Maternity and early childhood: Which professions for children's well-being?

The arrival of a newborn is always a major event in life. For pregnancy and the first years of life under the best conditions, parents will have the opportunity to be supervised and supported by many professionals in the maternity and early childhood sectors. Let's discover a brief overview of those who will guide and care for the little ones.

Table of Contents:

• Supporting pregnancy and birth
• Childcare and early childhood
• First steps toward education

The very first specialist who takes care of women's good health is the gynecologist. In addition to regular follow-up outside of pregnancy, the gynecologist-obstetrician is also responsible for monitoring the proper progress of gestation and performs necessary interventions when needed.
The midwife accompanies pregnant women from pregnancy to maternity. They watch over the good health of mother and child throughout this period. They perform clinical and paraclinical examinations while working in collaboration with doctors. They lead childbirth preparation sessions and, following birth, can continue follow-up care at the family home. These health professionals work mainly in clinics, equipped with appropriate  tunics or scrubs.

The profession of doula, of American origin, is still not widely democratized in France. It acts as a complement to medical follow-up and its key principle is the well-being of the mother and her baby. It does not practice medically, but is capable of providing relaxation methods to alleviate the stress of pregnancy and childbirth through modeling (equivalent to massages by practitioners). It can then be called upon to assist parents in the first daily tasks such as preparing small meals, shopping or housework. The doula is above all listening to the mother's needs and helps her channel her doubts and emotions.
Just like the doula, the perinatal companion provides support to parents during pregnancy, childbirth and return home. This is a specific training that offers listening and advice to parents.

For the child's medical follow-up, they are supervised until adolescence by the pediatrician. This specialist doctor in child health provides expertise from the maternity ward and then in regular consultations to ensure the baby's proper growth. They supervise healthy development, administer vaccines, diagnose treatments and guide parents. For other more specific needs, there are as many dedicated health professionals. We can mention the orthopedagogue (learning disorders), the orthodontist (dental care), the speech therapist (speech, language and writing disorders), the orthoptist (visual disorders) or the psychomotor therapist (nervous, orientation or concentration disorders).

In their early years, babies and young children are cared for by the nurse and the pediatric nurse. In addition to care, this medical professional performs blood draws, health diagnoses and other curative procedures. They are assisted by the childcare auxiliary who takes care of children and infants in maternity wards, at the hospital, in daycare or in nurseries. They supervise development, nutrition, hygiene and comfort. However, they do not handle medical care. For the child's psychological well-being, the child psychiatrist specializes in support and medico-psychopedagogical care. The latter practices in hospitals, dedicated centers or private practices.

The busy daily life of parents may lead them to have to delegate childcare or the supervision of the child. In daycare, the early childhood animator holds the Early Childhood CAP and is the professional for reception and childcare. At home, the parental assistant takes care of children from 3 months to 10 years old with or without parents present. They respect the family daily rhythm and are qualified to ensure supervision, meals, hygiene or entertainment. The childminder also provides childcare for children from 0 to 3 years old. They work at their own home, in a family childcare facility or in a family daycare. They ensure reception, well-being and development.
The childcare professions mentioned above operate in a familiar environment that calls for attire that is both sober and relaxed, while being practical and allowing to minimize minor inconveniences that may be caused by little ones. The other essential common point of these professions is to guide the child toward their first notions of development and education.

The beginnings of development will first take place in daycare (or kindergarten) where the staff member and daycare assistant take care of the youngest children. They ensure supervision, safety and organize activities to stimulate the awareness of the little ones. In the same locations, the early childhood educator ensures the development of children under seven in dialogue with parents. They implement educational action with a team under their supervision.

After daycare, the next step is preschool. The specialized territorial agent for preschools (ATSEM) accompanies teachers by providing technical and educational assistance. They work in the classroom, during activities and during meals. They participate in developmental activities and assist the teacher in their daily missions. At the end of this phase, the child will leave early childhood and can be entrusted to the elementary school teacher who will take over education.

At the dawn of life, a child requires attention and extensive care. As we have just seen, parents can then place their trust in a wide range of professionals. These professionals will be able to nurture all aspects of little ones' existence, whether in terms of well-being, health, or development.