WHAT DOES A GERMAN MIDWIFE DO? | And How They are AMAZING for Families

Surprise! We don't normally post twice in one week - but we found the time to make a Sunday short(-er) video discussing the role of a midwife (Hebamme/Hebammen) in Germany. If you caught our previous video about 'Giving Birth in Germany as a Foreigner' - midwifes were discussed briefly for their role in pregnancy and birth. But midwifes in Germany do so much more than help in the delivery of a baby.
Before I gave birth, I only knew a little about midwives in the United States - where American midwives only attend 8% of all births. But to my surprise, while giving birth in Germany, the midwife is an essential part that I ALMOST missed out on! Let's dive a bit deeper into their role together
To Learn More Pregnancy in Germany, you Can Read Our Posts:
www.blackforestfamily.com/pre...
www.blackforestfamily.com/the...
To find a #Midwife Near You:
www.hebammenverband.de/famili...
Episode 24 | #lifeingermany and #givingbirthinGermany in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | Filmed November 5, 2021
GEAR IN THIS VIDEO:
Camera - tinyurl.com/22a5wbe7
Microphone - tinyurl.com/rufut97v
Lens - tinyurl.com/z3k73bv6
Bendy Tripod Thing - tinyurl.com/d4w687pk
Memory Card - tinyurl.com/zy7j54ac
External Hard Drive - tinyurl.com/nmters57
External Hard Drive Backup - tinyurl.com/vduwnaea
Music in Episode - tinyurl.com/BLACKFORESTFAMILY
DISCLOSURE: The links above may contain affiliate links. This means that, at no cost to you, the Black Forest Family may earn a commission if you click through to make a purchase.
👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Looking Back One Year Later
02:15 What a Midwife (Hebamme) Does in Germany
05:09 They Help You Early Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
06:27 The Provide Pregnancy Courses & Birth Preparation Class
07:27 They are LEGALLY Required to Attend the Birth in Any Setting
09:30 They Provide Postpartum Care
11:55 Pregnancy Resources & Sharing Your Story
12:50 Outro
------------------
📸 Follow us on Instagram for behind the scenes content: @blackforestfam / ​
✈️ We created our blog to help you learn more about living, studying, working, and traveling abroad! For more information about the content in this video visit ➡️ www.blackforestfamily.com/​ ⬅️
📧 Sign up for our Black Forest Family Newsletter email here - www.blackforestfamily.com/fol...
------------------
💳 Here’s our FREE guide to the best southern Black Forest Germany Day Trips: www.blackforestfamily.com/the...
🛵 Our 101 TOP TRAVEL TIPS:
www.blackforestfamily.com/wp-...
------------------
SUPPORT OUR WORK: www.blackforestfamily.com/fol...
FAMILY TRAVEL GEAR: www.blackforestfamily.com/shop/
FACEBOOK: / ​
------------------
Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog​ to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎

[@Baccatube79]

The German system has recognized how midwife care can prevent postpartum depressions and even child abuse. It's a really great solution to support young mothers on questions of female health and child care. Unfortunately, the system also treats midwives poorly on a financial scale... still: you should not miss out on them, you will love what they do for you (and the free support they provide!)

[@nochannel1q2321]

Doctors are unable to provide counseling on dealing with the stress of babies? American obstetrics departments generally employ at least one specialist whose sole job is helping new mothers get the newborn latched properly for feeding.

[@ini_energini7199]

@@nochannel1q2321 Here in Germany, in addition to your midwife, you can of course ask your gynecologist, your pediatrician or the clinic where you gave birth for advice. However, your midwife will come to your home every day for the first few days after the birth. After that for a few weeks still 1 to 2 times per week. Which is a real advantage. All this is free of charge!

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@ini_energini7199 Can you ask her to not come to your house? Can you opt for an obstetrician and have the midwife just sit in a chair nearby so the technical part of the law is satisfied? The US seems to have all of these things, we just do them in hospitals. If you need a lactation consultant they're in the hospitals. If you need help dealing with the stress of a baby crying and getting so frustrated that you can't do what it wants there are counselors specifically for that, in the hospital. The nurses you will see will extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but will wait for the obstetrician between the mother's legs to order something before actually doing it, even if it's a formality. The mini team standing by after the birth to clean the newborn, make sure its airway is clear of that nasty feces they generate at the time and they're breathing properly and quickly administer a number of tests to look for easily detectable birth defects and then it'll be returned to the mother after she plops out the afterbirth. The primary difference seems to be that we use the most skilled, educated and experienced person available to run the delivery and be ready for complications and Germany has them stand in a doorway doing nothing while someone with less skill, training and education sees to the birth. That's just odd to me.

[@1st23st4u]

@@nochannel1q2321 There seem to be many misunderstandings and wrong assumptions as to what a midwife's tasks are here in Germany. Of course there is a highly skilled team of doctors, anesthesiologists and obstetricians attending a child birth here. Additionally, there is a midwife that is helping out by making sure the mother is comfortable and has everything she needs, checking life signs of the baby, writing a birth protocol etc. After birth (and also before) you can ask your personal midwife to visit you at home, ask questions and get all kinds of information about formal processes, feeding the child, health related questions etc. This is completely optional of course. The usefulness of this concept is exactly what this video is about and is explained pretty well in my opinion. The maternal mortality ratio of the US is worse than that of e.g. Russia, Tajikistan or Iran. So maybe the exceptional care in the US you describe is not available for everyone?

[@jinde75]

They can't prevent post partum depressions. If they could, that would be miraculous. I was lightly depressed during my first pregnancy and had a post natal depression, I had a fantastic midwife, but the depression was a result of hormones.

[@jemo9063]

Thank you for the nice words about my profession! I love my job very much and it's always nice to hear that this affects families.

[@arnodobler1096]

thx for doing this job👏👏

[@TypeAshton]

Agreed! Thank you! ❤️

[@albin2232]

Midwives are worth more than their weight in gold!

[@sarahleet84]

I gave birth in a hospital with just the Hebamme there. During the actual birth the doctor stood by the door and when my son started screaming she left. It was exactly the way I wanted it.

[@TypeAshton]

That is wonderful! I am so happy your birth experience was exactly as you desired. ❤️❤️

[@jennyh4025]

Similar for me, I only saw the doctor, when she stitched me up, while my husband learned how to put on a diaper and I nursed the first time.

[@RiunaTwoflower]

During the birth of my second child I barely noticed the doctor who was present during the last phase of my birth. She helped holding my leg and that was basically it. 😅 The midwife was the one who really helped me. She was great. I'm glad I could have that kind of "selbstbestimmt" low intervention birth even though we were in hospital and I was considered high risk. We were prepared in case something went wrong but as long as it didn't no one pushed interventions on me. And I'm sure my midwife was a big part of that. My post prenatal and partum midwife has been the same for both my kids. It's great to just be able to call someone 4 months post partum to talk breastfeeding when you suddenly have issues. Overall I really like the system here. Except for the fact that midwives are paid not enough and the whole insurance problem they have etc

[@TypeAshton]

I am so glad that you had such a nice birth experience. It is always great to hear when someone's birth plan goes exactly as they wished. ❤️

[@Kris2510]

Article 6 (of 146) of the German Constitution says: (4) Jede Mutter hat Anspruch auf den Schutz und die Fürsorge der Gemeinschaft. (4) Every mother shall be entitled to the protection and care of the community. And honestly: we could do even better than we do right now.

[@MinChen87]

I never recognized how essential midwifes are, until I got pregnant and gave birth. It's such important work they do. And after nearly 3 years now, I'm still thankfull for them doing their amazing job.

[@TypeAshton]

Me too!!

[@miriamschroer9598]

I totally loved my midwife! She gave me so much useful tips and Support in the new situation. She helped me during my cry days. She was so happy when I called her to tell her about my second Baby. They are so important!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@TypeAshton]

Awe that is wonderful! I am so happy that you had such a great experience too. ❤️❤️

[@muundmue]

In Germany doctors some are fast to recommend medication or a c-section because they focus on the medical side of birth. A midwife usually looks after the woman as a person. More than once a midwife "stood up" for me and my needs "against" doctors who wanted to get the birth process done as fast as possible. (I have birth to 3 kids)

[@vanessaguerrero3478]

I gave birth in a hospital in Berlin and was assisted only by midwives, a senior one and one that was in her last year of her studies. I love the midwife part after giving birth coming to my home, she was a really big part for me as I am not german and I did not have my family here. She gave me more security and clarify all my questions and insecurities as it was my first child

[@Irene_Lauretti]

I loved my midwife and the help I got. At the time we "pendelten" between Mallorca/Spain and Germany but for the reasons mentioned by you I decided to give birth in Germany. My birth was extremely "easy" - my daughter was there in 2 hours - natural birth, no medication at all ... so I guess I was lucky, but I then did had difficulty breastfeeding and the midwife helped me stick to it. I ended up breastfeeding for 3 years, until my daughter did not want anymore .. (would always do it again ...) ...

