Colloquium on Care 1
From 21 to 23 June around 100 participants shared their experiences of the Medical Section’s Care 1 area: Pregnancy, Birth and Early Childhood.
The problems that parents and (unborn and born) children are facing in pregnancy, birth and early childhood are growing: caesareans that are unnecessary from a medical point of view and have long-term effects, an increasing number of premature births; rising early media consumption; the increasing institutionalization of young children’s lives; increased incidence of sleeping problems (with falling asleep and sleeping through the night), conspicuous behaviours and developmental disorders. The Medical Section and the Education Section at the Goetheanum have therefore invited physicians, early years educators, nursing professionals and therapists from thirteen countries to come to the Goetheanum in order to discuss concepts regarding the needs in this first phase of life.
Conscious parenting
What is important is the attitude with which parents receive their children and offer them safety, attachment, care, nurturing and room to unfold. This contributes to cutting down on stress, creates space for the educational tasks and promotes self-development in the children. Early years and social educators as well as paediatricians can help when parents or children experience fears or feel overwhelmed.
Building a relationship with children, partners or co-parents, and with oneself, and integrating a job and childcare into the family life are also big challenges. This requires that parents see themselves as conscious shapers of their child’s environment and that they don’t get distracted from their inner relationship with their child.
Birth is not an illness – mother and child are highly adaptable, a process in which an experienced midwife has an important part to play. Eurythmy therapy can prepare the mother with specific gestures for the birthing mood; painting therapy can help with nausea and premature or late contractions.
The results will be published on the Anthromedics platform.
Conference on early childhood, birth and pregnancy «I feel safe when you see me», 10 to 13 June 2020