An interview with midwife Elisabeth

All about tiny human beings, working moms and win-win situations 

We are lucky having experts like Elisabeth  - midwife for 39 years - on our side! Many thanks Elisabeth, for taking the time to answer 7 question and telling us all about tiny human beings, working moms and win-win situations.

What made you want to become a midwife?

A school friend told me about this qualification. Until this point I wasn‘t even aware of the profession.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

The most beautiful thing about my job are these tiny human being that arrive in our world and immediately try to orientate themselves and communicate. Another phenomenal thing to observe is how a woman‘s personality changes after childbirth. No woman leaves the delivery room as the exact same person she was before.

Was there a special moment in your career that you will never forget?

There have been a lot of amazing moments during my career as a midwife. It happens more and more frequently that I help a woman during childbirth whose own birth I have witnessed - that‘s an even more intimate situation. A couple of years ago, I was very moved when I helped a young South American woman give birth to her third child. In her home country, she had C-sections when her first two children were born but never got an explanation, so she wanted to bear her third child naturally. It was an exhausting night and the doctors were not very positive about it, but when the sun rose again she had given birth to a beautiful child and was incredibly happy and thankful. Two years later, she gave birth to another child - without any complications.

What‘s your opinion on working moms?

Working moms are often able to fully dedicate their free time to their children. If priorities are well set, having a working mother can actually be very beneficial, as it can help children become a lot more independent.

What should a woman pay attention to during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, a woman should obviously stay away from drinking alcohol, smoking or consuming any other drug. That‘s basic knowledge and most pregnant women pay attention to it. Too much stress can be harmful as well, but working on a normal level that you‘re used to shouldn‘t be a problem. In my opinion, the most important thing is not to worry too much about all these examinations and sonographies and to try to go through pregnancy with good judgement, reasonable health care, and a bit of trust in the strength of your own body.

How to find the perfect midwife?

I don‘t think the ''perfect midwife'' exists. But there are a lot of well-trained and dedicated nurses who really care about a family‘s wellbeing. Lists of midwives in your area can be found on the Internet or via your health insurance. It‘s recommended to arrange a meeting for a preliminary talk during pregnancy, so both, mother and nurse can see if the chemistry‘s right. If it isn‘t, the woman can still look for another nurse.

What are women scared of during pregnancy? And what do you do to help them overcome their fears?

The most common fears women have during pregnancy are: is my child well and healthy? How do I deal with all the discomforts that go along with pregnancy? What is the process of giving birth going to be like? Can I cope with the pain of being in labour or should I think about a C-section straight away? How is my life going to change after the child is born? Etc...

You can‘t still every woman‘s fears. There are some deep-seated fears that are different for everyone and a midwife is not a trained therapist. However, most fears can be dealt with by talking about it and giving information. A lot of women calm down just by hearing about the wide range of possible methods that can help them during their pregnancy. If the women‘s families can be included in the whole process and the women manage to talk openly about their feelings and maybe even laugh about the effects hormons may have on their mood, it‘s a win-win for everyone.