[@happi728]

Hi did you have to pay for her services

[@Irene_Lauretti]

@@happi728 no...the health insurance payed

[@mykaelaorwig9646]

I’ve had both of my sons at home attended by an incredible midwife (I live in central MO). I LOVE the midwifery care model so much!!! My midwife became a friend over the course of my two pregnancies, and I knew that she truly cared about me as an individual, not just as a number on a chart. My births were both long, but well within normal, and she was always incredibly helpful the entire time, as well as postpartum for 6 weeks. My family is moving to Germany within the next couple years, and I’m excited to hear that they prefer the midwife care model as well!

[@annaluhrs1818]

Before birth our midwife was so helpful as she calmed me down by providing all kinds of information that I asked for. She also told me “it is likely that you will experience xyz soon because…” which often then also happened - but I was mentally prepared and not at all afraid. After birth her tipps and hints were super helpful (no family around either, and our daughter was born right when the pandemic had reached Germany). Also I could call her any time if I had, eg, an issue with nursing, an infection…

[@TypeAshton]

That is WONDERFUL. ❤️ I am so happy you had such a positive experience with your midwife. Thank you for sharing your story and for watching! Nice to hear from another pandemic mom. ☺️

[@QemeH]

_Hebammen_ are actually THE ressource for births in germany. Yes, doctors attend births in hospital, but they are usually there for emergency or post-birth care of an infant that needs special attention (e.g. preemies). However, there is a very narrow specific case where midwives are not legally required to attend the birth - and that is in the case of spontaneous births (i.e. unplanned prehospital induction). While they still *may* attend (and if you planned a home birth and your _Hebamme_ is available when you call, they most likely will), but the paramedics and doctors of the ambulance service are allowed to assist with the birthing process without calling a midwife to be present. This is why we are trained in peripartem emergencies as well as "normal" (as in: without complications) births. We will, however, transfer you to a midwife after the on-site birth, either when she manages to get to you or in the hospital you'll be taken to by us. And while obvious to a german, it's an important point to say for all international women: all of this is free of charge thanks to our "social" healthcare

[@nobodix]

Another great and well researched video. Ok, I only got to enjoy four months on maternity (best time of my life), but my experience is that the midwives factually ran the place, even though a physician is always head of department. The doctors were only there for the official medical responsibility and in case there were medical complications. The experienced midwives literally trained the doctors. (btw, this is the same on intensive care where the unexperienced doctors fully depend on the experienced nurses ...) I even witnessed the midwife taking over when the lady doctor had trouble doing the stitching. The midwives also suggested the medication and the docs just signed for it, because in Germany legally noone except a physician is allowed to 'prescribe' medicine. The doctors would not prescribe anything without consulting with the midwives. There are not many old stagers among the physicians, because most gynaecologists will eventually leave the hospital to set up their own practice after they have done their numbers/time required to get their 'Facharzt'(specialist). The doctors only jump around between the delivery rooms for medical oversight. Usually they are only present during the actual moment of birth. So that's why there is no replacement for the professionally trained and experienced midwife. Btw: Midwives are in no way similar to nurses. In Germany midwifery used to be a completely separate three year vocational training. Nowadays midwifes study at university for three or four years and finish with a bachelor's degree.

[@Stephanthesearcher]

by the way, non of those services cost her anything. the mandatory healthcare do cover all of this 100%

[@TypeAshton]

Yes! Absolutely!

[@wolflarsen1900]

yes germany! helthcare, perfekt! child care, perfect! old age care? ääh next question.. (but understandable, i am also young, mothers and male p.hd students probably dont care about this blind spot of the german system xD. If you are old than go to scandinavia or try to use the old age care system of the rest of the world, its called, fucking have a lot of children who pay for you if you are old^^. If you are a mother its probably a good start

[@User-xw4dt]

Im in a feverdream.. 😱😱

I am hesitating a bit to comment on your great video. And that is firstly because you've given really helpful and good information on this topic. Secondly because it is -or at least can be-very stressful to give birth away from ones native culture - most of all away from their native tongue (the native tongue plays an important part in the birthing process). So to give a comment that seems to push your (highly recommend) content a push into some kind of weirdness (or as a german would put it: give it a reality check) may be not very helpful. But … may be it will :-) So, to start with, in fact a midwife is the boss during labor. At least in theory that is. Way over 90% of all births take place in a hospital each and every hospital has a hierarchy and in that hierarchy doctor tops a midwife easily. When my spouse gave birth in the hospital, all of a sudden the doctor rushed in, said that it was time to do something and "pulled" the baby out. The midwife whispered silently to me: "That wasn't really necessary …" And this kind of things happen fairly often in the birthing room. So to pick up your point: Contacting a midwife early on during pregnancy is very valuable advice. But I would recommend to look out for a (may be nearby) independend midwife who is NOT a Beleghebamme. Firstly because of the beforementioned hospital hierarchy and second because she CAN accompany the birthing woman in the birthing room - which is where she is needed the most. And by being with the woman there she can take care of everything that takes place before it gets too complicated or before things get our of hands -to put it this way. Nowadays more and more often are there complains about hospital personal being harsh to or even belittling birthing women. If a midwife being not a Beleghebamme is with the woman during birth process could therefor be very helpful and preventing - and even securing. Since a midwife is so important during the whole pregnancy and beyond (btw. there a doctors who recommend having at least two if not three midwifes) it is so important to bond with her (or him - it could be a man as well!), so one can and will really trust. Building trust may be the most important issue. Finally it would also be great if the midwife (or the "Geburtshelfer" if its a man) speaks the native tongue of the yet to be mom. Language, as I said, is incredibly important.

[@teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

If we think about the yearly 700 women in the US who die during pregnancy, birth, or in the month after giving birth (most of them are black women!), we should appreciate the system in Germany. The US is the worst when it comes to becoming a mom/parents as the "richest country" in the world. All the help you/a mom/parents get here in Germany are necessary and we should be happy about this, even if we always should approve the system.

[@wjhann4836]

I'm a man ( ... and father) but I found your video very profound! We had no midwife and on some trouble (breastfeeding) experienced I think we missed some very good help.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. If you have another little one, I can only speak high praises for getting the help of a midwife. Mine was wonderful.

[@wjhann4836]

@@TypeAshton That's now the job of our children 😊

[@ulrichbirowicz74]

Look for a midwife that is an ICBLC certified lactation (breast feeding) consultant

[@ccrisDE]

Thank you for your videos! This is very interesting!

[@TypeAshton]

So glad you enjoyed it! ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!

[@cb3rn]

Thank you for your perspective. As an American married to a German living in Germany, I had heard a little bit of this before I was pregnant with my first child, but it would have been much easier coming from such a perspective and summed up in one video! Thank you for doing this for the next batch of mothers like me. I did not have doctors at any of my 3 births, but I was lucky enough to get a spot each time at birthing centers. I am immensely grateful that I was able to give birth in Germany, I felt I was given the best care possible.

[@Gatsby606]

My wife gave birth to my daughter in the suburbs of Chicago. We didn’t have family available as she is originally from Russia, and I’m from TN. We were very nervous and taught ourselves everything we knew through books. The experience was very stressful and with a lot of problems that ended up with a C-section. We stayed in the hospital 2.5-3 days. Overall, we paid around $6-8,000 in addition to what our insurance paid. Hearing your experience comforts me if we tried to have a second child here in Germany (we now live in Cologne permanently as a personal choice). Thanks for sharing all these videos as they help me and my wife a lot.

[@swanpride]

In the US it actually IS an emergency event because the visit to the doctor is so expensive that a lot of pre-screening which is done in Germany just doesn't happen in a lot of cases. If you know in advance if you are dealing with a normal developing pregnancy or a high risk pregnancy, you can prepare accordingly. If you don't know, well, be better safe than sorry. Thus said, it is certainly not a bad idea to get your child in the hospital, just to be on the safe side, but it is naturally a good idea to have someone else on your side who actually knows what they are doing...especially since doctors tend to be busy.

[@nochannel1q2321]

It's not an emergency; patients enter the hospital for delivery via the emergency entrance because it's the only entrance that's always open. They then are put into a wheelchair and elevator to go up to obstetrics for delivery.

[@AndresUffert2]

i will never get the "visiting a doctor or hospital is expensive" for in estonia, yea taxes are high but healthcare is free, and that is more important than abit higher taxes. i have never payed for anything in hospital

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@AndresUffert2 That's delightful. It has nothing to do with whether midwives are appropriate to serve as doctors during deliveries.

[@CarmelitaBahn]

@@nochannel1q2321 I know I am very late to the discussion. However I think you don’t really understand the concept at all. The birth is still happening in a hospital with the doctor around for any emergencies/complications. But in addition to that you have the midwife supporting you. And you probably don’t know that but in Germany midwifery is a medical profession. The training (Ausbildung) is very different and way more extensive. In Germany, midwives follow families closely in the days and weeks after birth and are the primary point of contact in this time. They make frequent house calls (every day or every other day in the first week) to monitor the mother's recovery, baby's health, and address any questions or concerns. And all of that covered by insurance. No comparison to how things work in the US.

