Budapest Mom2Mom Sale – March 25th, 2012

A mom-to-mom sale is an event where moms can rent tables to sell gently used children’s items to other moms and dads.  It’s a great place for expectant moms to find fantastic deals on almost-new maternity wear and baby gear. For seasoned moms it’s a great way to keep up with their growing children’s clothing, toys, and furniture needs without breaking the bank.  Children outgrow their clothes, shoes and toys so quickly, that sometimes these things don’t even get used. Replacing those items constantly can get costly. A Mom2Mom sale is the perfect place to stock up on all sorts of supplies for the kids and save money doing it.

There is now a Mom2Mom Sale in Budapest three to four times a year, one for each season. The Spring 2012 sale will be held on March 25th at at Hotel Benczur near Városliget (City Park), 6th district, Benczúr utca 35. Tentatively, the other sale dates for 2012 are Summer: 24th of June, Autumn: 23rd of September and Winter:  9th of December. If you would like to reserve a table for any of these sales, please e-mail budapestmom2momsale@gmail.com.

Any leftover clothing, toys, baby gear, etc. – can be donated at the end of the sale. In the past we have donated to a halfway house for mothers and two inner city kindergartens. Donations are accepted during the sale regardless whether you are selling or not – e.g. anyone can bring donations during the sales opening hours. Please notify us on the email above if you will be bringing donations.

There is also a permanent Budapest Mom2Mom Sale page on Facebook, where moms can post pictures for free in more then 20 topic albums. Make sure to always take a look here at what is for sale before you go shopping elsewhere, there are always great finds! You can join the Mom2Mom group by clicking on this link.

Finding the right person to fit in with your family and take care of your kids is not easy. Finding a long-term babysitter may be even more difficult, because you have to be patient with them in the first few weeks and give them time to get used to your routines and needs. Offering them a proper salary will help this process along a great deal! In this post I will cover babysitter and nanny pay rates, holidays and termination.

If you are only hiring a babysitter to come by a couple times a week for a few hours, then a contract is not really necessary. You pay an hourly rate, and usually pay in cash at the end of each babysitting session, but this depends on what you agree with the babysitter. In this case, you will not need to worry about paying the babysitter on public holidays, overtime, or when you go on vacation. The going hourly rate for English-speaking babysitters is between 1,200 and 2,000 HUF. For both babysitters and nannies it is generally understood that if they work past 9 pm, the cost of the taxi home will be covered by the employer.

If you are planning on hiring a nanny full time (40-45 hours a week) or a live-in nanny, then a contract is necessary and you will have to work out payment terms for public holidays and family vacations. In most cases nannies are paid by the hour, but this should also be something you discuss specifically with the nanny if you’d like to pay a monthly rate. The hourly pay for English-speaking nannies is the same as for occasional babysitters, between 1,200 to 2,000 HUF per hour (5 to 10 USD). This can include light housekeeping and grocery shopping, which should be clarified in the contract as well. On a monthly basis this means paying anywhere between 240,000 to 280,000 HUF.

Usually sitters work according to the family’s yearly schedule, meaning that they are available to work on Hungarian national holidays as well if the parent’s working schedule is not based on the Hungarian calendar. According to Hungarian state laws, employees must be paid one-and-a-half times their regular pay if they work overtime and double their regular pay if working weekends.

Another important detail that you have to discuss is payment during the Summer or during family holidays. You have to decide how much the nanny’s pay will be if you go abroad without them (usually it’s half their salary) and what the rate will be if the nanny goes with you. If you take the nanny with you on holiday, usually they receive their normal pay rate, plus you must cover their cost for travel, room and board.

Lastly, if you have a full-time nanny on contract, the termination period is also important. Generally both sides should give minimum one, maximum two months notice. It is very important that this also appears on the contract. The contract doesn’t have to be very official, even an email printed out or a handwritten agreement works, just make sure it is signed by both of you.

The next post will cover tips on how to introduce a nanny or babysitter into your daily routines and how to plan your first few days together.

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I`ve been a nanny in Budapest working for foreign families since 2006. I have met people from many different backgrounds, babysat for kids of all ages and have experienced a lot about what it means to become part of a family, and having the patience to handle not only many different types of children, but their parents too. Since 2011 I`m a blessed mom of a precious little boy, and have come to know firsthand `the other side of the coin` (to directly translate an expression from Hungarian). Now I`m back to work part time with my son tagging along. I`m happy to answer any nanny- or baby-related questions. I’m also happy to help moms find cleaning services, drivers, gardeners or any other help around the house.

In honor of Shrove Tuesday (a.k.a. Pancake Day, Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday) Chef Pale hosted a cooking show. When he came home from the nursery, the set was ready for him.

Ingredients and utensils were out and ready for the show to begin.

Take one… and action!

Basic recipe (these are actually crepes because we don’t do pancakes American-style)

If you like them sweet add some sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon or lemon zest… be creative!

