Maternal mental health and societal pressures highlighted in Luxembourg and Germany

In Luxembourg, the Association of Midwives (ALSF) is calling for improved mental health support for women during and after pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization, nearly one in five women experiences mental health issues around childbirth. ALSF Vice President Laure Baumann criticized current support structures, noting that existing flat-rate payment models for home visits do not meet actual needs. The association is also advocating for the establishment of mother-child inpatient facilities, as Luxembourg currently lacks specialized institutions where mothers in crisis can be hospitalized alongside their infants.

In Germany, journalist and entrepreneur Franca Lehfeldt is addressing societal pressures and role stereotypes faced by mothers in her new book, ‘Gute Mütter, schlechte Mütter’. Lehfeldt discusses the intense scrutiny and labels, such as ‘bad mother’, that women encounter when balancing professional careers with motherhood. She highlights the difficulty of meeting undefined societal standards and notes the lack of financial security for women following childbirth.