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@CarmelitaBahn I do, though. This isn't an issue where I'm ignorant and if it's explained I'll think differently. It's specifically opting for a reduced level of care. If I'm having an annual physical exam it's not going to as effective if it's performed by a nurse; even if it is a nurse with additional training. What you're describing is how it works in the US except they do all of this with their OB-GYN doctor. Very comparable as we have midwives too. People in the US just opt for having a doctor-level specialist doing it rather than a nurse-level specialist doing it with someone who knows what to do in emergencies nearby in case something happens. To us it makes more sense to have the person who can do the procedures and handle the problems themselves rather than just do things in their proximity.

[@jessicaely2521]

I gave birth in Switzerland and my Canton was similar to Germany. I didnt have to have a Midwife at my birth, but I needed to have it set up the day I came home. Having a midwife at home for the first 2 months was the best thing for me. The only thing I would have liked about giving birth in Switzerland is I wish that I was discharged 24 hours later. I was ready to go at 24 hours. I couldn't stand sharing a room with another person. I knew that I would get better sleep at home. The hospital wanted to keep me for a week because I didn't have any family in Switzerland and my husband only got 3 days paternity leave. I insisted on me leaving. The compromise was I had to use sign up to have my apartment cleaned and someone to go shopping for me. This was 100% free to me in my Canton.

[@TypeAshton]

Wow that's amazing! I am so glad that your health insurance in Switzerland was able to support you with this kind of care in the postpartum period. Everyone's needs are different and I'm glad you were able to advocate for yourself and go home when you felt like you needed. ❤️❤️

[@AnciusDuccius]

Our midwife saved our daughter's life. She suddenly had a fever when she was just over 5 weeks old. At noon everything was fine and a few hours later the fever. No doctor available because Wednesday. So we called the midwife and she immediately sent us to the hospital. So don't wait for the ambulance, go straight away. That saved our little one's life back then, as she had a late infection with streptococcus B. At that time, the smear was not yet standard. Thanks to her announcement and being able to get to the hospital quickly, we were extremely lucky in the end. One hour later there would have been disabilities and at most four hours later it would have been too late for everything.

[@TypeAshton]

Oh wow that is so incredible (although I can imagine, so scary at the time!) I hope you and your little one are doing well now.

[@AnciusDuccius]

@@TypeAshton Thank you. Yes, she will be six this year and come to school next year and everything is fine. A fun and inquisitive kindergarten child in the best toch age (Zickenalter). ^^

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

Midwifes in most if not all of the Europe are AMUSING.... THEY ARE LIKE A FAIRY from the Disney cartoons when it comes with blessing of a help and care... They are like a mother a sister a nurse a professional a private secretary for to organise everything and last but not least VERY CARING FOR THE BABY and MOTHER for sure.... they and the nurses in the Delivery section is known as the most AMUSING DEPARTMENT in the hospitals... I talking about my experience with them. Me as giving birth 50 years ago we were LITURARLY SPOILED ROTEN buy them... I just like you gave birth as in a new country of my life and had non of my relatives near so IT MEANT SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ME.

[@marenhuwald6395]

Living with my husband in Mahattan in a 1-room-apartment I did not have anybody. Being released after 3 days there was nobody to turn to. I think I had depressions for a long time, my parents living in Germany and being homesick.

[@TypeAshton]

Awe I imagine that was really really tough. We were so thankful that we had a midwife to help answer our questions and support us if needed. We also got VERY lucky during the pandemic. Our parents were able to come visit because a birth was considered "essential travel" during the pandemic. So we got special authorization from the German authorities for them to travel and enter into the country (with lots of testing and a 14 day quarantine, of course). I hope you were able to recover from your postpartum depression and give your family a big hug again. ❤️ Sending well wishes from the Black Forest.

[@cinnamoon1455]

I live in Switzerland and gave birth in hospital (cesarian) as I was high risk. Our system is similar to Germany. We actually have birth houses here which are led by midwives and work closely with a nearby hospital. You're only allowed to go there if no risk factors turn up during prenatal screenings. That would have been my preferred place to give birth. In my case I had midwife visits for roughly 1.5 months as my son wasn't feeding well at first. Besides it being convenient there's another important factor to home visits by the midwife: she can see your setup at home and address possible problems with it and it is often easier to find causes for problems when she can witness things right where they happen.

[@TypeAshton]

That's great to hear! I had no idea Switzerland have birth houses near the hospital. That's pretty cool. It sounds like the midwife situation is about the same as Germany.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

​@@TypeAshton I put already a similar comment on your "Work life balance" video, it turns out that there are many topics where european countries are quite similar compared to the US. A little exception might be Great Britain, but they don't want to belong to Europe anymore ;) Besides Germany, the country I know best is France, they have also a midwife-system like in Germany.

[@Edninety]

You probably have been told this before and it is definately a pillar of the success of the channel, that your vids are done so professionally. if we strip all of the great values and insight you provide here away and just look at the technicality of things, these are high-quality-produced videos that surely take a lot of editing and pre-recording-decisions to be achieved like this, and of course the equipment isn't cheap aswell. Just came into my mind when I conciously realized you're sitting on the floor in your childrens' room, establishing an informal athmosphere "auf Augenhöhe" while it also perfectly fits into the subject of the vid. That is not a given and shows that that can pay off. Add to that the awesome transitions with well-produced beautiful footage of your life here or nature shots of yours underlined with calming and fitting-the-athomsphere music, and you have a great recipe for an awesome channel like this just from a technical standpoint already. You're doing it right.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much! We put a lot of effort into editing, filming and selecting equipment to create the best quality content we can. It makes us feel so great when others can appreciate it. And of course, we will always try to continue improving. :)

[@butenbremer1965]

I watched your eyes throughout the video, they were so vivid - you're such an authentic, positive minded and appreciative person who has a message and a story to tell. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@TypeAshton]

Awe ,thank you so much ❤️❤️ That is very kind.

[@horizoon]

Not even pregnant yet but I already have a list of midwives' numbers ready for when that test turns positive. I heard from friends that it's extra hard to find a Hebamme in Munich so I want to be prepared... Happy to hear you still found someone and even if they're missing the birth it's nice to have the same person to turn for before and after birth.

[@ravanpee1325]

Yes, because the work insurance for the midwife is quite expensive in regard to her salary. So many people already quit the job.

[@monikaschulz909]

@@ravanpee1325 Meinst du die Berufs Haftpflichtversicherung?

[@ravanpee1325]

@@monikaschulz909 Ja. Es ist auch logisch, dass das teuer ist, weil mögliche Schäden am Kind sich ja über das ganze Leben - 70-80 Jahre Lebenserwartung -ziehen können und das dann im Extremfall Millionensummen für die Versicherung sind. Deswegen finden Krankenhäuser mit Geburtsstation auch immer weniger Hebammen.

[@swampcat4901]

@@ravanpee1325 Logical? No not at all. What a one-sided answer. Do the midwives get paid enough to be able to insure themselves for this responsibilities and earn some income? No, no way. No wonder more en more midwives quit and there is such a hug shortage of midwives. They work to pay the insurance so they can do the job (out of love). Nothing much left beside that. And the German insurance/government refused to create a 'standardized and payable' insurance for the midwives. The left the midwives in the dry. Hospitals can carry the midwives ward as they take over the insurance policies. Independent midwives dissappear...

[@ravanpee1325]

@@swampcat4901 If you're self-employed, you're responsible and liable for any damages and your own insurance. That's reasonable, because you have the entrepreneurial risk like every other enterpreneur. So the logical reason is to hire at a hospital, because they need employees and use your bargaining power as a profession in the next collective wage agreement

[@ankra12]

Midwifes are the norm in Norway. Doctors only come in if there is something serious. Midwife are very good at their job.

[@grandmak.]

I agree to that. My daughter had all her 3 kids in Norway. What I also loved there was the family room that both parents could stay in with their newborn for several days after the birth.

[@snaffers9309]

@@grandmak. These so exist in Germany, too

[@grandmak.]

@@snaffers9309 oh really ? That's good to hear.

[@silviap4478]

The midwife of my sister in law got to know our whole family and became a friend to everyone. She even became the midwife of my other sister in law. In contrast to that my friend talked to 3 different midwives and in the end decided not to take one. Everyone of them was anti-vaccine and heavily into anti-conventional medicine. I don't want to start a discussion about medicine or vaccines here, it's just that you need to be critical on who you want as a midwife.

[@najatbernoussi9064]

Vos vidéos sont intéréssents bonne continuation

[@jinde75]

I first found a midwife and then went to my GYN. I'm Dutch so I didn't want to go to the hospital if possible. I did end up in a German hospital which was pretty stressful. The second birth in the birthing center with my own midwife was so much better. I felt comfortable and safe. No unnecessary procedures (like putting a hand in me without asking, causing excruciating pain), no dangerous hospital bacteria, no unnecessary c-sections. I am pro c section when necessary but German women have a lot more c sections than Dutch women. And I don't believe they are less capable or have more complications.

[@Luflandebrigade31]

The reason is probably that c-section enables the hospital to write a bigger bill to the insurance.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

@@Luflandebrigade31 Tha might be true. But nevertheless, Germany isn't a country with a huge number of c-sections.

