We were thinking about when and how we would return to Finland. After talking with the doctors, we decided to stay in Barcelona until Saimi weighed over two kilos, as travelling would be safer by then. In practice, this would likely mean heading home in April or May. The first milestone towards that goal was reached on 22 February, when Saimi’s morning weigh-in showed 1030 grams.
At first, we were somewhat concerned about the costs of hospital care and living in Barcelona, and how we would cover them, but in the end everything was handled smoothly with the insurance companies. We had a European Health Insurance Card and travel insurance with Turva. The insurance company never pressured us to return home or to stay in Barcelona, and we were free to decide how to proceed. Communication was also straightforward, and we never had to dispute any reimbursements. We only needed to deal with Turva, and they handled the negotiations over which party would ultimately cover which costs. In that situation, having these practical matters run smoothly was a relief and helped us cope.
Our situation began to stabilise, or perhaps, more accurately, to feel normal. Although the situation was of course difficult and serious, we remained positive and had a strong belief in the future. We were together, we had everything we needed, Saimi was receiving good care and was developing well – everything will work out! It’s amazing how quickly one can adjust to even difficult situations and see them as normal.
Right after Saimi was born, Elli of course went straight on sick leave and then maternity leave. I, on the other hand, was still working and worked when I could. When we took turns being with Saimi, I often went to the hospital cafeteria to work. In practice, this mostly meant taking care of the most urgent matters, sending emails, and doing some writing. For instance, at the cafeteria I finished a research article I had been working on and wrote the preface for a non-fiction book I was involved in, and which was just about to be sent to the publisher. Working probably helped me take my mind off the hospital at times, and it didn’t feel too overwhelming, especially since I was able to set my own pace.
About two weeks after Saimi was born, we had to officially register her at the city office. We assumed that dealing with the authorities might not go entirely smoothly, so Matilde came with us to make sure everything would get sorted out. We queued, and when it was our turn, we tried to handle things ourselves in Spanish. The clerk seemed rather indifferent and unfriendly, and spoke quickly, even though it was obvious that we couldn’t keep up with what she was saying. I don’t know whether it was simply a lack of awareness, or perhaps due to irritation at the number of foreigners in Barcelona, but the attitude felt unreasonable in that situation. Fortunately, Matilde quickly stepped in and spoke on our behalf. After that, the registration was completed quickly, and Saimi received a “family book”, which contains basic details about family relationships.
Since we were going to stay in Barcelona for the whole spring, we decided that I would travel to Finland to pick up some clothes and other things we needed, as we had only brought what we thought we would need for a few days’ trip. When I went home, Elli’s brother Oskari came to Barcelona for a couple of days. The neonatal unit officially had quite strict visiting hours: visitors were allowed in for ten minutes at a time, twice a day, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. In practice, though, the rules seemed to be more flexible, and I recall that, for example, Amparo also visited at other times, at least when we were in a private room.
It felt really nice to have people visiting us at the hospital, and it probably made us feel less like outsiders. I remember how Amparo came to visit, threw her coat on a chair at the nurses’ station, and stepped into our room to see how Saimi was doing and to have a chat with us. I didn’t know Amparo personally beforehand, but when she visited, it almost felt like having a grandma come by to see her grandchild.
My trip to Finland lasted two nights. During that time, carnival was taking place in Barcelona, and roles were turned upside down: at the hospital, the children became nurses and the nurses became patients. The staff had made all kinds of props, and Saimi, for example, was dressed in a tiny nurse’s vest with a staff badge on it, and she even had little shoes on her feet. Estrella and Carla were on shift at the time and kept the carnival spirit going. I was a bit sorry not to be there, but Elli and Estrella sent me photos and videos from the hospital, so I was able to feel part of it from Finland. It was really nice that something so cheerful was organised at the hospital.
When I got back to Barcelona, time once again seemed to have stretched, and it felt as if I had been away much longer than just two nights. It was a wonderful feeling to sit down in the armchair and hold Saimi against my chest, listening to her gentle breathing and just focusing on that very moment.
