The period after birth is called "postpartum". It lasts about 8 weeks. It is a very special time. There are many changes because of your baby.
Foto: Alex Lichtmalerei
On the one hand, time seems to stand still when you let yourself be touched by what is coming from your baby. On the other hand, you have many tasks, to nurse the baby, to care for it and also to take care of yourself. Especially in the early postpartum period - the first ten days after birth - you need to take it easy and rest. Physical and hormonal processes can put you in different moods. The situation requires that you keep this time of transition in mind as something very important. This applies to you, your baby and the baby's father. Visits can wait.

Postpartum care by a midwife
As a woman with health insurance, you are entitled to care by a midwife for twelve weeks after the birth or until the end of breastfeeding. In the months after the birth, she is available to answer any questions you may have about your baby, breastfeeding, baby’s crying, etc. She will advise you on navel and body care for your baby, wound care after perineal injury or Caesarean section.

Home help According to §24h of the German Social Security Code (Sozialgesetzbuch V), every woman with statutory health insurance is entitled to help in the home, especially in the early postpartum period, if no family support is available. There are well-trained specialists for this task, who call themselves FamilienLotSinnen®, maternity nurses, or postpartum companions. They relieve you by organizing the household, cooking and taking care of siblings.