[@Kath-Erina]

Birth experiences can be so different! My sister in law chose a birth center for exactly your reasons. It was a busy day and they wanted to get her out quickly so they pushed on her belly with their elbows "christellern". It's an old and nowadays forbidden praxis but they did it anyways without any medical indication. She would have just needed a few more hours for her to naturally push out. But nope... They did it and not only was it excruciating painful, it gave her issues she's dealing with still today and needs surgery for in a few weeks (almost 5 years and another pregnancy later) .... Her second birth was in a hospital and she felt safe, happy and had a great and calm birth. It's just always the caregiving people who make or break the birth... All im saying is its so different for everyone and unfortunately a birth center doesn't automatically mean a better experience.

[@pkorobase]

Maybe an addon for working mothers: according the german mothers protection law "Mutterschutzgesetz" employed mothers have paid leave of 6 weeks before the (calculated) birth and eight weeks after the(real) birth. This is paid by the mothers employer. After that time the parents can take parental leave ("Elternzeit"), which is paid by the government. These payments are called "Elterngeld". (Look at the information of the german government on how to do that ;))

[@dinola3268]

In Deutschland können auch Männer “Hebammen“ werden. Früher wurden sie “Entbindungspfleger“ genannt.

[@QemeH]

Das ist allerdings *super* selten. Im Januar 2013 waren es ganze drei Männer deutschlandweit... This is *super* rare, though. In January 2013 there were three men in all of germany...

[@karinland8533]

Maybe usefull to know : many city have eg ‚Stillberatung‘ for new mothers.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

It's the second time you talk about a "registration process" in the hospital in Germany. I don't know if this is specific to the hospital or if it appeared in the last years, maybe even because of corona-virus. When our children were born (1998,2000,2002) in Darmstadt near Frankfurt, we just went to the hospital when my wife was in labour, the registration happened at that time. The midwifes for the birth were those on duty at that time. For the "homecare", we had of course our midwife we contacted before. I totally agree that this is a huge support to the young family, especially for the first child.

[@TypeAshton]

Yeah so here in Freiburg at least, it is standard that a woman goes to the hospital around Week 34 to "register". They take down all of your medical information from your Mutterpass so that the doctor's already know your medical history and are ready to go when it comes time to deliver. I addition, they also got our insurance information so that it was already on file. They also did another measurement of my pre-labor contractions and checked to see whether or not I was dialated. Basically when I showed up to the hospital while in labor, I just walked in and gave them my name, they pulled my file and shuttled me right upstairs. Really an easy process.

[@jennyh4025]

I gave birth in NRW in 2017 and we were asked to register at our hospital of choice at around 34 weeks as well. It wasn’t required, but asked for, because it also included an „Aufklärungsgespräch“ (they did not make me sign for an epidural, which I didn’t want unless I was absolutely exhausted) and things like „would you like a family room, if available?“ and was to help them plan better.

[@calise8783]

Same here. We never needed to register before. We just arrived, handed over our Mutterpass and that was it. This was BaWü in 2004 and 2006.

[@karinland8533]

It is just some paperwork, maybe blood test and an EEG. So they know something about you

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

EXACLTY.

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Pregnancy healthcare is pretty similar in the UK. Not so sure its a legal requirement for a midwife to be present at birth. However, it does seem again that US health care is worse than in Europe.

[@NormanTheDormantDoormat]

I mean, i would assume it basically always is (worse) for normal to poor people. Even if only because of the circumstances that might ruin your life financially (medical costs or ridiculous lack or worker rights).

[@schattensand]

Unfortunately the whole Hebamme thingi is vanishing in Germany and that has to do with brutally rising high insurance tarifs in this trade. The Berufshaftpflichtversicherung for Hebammen is going crazy and forcing many out of this trade.

[@TypeAshton]

A few others have also brought up this point. I can understand why they have to have such insurance, but it is really sad that the cost can force many to not enter (or just leave) the profession. My midwife was really wonderful.

[@sandgroper1970]

Single male, not a father, so no first hand experience. But I do have limited experience of the German system because a friend of mine ( German), and the the care she got was excellent pre and post . Her daughter is now school aged.

[@seanthiar]

The cause for the shortage of midwifes is a law they made a few years ago about insurances they have to have. Before that law you had much more independent midwifes but now with the high cost for the mandatory insurance it's not a profitable business anymore that earns enough money. Most midwifes are now working in hospitals and the pay is not that high. Another problem is that to learn to be a midwife you go to a private school and and it will cost you 10000€ and until 2020 you had to finish a medical education like being a nurse before starting the education for being a midwife. Since 2020 Abitur is enough and the education is an academic study with mandatory practice (duales Studium), but you still have to pay.

[@albin2232]

Midwives are the best! The ultimate birthing experts.

[@SoneaT]

My midwife was an angel 😍. As you said, we had a great nervousness and she helped us during this time. There's something called baby blues after giving birth. Often startes on third day after the baby is born. Mama's feel like empty and alone, bc the belly is gone or other things, like sudden C section. This is googles answer: What are the baby blues? Baby blues are feelings of sadness that you may have in the first few days after having a baby. Up to 4 in 5 new parents (80 percent) have the baby blues. It can affect new parents of any race, age, income, culture or education level. You are not to blame for how you feel. That's one of the most reasons why they want the Mommy stay longer than 3 days.To take care of her in those days.

[@TypeAshton]

So while I am very lucky to not have suffered from Postpartum Depression, it is so true that your emotions are all over the place after having a baby. I remember it was about a week after Jack was born.... My mother in law and Jonathan convinced me to finally take a nap because I was so tired. But when I woke up, I found out they had given Jack the tiniest bit of breast milk that had taken me a full THREE DAYS to pump and save up (and that I was hoping to freeze and store away). Of course, they were only trying to feed him properly and let me sleep - which was important and so thoughtful. But because they didn't wake me up and used the breastmilk I had pumped, I CRIED. Full out bawled like a baby. I was completely irrational. 😂

[@SoneaT]

@@TypeAshton 🤭 no you weren't irrational, but emotionally and physically tired. And that's the reason for you to cry. But I can totally feel with you, about the pumped milk. It's so difficult and time consuming. With the electric milk pump I needed hours to get enough milk, too 😂. My dear daughter had to ly nearby to help the milk flow 🤪. In the end I did it with my hands alone. ( I have no idea what it's called in english sorry) and later I stopped freezing milk, bc i wasn't able to pump more than 300ml 😅😂. And she needed more...

[@TypeAshton]

Yes breastfeeding was certainly a journey for us too - and not always an easy one. I felt a lot of pressure to both breastfeed AND pump and I felt so worn down. If I wasn't feeding, then I was pumping, or cleaning the pump (and then repeating over, and over, and over). Like you said, it really is so time consuming! But I should mention, I owed my MIL and husband a huge apology. I came to my senses a day later and was like "did I really just get upset because someone fed my baby?" good gracious. 😂 They were both really great in the postpartum period.

[@SoneaT]

We Mommys are all a bit weird in the beginning 😂😅. But it's good everything is going to be okay in the end. And looking back, it's such a short time, i almost forgot everything happened 👀. But the precious moments i have in my heart.

[@indiecarmayne]

I was born at home in Germany back in 1964. I only know that an independent midwife was involved,. My sister, born in 1969, was born in a local hospital. The daughter of my sister, my niece, first saw the light in a birth clinic. Those are the changing times . . .

[@Lunasera]

It's also about building trust which makes it easier to ask certain questions. Of course usually you trust you Gynecologist but you can't just drop in randomly because you have questions. In a hospital you aren't even guaranteed to get the same doctor two days in a row and time is very limited for doctors in hospitals. And after the birth it's all over "you can't just randomly drop in" A midwife gives a safe space for your worries and helps you to learn to handle everything in the way that's best for you.

[@summerrussell1257]

COOOOL ✅✌🏼

[@tilmaen]

Unfortunately there is a huge problem for midwifes in germwny and it has to do with insurances. The problem is that their insurance policies are extremely costly, considering that complications during birth are usually very expensive. In many cases hospitals (smaller ones) will not employ the midwife and require the "beleghebamme" to buy the insurance themselves. The price for the insurance often makes it impossible to make decent money in that profession.

[@TypeAshton]

Yes, another viewer also commented on this aspect as well. I hadn't realized it, but it makes sense as to why they would need to have comprehensive malpractice insurance. I can imagine that the midwives must take on considerable risk from a business perspective,.

[@tilmaen]

@@TypeAshton yes, well put! It really is a pity, considering it is such an important and at the same time rewarding profession. :-\

[@tobyk.4911]

I think it's outrageous that the government and the parliament haven't done anything effective yet to solve the problem of the drastically escalating liability insurance costs for Hebammen. Let's face the reality: Providing professional liability insurance for Hebammen through a private insurance company, without subsidising, has become impossible at affordable rates - and this, more or less, already 10 years ago. Therefore we, or especially: the political leaders, have the choice between accepting the disappearance of the profession of independent Hebammen, or finding another solution to provide liability insurance coverage. I think that the state should create a non-profit entity (functioning similar to a statutory health insurance provider) that provides liability insurance coverage for Hebammen and is financed by either the health insurances or the state / federal ministry of health.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

That's correct and the salary of the midwifes should, of course, include the price of any suitable profesional insurance. On the other hand, the german law, which requires the presence of a midwife should help the midwifes concerning those issues with hospitals.

