it?)

[@madselmvig1457]

Being an Expat, automatically means you are stationed in Denmark on work (otherwise you would be an immigrant). And yes you have to have a work to receive maternity leave, however all workers by law receive leave from work. And while there is no minimum work period before receiving maternity, if you are pregnant and get a new employee just to at once leave for maternity, that is frowned upon a lot, as we Danes value honesty. And being hired while being 9 months pregnant is almost impossible, and if you hide it, you would get fired quickly.

[@kubrakutlu9711]

Are there English speaking mother groups too? It would be sad if they can’t match foreigners with other foreigners or Danes willing to speak English

[@JaneAchum]

Nice content. How can an English speaking foreigner survive in Denmark at least until you learn the language?

[@siobhanxdx]

The majority of Danes speak fluent English - from an Irish person living in Denmark with very little Danish 😊

[@KHValby]

Let me guess! I doesn't hurt 😁! Just kidding. Love the Vlog💋

[@RobeTrotting]

😂 We can follow up and ask Annie

[@socialghost4400]

And just like that……Danish tinder and badoo (and whatever else they are called) will explode with American women looking for seed donations. Thanks for the video Robe Trotting!!!! 🎊 🎉 🎈 😃😃

[@RobeTrotting]

😂😂😂

[@blueeyedpunk]

Haha, I might get lucky then 😂

[@Bluefox1978]

I can tell you that it was not a royal experience 😂 No doubt! But rumours are that Hvidovre is better whatever the “better” is? 🤔

[@Simpopcorn]

Please dont Call vuggestue school. Not at all School 😮‍💨😬

[@RobeTrotting]

We’ll often use that word as a catch-all in American English and expect the listener to use a little bit of context to understand the precise meaning. Not sure if English is your mother tongue, but context is something you’ll pick up over time if you don’t understand it from this particular conversation.

[@johndododoe1411]

​@@RobeTrottingYeah, vuggestue is a cradle care, børnehave is a literal translation of kindergarten, which is for slightly older preschool kids . Once grade 0 starts there's the SFO care to pad the difference between school and work hours . Because mothers are expected to have full time jobs once maternity leave ends .

[@treefrog1018]

What Robe Trotting said, "school" is a catch-all phrase for anything from daycare to secondary school. Considering that Annie intentionally sent her kid to vuggestue to be exposed to Danish and Danish culture, "school" is a more appropriate colloquial term in English than "nursery"/"daycare" (we know by context that it is daycare and not skole)

[@habibkujabi8112]

Hello,can one parent sign for the new born baby certificate, if the other parent is far or living in another country? My girlfriend just gave birth, she's a African but a Denmark citizen, I live in Germany?

[@mortenhansen2578]

yet the Danish birth rate are less than 2

[@johndododoe1411]

Yeah, because why split the inheritance 50+ years later . Years ago the consumer protection agency calculated that the lifetime cost of parenthood averaged 1 million DKK per child, so planning when to do so is kind of important . Also, knowing how to date and marry without unplanned pregnancies is taught before kids are old enough to date .

[@jakobm.tilsted5333]

Funny for me to see how You are all still stuck in Your gender roles, even though You think You are all progressive ... it is not a criticism, as such, we can all only be what we are ... The woman wants to keep all the child's affection for herself, failing to see the value of a father's bond with his children, or the value of a child forming bonds with other children and learning from them - while still claiming full controll of the household ... The two guys also failing to see the deeper point of almost everything ... But I forgive You, it's all in a well meaning way ... keep it up :)

[@helleeckert2522]

She is too old for the fourth child, and we dannes had to Pay for her old mother dreams.

[@RobeTrotting]

Well I have no kids and pay full taxes so I paid for your kids and hers. Now go away with your xenophobia.

[@helleeckert2522]

@@RobeTrotting what i Mean is She needs help from the healthsystem to get pregnant at that age. Because of this old people dont get the care that they payd fore All their live, because they Are danish.

[@sismofytter]

Prøv lige at opføre dig ordentligt, hun gør rent faktisk dig en kæmpe tjeneste, ved at få så mange børn eller du vil måske hellere passes af en robot, når du bliver gammel? Der er flere gode grunde til at vores velfærdssamfund har været på vej i den forkerte retning i mange år og den største er at der bliver født alt for lidt børn 😉

[@annieineventyrland]

Hahahahahaha oh my God. You know I pay taxes too right?

[@Cirkelo]

bare rolig Helle - jeg har betalt skat hele mit voksen liv, og har ingen børn, så hun har fået min andel. Og helt ærlig, stop dig selv fra dømmeriet - det er uklædeligt! Hvis der er noget det danske kongerige har brug for, så er det børn!