Your childbirth is an intense and special event. Besides the midwife, the partus assistant also plays an important role in the birth of your baby. But what exactly can you expect from this assistance during childbirth? In this blog, we tell you all about the tasks and support we offer from LieV Kraamzorg Limburg during childbirth.

What is a partus assistant?

When someone with a medical indication gives birth in the hospital, the maternity care is in principle not involved in the birth. If you give birth at home or on an outpatient basis, i.e. without medical indication, this is the case and a partus assistant will always come to your home. A partus assistant is usually a maternity nurse who supports the midwife during childbirth. This involves practical support as well as emotional support. At LieV, we are fortunate to employ fantastic VIOs in addition to our maternity assistants: Midwives In Training. They are training to become Midwives but already have experience in assisting deliveries and in this way work as partus assistants for our organization.

When will our partus assistant step in?

Partus assistance is called in as soon as the midwife needs support, usually in the active phase of labor. When the midwife thinks the birth will not be long in coming, she calls our planner. The planner then engages a maternity nurse or VIO, who will be present at the birth within an hour.

The duties of the partus assistant

Our partus assistants have a wide range of duties during labor. This includes:

1. Preparation for childbirth

Together with the midwife, our colleague makes sure the room is ready for delivery. She checks with the midwife that the materials are present, and they make sure the cloths and clothes are warmed up. She also contributes to a calming environment.

2. Midwife support

She will assist in preparing and indicating medical instruments and materials. She will also monitor the situation and signal any special circumstances to the obstetrician.

3. Emotional and physical support of the mother

Other duties of the partus assistant are in providing mental support, reassurance, and helping with breathing techniques and postures to accommodate contractions. Often this is in collaboration with, or at the direction of, the midwife. She also helps keep an eye on whether the mother is drinking enough and eating occasionally.  

4. Care during and after birth

If desired, our partus assistant will do her best to take pictures during or after delivery, for example. When your baby is born, she will help with the initial care of the baby, such as drying, dressing and keeping the baby warm. Then she will help with the first feeding, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding. She also takes care of cleaning up and changing the room.
And sometimes, unfortunately, childbirth goes just a little differently than expected, such as with ample blood loss or if a baby does need a little more help starting up. She then works on the instructions of the midwife and offers extra hands. Especially when a lot is happening at once, this is very valuable. All our colleagues are also trained in acute obstetrics for this reason, so they know how to act in different situations.

Why is the role of the partus assistant so valuable?

Because our partus assistant takes care of other peripheral matters, the midwife can fully occupy herself with the (medical) supervision. If hands are needed, the partus assistant can provide them, thus supporting in a changing situation. Instead, the partner can focus on the mother and thus have less to worry about all kinds of other things.

In conclusion

The presence of a partus assistant can make a big difference during childbirth. Not only do they offer professional help to both the parents and the midwife, but also peace and confidence during a special and sometimes exciting period.