[@tobyk.4911]

I think that the risk for a mistake / accident is approximately proportional to the number of births attended, therefore it seems fair to make the insurance fee a fixed amount of money *per birth* (not per midwife per year). This would make it easier to say that the liability insurance fee for a specific individual birth is a certain amount - and to write it on the bill as such - because it would then be the same amount for every birth, with any midwife, in all of Germany... In my opinion, the midwife should then be able to put it on her bill for each attended birth, *in addition to* all the other expenses for that birth ... that she gets paid by the health insurance of the young women who gives birth. That way, the midwifes (and hospitals) wouldn't have to worry about the liability insurance fees, because they would get them back directly from the health insurance providers... which are so big that these sums would almost not be noticeable for them ... and who distribute this "financial burden" on to the whole country. I mean, it doesn't appear too difficult to find a potential solution... what is such big problem ?!?

[@ralfengels2183]

Secure your cupboard in the kid room to the wall. If he start's climbing he might end up underneath it.

[@TypeAshton]

Yes this is so important. In my pre-baby nesting phase I had Jonathan secure everything with wall ties before Jack even arrived. ❤️

[@heseme2]

Finding a midwife certainly is important and difficult. It should be part of the foreplay, honestly.

[@patrickchambers5999]

You mean that Jack didn't arrive clutching a book on baby care? Wasl this one be different?

[@chkoha6462]

What the heck I'm doing here?I have no kids and neither my wife nor me needed a Midwife...but I stay anyway;)

[@TypeAshton]

Haha! Well, however you made it here - thank you for watching! ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!

[@rikuk3]

Same as the UK, you get pregnant, you meet your midwife and he or she is with you through to birth...and its free.

[@regineb.4756]

Sollte ich das tün? 😆 So göldig!

[@dagmarszemeitzke]

Unfortunally the insurance for midwifes is very high!! They had to pay up to 3000 Euro. (Because mutch can go wrong and that may cost a lot) So many had to work in a hospital and not for her self.

[@TypeAshton]

Have you seen the movie on Netflix called "Pieces of a Woman" by chance? It was extremely hard to watch for us because Jack was truly an "emergency" birth where we nearly lost him. But it does go to show the incredible amount of risk that Midwifes take on when assisting births. I can imagine that would contribute to significant insurance costs like with physicians.

[@julianhamann4925]

I also heard that from a girl I know, who is a midwife. On paper your salary sounds kinda nice and then insurance cost eats most of it.

[@OrangStefan]

I think that is one of the reasons why there is a shortage of independent midwifes. It makes this profession a bit precarious.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

I think the high insurance fee is for midwifes who do birth at home. And that might also be the reason why this is uncommon in the US, because if something goes wrong, the cost for the midwife would even be higher.

[@jinde75]

I know anf I think that is appalling. The birthing center (Geburtshaus) where I gave birth doesn't do births any more. I don't know how the Netherlands has organized the finances. Midwives don't have those problems there.

[@mohammeddavidzhang-singh5846]

In the hospital hierarchy midwifes are above nurses and they don't let doctors tell them much.

[@TypeAshton]

Wow that is really cool!

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@TypeAshton Uh, why? Nurses have a tremendous amount of medical knowledge and training. Obstetricians are doctors who spend years studying and then training and end up having a far greater medical knowledge, training, skills, experience, the ability to carry out thing like caesarians and the like. It sounds horrifying that someone with limited medical training is trying to boss the OB around.

[@TypeAshton]

I think how I understood the comment, was that midwives still take a leading roll in the birth - that part I think it really cool. Mainly that they aren't an antidote - and that I feel is really cool because in the US it feels like midwives aren't as common or accepted in hospital settings. Of course, if someone with a better degree of knowledge and expertise can step in and take over when necessary is very important as well. I know when Jack went into distress, it was a physician who stepped in IMMEDIATELY and took over and we did an emergency c-section. She saved his life and I am so grateful for that.

[@JaniceHope]

@@nochannel1q2321 Yes, they have a tremendous amount of knowledge and training... Hebammen however are specialists in their field. It's like being an IT programmer that knows multiple it languages and then there the the IT specialist that just knows THAT language for your project and has worked with it for decades. Who would you make the lead on the project? The allrounder who can do the work, but only has general knowledge or the specialists who knows everything you can accomplish? Same in the military (or at least the german army) if you have a specialist then for that task the specialist will call the shots... e.g. a sergeant teaching a captain during a training course or guard sentry giving orders to a lieutenant where to park... etc... Same goes for the Hebamme. They know their stuff so well that they 'rank' higher than a nurse and sometimes the doctor in the delivery room because a Hebamme is simply more qualified and better educated for that task. Outside the delivery room and birth that's a whole different ballpark if the newborn gets sick (say with heart problem) or the mom has different an issue then the doctor and nurses of course know better. It's very dynamic hierarchy.

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@JaniceHope The OB is a doctor/surgeon that does nothing but pregnancy, caesarians, central between-the-ankles role n the delivery. They are the one here who ranks higher always. Nurse ranks due to skillset, training, education and experience, then nursing assistants and stuff who clean the gross stuff off the baby, pull the poop out of the mouth to have improved breathing, etc. Are you guys just using general physicians at deliveries? US doctors who handles pregancies and deliveries do only that.

[@RosseBerrys]

Is it possible to have in Germany a midwife and pregnancy courses in English language?

[@TypeAshton]

In my experience, yes and no. Yes, you can usually find a midwife who also speaks English (we were able to do so with ours!). However, at least in my experience, the hospital is the one who puts on regularly scheduled pregnancy courses and they were all in German. That being said, it could be different in larger metropolitan areas like Berlin.

[@annamo9354]

As somebody who has birthed two beautiful daughters, one in Scotland and one in Germany, I can't stress enough that a birth is not a medical procedure! No pregnant woman about to give birth is 'ill' and must be treated as a patient! Ladies, our bodies are doing exactly what they are supposed to do, and they have an amazing array of coping mechanisms with the physical aspects of labour! The more you are stressed and scared about giving birth, the harder it will be. Just remember that esp. in that instance, knowledge is power. So inform yourselves about the birthing process, and if you can, take a hypnobirthing course. It helped me and my partner LOADS!

[@MrCheesecakeLp]

Birth is totally natural. However, it is totally natural, that some births go horribly wrong and end deadly. As most are not happy to enlist into the dying early part of nature, it is well advised to have medical professionals and or a hospital nearby or give birth in a hospital.

[@dodgro8342]

Is it legal for a German midwife to require an ultrasound from the patient? Can the midwife refuse to accept the patient on the grounds of them not having an ultrasound? If so, which law/article specifically states it?

[@uchenwobu4304]

I am already pregnant, still in my home country. Am estimating to be in Germany around the 7th or 8th month. Am a little bit nervous as can I find one and would I experience problems because of how long the pregnancy would have gone?

[@TypeAshton]

I would suggest reaching out to the hospital you are (likely) going to give birth at and see if they have any midwives who would potentially be available to help you - particularly for the postpartum period. ❤️

[@andreaseufinger4422]

Do you know where you might be ? Do you know people living there ? Ask them for advice. Maybe they can help you finding a midwife.

[@karinland8533]

Maybe a regional/ city + expat Facebook group can offer help as well

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

The midwife is very experience and VERY CAREFUL

[@christinapoeltl128]

You might be interested in this video from Mama Dr Jones kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4mpYYuhfriHrck It tells you a bit about why home birth are uncommon in the US. A big reason for that is because midwife don't have a standardised and reliable training in US. I gave birth in New Zealand and the system here is even more focused on midwives then in Germany. So in an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery you won't have any contact doctors. (Scans and tests are done from specialist at dedicated places.) Ideally you have a single self-employed midwife as lead maternity carer (LMC) who takes care of you during the full pregnancy, post-partum and at birth even if you choose a hospital birth. But here like in many other countries is a midwife shortage. So I ended up being wonderfully taken care of by bunch of midwives from the hospital because I didn't find LMC. Before and for labour I went to hospital but post-partum they came to our home. Seeing different people actually fitted my and my partners personality especially post-partum . Because you get all sort of advice and can pick what works best for you.

[@susannabonke8552]

Unsere Hebamme war echt Klasse!. Besonders wo wir umgezogen sind und jemand dort gefunden werden muste.

[@TheVillka]

It’s a very nice thing unless the midwife sucks. Mine never gave any proper advice. She generally gave no advice unless I had a specific question. I was very unhappy with her and really relieved when she stopped coming. Then I bought a scale for a baby and felt her functions have been replaced. 😂 Still, the pregnancy follow up is mainly done by a gynecologist in Germany. This what you’re saying that the midwife is a major figure during the pregnancy is actually more true about Sweden. I lived there during the first trimester of my pregnancy. I met regularly with a midwife which was in fact wonderful and very well educated lady. There you don’t meet a physician till the 24 week scan unless the pregnancy is a risk one.

