For many years we were told that we Germans did not get enough offspring. The reason seemed easy to explain, women want to study and work and that’s just difficult with a child. In addition, everyone knows, children are expensive. Even in countries like Germany, where neither school nor studies cost anything.
I realized that the times had changed I when I became pregnant myself.
Suddenly I saw pregnant women and young families literally everywhere. At the beginning I thought that it must have been my selective perception. But when I tried to get a midwife I realised, that clearly it wasn’t the case. I was warned by my gyn to get a midwife early but I did not take it that seriously as I should have. I was overwhelmed and originally wanted to make sure that I passed the critical first trimester before I got into the thinking on how to organise the birth. So when we finally started, we had to call nearly 40 midwives before we found one that still had capacities to take us on. How the heck could that be? !! After all I was just 8 weeks pregnant and not even in the safe zone yet! When do you have to start looking for midwives ?! The answer is is obvious: As soon as you get the faintest idea that you might be pregnant. Seriously. As soon as you go shopping for a pregnancy test, you should have researched the phone numbers of midwives. In cities like Hamburg, the birth rates increased incredibly. In some big cities even up to 40%! Resulting is an serious shortage of available midwives and crowded delivery rooms. And it is the same picture with birth preparation classes, day care, pediatricians…you name it.
But let’s take a positive view: We do not have to worry so much about our pension as we used to.
However, the disadvantages are obvious. We, the ones that got kids in the last years, will always have to deal with crowded day-care centers, school classes, sports clubs etc. Hurray, more pressure for us Mommies to give our little prodigies the best possible education. But the sooner you know and accept it, the better you can handle it. My partner and I have long resisted taking care of everything so early and then often had beads of sweat on our foreheads later on. I also know a lot of women who are without childcare because they simply started too late (too late means after the birth of your child … I know, its absurd) This is why I created a list of the top 10 things to take care of once you know you’re pregnant. So that one can enjoy his pregnancy and the first year with the baby as stress-free and relaxed as possible.
Here is the list.
Let me know what you think and write me a comment or note. I would love to hear from you and your experience.
