TOthe task will be done to accompany mothers in the first six months of the child’s life supporting them in this first phase of motherhood, not only psychologically, but also practically. The Meloni Government is reportedly considering the establishment of a maternal assistant. It would be about a person capable of establishing a direct personal relationship with the new mother and to provide help both in the simplest and most practical matters and in the most complex ones.
Maternal assistant the new profession of 2024
For the moment the news has not yet materialized, but as was predictable has already sparked controversy from the National Federation of Orders of the Midwifery Profession. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Health, the operators expressed «total disappointment on the issue». According to the midwives, in fact, «post-natal care to support the new mother represents the “core” of the midwife’s activity who knows how to promptly recognize the appearance of pathological situations and also request the intervention of other specialists».
A new profession will be born in 2024: the maternal assistant (Getty Images)
More attention to family and birth rate
But, despite the dissent of the operators, the new role appears perfectly in line with the attention towards the issue of families and birth rates, the core business of the new Government. The new profession of maternal assistantbecause it is a real profession, in fact, it will answer the many small questions that often cause new mothers a sense of inadequacy that can lead to bigger problems. He will therefore not be a healthcare figuresuch as midwives, nurses or childcare workers, will not need a degree but a training course lasting six or nine months.
What the maternal assistant will do
It will therefore be the task of the assistant, already present in France and the Nordic countries, to explain how to swaddle the little one, how to behave when bathing the newborn if he has hiccups or won’t stop crying. The objective of the provision is to compensate for the parental network made up of grandmothers, aunts and older sistersused to dispense practical advice for managing the child, a tradition that would have been lost over time.
How it will work
The operating methods will be partly established with the Regions: for now the idea is a service upon request of mothers who will have around twenty hours for the first three months of pregnancy, extendable up to six months. The goal is to have three maternal assistants for every 20 thousand inhabitants, therefore the number of mothers supported will vary depending on the territories.
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