Chef Pale loves to taste raw dough, gets it from his mother…

…and drink some fine wine while cooking, he gets that from his father:

Keep mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes if you have time. Now you are ready to start cooking…

and flipping:

Our felt pancakes are done!

To make these felt pancakes, you need some felt, scissors and your kids old brown marker (the older the better, no fear of leaking and leaving too much color). Now when I look at them, they can serve as Greek pita bread or a tortilla (so many possibilities and so little effort). We can make a wrap next time.

Now back to our real pancakes, how do you like them? My fave is with sugar and lemon. Yes, yes, squeezed out lemon. Nutella? I eat my Nutella clean out of the jar…preferably when everyone is asleep. I don’t want to teach my kids bad habits (read: they get so many sweets anyway, they should keep their hands out of my Nutella).

Special note to moms: I find it very rewarding to sometimes give P some real ingredients while he is play-cooking. This time it was milk, water, salt and sugar (cheap and easy to clean ones). He was really happy to be able to stir and taste for real, and he learned that the more salt you add, the saltier the food gets, etc. He also learned that you need to keep your kitchen and your hands clean when you are cooking and he took it very seriously!

He didn’t mind that his eggs were Kinder surprise plastic ones and he looooved flipping felt pancakes – I’m sure we will be doing that again, and again…and again.

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I am Petra, a Croatian living in Budapest for many, many moons now. Mom to two little boys and an English bulldog. I am a master of typing with one hand while holding my baby in the other. I love to do stuff with my son, but I will occasionally sit him in front of a cartoon just to have some facebook time. Yes, I am bad that way. And I don’t sleep much, as someone so nicely put it: sleep is for people who don’t have Internet at home. For more of me you can visit my blog Bag of Pretty, like it on facebook or follow on twitter.

Editor’s Note – As you may have noticed, we love alliteration! A big welcome to Melissa, our newest contributor to the Budapest Mom’s website. We hope you will enjoy her rants and ramblings as much we do…

A newborn mother’s top two enemies: hiccups and bowel movements

Perhaps not every mother of a newborn would classify her top two enemies as hiccups and bowel movements, but, boy, that sure has been my experience! My daughter’s charming, four times a day habit of hiccupping in the womb has become the dread of my existence.

Take the other night for example. At approximately five a.m., an hour after my sweet baby’s second feeding, and two hours before I desired to be up again, we were both startled from sleep by the dreaded monster, hiccups! How in the world she came down with a case of hiccups in her sleep is beyond me. All I knew was they were what was standing between my pillow and I, and I wasn’t going to have it. That has happened far too often, and I was sick of this cuteness turned bane of my existence nonsense. Thankfully, this time was not as harsh as other times have been. I was able to cuddle my baby back to sleep within a few minutes. Whew! Safe this time, but who knows when they’ll hit again!

The other fear of nighttime sleep disruption is bowel movements. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know they are a natural and even joyfully welcome friend in a new baby. After all, it means all systems are working and in order! However, after being changed once or even twice during a feeding at three a.m., the last thing this sleepy mommy wants is to tackle another one. My great and valid fear is that third diaper. And, the reality is it never comes in a timely manner. It’s after I’ve carefully nursed and snuggled my baby back into deep sleep, after I’ve tested her arm for due limpness that ensures that she’s really past merely counting sheep, and have bravely put her down very, very gently praying along the way that she won’t wake again. And, amazingly and to my great joy, she’s still soundly asleep. I reach over and carefully turn off the light. I snuggle back on my pillow and drift off to the sleep, the nursing hormones working well to help me on my way past counting sheep as well. Right when I’m on the cusp of entering dreamland I hear it. It’s like a roar in my ears. It’s my dear, sweet, three week old daughter, and I’m certain she just had the largest bowel movement of her life. She’s instantly awake, no shocker there, and we’re back to square one, and I’m now calculating how much coffee I’m going to have to drink in the morning to make it through the day.

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My name is Melissa and I came to lovely Budapest with my husband, Scott, who is pursuing a PHD at Central European University. Since our arrival in summer 2010 I have kept busy teaching English to business professionals, finding beautiful running and hiking trails and exploring coffee shops all over the city. Most recently I became a mother to a darling little girl, so I’m scrambling to figure out how to handle this new job that did not come with a manual! Read more about Melissa and her ramblings on her very own blog.

