The Hagen Child Protection Association has been active in the area of “early help” for several years, in particular with the so-called welcome visits.
Trained specialists and volunteers visit parents and newborns and provide them with advice and support.
Parents are invited to visit the baby clubs.
It was noted that a baby consultation hour was missing from these services.
Some parents simply need more time, encouragement and an appropriate contact person.
The first year with a baby can be quite exhausting.
For example, some babies are restless or cry constantly.
Sometimes the little ones have difficulty falling asleep or wake up again and again.
It is simply not clear to the parents why the baby is crying or they don’t know what the child needs at the moment.
All of this also has an effect on the mother or father.
They feel exhausted and overwhelmed, helpless or desperate.
Some become angry with themselves or their child.
This is where the baby consultation provides support.
Parents need spontaneous support.
The baby consultation is intended to give parents the opportunity to obtain specific information and support when it comes to more comprehensive advice, which requires more time than is possible, for example, during consultation hours with the pediatrician or in the baby clubs.
The aim is to inform parents about the age-appropriate development of their baby, to strengthen their intuitive abilities and to offer them support options.
In addition to practical help for dealing with the baby, they are also shown ways to reduce stress and relax for themselves and the baby.
If necessary, contact addresses of other specialist and advice centers are also provided.
The baby consultation in Hagen is made possible by financial support from the Karl Bröcker Foundation.
It takes place once a week and parents can attend spontaneously.
Due to the floods in July 2021, the focus was on rebuilding the multi-generation house.
Now it’s finally back to work!
Image source: (c) DKSB Susanne Tessa Müller
