A man’s start in life begins with a hearty cry that makes the mother happy, the midwife content and the father proud. It usually doesn’t take long before a crying baby evokes completely different emotions and the parents realize that the birth of their child turns their lives upside down even more than they imagined. This applies in particular to mothers who, after cutting the umbilical cord, are busy around the clock with their offspring and possibly with a jealous sibling and often lose sight of themselves in the process. Mothers, fathers and especially single parents are often hopelessly overburdened and long for a breather.
Katrin Greiner sees her task in giving the parents, and above all the mothers, this important breathing space. She is the coordinator of “Wellcome”, a project with 230 locations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which the “Lotse” association for children and young people, the provider of this social service, has also been offering in the Munich district since 2013. The 49-year-old social worker knows the difficulties of stressed parents of newborns very well. Since she took over the coordination in the district of Munich in 2014, she has brought relief to hundreds of families turning their bikes during the strenuous time after the birth. “Wellcome” is one of several building blocks in the “network of early help” that the Munich district has laid across its municipalities and set up the “And-Erl” (good start in children’s life) advice center for this purpose.
Katrin Greiner does not go to the families looking for help herself, she rather looks after their carers, who she sends to them. All volunteers who want to get involved in a social way and who enjoy dealing with babies or their little siblings. It is a very female honorary post, and almost all of her team members are women, with the exception of one man. Especially since the mother is still in childbirth, women can be better employed, she says. In 2021, these new parents in the district of Munich helped a total of 50 new parents in various ways after they had previously been instructed by Katrin Greiner. However, they expressly do not offer household services, even if volunteers sometimes empty the dishwasher.
There are plenty of other tools that can be used to give overburdened parents some freedom. For example, monitoring the newborn’s sleep while the mother can take a bath or exercise. Going for a walk with the baby so that his two-year-old sister finally gets “mommy time” again. Or accompany the mother with the baby to the pediatrician, “if there are two other little worms with them”. The operating times are mostly during the day, sometimes also in the evening. You don’t need any training for this honorary post, says the social worker. However, she offers her people training courses, for example on first aid for babies or on the subject of “women in postpartum depression”. She has also already invited a speaker for twins. “We used to have a family of three,” remembers Katrin Greiner.
Not everyone has a helping grandma at their side
90 percent of the families looked after by Wellcome have no social networks in the city and district of Munich, and no friends or family members who could support them either, says the coordinator, herself the mother of an eight-year-old daughter and still grateful today that her own mother supported her supported in the initial period after the birth. Not everyone is so lucky, especially when they have left their home country and pitched their tent abroad. And when mum comes along on her gums, Greiner sends her little helpers to the family “as my extended arm, so to speak”. The age of the volunteers ranges from 20 to 79 years, most of the women are 55 to 60 years old. “You are not yet a grandmother yourself, but you would like to have small children,” says Katrin Greiner.
They must bring reliability, friendliness and a good demeanor. “My volunteers always have a good heart, they want to help, help, help,” she says. And some would prefer to go to “their” family every day, although it is important that they can set boundaries. You have to learn to say no once in a while. However, the work of the volunteers is limited in time anyway. Usually twice a week, families can use the service for two to three hours during the first six to seven months after the birth. Wellcome and the Lotse Kinder- und Jugendhilfe association are financed by donations, grants from sponsors, public grants and fees; the SZ Advent calendar is also one of the supporters.
“Wellcome has arrived in the district of Munich,” says Katrin Greiner happily, many know about the offer of help. This is also due to the fact that she has built up good contacts with the town halls and can therefore look for employees in community newspapers and municipal notices. You have cooperation partners and multipliers in many communities who support and pass on the offer, such as the family center in Oberhaching. There are currently 42 names in her file, 27 of which are active. The others were still hesitant because of Corona, she reports. The virus and the topic of vaccination would have torn a hole both in the circle of helpers and in demand. “Some families just didn’t dare,” she explains. In the meantime, requests for help are increasing again.
“Wellcome” charges a one-off fee of up to ten euros for the placement of volunteers and up to five euros per hour for their work. But the help should not fail because of the costs. She finds a solution for those who have little money, says Katrin Greiner.
Anyone who needs help after the birth of their child or would like to offer their support can call 089/309 08 76 27 or send an email to [email protected].