Flutist, bookworm, off-road runner and grandmother of nine ponders cycling

Björk Steindórsdóttir, chief midwife of the Health Institution of South Iceland (HSU), was born in the maternity hospital in Reykjavík on May 17, 1969. "On that day, the Norwegian flag was flown on the buses in Reykjavík to celebrate Norwegian National Day. I used the bus all my childhood and was therefore always very proud when flags were flown on the buses on my birthday and Norwegian National Day. It was perhaps the first sign that I would move to Norway and study nursing there. Fun connection!”

ROOTS IN LAUGARNES
Björk says the roots of her childhood lie in Laugarnesskóli in Reykjavík. After that, Fellaskóli and Kvennaskólinn accepted her. "But I studied nursing in Norway and studied there at the County Hospital in Heiðmörk and then completed the midwifery course at the University of Iceland. I have been working at HSU since I came back from Norway in 1993 and have therefore been here in Selfoss for over thirty years! I worked as a nurse in the internal medicine department first and during the midwifery course, but then completely transferred to the midwifery shift in 2002 when I graduated as a midwife. Along with my midwifery duties at HSU, I also always worked on Landspítali's birth shift until 2019 when I took the position of head midwife at HSU and left Landspítali."

NINEFOLD GRANDMA
But how are the family affairs? "I am married to Grímu Hergeirsson and we have 4 children, 4 children-in-law, and 9 grandchildren. Our children are raised in Selfoss but have started to spread out a bit. Now I have 2 children living in Selfoss with their families. We are a close-knit family and we think it's important to celebrate all birthdays and other events together."

PONDERS CYCLING
What about life outside of work, hobbies, and passions? "I was brought up with music and books and that has followed me throughout my life. For example, I studied flute for many years and was in trumpet ensembles and bands. My husband then brought sports into my life and I became fascinated with running, which eventually evolved into off-road running. It has brought me incredibly fun running trips, being together, and meeting a lot of people for which I am very grateful. You could say that it has been my passion for many years to run off-road, in all kinds of terrain, with company or alone. I have reduced running in the past years, but spending time with my children and grandchildren is and will always be the center of my life. Maybe I'll just ride more! Isn't that in fashion today?”

LUCKY YOUNG MOTHER
Next, we are curious about her career and why she chose midwifery. "I got pregnant young and had my first child at the age of 18. It was my good fortune to become a young mother and see the simplicity of being a carefree mother. During pregnancy, something caught fire. Also, a woman in the family was studying to become a midwife and I was teaching her about midwifery. The germ for the profession then grew a little more. The little sprout still took its time to grow properly, because I had been working in nursing for 8 years when I started studying midwifery. I think without a doubt that I would choose the same again if I had to choose my career again now."

REWARDING JOB
"I have been successful in my job so far and the job has given me a lot. I still sometimes wanted to work in a flower shop or do something artistic. But it's quite satisfying for me to have it as a hobby to find crafts, cake decorating, flowers, and beautiful things fun. Midwifery is my passion!"

NO DAY IS THE SAME
We ask Björk to introduce us to her job role and working day. "My job as chief midwife is mainly to manage the tasks related to midwifery, both during pregnancy, childbirth, and delivery. Of course, my work is also about personnel matters and keeping the operations going in most of these places. The workplace is of course great and our department is fun and incredibly diverse. We never really know what the day will be like, but they can be very different."

MIDWIVES ALL AROUND SOUTH ICELAND
"There is a great group of midwives at HSU and we work very well together. Midwives work all over South Iceland: Vestmannaeyjar, Höfn, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Vík, Rangárþing, Laugarás, Þorlákshöfn, Hveragerði and Selfoss. We provide maternity care, births, outpatient visits, emergency services, telephone services, cervical screenings, and, in some areas, infant care."

PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION
HSU has defined birthplaces on Selfoss and Vestmannaeyjar. "There are pregnant women everywhere and we try to meet them and their needs as best we can. This requires planning and a lot of communication. The pregnancy is 9 months and there are many things that can happen and need to be monitored."