[@TypeAshton]

Awe I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience with a Midwife in Germany. Really interesting to hear that my experience more closely followed your experience in Sweden. Thank you for sharing your experience. ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!

[@Tom-hz1kz]

3:10 can you clarify what does it mean that a midwife is legally required to attend birth. If you give birth without a midwife, are you getting into trouble with the law, or the midwife, or both? And for your non-German viewers the cost question could have been interesting: How much did you have to pay for your midwife?

[@Traya6P6]

The costs for the mother is not existing. It is paid by the healthinsuarance.

[@aliciasteiner6855]

I think she said it was covered by health insurance.

[@s.u.0509]

The majority of the payment is done by the health care system. We gave birth to our two boys in a "Geburtshaus" Birthhouse and that means its a place where you give birth in a non-clinical rooms with only your midwifes. Its not dangerous by any means because you are only allowed to give birth there if you whole preagnancy was without issues and a hospital is only a few minutes away just in case something unexpected happens....For this service we had to pay 250€ but in case of our health care company we got alot of it back...The idea of a Geburtshaus is getting more popular in germany but its very common for example in the netherlands....

[@karstenvagt1075]

A midwife is not always legally required. If you are giving birth and do not want a midwife to attend, it's your own choice. But if physicians attend a birth, it is mandatory that a midwife is consulted (Hinzuziehungspflicht), also in a Cesarean section.

[@kathrin9674]

German law says: a midwife is mandatory at bírth, a physician isn't. That's it. You won't get into troubel deciding to give birth onto your own, but if a physician will let give you birth without a midwife attending, hell will break loose.

[@FFM0594]

Boot on the other foot: I find it weird that birth is considered a medical emergency in the US.

[@AndresUffert2]

For this, we had a midwife around when in hospidal, and she dealth with us, untill my wife had an issue, so we had a doctor come in and in the end she had a c section, so a doctor was required, but yea usually we give birth, at least in estonia, we do it in hospidal, you can do it at home etc, but it is easier, because of paperwork. and when you give birth at home, first you need to call the hospidal to let them know tha t you are giving birth, and why is that, because if you dont tell them like right and jsut abit after giving birth then i gets harder to get documents done, and thats why midwife is nessesary to be near the birth. just that it is legal, because there must be time recorded health cheked etc.

[@emanymton5789]

The b* slapped me! Granted, i was fresh out of the womb, but still.... lol

[@rikardottosson1272]

Sweden goes all in on midwives as well. The midwives have diffeerent roles before and during birth. While the woman is pregnant it's all about preparing for natural birth and breastfeeding. As birth draws nearerr it involves not so subtly bullying you into attempting natural birth of breech babies despite mortality stats on manual attempts at turning fetuses in the belly are quite atrocious, but better a dead fetus than a c-section, amirite?! Scary right? Well, once the child was successfully eventually delivered (via emergency c-section, so the arguing earlier was moot) the role of the midwife changed completely and they suiggested feeding the child formula due to low blood sugar, and when breastfeeding didn't get going they were all "just feed with a bottle, it dosn't matter" and the judgement was gone and they were very supportive. Some canvassing at the time suggested that this was an experience shared by many. It's is unclear what function the prenatal bullying has, but there you go.

[@MegaBorusse1900]

Just some pronounciation support: In the Intro, you say, or rather it sound like "gefünden" and "tün" instead of "gefunden" and "tun". No Umlaut there, normal U. But aside that, very good. I can imagine Hebamme to be a tricky word for native english speakers.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you for the help! We are still learning and appreciate the correction.

[@safiaiqbal3465]

Hi

[@Opa_Andre]

I love your video, although as an old man, this is not exactly my topic. 🤣 However I remember a video from another well known expat in Germany doing an interview on this topic you (or other subscribers) might be interested in. So just in case if you want to check it out by yourself: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoiooYhmo7iXhNE Besides this, as I've read your comment on Sara's channel I also just want to wish you and your family all the best to fully recover from your current infection which from my personal information seems to spread all over. I keep my fingers crossed or as we say in Germany "Ich drücke Euch die Daumen." 🧡

[@TypeAshton]

Awe thank you so much. ❤️ As Jack starts Kita we were prepared that he would probably pick up a few colds from his new environment.... but he has also so graciously shared his colds with us parents as well 😂.

[@safiaiqbal3465]

Salam

[@33elemha]

did anybody explain to you why it's called Kreissaal or in an older spelling Kreißsaal? The answer to this is hilarious!

[@TypeAshton]

No I don't believe so? Can you explain?

[@33elemha]

Gunther and Wikipedia are off course correct, I would have simply gone with "kreischen" which translates to "screech". But the word in it's original, before 1800 form "kreiszen" was even for me, native speaker, unrecognizable.

[@tobyk.4911]

*Kreißsaal* is not an "older spelling" - it's the only correct spelling. (There is no *Kreissaal* in the German language.)

[@33elemha]

@@tobyk.4911 I didn't pay too much attention to the changes to german orthography brought by the 1996 conference but noticed that 'ß' was mostly replaced by 'ss'. So if Kreiß was replaced likely by Kreiss, when you combine that with another word which starts again witn a 's' then the 3 s's are written just as 2 (Unless this old rule was also changed)

[@tobyk.4911]

@@33elemha I think the "new rule" is that ß has been replaced by *ss* when it comes *after a short vowel* , for example _Fluss_ instead of the older _Fluß_ , _der Biss_ instead of _der Biß_ , _das Schloss_ instead of _das Schloß_ , ... and very important: _dass_ instead of _daß_ . But, after a long vowel, or a diphtong like _ei_ , the ß is still used in the new orthography, for example _das Floß_ , _beißen_ and _die Straße_ .

[@llothar68]

My sister works in a hospital and she says that more and more women give birth at home. But she dislikes it a lot because many emergencies happen late during the labour process and then it's too late to go 20km for the next emergency room.

[@nochannel1q2321]

Yeah. A lot of people seem to forget the reason people stopped doing homebirths and stuff was because it didn't work as well as delivering in a facility equipped for any problems filled with equipment, knowledgeable and skilled nurses who specialize in the OB area and an OB who has studied for years then learned through practice for years after that to be able to immediately act in emergencies by doing things like difficult adjustments of the fetus if it's in breach, emergency caesarians, scheduled caesarians, excess bleeding complications from the mother, and advanced life support for the newborn if necessary. The reason Western infant mortality is different from African or Latin America, for example, is because so many of the risks are eliminated and one of the big ones is taking advantage of having a guided process supervised by an extremely knowledgeable and experienced medical professional and their staff in a very clean and well-equipped environment. It's like the equivalent of having an amputation performed without anaesthesia and by a poorly trained pseudo doctor whose main skill is being able to cut off what needs to be cut off as fast as possible as their form of pain management.

[@regenbogentraumerin]

Statistically there are no safety differences between home births and births in a hospital after low risk pregnancies though. Home births historically were less safe because there were less ways of telling beforehand whether there are any factors that might make the pregnancy and birth high risk and make interventions necessary and because of hygiene problems. Nowadays the negative impact of needless medical interventions counterbalances the risks of unexpected complications and not getting to the hospital fast enough, in the end the outcome is the same. If the pregnancy is low risk the factor determening which is the best place to give birth at is where the mother feels more comfortable. For high risk pregnancies it's obviously different.

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@regenbogentraumerin Of course if you compare low risk births that are allowed to happen at home and all births regardless of risk level at hospitals the one with the lower risk is going to seem a lot safer than if the two were compared fairly. Many of the low risk pregnancies are only found to be high risk once delivery starts. If you're at a hospital it can be handled almost always. If you're at home you have a wait for an ambulance or a drive of some significant time to get to the hospital so they can diagnose and begin treatment. There are no needless medical interventions. Medical intervention can only be done ethically if they are necessary. If a mother's comfort was a deciding factor for the mother all mothers would deliver via scheduled C-section and pain medication. Absence of pain and massively reduced recovery time from the trauma of vaginal birth is always going to be the more comfortable option.

[@regenbogentraumerin]

@@nochannel1q2321 Ofc these studies do compare low risk at home with low risk in the hospital, as you said comparing with all pregnancies in the hospital really would make no sense at all. Also what the mother is comfortable with is not (just) about pain, it's about whether she trusts the people who are around, whether she is afraid, whether she's confident in her body and it's abilities. Sure, having no pain is always better than having it, but if you chose a vaginal delivery without PDA while it's definitely gonna be painful your surroundings have a huge impact on how comfortable you feel with the whole situation and how the birth is gonna be. And 100% there are needless interventions. Induction because things are not progressing as fast as they would like it, to be able to send you home earlier and have a free bed for someone else. PDAs while you said beforehand you don't want one and would do fine without one with some encouragement (during labour, ofc you're gonna agree to have the pain taken away) because that gets the hospital more money. Ventouse usage to speed things up. C-sections that are not called for (there is no reason for one third of deliveries to be via c-section, in a lot of cases it's just faster and it's a cash cow for the hospital). All of these bring dangers with them but also all of these make sure the hospital gets much more money from the insurance than for a normal birth. There is a time and place for all of these things and it's great that we have them nowadays! They are way overused though (which I don't mainly blame on the hospitals and doctors, it's a problem of the insurance system due to Vergütungspauschalen) and that puts mums and babies in dangers they wouldn't have to face otherwise.

