Just before 04.30, midwife Jenny Rautio in Meløy receives a phone call. It is the Ukrainian Oleg Marchenko who tells that the birth of his heavily pregnant wife Daria is underway. She is not due until November 8. Now they need a boat to get to the mainland. The couple who came to Norway, from Denmark, on 5 October, have just settled on the island of Meløya – an hour’s ferry ride from the municipal center Ørnes. The midwife requisitions the ambulance boat “Eyr Åsvær”, which is on duty at the quay at Ørnes. Meanwhile, the couple get into the car and start the 20-minute drive to the quay in Meløysund. With a top speed of 29 knots, the ambulance boat takes 12 minutes to make the crossing, and the midwife and crew of five are ready on the dock when the couple arrives. Then the presses are in full swing and Daria is transported below deck and strapped onto the stretcher. Oleg says that Daria was not prepared to give birth on board a boat. – She was actually in shock that she didn’t make it to a hospital, and says that she doesn’t remember much of the birth. Other than that it went very quickly. We are very grateful that we had a midwife with us. When “Eyr Åsvær” docked at Ørnes, the birth was in full swing. And Oleg helped as best he could. – We breathed together and worked together. It was all over in half an hour. At 06.05 little David was born, 3363 grams and 50 centimeters long. – Our son was in a hurry. But we were surrounded by kind and professional people. Everything was calm and nobody was stressed, says Oleg. Midwife Jenny Rautio brags about the new parents. – Daria took it in stride and did a fantastic job. They were both very talented. PROUD CREW AND PARENTS: From left: Motor attendant Arnt Inge Otting, midwife Jenny Rautio, Daria and Oleg with the baby, Maja Helstad, Heidi Betten and Siv Kristin Bjørnvik. Photo: Eyr Åsvær – Suddenly heard a child’s scream Trond-Olav Johansen is skipper of “Eyr Åsvær”, one of the ambulance boats that the Rescue Company operates. He was on duty on Tuesday morning when the little boy was in a hurry to come into the world. Fortunately, there are calm weather conditions during the crossing. Trond-Olav Johansen is skipper on “Eyr Åsvær”, one of the ambulance boats that the Rescue Company operates. Photo: The rescue company He says that the crew of five were well prepared for the possibility of a boat birth. And it was – both the first on board “Eyr Åsvær” and the first in Johansen’s 20-year career as a captain. – It wasn’t long after the boat had docked before I suddenly heard children screaming. Then I realized that it had gone well. It was a great honor. I am impressed by both mother and father, says Johansen. An ambulance was ready on the quay to transport the new parents to the maternity ward of Nordlandssykehuset in Bodø. On Thursday they traveled home to Meløya. Dramatic start to stay in Norway A total of 338 unplanned births outside an institution were reported in 2021, figures from the medical birth register show. Most occurred during transport. Daria’s birth in the ambulance boat at the quay at Ørnes was one of them. Oleg is from the city of Konotop in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine. About 85,000 people live in the war-torn city, located approximately 25 miles northeast of the capital Kyiv. When the couple had their first child, they lived three kilometers away from the hospital. Daria and Oleg Marchenko in Ukraine with their first daughter. In recent years, the couple has lived in Denmark. Photo: Privat Despite the fact that the hospital was a bit further away this time, luckily it went well. Daria’s mother was in Norway and could look after her older sister. – The boy is fit and healthy, and mother and child are fine. That is the most important thing, says Oleg. The couple has chosen to settle on Meløya because of work, where Oleg has been given work as a substitute on a farm. – Everyone is nice, we have a good time and like nature and the people. They want the children to grow up in calm and peaceful surroundings. – Now we will learn the language and try to live in Norway.
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Ukrainian couple gave birth on an ambulance boat in Nordland – news Nordland
