Birth without a partner: What women can now trust

The corona virus also changes obstetrics. In some clinics, fathers are no longer allowed in the delivery room. What does this mean for pregnant women and how can they prepare for it?

Berlin (dpa / tmn) - There is currently great uncertainty among pregnant women: what if I have to go to the delivery room on my own? In some clinics, men are no longer allowed to be present at birth or to the postpartum ward - to avoid the risk of infection with the corona virus.

Kareen Dannhauer is a freelance midwife in Berlin and an author. Her advice to women at this time: think about the fearful situation - and trust in yourself.

Should the worst-case scenario occur and the father is not allowed into the delivery room at birth: How can pregnant women prepare mentally for this? How do you gain self-confidence that you can master this on your own?

Kareen Dannhauer: The idea that one of the important constants, such as the accompaniment of men and fathers, disappears overnight, seems completely inconceivable to the couples. First of all, that pulls the ground out from under your feet.

Perhaps the sentence helps: You will give birth to your child alone. Always and anyway. This sentence sounds violent at first, it is ultimately a certain form of imposition. But at the same time, he also has an enormous power. Women can give birth, and they always do it on their own, in one way, too: alone.

And beyond the immediate: Of course, women are not alone at this moment! There is the baby with whom you are going on this journey, there is the midwife who accompanies and supports, and there is also the partner who may not be physically present at the moment, but is nevertheless "there".

At first, all of this may not be a comfort. But when it comes to arming yourself for this new adventure, that's an important thought.

Given the unpredictable situation, some women may consider having their child at home rather than in the hospital. Is this even feasible in the short term?

Dannhauer: This is actually an impulse that I hear a little more often: "Then I just stay at home and have my baby there. I don't infect myself and my baby, and my husband can be there too."

I think that is a very understandable thought on the part of the parents. Nevertheless, you have to dampen that in the beginning: there are only a few handful of freelance midwives who offer home births. This model has been systematically destroyed by statutory health insurers and liability insurers together with health policy in recent years.

In addition to organizational things (such as taking out very expensive liability insurance or the possibility of 24/7 on-call service), you also need appropriate equipment, such as emergency resuscitation equipment.

And in the best case, of course: Experience with home obstetrics. You can't even accompany any pregnant woman as a home birth without sensible preparation and romantically catch the baby in the bathtub at home. In this particular situation, this is definitely not a real pillar.

The gynecological societies advocate continuing to allow fathers to be born. The clinics handle this individually, some of them no longer allow fathers. So how realistic can such demands be implemented?

Dannhauer: I am very sure that everyone involved, including the medical directors of clinics, are aware of the scope of these decisions. And in most clinics, accompanying men are still allowed in the delivery room because everyone knows how important it is! Important as support and support, but also important as a biographical experience for father and mother on the way to parenthood.

At the same time, you have to see the medical emergency that we're heading for. Within the framework of the Infection Protection Act or even in the event of a disaster, fundamental rights are restricted in many areas of our social life.

Clinics are very infection-proof areas at the moment and at the same time particularly vulnerable: So in the near future there will be a lot going to keep people out of the clinics who do not necessarily have to go there.

I personally think that the situation will be eased as soon as safe and qualified rapid tests are available and fathers (and certainly also the pregnant women themselves) can be tested when they are born.

What do the women who have just had a baby have to adjust to? What will the aftercare look like?

Dannhauer: The recommendations to us midwives for visits during pregnancy or in the puerperium are indeed: Reduce to a necessary minimum while observing certain protective measures. So we sit at the other end of the sofa with self-sewn face mask, send all other family members out of the room, refuse offered drinks and limit the time of a home visit to 20 minutes while we disinfect our hands several times. Nice is different.

Everything that goes is converted to video telephony. Germany goes facetime, we midwives too. It's a cross-border challenge for all of us, and we're just getting started.