As the saying goes? The baker is tired of the rolls, the cook the cooking and the midwife … the birth? Those who turn their passion into a job often don't want to know about it anymore in their free time. Fortunately, this saying does not apply to midwives. Because having children isn't just baking bread rolls. Every birth remains a small, own miracle.
But what is it like for a midwife to become pregnant herself? Do you share the same worries and joys of every other woman? Or can a midwife no longer upset anything? We wanted to know more precisely and asked the woman, mother and midwife who needs to know: Jana Friedrich has been working as a midwife for women in pregnancy and on the Internet on her blog for two decades.
When a midwife becomes a mother
Jana also had her first child 20 years ago. A girl who has already grown up today. Jana was 27 years old at the time, she knew a lot about births – after all, she accompanied them every day in her job. When she got pregnant herself, the excitement was great. In an interview with BRIGITTE.de she reveals how working as a midwife has influenced her births and vice versa!
How did you get into your job, dear Jana?
"I come from a very alternative family and I sometimes lived in a shared apartment with my mother, who was a single parent with me. We were very emancipated very early on. That's why it was great for me, I think, to have a job where I just stand for women, that's my thing. "
How old are your children?
"My daughter is 20, my son is 13. I was pregnant for the first time at 26, and I gave birth to my daughter at 27. Six years later, my son."
You have the confidence that the body is already doing it
And what was it like when you were pregnant for the first time?
"I was already a midwife. So I basically knew what the process was like. But of course you are the same when you are pregnant yourself. You have the same uncertainties and questions, You have an idea of what to expect. But of course you still don't know how you're going to do it yourself. ”
Did your knowledge scare or take away you?
"Taken, absolutely. I think the more you see how incredibly well the interplay between body and hormones works, the more trust you get, I'm like that. "
How did you experience your births yourself? Did you have your own midwife?
"Of course you also need a midwife, you can't do both at the same time. It was really good for me to just have someone who says, 'Hey, it's all okay, you know …' '
My first child, my daughter, I wanted to give birth to. But it was a breech end position, lying with the bottom below. Nothing made her turn around. Until the end we really tried all the remedies that are known as midwives. I still wanted to get it spontaneously, but then decided, okay, I'm going to the clinic.
For me, the birth was a home game
I went to the clinic where I also worked. I asked a colleague if she would look after me. Kindly, I got contractions right during her shift. Then it was a really nice birth in the clinic. "
Do you think you experienced birth as a midwife differently than other mothers?
"What was a little funny: You are still a midwife. Of course, even if you're a woman, you try to let go, you don't want to have to be careful. Super funny: When my daughter was there, it was like that: I was incredibly happy, but then I hugged her and looked with a very critical look at the midwife, is she rosy? Does she breathe well too? It always went back and forth between mom and midwife in my head. That was perhaps the only difference. Otherwise, I could let myself down a lot and trust my midwife. "
The room in which the birth took place also had something magical for us for a long time.
Did you notice a difference between your two births?
"My second child was born at home. I had one-to-one care from a colleague. My son was wrong at first and didn't want to turn. But he did it anyway and is in the bedroom at home was born, it was very, very nice. "
What were the differences between home birth and the clinic for you?
"At the second birth I knew that I was at home. I felt as comfortable as possible. I knew I could do what I wanted. It was very nice that the midwife came to my house. And even then, as my son there was: It was so easy! I then took a short shower and then we could just cuddle and didn't have to drive home again. The room in which the birth took place also had something magical for us for a long time. "
Fear is not a good companion
Are you afraid of being a midwife during pregnancy?
"Even when some of my colleagues told me it was going to be a caesarean section with you – with a pelvic position and the mother had caesarean sections, which is not a good outcome. But I somehow had total confidence that everything was good and I had a good feeling It also makes it true. Of course, fear is not a good thing, if you realize that you are afraid, then you should try to work on it somehow. Of course I had normal fears: I hoped that my children would be perfectly healthy."
What would a dream birth be for you?
"I already had two beautiful births. When women talk about dream births, they often talk about births without pain, which was not the case for me. I already had … crisp births. Nevertheless or precisely because of that, I was always very happy and proud afterwards that I made it, Just like taking a difficult test, after a birth that was really hard, you can say: Boah, I rocked it now! It changes you too,
Experiencing the birth as a couple together is also great for the partner
To tell more of the beautiful stories, I also wrote my book where I collected stories:
I want women to see that there are really nice births and that it can be something really great and not something that you have to be afraid of. Which is really great and takes you to a completely different level as a person to experience something like this. ”
Did birth change your way of working?
"Yes, I do think that it also changes you to have had a birth yourself. In any case, it is the case that you have a different reputation with women. You are often asked whether you have children. "
Thank you for the exciting conversation!