The report “Geburtshilfe neu denken” (“Reshaping maternity care”) was created in cooperation with the German midwives association, Bund Deutscher Hebammen e.V. and with financial support from the Robert Bosch Foundation. It sets a new accent with its extensive analysis and presentation of the activity of midwives in Germany.

 

Pregnancy, birth, postnatal period and breastfeeding are vital events in the life of woman and her young family – and primarily they are physiologically. In the provision of health care, therefore, services and approaches to treatment that are oriented towards supporting and maintaining health should be taken more greatly into account. For the parents – and in particular for the mothers - the life span of pregnancy, birth, postnatal period and breastfeeding represents a biographical transitional phase, and has an influence on their future state of health and their behaviour relevant to it. It opens up opportunities to discover health promotion resources and their further growth in family life. Healthcare provision should be marked by the individual and continuous attendance of women and their children.

 

With its analysis, the report draws attention to the fact that the professional scope of the midwife offers potential for the areas of health promotion and prevention that needs to be used and promoted in society more than it previously has been.

 

In order to be able to offer young families care that is adapted to their needs and requirements in the future, recommendations are given both for familiy and healthcare policy, as well as for reforms in education and research.

 

Publication

Sayn- Wittgenstein, F. zu (Ed.). (2007). “Geburtshilfe neu denken. Bericht zur Situation des Hebammenwesens in Deutschland”. Bern, Göttingen, Toronto,  Seattle: Hans Huber Verlag.