I have always known that I would like to work in a medical profession one day. It was important to me to work with people and then to be able to help them. That’s why I did an internship in a maternity ward during the summer holidays before I graduated from high school – and I was thrilled!
No pregnancy is the same, every child and every parent is different – but the magic of meeting a new family never fades. I started my midwifery training in 2003 and haven’t regretted it for a second since then, although I also experience difficult situations.
My work as a midwife also includes supporting families after a miscarriage, still birth, i.e. when the baby is stillborn, or after the birth of a sick child. Then it is especially important to be empathetic and to feel what these parents need right now, even if it means crying with them.
Since trust in my work plays a major role, parents should contact the midwife as early as possible. You can make the first appointment as soon as you have a positive pregnancy test in your hands.
In a non-binding conversation, the women, couples and I get to know each other, only then do both sides decide whether the chemistry is right. Only then will I take over the accompaniment. In the months that follow, I’m often the first point of contact for all sorts of issues – not just medical ones.
As a midwife, I am authorized to accompany women and couples through check-ups, which can take place alternately with the gynecologist or I can take over them completely. In this case, only the three ultrasound appointments with the doctor take place, we midwives do not offer this examination. My most important tools are my hands.
Through the mother’s stomach I can feel how big the uterus is, how the baby is lying, how much amniotic fluid is present. The parents-to-be also learn to feel their baby in the womb themselves and thus build a bond with their child before the birth.
Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, pregnant women have usually had to go to the gynecologist alone for examinations. But I think it makes sense to also involve the partner, which is why the women can continue to come to my practice with an escort.
I have converted my childbirth preparation courses into an online offer so that the women and their partners or birth companions can continue to be informed and strengthened when they give birth. Especially in the current, tense situation, it is extremely important to have a partner at your side during the birth who can pay attention to the woman and the desired course of the birth.
I also continue to offer almost no restrictions the comprehensive support during childbirth, when I regularly visit the families at home in the first 12 weeks after the birth. I have a feeling that the couples really appreciate that too
It’s a bit ironic that this job of all things is often difficult to reconcile with my own family: most of the courses, i.e. childbirth preparation or postnatal gymnastics, take place in the evenings or at the weekend.
Added to this is the constant availability for couples and families. For smaller concerns by telephone contact or, if necessary, by a personal appointment.
For example, if a woman contacts me and complains about a painful, firm breast, I will, if possible, set out immediately to treat the engorgement at an early stage and thus avoid a possible breast infection. I’m thankful that I have a really great family, who always respond with understanding when I have to leave again.
Unfortunately, I have the feeling that my work and that of all my colleagues is not valued by politicians and health insurance companies. Midwives are often under great financial pressure. While I can bill the health insurance company for the support during pregnancy at exactly the right time, the postpartum visits are paid at a flat rate.
For only 38.46 euros I visit young families at home. It doesn’t matter whether I stay for 20 minutes or provide extensive breastfeeding support for an hour and a half, the payment remains the same.
This amount is of course gross. From this I still pay my health insurance, pension insurance, professional liability insurance, unemployment insurance, car, rent for practice rooms, costs for equipment and much more. The time-consuming billing with the health insurance companies, the necessary quality management and the consuming office work after often arbitrary reductions in the bills by the health insurance companies are not paid extra.
This is also the reason why many midwives no longer offer postpartum care. Many families therefore find it difficult to find a midwife or have to get through this special time unaccompanied. There is currently a campaign in favor of midwives so that women can continue to be cared for by midwives in the future. Supporters can send a letter to the Central Association of Health Insurance Funds and draw attention to our working conditions.
I am still passionate about my job and hope to be able to continue to look after women, couples and young families individually, with an open ear and without constantly looking at the clock.
This text is from WELT AM SONNTAG. We are happy to deliver them to your home on a regular basis.
This article was first published in February 2021.
