Mr. Lang, as a pediatrician, you and your pediatric practice in Augsburg are taking part in a pilot project in Bavaria called “U0”. The name is based on the well-known U-examinations in children. What is behind it?
Lucy Schmidt
Editor in the "Life" department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.
Follow I follow
I've been a pediatrician in private practice for 25 years and I've noticed again and again how important it is for new parents to get to know each other and how many questions these parents ask themselves, especially when they have their first child.
They have to find themselves in their new role and are overwhelmed with a lot of information about the health and care of their baby during the first check-ups.
In the first few weeks after birth, they often have no capacity at all to think about certain things.
This experience gave rise to the idea of discussing prophylactic issues with the parents before the birth.
Then they have enough time to think about it.
What exactly is it about?
It's about questions about vaccination, accident prevention, vitamin D prophylaxis, but also about things that many families still have to do with in the hospital after the birth, and about which they are often poorly informed there.
These are topics related to newborn screening, the hearing test, oxygen measurement, vitamin K administration and the metabolism test.
But, and this is important to me to say, I always approach these U0 discussions with the open question to the parents: What else is on your mind?
And of course that varies from person to person.
Are the conversations also about psychological components, such as the question of how a mother deals with the new role?
That's also a topic.
But I don't push these issues because the families deal with the new parental leave very differently.
Some mothers take their role positively, some get stressed.
In principle, the U0 is initially designed to discuss generally applicable prophylactic topics, so that when the child is there, those things can be discussed in detail that are currently preoccupying and perhaps unsettling the parents: crying, sleeping, breastfeeding.
Is this U0 project only for first-time mothers?
Parents who already have children can of course also accept this offer, but it is particularly useful and efficient for parents who are expecting their first child.
You have already carried out some U0 examinations, what is your experience?
Very well.
Above all, getting to know the parents works much better.
It is very important to me to build a relationship of trust with them.
If you only get to know each other at U3, i.e. when the child is only a few weeks old, then so many questions have to be worked through that there is hardly any time to build trust and empathy.
Thanks to the U0, it's much more relaxed now.
Doctor and parents know each other before the baby is born, and once the child is born, you can fully concentrate on the practical everyday issues.
So exactly how it should be.
How will parents-to-be find out about the pilot project?
We started the project together with the gynecologists.
The idea is that gynecologists inform their patients in the last trimester of pregnancy about the possibility of the U0 examination.
How much longer will the project run?
The project is based on 800 U0 examinations in Bavaria.
It started in July.
I reckon that the 800 examinations will be completed in about a year.
The participating parents are questioned about this and then the results are evaluated.
The results will of course be published.
Do you hope that U0 will soon be part of standard care in this country?
As I said, my first experiences are very positive and so is the feedback from the parents.
If, by introducing this study, we help mothers and fathers to become more enlightened and self-confident when starting parenthood, then I think it makes a lot of sense to introduce the U0 as a general offer after the pilot project.
dr Martin Lang is a pediatrician and has a pediatric practice in Augsburg.