About

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My name is Maria Holm. I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and as far back as I remember, I have had a passion for babies. It was natural for me to concentrate on this subject after becoming a nurse in 1975 and a health visitor in 1980. In Denmark, this occupation was invented in the 1930s to help minimise the death rate of new-born babies due to inadequate housing and poverty and lack of knowledge.
As I have worked with the families in all these years, I realise that the need for knowledge is still very urgent even though you can browse and look up everything on the internet.

I would like to share my experiences on this subject as well of historical topics, general health, biographies and my personal thoughts about life and travels. After nearly six years on this blog, I tend to concentrate mostly on Art and Travel.

If you would like to find the posts about my life you look at the Header and click on “Posts”, then there are different categories. The ones about my life are under “Family History”.

I have decided not to take part in the Blog Awards.

It’s an honour for me that you read and comment on my posts. I appreciate my fellow bloggers very much for their wisdom and variety.

I have a blog in Danish about my life as a child and a mother linked to this site. Should anybody be interested, there is a Google Translate button.

 

90 Comments »

    • That was a great joy for me to read this comment. Much more than a “like”. Thank you for reading my posts and relating to the subjects. I will look at your site too and having lived in different places is both wonderful and difficult. So there is a lot to write about and to share.

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    • Again thank you for responding. My blog is like an unpaid work that I invest in. It seems to be more difficult for me as English is not my first language. So I try to keep it simple and reach out to many nationalities if possible

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      • You communicate in English well – especially since it is not your first language. Here in America, our language education has been so poor for so many years that most of us must rely on “translator aps” – even knowing that we will miss linguistic nuance when we do.

        Speaking of which, were you aware that WordPress.com has now made a translator widget available? Practically on announcement, I placed it toward the top of the right the sidebar of my own blog and tested it quickly (although I speak no other language fluently enough to tell you much about how WELL articles are translated).

        I panicked for a moment when my entire blog was suddenly in Spanish, but it was quick and easy to turn it back to English once more. Feel free to give it a test run from ADDandSoMuchMORE.com – and let me know if they handle Danish well *enough*. It seems the language only changes for the particular reader who uses the translator – at least I HOPE that’s the case. šŸ™‚
        xx,
        mgh
        (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
        – ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
        “It takes a village to educate a world!”

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      • Dear Madelyn! I have put the Google translate widget on my sidebar of my three blogs. It’s a good service WP offer in having created that possibility for readers/ Kind regards Maria

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      • My husband has a blog in Danish and one of our American blogging friends has Danish roots and likes to read his post on old times in Denmark and immigration so she uses the widget on his page and it doesn’t look too bad

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Hello Maria. I stumbled upon your blog via Rebirth of LisaOne Word Challenge. As I read through your about and some of your posts on Babe Care, I am heartened of the things that you do to help mother and child. The work that you do is very inspiring and I an only hope and wish there are more people like you out there. Thanks for sharing.

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    • Thank you much for your encouraging words Ann. Very appreciated. I really don’t know how to get in contact with families who would like to be supported. It seems that many new mothers blog about their own experiences with out connecting.

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      • I guess it is tough as it’s a 2-way street. Perhaps new moms are not always aware and it’s hard for you to reach out too if you don’t know who would need your help. Ill follow you and I’ll be happy to help link up],and hoping the ones in need would find their way to you – as I think what you have is a valuable resource. I remember struggling as a new mother with no one to turn to except my mom who lives far away.

        It’s great to connect up! Nice to meet you Maria. šŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Hey there,
    I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to respond to my blog posts and for inspiring me with regards to my tokophobia and for validating my fears. I wanted to return my gratitude for nominating you for the Liebster award because I find your posts to be interesting, thought-provoking and worthy of credit. Here is this link for your nomination: https://icecoffeecouture.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/i-have-been-nominated-for-the-liebster-award/

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    • Thank you for these lovely words Lucy and for reading some of my posts. English is not my native language so it can be difficult to know what to do regarding nominations. But I love to interact with people and to support whenever I can. You are welcome to e-mail me. I have been looking for your e mail as I wanted to write to you some days ago

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      • My email address is lucydanvers@gmail.com and I really appreciate you wanting to contact me. I am keen to chat further. Honestly, it does not look like you’re not a first language speaker. You write really well.

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Hello Maria, Thank you for stopping by my blog and for taking the time to read my post. Also, I appreciate the follow šŸ™‚ Not too long ago, I wrote a little bit about infant mortality rates and one is just too many…let along the hundreds that happen across the world so I think it’s wonderful that you are doing this.

    God Bless

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  21. Maria: This is a lovely site. Your background accentuates those charming black and white photos. I also like this theme as it carries forward into the story without loosing the “teasers” that draw you in. Love it and looking forward to more.

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  24. Pingback: Thank You Maria! | Cathy Lynn Brooks

  26. Just had a very nice visit around your website. Such an interesting person you are and I look forward to following your beautifully done site. Wishing you all the best.

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  29. Hi Maria thank you for your kind words. I am sure and she would have been terribly moved by this (she was such a sensitive soul). It was just my way of correcting things that so often stay burdened on our souls

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  31. What a wonderful, challenging, rewarding profession! We don’t have “health visitors” here in the U.S. but there are sometimes nurses that will come out to a home if a child is born with challenges that need monitoring. When my son was born, he had jaundice so we had a nurse come every morning for a week after we brought him home just to test his blood. It was such a comfort to me to know each day that he was improving. I am glad you ran into your young lady and her mother and that she has decided to follow in your footsteps. What a great compliment that is.

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    • I am so glad to hear from you Nancy. Also glad to hear about your nurse coming to check up on your son. Jaundice is difficult to handle because the babies get so tired that they don’t drink enough milk from the start. Also so nice that you avoided the stress of going back to the hospital. Please tell me if you have questions I could try to answer šŸ“

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      • It was a stressful few weeks! I guess I should have mentioned that that “baby” just celebrated his 21st birthday and is now a strapping young college student. Still, when I think back, I always appreciate how wonderful the nurses were. He spent a week wrapped in a special blanket hooked up to a machine that helped break down all the bilirubin. Quite an amazing device. He looked like a glow worm!

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      • So sweet with this blanket. Here we believed for many years that sun light would help but I doubt if that treatment is still used. To help getting enough milk in the little body is extremely important

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      • Yes, I remember, all he wanted to do was sleep. Feeding was a challenge. After he was done with the machine (which I think gave off the same light as those big lamps they have in the hospital nursery), and his bilirubin count was down, they did tell us to keep his bassinet by a sunny window so that the sun would continue to help him.

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      • I would describe a bassinet as a long basket on collapsible legs with wheels. Mine was white wicker and had a mattress and a little bonnet that you could pull up to block the sun. Here is a link with pictures. You may have something just like it but with a different name. šŸ˜Š

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  34. What a wonderful occupation – I wish we had ā€œhealth visitorsā€ here in the U.S. — outside the few hospitals that make them available, I mean.

    It has long seemed from my vantage point as an American – and especially in comparison to what is happening here NOW – that Denmark is a very kind and forward thinking country concerned with the health and happiness of ALL of its citizens. How fortunate you are to make your home there.

    xx,
    mgh

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  35. Blessings on you Maria, and on your loved ones. Thanks so much for following my blog. I hope you will find the posts insightful and encouraging. I look forward to reading more on you and Denmark!!

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