When 1813 Can’t Help – Pregnant Women’s Challenges in the Public Danish Healthcare System

For many pregnant women, there are moments of concern about whether everything is as it should be. The baby might be moving less than usual, sudden pain may appear, or an unexpected sensation in the body might arise. In such situations, many seek help through 1813 – but unfortunately, quite a few experience that it’s not always possible to get the guidance they were hoping for.

A System with Limited Options

1813 is designed to handle urgent and emergency inquiries from the general population. However, the system is not specifically structured to address questions and concerns related to pregnancy. As a result, many pregnant women are advised to contact their general practitioner or midwife the next day – even when their concern feels urgent.

For the pregnant woman, this can be both frustrating and unsettling. The need to be seen, heard, and reassured is significant, and it’s not always possible to wait until the following day.

Pregnant Women Fall Between Two Stools

Many inquiries are not about acute complications but about the need for reassurance and professional assessment. Here lies a challenge: the staff at 1813 rarely have an obstetric background, and regional maternity wards can only accept patients if there are signs of something serious. The result is that many pregnant women feel left in a void between general care and specialized maternity support.

The Psychological Dimension

When concerns cannot be addressed quickly, it affects not only sleep but also mental well-being. Feeling insecure during pregnancy is associated with increased stress levels, and research indicates that prolonged uncertainty can impact both mother and fetus.

Therefore, it is important that pregnant women have access to relevant advice and professional assessment – even outside regular hours.

The Need for Better Continuity in Maternity Care

Maternity care in Denmark is generally well-functioning, but there is a growing need for better continuity between acute services and ongoing, preventive care.

The system is largely designed to handle urgent situations – yet many pregnant women’s needs lie precisely in the gray area between concern and acute problems.

At Stork Scan, we encounter pregnant women daily who are seeking exactly this sense of reassurance. Many reach out because they need confirmation that everything appears normal – not necessarily because they expect something to be wrong.

Our role is to offer a professional supplement to public maternity care: an opportunity to be met with time, calm, and specialized knowledge when concerns are pressing. Here, pregnant women can receive a professional assessment and answers to their questions without requiring a referral or an emergency pathway.

Strengthening support for this group – for example, through more specialized telephone counseling or better access to reassurance-providing examinations – could ease the burden on 1813 and busy maternity wards, while ensuring that pregnant women feel better supported.