Midwives | Outpatient birth ("Ambulante Geburt")

In most hospitals, women* are discharged on the 3^rd day after a spontaneous birth and on the 4^th to 5^th day after a caesarean section. However, if mother and child are doing well, there is much to be said for leaving the hospital as early as possible and being cared for by a midwife at home. If you are discharged from hospital in the first 24 hours after birth, this is referred to as an outpatient birth.

Advantages of postpartum care at home

• Quietness: the baby's rhythm can be followed. Visits are easier to manage and you don't have to share a room with other new mothers and their babies.
• Safety: Your midwife is always available for you, knows what information she has already given you and can guide you step by step to safety in dealing with your baby.
• Family-friendliness: Your partner can stay with you and the baby around the clock, siblings do not experience a long separation from their mother.
• Health: Early hospital discharge reduces the occurrence of postpartum depression and prevents infections caused by hospital germs.

Planning

In the first few days, you and your partner are fully occupied with the baby. Let yourself be pampered, even if you feel fit. Your partner should also be relieved of domestic duties. Friends or relatives will be happy to help with shopping or looking after older siblings. You can also pre-cook and freeze food before the birth. Or you can ask Caritas for a family helper. The cost of this is calculated on the basis of the family's net income. It is better to avoid visitors in the early stages.
Find a pediatrician in good time for the mother-child passport examination in the first week of life. It would be good to find someone who will come to your home for this examination.

Midwife care

The midwife will be at your side during the first few weeks. She will talk to you about the birth and your first experiences with the baby, observe the postnatal process, support breastfeeding and is available to answer your questions.
She observes the newborn's drinking behavior, the healing of the umbilicus and the development of neonatal jaundice, carries out heel prick blood tests to detect metabolic disorders and guides the parents in baby care.

Costs

The cost of a home visit by an elective midwife is around € 90,- to € 120,-, part of which is reimbursed by the health insurance company. You are entitled to a daily home visit until the fifth day after the birth. Until your child is eight weeks old (twelve weeks after a caesarean section or in the case of premature babies and multiples), a further seven visits will be partially reimbursed if necessary. In the case of a planned outpatient birth, the health insurance company will also reimburse part of the costs for two home visits during pregnancy.