Many home births

A good start in life: Midwives storm Villach

Midwives are the trusted advisors for expectant mothers, and in April the big Austrian midwifery congress will take place in Villach. 192 midwives work in Carinthia, every third baby is now born by caesarean section. And every seventh couple needs artificial insemination.

Every nine years, the Congress of Austrian Midwives makes a stop in Carinthia, "this year the meeting place is the Villach Congress Center from 22 to 24 April", reveals Christina Kulle, head of the Carinthian Midwives. The event begins with workshops, followed by the main conference. There are 2800 midwives in Austria and the rate is rising. Carinthia has 192 midwives - the training is a three-year bachelor's degree course at a university of applied sciences. In the 1960s, Carinthia was the land of the baby boom. "Back then, 10,000 babies were born every year," explains health officer Beate Prettner. "The record year was 1961 with 10,733 births."

The numbers have fallen in the meantime. Last year, only 4500 babies were born here. And the arrow is still pointing downwards: According to the forecast, only 4100 babies are expected in 2040. The turnaround is not expected until 2045. A midwife is a mother's confidant: "It's important to answer parents' questions and to ease their uncertainties and fears with calm and empathy," says Kulle, who has been a midwife for 28 years. Language in its many forms will be the central theme of the congress.

Midwives give pregnant women, mothers and newborns a voice. "But this time we're talking about ourselves. We're talking about life, our work, our passion," says Kulle. "Midwives accompany women during pregnancy and birth. We are a big part of the most intense time in a woman's life. We experience families, hear stories, see life. And we want to talk about that," says Kulle. The Covid period was challenging. Significantly, there are 134 home births in Carinthia, almost twice as many as in the rest of Austria. Home births must be attended by a midwife.

Christoph Herbst is a senior physician at Elki Klagenfurt and has attended thousands of births as a gynecologist. "The age for first-time mothers has risen from 26 to 30," says the Gailtal native. The limit is 45, "it's the exception that a woman becomes a mother for the first time later." Every third child is now born by caesarean section, "the rate has risen to up to 35 percent in western countries," says Herbst. "Giving birth this way is not risky, but a caesarean section is not a panacea either. Often, a caesarean section is even advised, for example for older women, to minimize the risk of childbirth."

A vaginal birth is better: the risk of complications such as bleeding, thrombosis or infections is lower for the new mother. And there are also proven benefits for the child: When passing through the birth canal, the mother's bacterial flora is passed on to the child - as a result, children who are born this way have a lower risk of intestinal diseases, obesity, allergies and asthma later on. Two percent of all births are twins: "My record is triplets," smiles Herbst. The 63-year-old worked at the fertility clinic in Krumpendorf for a long time. "Every seventh couple needs artificial insemination."