A life for life

Anett Schmid

Last Wednesday, midwife and co-founder of the Chemnitz Birth Centre, Anett Schmid, received the Saxon Order of Merit. Minister President Michael Kretschmer presented the award in Dresden. At the ceremony in Dresden's Residenzschloss, the head of government honoured the great commitment of the women and men. "They have a special connection to the Free State of Saxony through their diverse commitment.

For those who don't know what the Chemnitz Birth Centre is: What is special about the Birth Centre?
Anett Schmid: Pregnancy and birth are not illnesses in principle and 95 per cent are completely normal. Unfortunately, this is often forgotten. We are clearly overloaded with medical information on this topic: both in terms of preventative care and the birth itself. There are women who don't want this and are looking for support during the birth. A place where they can bring their child into the world and a midwife.
The birth centre is somewhere between a home birth and a clinic. It is out-of-hospital care. Women can come to us if they are generally healthy and have no serious underlying illnesses. For example, no diabetes or severe hypertension.
Multiple births also need a clinic and the baby must be lying with its head down... You have to have reached the 37th week of pregnancy, anything before that is a premature birth. This also requires different medical care.
The birth centre is not the opposite of a hospital, but a different form of care. It is a more individualised process, it is much more self-determined for the women and without routine intervention. You rely very much on the woman's resources, on her own knowledge, because women are made for birth and can manage it.

After studying at the Evangelische Hochschule für Soziales in Dresden and working as a qualified social education worker, Anett Schmid completed her training as a midwife at Chemnitz Hospital on 1 September 2001. She initially worked in a clinic before moving to the birth centre as a freelancer. For her, being a midwife is a vocation in the truest sense of the word. Unfortunately, however, there are fewer and fewer people around her who are training as midwives or studying to become one.

Why is that?
There are several reasons: It started with the fact that liability insurance has risen dramatically every year. (Editor's note: in 2017 it was still 7,639 euros, since 1 July 2018 it has been 8,174 euros per year). That is a large proportion, but it is not the only factor. It's also the documentation - the billing documentation alone has also become increasingly strict. You're also constantly on call and not on "normal" duty from 8am to 4pm.

How many midwives are there in the birthing centre?
There are two of us in the obstetrics department. We used to be a larger team, but one colleague has returned to the clinic and another is now working without obstetrics. We really need new recruits. It's just a shame that you can't study midwifery in Chemnitz.

You can study it?
Yes, EU law must be implemented from next year. Unfortunately, Saxony is lagging behind in its implementation. We have two super large clinics in Chemnitz where it could be offered. Otherwise, the young people who want to learn the profession will leave again. Dresden or Leipzig don't have this shortage of midwives. These cities attract young people.

Where do you get your motivation from?
I used to introduce myself on the course and say that midwifery is a profession that is a vocation. You don't just become a midwife. I put my heart and soul into it. It is an enormous privilege to be able to support women and families when they have their baby. I can't imagine anything better.

In 1993, Anett Schmid and six other women founded the "erlebnis geburt" association, from which the Chemnitz Birth Centre emerged in 2000. Since then, the mother of four has been extremely active as a volunteer member of the association and was a board member for 25 years, helping to develop and maintain the birth centre and its services. "I also realised that if the birth centre closed, there would no longer be a place for free birth and women would no longer have the right to choose where to give birth."

How did the birth centre come about?
When I was pregnant with my first child, I went to the information evenings at the two large clinics in Chemnitz and it was only afterwards that I actually became afraid of giving birth. That's when I thought it wouldn't work. We started looking. I then read up on out-of-hospital obstetrics and found the birth centre in Halle. The midwives there were very supportive. It was a very beautiful birth. Of course, it was also a long, exhausting labour, but I was well supported. After the birth, the midwives in Halle said that there was another crazy woman who had come all the way from Chemnitz to give birth here. Once we had made contact, we decided to found the association with five other women. It's not nice to travel to Halle in labour (laughs). There are now several birth centres in the surrounding area: in Freiberg, Annaberg-Buchholz and then, of course, Dresden and Leipzig.

How is the birth centre financed?
The birthing centre is always a mixed financing. Partly through the operating costs that the health insurance company pays for obstetrics, partly through course fees, for example baby massage. It is also funded by membership fees, donations and, last but not least, support from the city of Chemnitz.
I think that a city like Chemnitz needs a birth centre. Now that the Haus der Familie is closed, where are all the parents supposed to go? In terms of the courses alone. We need such centres.

How many births do you attend per year?
The two of us manage around 30 births.

In complete contrast to her work as a midwife, Anett Schmid has been working at Hospiz Chemnitz since 2018 and has completed extra-occupational training in "Palliative Care" for the treatment, care and support of seriously ill and dying people. In addition to general hospice work, she specialised in caring for parents with "star children". Since 2018, Anett Schmid has been a speaker for training courses on the topics of death, dying, care and caring for the dying.

Is it possible to combine both activities?
Of course. These are the two decisive phases in life, so to speak. For me, both birth and death are transitions in life. It's a total privilege for me to be able to accompany them. I started very early on, in 2001/2002, at the clinic. I told myself that parents who give birth to miscarriages or stillbirths or who have a child with a life-limiting illness who only lives for a few hours or days also need to be looked after. Even back then, I suggested in the delivery room that this should be looked after differently. Over time, I have been a midwife for parents who have to go through something like this. I also attend miscarriages and stillbirths at home. Not that often, of course, fortunately it's much rarer. And at some point that led me to do the palliative care training that you need to provide support during the dying process.
I imagine it's one of the most painful things you go through in life. Giving birth to a dead child or losing a child later on. It's not meant to be, but it happens all the time. Life harbours risks. The child will always belong to the mother and father. It is their child. I think it's a task to find a dignified and respectful way of dealing with this. There is now also a law that these children must be buried. I simply help organise this at the hospice. I see it as a blessing. I'm there at the beginning and at the end - the circle is complete. This is exactly my place. I wouldn't want to do anything else.

Anett Schmid has now been honoured with the Saxon Order of Merit for her far-reaching commitment. An honour that she would like to apply not only to herself, but also to the midwifery profession, which needs to be strengthened. "I haven't even received the honour yet. On the one hand, I would like to know how to be nominated for it and on the other hand, I don't really know what for." The reason for this is provided by the Prime Minister's announcement of the Foundation of the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria dated 27 October 1997. October 1997: "The Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony is established as a sign of grateful recognition for outstanding services to the Free State of Saxony and its people. It is awarded to domestic and foreign personalities for achievements that serve the common good, particularly in the political, social, cultural and economic fields as well as in the area of the environment."

We want to become European Capital of Culture in 2025. How do you feel about this project?
Birth and death are both important cultural assets. I think the bid to become European Capital of Culture is a challenging project. It would suit Chemnitz well. I'm still a little sceptical about what we want to score points with. But it's definitely worth it. That's why I'm behind the project.