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@regenbogentraumerin I was saying comparing a pool of low risk pregnancies with a pool of low-, medium-, and high-risk pregnancies wasn't useful. All mothers are going to be afraid. Confidence in her body doesn't matter. Her body is trying to expel the fetus. If she isn't comfortable about her body that's independent of location and doesn't really matter for the delivery. If you choose a vaginal delivery with nothing from an anasthesiologist it's obviously going to be painful. The uterus is going to shove 8-10lbs of meat through the cervix, which is basically a place where there's pain anytime it's touched, then stretch the vagina to an extreme likely never before reached, generally tearing the lower elements of the vulva apart, sometimes down through the perineum and almost to the anus. Then she has to do it again to get the afterbirth out. You can either elect to have a modern birth with the pain controlled and the areas about to tear cut instead so the can be stitched afterward with less permanent damage. The only needless interventions would be things that appeared to be needed at the time by the OB and turned out later to be false alarms. Physicians conducting anything needless risk their license, the hospital's malpractice insurance premiums increasing and civil lawsuits for damages. And that's not theoretical, it happens almost every time medicine is practiced in that manner. Thus I can say that the few exceptional cases where needless intervention occurs, though as a civil suit it can take like a decade, will result in a substantial financial settlement with the patient. No, they don't happen all the time. Induction is performed when the baby is believed to be in danger, or there has been o progress in the delivery for long enough that it can endanger the fetus. It is only done when medically necessary and even then only with the consent of the patient. It has nothing to do with freeing up beds. Contrary to what's often said in the media a sizeable number of hospital beds are, outside of the Covid overloading, always vacant and ready to go. The rise in C-sections is that a lot of women elect to delivery by C-section and just schedule them in advance. There is far less damage to the mother's body, pain is controlled, the fetus is delivered more safely and quickly and the recovery time is drastically quicker since the damage is done surgically and then stitched up very cleanly, which means little scarring on the skin, or more significantly less of a risk of loss of fertility by damage to the uterus. It's a very popular option that a lot of women now opt into. C-sections are safer for the mothers and safer for the babies.

[@helfgott1]

Dear friends In the whole of Germany currently (as of January 2020) only four men work as midwives. An interesting fact at the end: With the reform of midwifery training from 2020, the job title “midwife” should apply uniformly to all genders.Now the numbers of males in this job is very slowly increasing, now my question to you: what do YOU think about a male doing this profession? Would you say a male could not do the job the way a lady can? Now i surely do NOT want to start a gender discussion. But i would be interested in your female opinion, since giving birth is a very very special event, would you rather have a female with you??

[@TypeAshton]

Personally speaking - for me it wouldn't be an issue. My mom's OBGYN is a male (and was the man who delivered me). As with all medical positions, as long as he/she is professional then gender can supersede any male/female health concerns or procedures. Again, I can understand how having a woman might be more comforting - especially since she may be more likely to empathize with your concerns and experiences in child birth. But then again too, many of my midwifes at the Uniklinik were very young and hadn't yet had a baby. So, I think (for me) having a man in this position would have been just fine.

[@helfgott1]

@@TypeAshton very interesting thank you

[@Melisendre]

Why not? But they shouldn't change the name. Why needs everthing to be gender neutral? "Hebamme" is such a historical name and for such a low number of male midwifes it is not neccessary. I didn't have a personal midwife only the ones at hospital. But they did their job very well.

[@peterpan4038]

The situation in all jobs that involve babies and children in general is extremely one sided in this regard. I say whoever can do the job best should get the job offer.

[@helfgott1]

@@TypeAshton Now one of the reasons why i am so interested is: I and my 2 sisters were born in germany between 1959 and 1963. All of the midwives at that time were catholic nuns at least in the Rhinland which at the time was very catholic. I was told my father was litterally kicked out of the hospital by these strong women. Now since my mother because of beeing so little was having a Caesarean section which even today is still a life threatening surgery. Now after my mother survived my birth the nuns told my father: NO MORE BABIES. Its just too dangerous. Now there was another pregacy with my sister. The nun was verbally shouting at my father in front of everyone, no matter he was a very well known lawyer. Now my mother was pregnant with my little sister. And this is a true story: The NUN punched my father in the face big time with her fist hard.

[@Trident023]

Three shifts of midwives for one birth? Been there… 😂

[@RustyDust101]

When you said, that in Germany the process of childbirth is not considered an emergency but a standard medical procedure, I frowned. Not because I disagreed, no, most certainly not. I frowned because I never ever thought anyone anywhere could see it as anything other than a standard medical procedure. I had never even wasted a single thought on even the possibility of seeing it as an emergency. Unless, obviously, something went wrong during childbirth. Sure, emergencies do happen during childbirth, don't get me wrong. I know they can happen. But all of the prelude to that, all the preparations, all the training, check-ups, support, yada-yada-yada, everything should be part of a standard medical programm.

[@clitusenoch4244]

ʟᴏᴠᴇʟʏ 💝🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Rick2010100]

German midwifes have actually a hughe problem, they need a insurance for their job and this insurance has become extreme expensive - ca. €9.000 p.a..

[@TypeAshton]

Yeah! A couple of others have noted this as well. I can imagine their insurance is expensive and that must put a significant strain on them.

[@kreativuntermdach7351]

Midwives are actually nurses who specialice in births. But by being so highly specialized they can get better and more knowledgable than the doctors who need to be educated broader. So, the Main work at birth is done by the midwifes typically, the doctor is there to spring into Action when something goes horribly wrong. Which is why they mostly only come in when the pressing starts.

[@annib3360]

Actually midwives are NOT nurses in germany :) It is a different kind of training and midwifery an independent profession, unlike in the US where there are some nurse-midwives which are advanced practice registered nurses in nurse midwifery ;) Since this year germany you have to do a bachelors-program to be a midwife, nurses do not go to college but vocational school.

[@ssm445]

"more knowledgeable than the doctors" is the dream of nurses and midwife's, but it's actually bollocks.

[@monikaschulz909]

Eine Hebamme ist keine Krankenschwester!

[@nochannel1q2321]

@@ssm445 Why does the video person say in the US all births are treated as emergencies? Births take place in hospitals (with some exceptions) so that if there are any complications to the mother or baby the equipment, medications and supplies are immediately available and (at least) one experienced nurse specializing in deliveries and an experienced and very knowledgeable obstetrician directly supervises the birth to ensure risk is minimized and if risk turns to something more significant (like a breach that needs to be turned), perineal cutting to prevent scarring from tearing, transition to caesarian, etc, are all available immediately. I wouldn't even want a midwife present if it were a freebie included as it would just worry me that such a person was present and might interfere with the safest possible delivery mechanism.

[@jennyh4025]

@@ssm445 it’s actually something the head of the birthing unit in the German hospital I gave birth in said. „Midwives are better at low risk births, because, unlike us doctors, they know exactly how and when to intervene and when to just shut up and sit still in the corner“. German midwives are specialized in natural birthing, doctors are specialized in intervention. Both have some aspects they know better than the other.

[@nadineblachetta3202]

In the hast majority of cases the birth of a child is uneventful in terms of health risk to mother or child. Nobody is sick, nobody is injured, we are getting a baby wich is a thing women are made for and perfectly able to. That is not to say that it is an easy task or that the contraction can't Knick your socks off. By the way should anything go south in process gyn doctors or surgeons are minutes away in case, an Operating room is at the ready two doors down. In Germany we Like safety nets, one in case a safety net breaks and someone falls through and one to catch the safety net, Just in case. Maybe we are paranoid, but if you are pregnant peoplr here will start making the world revolve around you until everybody is out of the weeds.

[@aventh1114]

So with all the praise you have for germany, I am assuming you speak german and are trying to get the citizenship?

[@ludicrousone8706]

Interesting assumption

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there! So currently Jonathan and I are B1. We would love to be further along, but for a variety of factors (such as Jonathan's employer is an international company and 100% english) it has been a bit of a challenge. BUT we are in classes and trying to make improvements day to day. As to whether or not we will go for citizenship, it depends. We have achieved permanent residency permits, so we can stay even if we lose our jobs, we can buy a house with a german bank, and start our business.... we just can't vote and have to file taxes in both countries. If we end up staying for the next 10 years, we won't rule it out. But day-to-day having an American passport hasn't caused us a lot of roadblocks.

[@karinland8533]

Why would you assume that?

[@fabigrossi2976]

@@karinland8533 Some Americans can't stand the fact that there are countries at least as great as "the greatest country in the world", as Americans like to claim their country to be. Pointing out what's possibly even better in Germany might be something he/she doesn't like. Of course I don't know if that's the case, but this "greatest country in the world"-thing is actually a big deal in America.

