Interview with Roger Rutger Diederix of Maternitas
What services do you offer and to whom?
At Maternitas we are specialised in post-partum (post-natal) care at home in the first days after childbirth. This means that one of our midwifes or maternity nurses visits the recent mother and her new-born every day for several hours during, normally, the first eight days after they have returned from the hospital. We try to make the home environment as comfortable and healthful as possible and help the young mother to regain her autonomy as soon as possible. Our maternity professional performs a number of daily health and progress check-ups on mother and child. She is there to offer any advice or instructions, for example related to breast feeding or bathing the baby. The frequent insecurities of the young mother, or a feeling of “baby blues”, are points of special attention. Our nurses offer advice and support, and have a good understanding of the feelings of what it is to be a recent mother (most of our co-workers are mothers themselves). We try to help the mother relax and get her well-needed rest. Our nurse also helps to integrate the new baby into the family, by attending to any other family members, if present. There are many other ways in which our Maternitas nurse helps the young family enjoy these first days, but we always try to adapt our service to the home situation of the client and the corresponding needs and desires.
Although our service is really a great help to any mother just having given birth, I think that it is especially a help to first-time mothers, mothers with twins or triplets (!) and those mothers whose partner for whatever reason can not be at home much.
Why did you set up Maternitas?
When my wife was pregnant of our first child we went looking for the type of service that Maternitas now offers. We wanted to assure the best support as well as relaxed situation at home in the period immediately after the birth of our daughter. We knew that those days promised to be very exciting and beautiful, but difficult as well. In my country of origin, the Netherlands, the type of home care similar to that which Maternitas offers is actually available for all recent mothers, and highly valued at that. So, knowing the possibilities regarding home care for young mothers and their newborn babies from my home country, I was highly surprised not to find such a service here in Madrid. I know that for many mothers, daily help from a professional in the first, often difficult, days after childbirth can really be a great support. I set up Maternitas because I believe that the mothers of Madrid should also have available a good and solid postpartum care, to enjoy those first intensely happy and emotional first days as much as possible.
Is your typical client Spanish or international?
Well, this is difficult to say as we have only recently started with Maternitas. I do imagine that our postpartum care is a welcome aid for mothers where the family does not live nearby, and for those who, due to language problems, have difficulty communicating with health services.
What sort of services do you find to be the most popular and why?
Maternitas is really specialised in providing care in the early period after childbirth. While our service integrates many different aspects, we actually offer only a single type of service.
Do you support women with breastfeeding? Would you agree that Spanish doctors/hospitals don´t tend to encourage breastfeeding?
Absolutely. There are many arguments as to why breastfeeding is preferable to bottle-feeding. What often happens is that mothers start off wanting to breastfeed, but lose their motivation to do so in the first days at home, when there is no professional help around to reassure them and provide instructions. My feeling is that Spanish hospitals and doctors nominally encourage breastfeeding, but that there are several practices that actually have the adverse effect. For example, the habit in many Spanish hospitals to separate mother and child for a while after childbirth is absolutely detrimental to breastfeeding.
Many women feel in Spain that they are "out on their own" once they have left hospital, Why do you think postnatal care in Spain is practically non existant compared to other European countries?
I believe that in Spain, as in other Mediterranean countries, the family plays a very important supportive role. Traditionally, families here are much more a provider of wellfare than in Northern countries. For example, you see the prolonged permanence of young (unemployed) adults in their family home. Often grandparents live together with the family. Similarly, when a family member has a baby there is a strong feeling of responsibility to help. In other European countries, the role of a family as a provider of support is often less important and this is then replaced by institutions or dedicated services. I do believe that the Spanish society is evolving away from this traditional system. Authorities provide cheap housing for young adults, you see the emergence of nursing homes and it is only a matter of time before postnatal care becomes more common.
Do you think this will change?
Yes. Like I indicated in my reply to your previous question, I think that in Spain there is a growing tendency to outsource certain types of care. This would logically also include postnatal care. An increasing amount of Spanish women will prefer to have their child and raise him or her with less support and more autonomy from their families.
Do many of your clients suffer from post natal depression and loneliness in the months post birth? and if so how do you help them overcome this?
Again, we have only really just started. Regarding postnatal depression, this is a frequently occurring affliction. Our co-workers have the experience to detect signs of postnatal depression and we will advise our clients to contact their doctor once detected. In general, having (professional) help around is known to decrease the frequency of postnatal depression, as insecurity, which is a root cause of postnatal depression, becomes less of a factor. At Maternitas, we are aware that there is also the father of the child. Often, the attention is directed completely at the mother and child, which may cause the recent father to feel lost, inadequate and depressed. The best thing for both parents is to not be too worried about things concerning the baby. With our post-partum service, we try to lay a foundation so that young parents can look towards their new life with confidence.
What do you think are the main concerns for parents from the international community post partum?
The language barrier can definitely be a problem, for example in communicating with health care professionals. Another disadvantage with respect to the Spanish parents is that support from family members or friends is usually less accessible.
Do you think that Spain adopts are more medical view of pregnancy and birth compared to its European counterparts?
Yes, I would think so. It seems that pregnancy and childbirth are seen as clinical conditions. Consequently, many hospitals tend to decide, or at best strongly advise, what is best for the mother and baby. In other European countries the future mothers often have more choice in matters concerning childbirth for example, and are better informed on alternatives.
Do you think that a lower number of pregnant women attend prenatal classes and workshops compared to their European counterparts?
Here in Madrid, about half of the pregnant women attend childbirth education classes. This is probably just slightly lower than in other countries from the European Union.
In Europe, mother and baby groups, meet ups etc are very popular amongst new parents why do you feel there are so few for Spanish mums?
It is difficult to say. Perhaps it is simply a shortage of time! Many Spanish mothers have full-time jobs and it is common to leave the, often very young, babies at nurseries.
What do you think Spain has to offer for young international families? Why do you think so many move here?
Probably the main reason why young international families move here is job-related. In the last decade, Spain has had one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union, creating many jobs. Spain is of course a great country to live in. The food, culture, climate, surely are reasons to attract a number of immigrants.
If people want more information on your services how could they contact you?
On our website (www.maternitas.es), there is an English language section that explains in detail what we are and what we do. We can be contacted by e-mail (info@maternitas.es), or phone: 914 36 73 74 or 649 58 85 99. We speak English.
May 2010
