Family coaching at the maternity clinic supports the pregnancy and baby period for those expecting their first child

Maternity clinic family coaching has already helped hundreds of parents who have been expecting their first child. The new role of a parent can be daunting with various instructions and opinions swirling around in the online space. At the same time, the heart beats with anticipation for the new arrival – is everything okay?

Concerns and questions are addressed warmly and professionally at the maternity clinic as needed. Clients of the maternity clinic receive group coaching and individual coaching on their path to parenthood. The practices of Finnish maternity clinic operations have evolved over a hundred years to meet the changing demands of society and everyday life.

For example, the corona period strongly influenced the organization of various coaching and group activities – a collective digital leap was made throughout Finland, with Teams and various online platforms enabling a new way to meet clients. Remote groups allow for a large number of participants at once, so services can be offered regularly to residents throughout our welfare area.

Our wellbeing services county organizes family coaching in Finnish, Swedish, and English. Meetings are held via Teams Live, so one can attend as a listener and additionally discuss and ask questions in the chat. Our maternity clinic nurse Julia Helin became enthusiastic about group guidance in family coaching after working for a year in basic nursing. From the start, Julia found the work of leading English-speaking groups particularly interesting.

“Four years ago, I decided to apply to lead English-speaking groups and stayed on that path”, Julia recalls.

“English-language coaching can be very meaningful, as families who have recently moved to the country need coaching in a completely different way than native Finns who have lived in Finland all their lives. In English-language family coaching, we go through how Finnish healthcare works, how hospitals operate during childbirth, and what hospital fees are – in addition, we talk about societal and very everyday matters.”

“In Finnish society, perhaps certain things are already somewhat self-evident to many, such as whether breastfeeding is recommended and what bottle feeding means – how to wash the baby, how to dress the baby outside in winter? Of course, everyone needs guidance in this, but the starting point is completely different when a family comes from India, Africa, or Asia. It can all be very new and different for them”, Julia reflects.

In remote groups, the discussion often does not become very personal, but it can be continued in normal reception meetings. The maternity clinic nurse supports the parent as they grow into their new role.