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

It is NOT JUST IN GERMANY but ALL OVER IN EUROPE IS LIKE THAT....and most of the industrial countries in the world. if you had what she experience you would be just as happy like she is . besides many people in America would love to have it like she did. to get help and advise when it need it.

[@user-ov5nd1fb7s]

My second kid was born last summer. We didn't get a midwife. Coming from eastern europe, the concept of a midwife is weird. A stranger, hanging around your house telling you what to do. No thank you. There is already enough regulation in Germany. I don't want them regulating our life while we are in our damn house.

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Giving birth isn't painful. I read the news paper while my wife did the necessary.

[@TypeAshton]

🤣🤣🤣

[@federicozanolli]

This is somewhat unrelated to the topic but I would advise you not to show Jack`s room in your videos, as sharing a child's bedroom in KZbin videos is illegal as far as I know. You probably won't get a knock on the door from police but might get a strike from KZbin or something similar. This is just meant as some friendly advice and I actually find it quite appropriate how much/what you show of Jack unlike some other family YT-channels who show their children in compromising or embarrasing/super private moments. Love your content and keep up the good work :)

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there, We appreciate your concern. To our knowledge, showing a child's bedroom doesn't violate any of KZbin's policies? (But if you find something, please let us know). I believe there are whole content areas about organizing nursery's, nursery "reveals" and renovations etc. Of course, any kind of content that would lead to predatory behavior or compromise our child in any way is another story. We are always sensitive to this. That being said, every family has to make a decision for themselves on how much (or if at all) to show their kids. Jonathan and I want to respect Jack's privacy - so we make it point that none of our video's will ever revolve around him being a central a narrative. We are a family channel, so we do things in the Black Forest as a family and give advice to families abroad. He will be "around" in videos, but things like doctor's visits, any future personal issues or relationships... - anything that could compromise him or have him "put on a show" for KZbin will not happen on our channel. Thank you again for your kind concern and positive feedback. We genuinely appreciate it. Kind regards, Ashton & Jonathan

[@WienerVL]

@@TypeAshton I dont know the laws in germany but here in austria kids have sued their parents for showing pics or vids on internet! You have to ask for permission to do that! If a child wont you have to delete! Children`s rights! Ps.:I like your informative vids!

[@HansMaurer.]

@@TypeAshton There was a video on channel MrWissen2go on this subject just yesterday, particularly about some negative examples of influencer families. They did mention the issue with showing too much of the children's personal spaces, too. That might be a good starting point for more research.

[@inka87871]

reporting direct from germany wearing rose colored glassses and all the germans chiming in 🤣

[@dorisschneider-coutandin9965]

Actually, her videos are well-balanced. No rose-coloured glasses needed or involved.

[@AndresUffert2]

And welcome to europe. and free healthcare.

[@HomeWorkouts_LS]

Do any German midwives speak English?

[@TypeAshton]

Mine did but only to a very limited extent. But I have heard that in big cities like Cologne, Berlin, and Frankfurt, they are much more popular.

[@johnveerkamp1501]

Not only Germany. Al of Europe it is better then U.S.

[@WotansCry]

Plz elaborate on how or if you anyway did circumcise your son.. I know in american it is common. But here it is not normal and not so easy to have it done on your boy. So plz explain a little around this experience..

[@christianschweis8335]

if things continue to develop like this you are talking about a dying profession in Germany.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Look dear, it's so simple and you already know how to do it, but you never knew you did. You can say butcher, can't you? Well, each and every one of the German "U's" is like the U in butcher. There, I fixed it for you!

[@wjhann4836]

That's not good - prepare your son for the future - much less cars 🤣

[@TypeAshton]

We will have to be on the lookout for solar powered train for his Christmas list! 😂

[@just42tube]

But isn't it obvious that new Americans are an problematic emergency? Not to mention that emergencies are a more dramatic and therefore a better marketing story to sell services, which obviously is the main purpose for all care businesses in USA, isn't it? 🤔😜😆

[@Ilovepineapple]

Is quackery common in German midwives? The typical homeopathic bs and non-scientific approach you might see some old GPs follow?

[@TypeAshton]

While I think there is a fair amount of homeopathic practices, I believe they are still certified to handle their job requirements.

[@MegaBorusse1900]

Depends on what you call quackery. Yes, we have some who do also homeopathic practices, but you would specially search for a midwife who offers this. They are all certified by the state. What you often get is some "expert knowledge", to help the woman in labour. E.g. I know of a midwife using coffee soaked cloth while birthing, the warmth helping to relax and the coffein starting the blood circulation. That´s not quackery, but no schoolbook knowledge either.

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

The Dr go to the university and become a DR after 5 years in Europe. The midwife do the same but for 4 years/ SINCE WHEN IS THAT A HOCUS POCUS... CATCH UP WITH THE 21st Century.

[@Kessina1989]

If you are a working mum, no one takes care about you!

[@karinland8533]

And that is the reason for mandatory paid maternity and paternity leave!

[@sisuguillam5109]

That is not true, is it now?

[@Kessina1989]

@@sisuguillam5109 Of course it's true! No one cares about you, if you're having kids in Germany! In 2020 I gave birth to my third child and I had to be back at office 2 weeks later! So I took him with me till he got finally his place in kindergarten when he was three months old! And my oldest ones had to stay home alone all day, because I didn't got home office! But that's okay, the most German parents did it the same way!

[@sohno702]

@@Kessina1989 Sorry. I don´t believe you. If you did that, it was your own choice to do so. Simple because by law you can do otherwise without the risk of loosing your job. Also your Mutterschutz will end 8 weeks after you gave birth. In this time you aren´t even allowed to work.

[@Kessina1989]

@@sohno702 Yeah, that's what they tell you, but in fact if you want to take of after birth, you can loose your job immediately! That#S what happened to me after I got my second child! I took the 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after birth and wanted to go back to work but they told me, I got fired, because I didn't come to work!

[@StephanEngine7878]

Yeah, I have a different perspective on midwives (Hebammen) in germany. I think many midwives are to some degree even dangerous and this is why: They are usually poorly educated, at least in comparison to a normal doctor. The problem of their bad education plays a keyrole in why many of them advertise and advice the use of new age woo treatments, also called „alternative medicine“ or what we call it in german: Esoterik. If someone has never heard of „alternative medicine“ or new age woo stuff, in a nut shell this means believing something is true or works, despite there is not only no evidence for the veracity of the claims made by the treatment, but worse, they are often not plausible at all and sometimes we can even disprove and debunk them. Most of the time they either don‘t work or sometimes they are even dangerous and can do harm. Tim Minchin said it best: „By definition, Alternative Medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call Alternative medicine that's been proved to work? Medicine.“ kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpmqpot5qqmVZ7c So often these Hebammen deny science and medical studies like RCTs (they also mostly don‘t understand how science works and how we acquire reliable medical knowledge or knowledge of any kind) and overestimate their „knowledge“ of how the world works totally and immensely. Some of them are even anti-vaxxers or propagate conspiracy theories...I have experienced this too. Ashton, I am not saying EVERY Hebamme is like that. Your personal experience with your hebamme may have been great and I am happy if that was the case. I am just saying, that I am critical and skeptical about them, because I know that way too many of them are like what I just described. And if you ever get a second kid, this may be something you wanna know or at least have heard of about Hebammen. Because unfortunately I can not join in praising Hebammen, sorry. And btw., I am not the first nor the only one who recognized that. This article in a huge german newspaper by a science journalist also talks about that. I highly recommend reading it: www.sueddeutsche.de/gesundheit/alternativmedizin-die-globulisierung-des-kreisssaals-1.1197133-0#seite-2

[@jennyh4025]

I know that there are some midwives like that, but you can usually find out in your „Kennenlerngespräch“ and then just say „thanks, but I don’t think you are the right midwife for me“. My midwife was…. holistic, she believes in the power of (proven) healing plants (globuli was a swear word for her), helping the body and the soul with yoga and good nutrition, while telling me „your pregnancy looks very low risk, despite your age, so I would recommend that you do not choose a c-section, but try to do it naturally and follow the advice of my colleagues in the hospital, they are very well trained“. The hospital was specialized on vaginal birth (including breech and multiples) and had an attached midwifery school.

[@karinland8533]

There might be some Hebammen who think that way but the vast majority are very well trained professioals. I’m sure changing to a bachelor degree is a good thing. There are also some doctors who are anitvac...

[@susancmiller4212]

That is just absolute rubbish!

[@susancmiller4212]

@@karinland8533 Exactly Karin!

[@StephanEngine7878]

@@susancmiller4212 great, that you also think, that "alternative medicine" is absolute rubbish! Wonderful!

[@AndresUffert2]

For this, we had a midwife around when in hospidal, and she dealth with us, untill my wife had an issue, so we had a doctor come in and in the end she had a c section, so a doctor was required, but yea usually we give birth, at least in estonia, we do it in hospidal, you can do it at home etc, but it is easier, because of paperwork. and when you give birth at home, first you need to call the hospidal to let them know tha t you are giving birth, and why is that, because if you dont tell them like right and jsut abit after giving birth then i gets harder to get documents done, and thats why midwife is nessesary to be near the birth. just that it is legal, because there must be time recorded health cheked etc.