"Suddenly coping with everyday life with the baby alone is a big challenge. Even before, a baby could easily keep two adults busy more or less 24 hours a day. So it is understandable why many mothers look forward to this phase with some concern. These worries may be confronted with help from the midwife, who has a few helpful tips ready for you in this tense situation.
Nowadays, a freshly delivered mother can hardly fall back on an intact extended family. After birth she needs a period of rest. The birth, the adjustment to the newborn, breastfeeding, hormonal changes are energy-consuming conversion processes.
Exhaustion and excessive demands can quickly occur if help is not organised with foresight.
After the birth the midwife can prescribe 1 week domestic help due to the birth, max. 8 hours per day. According to SGB V § 24 c and h, every woman is entitled to help at sickness in pregnancy and puerperium if no family help is available. This help can be useful if there are small siblings.
Help must be requested from the health insurance company in advance. Download forms from your own health insurance company's homepage under "Househelp". Professional nursing services settle accounts directly with the health insurance company. Extension of the childbed assistance must be ordered by a doctor.
Organize childbed help yourself: Caritas, Diakonie- und Sozialstation, Dorfhelferinnenwerk Baden-Württemberg und Niedersachsen, independent providers. Smokers do not have to be accepted. There is also the profession of freelance maternal nurse (not yet available everywhere).
Provider of maternal care (GfG)