Find the right midwife

Assistance in finding the right midwife

06/11/2014

The midwife is the first point of contact for many women during pregnancy and immediately after birth. All the more important here is therefore a trusting relationship. The various midwives associations, such as the German Midwives Association or the Berlin Midwives Association offer some assistance in selecting the midwife and providing information about their services.

Every birth in Germany is accompanied by a midwife, and women are entitled to care from the moment they are diagnosed, reports the news agency „dpa“ citing the first chairman of the Berlin Midwives Association, Susanna Rinne-Wolf. According to the expert, the range of benefits of the midwives includes all pension benefits. Theoretically, this also includes the initial examination, in which the pregnancy is detected and the passport is issued, the statement of the „dpa“. The Berlin midwife Jana Friedrich is quoted in the contribution of the news agency with the statement that „the midwife performances a bit like a modular system“ where women can put together what they want.

Midwives can provide all pension benefits
For example, every woman can decide for herself whether only the midwife should take over the preventive services or whether a gynecologist is also consulted. Only the ultrasound examinations, which take place during normal pregnancies in the 10th, 20th and 30th week, can only be performed by a doctor, reports the „dpa“. Because of this, many women would opt for both and „Take care appointments alternately with the doctor and the midwife“, adds Susanna Rinne-Wolf. Some gynecologists would also offer midwifery consultations in their medical practices, according to the announcement of the „dpa“. As an example, the practice of the Munich gynecologist Holger Czock is mentioned. He explained to the news agency that midwives cover an important part of the pregnancy care, „we doctors can not cover due to time constraints.“

Recommendations often relevant to the choice of midwives
The pregnant women have many options when choosing a midwife. You can choose special offers such as a birth house or search the internet for free midwives. Here, for example, offers the German Midwives Association on its website a guide. Also in gynecological practices are usually contact addresses of midwives. However, many pregnant women base their choice of midwife on recommendations from other mothers, explains Susanna Rinne-Wolf. Niece rarely, the women would register in a maternity hospital of their choice and then looked after by the on-duty midwife and a doctor, adds the Berlin midwife Jana Friedrich in the contribution of „dpa“. Many women opt for a birth house instead of a clinic and get to know their midwife in this way. However, there is also the possibility to perform the births in a midwifery practice or with the help of the midwife at home. In addition, a hospital birth may possibly be accompanied by a free midwife, who works in parallel as a documentary midwife, the announcement of the „dpa“.

Consult offer of midwives
The midwives are not only available to the women for all preventive services, but also for various pregnancy complaints. For example, in the case of back pain or nausea due to pregnancy, the statutory health insurance funds cover the costs of additional consultation appointments with the midwife, reports „dpa“. However, not all midwives cover all measures against the pregnancy symptoms, which is why women should inform themselves about the selection of midwives about their offer. Here, the pregnant women have to be clear about what they want to use, because not every midwife offers benefits such as pregnancy yoga, acupuncture or a 24-hour on-call, the reports „dpa“. The latter, however, is particularly important to many pregnant women. Among the basic services of the free midwives is also the childbed care, which includes numerous home visits in the first eight weeks after birth and is fully covered by the health insurance companies. If necessary, the health insurance companies would also pay additional appointments through the entire breastfeeding until the end of the first year of life, so the announcement of „dpa“.

Chemistry between pregnant and midwife must be right
As a selection criterion for the selection of a midwife loud statement of the experts should be considered also the spatial proximity. If necessary, it would be helpful if the midwife could reach the pregnant woman quickly and without much effort „dpa“. Last but not least, the chemistry between the pregnant and the midwife must fit. The Munich gynecologist Holger Czock explains that women should have a midwife who they trust. In order to check in advance whether the relationship with the desired midwife is correct, Jana Friedrich advises to contact by phone and to clarify the most important questions. Then follow the first conversation. The costs for this are taken over once by the health insurance. Several discussions with different midwives, in order to select one afterwards, are however not possible here. However, according to Jana Friedrich, there is usually no need for such a selection process because the midwives are used to it „to adjust to very different women and families“, reported the Berlin midwife to the „dpa“. It rarely happens that it does not fit, Friedrich continues. Nevertheless, if there are significant differences between the pregnant woman and her midwife, the expert advises to change the midwife.

Go early to midwifery search
In order to receive midwifery services at all, the experts recommend that the pregnant women start their search as early as possible, since there is an acute lack of midwives in many regions. So have to „Many women who actually want a care, stay without care“, quotes the „dpa“ Susanna Rinne-Wolf. Above all, special support services, such as the offer of documentary midwives are extremely sought after and often difficult to have. (Fp)

Picture: Romelia