Mother Jolanda (39) and father Miklas (42) from Eindhoven do not receive ten days, but a year of maternity care. Jolanda can hardly do anything due to five broken vertebrae. “I can barely take care of our seven-month-old daughter. That is very difficult emotionally.” This year, Eindhoven and Helmond started providing longer-term care to families with a baby.
Jolanda’s bed is in the living room. She can be found here at night and during the day. When her baby cries in the bedroom, her husband Miklas has to go there. “I have five collapsed vertebrae,” says Jolanda as she lies in bed. “That is due to osteoporosis caused by pregnancies, hormonal fluctuations and breastfeeding. I have become ten centimeters shorter. I suffer from back pain a lot in everyday life. I can’t bend over. I’m not allowed to lift anything.”
Jolanda and Miklas had their first daughter Aurora six years ago. Daughter Jessica was born in March. She was found to have brittle bone disease. “It’s easier to bend a baby without this condition when dressing. Now you can break her bones. Fortunately, that has not happened yet.”
“I can bottle feed her when she is put in my arms.”
Mother Jolanda watches from bed as maternity nurse Linda plays with her daughter Jessica on a mat. The baby crows with joy. “It’s tough that I can hardly contribute to the care. I can bottle feed her when she is placed in my arms. Going for a short walk when someone else puts her in the stroller. I can help if someone helps me.”
Since this year, Eindhoven and Helmond have been offering help to families who are not satisfied with regular maternity care. It is for a maximum of one year. Since the summer, maternity nurse Linda or a colleague has been coming to Jolanda and Miklas three mornings a week. For example, they help with preparing the bath or warming up a bottle.
Before this help arrived, things were going badly. “We did what we could, but I couldn’t contribute anything. I couldn’t even get up and down a chair. Without this help, my husband would have to take full care of me, together with my 75-year-old mother. That is not possible. All our friends work. You can ask them for help, but that stops after a few weeks. With this help I can contribute to the care again and that is very nice for me. It really is a godsend.”
“Now they’re starting to live a little again.”
Last year, 39 families in Brabant were helped for a longer period of time with BabythuisZorg. This year there are thirty so far. “The demand is increasing and that is why the help in the region has been expanded,” says maternity nurse Linda van Vegchel. In Helmond and Eindhoven, this help is now also provided by maternity nurses with additional training. “We saw that there was often a need after maternity care. of extra care. BabythuisZorg is only available if it is absolutely necessary, not because it is easy. Some people think they have a few extra days.”
The difference with a normal period of eight to ten days is big. “It is special to join this family for a year. A year is more intensive. I also take care of father. He can then get to work. Then his wake-up mode can be turned off for a while.”
“The parents have gone through a difficult period. When we are here, they can breathe again. At first it was survival. Now they are starting to live a bit again. There is more peace and structure again. I find it very valuable to We can really make a difference with BabythuisZorg.”