Dairy and food allergies are more and more common these days, and finding dairy-free, kid-friendly recipes are always a challenge. I have been following Zita on Twitter for a while because she is a dedicated foodie, lives in Budapest and her blog is full of delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes. I asked her to share one of her kid-friendly, vegan and VERY YUMMY recipes with us:

Vegan Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 g) apple sauce, unsweetened (almaszósz – cukrozatlan, natúr)
1 1/4 cup (150 g) white spelt flour (tönköly fehérliszt)
1 1/4 cup (150 g) whole wheat spelt flour (teljeskiörlésű tönkölyliszt)
1/2 cup (120 g) coconut oil (kókuszolaj)
1/2 cup (120 g) dark cane sugar (lágy sötétbarna  nádcukor)
1 teaspoon aluminium free baking powder (foszfátmentes sütőpor)
1 teaspoon baking soda (szódabikarbóna)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (fahéj)
1 cup (90 g) walnuts (dió), chopped

Preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4). Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl mix together the coconut oil, cane sugar and apple sauce. Mix until smooth then set aside. In another bowl mix together the two different flours, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients and the walnut to the flour mixture, combining just until mixed. Take a tablespoon of the dough, form a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the ball slightly, then repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes,  until the cookies are golden brown. Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Where to find these ingredients in Budapest:

Unsweetened applesauce can be bought in the baby food section at Rossmann or health food stores (bio bolt) like the Mammut Bio Center.
Different kind of spelt flours are available at some Spar shops and at health food stores.
Coconut oil is available at any health food store or  Middle Eastern spice shops.
Dark cane sugar can be substitute with any kind of sugar or can be found at most health food stores.
Aluminum-free baking powder is available at health food stores (info on why you should use aluminum-free baking powder).
Baking soda, cinnamon and walnuts are available at any supermarket.

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My love for cookbooks and delicious food started at the age of 9. Every day after school my little brother and I would wait for our mom to make dinner for us. Until dinner was ready, I slowly turned the pages of her cookbooks and stared at the photographs of the amazing-looking dishes. Little did I know that I would be collecting cookbooks as an adult and would still be, just like in my childhood, drooling over photos of delicious food. The only difference is that I do the cooking now. I love traveling, going to the organic market and browsing food blogs. My vegetarian food and travel blog is Zizi’s Adventures. I also can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

We discovered expat mum Petra blogging away recently and asked her to do a guest post – we hope it turns into a regular thing! She and her son did some major monkeying around this past weekend and Petra lets us in on the fun with her jolly description and lovely photos:

Last Saturday I took P (my almost 3 year old son) to see a puppet show. All I had was this leaflet and a very enthusiastic little boy running to get to Ráday Street 20.

We entered a sweet, little bookstore, called ‘Két Egér’ (Two Mice) and were greeted by nice, smiling people. The show will take place on the gallery floor of the bookstore, they said, and is about to begin, so we better hurry up and take our coats off and they will wait for us. Nobody asked us for money, which was nice for a change.

Every Saturday Két Eger hosts an art, literature or handcrafts workshop for children which they call ‘Szines Egér’ (Colorful Mouse), always featuring a different guest. This time it was the MARA Factory consisting of two talented illustrators (Mariann Máray and Blanka Radnóti) teaming up with childrens writer Adél Várszegi to create colorful programs for children in Budapest. The show we saw was Jákifészek (Jaki’s nest). There were, of course, monkeys in it, big and small.

…and a nest…

There were snakes and dragons too, and little boys who wanted to touch them.

The show was short enough for the little ones to be able to sit through it, and funny enough for bigger kids to enjoy. After the show finished the real fun began. All the animals and props were left out for the children to play with, which was widely enjoyed. Some tried on the monkey hats…

… and some learned how a magnifying glass makes your eyes big and funny.

Monkeys were all around us!

With help of the MARA girls, we even got to make some to take home:

You could choose between coloring, cutting and glueing monkeys. As for my son, he chose to cut the coloring page. He is still in that destroy-rather-than-build phase, it seems.

All in all, it was a perfect Saturday program for us. We came home filled with new experiences and ready for our afternoon nap – Happy monkey dreams!

The next Colorful Mouse event at Két Egér bookstore is ‘Create a Mythological Creature’ with illustrator Csilla Kőszeghy on Saturday, February 18 at 11 am.

The next MARA factory event is a Monkey Parade exhibition opening on February 20th at the Marczibányi Arts Center M Gallery, with a monkey workshop for children on March 3rd at 3 pm.

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I am Petra, a Croatian living in Budapest for many, many moons now. Mom to two little boys and an English bulldog. I am a master of typing with one hand while holding my baby in the other. I love to do stuff with my son, but I will occasionally sit him in front of a cartoon just to have some facebook time. Yes, I am bad that way. And I don’t sleep much, as someone so nicely put it: sleep is for people who don’t have Internet at home.

The Budapest Court of Appeals announced its sentence for Dr. Ágnes Geréb, an obstetrician and home birth midwife. The court of appeals not only upheld the lower court’s decision, but added to the severity of the sentence. Dr. Geréb is to serve two years in prison, not eligible for parole. The court also banned Dr. Geréb from practicing her profession either as an obstetrician or as a midwife for 10 years. Furthermore, the appeals court obligated Dr. Geréb to pay the legal fees associated with her criminal case, which amount to more than HUF 1.5 million (EUR 5000).

Who is Dr. Ágnes Geréb?

Dr. Geréb is an obstetrician with more than 17 years of experience before she started attending home births. She has delivered more than 3000 babies. She was a pioneer on the Hungarian birth scene, being the first doctor to allow husbands and partners in the delivery room with their laboring wives. She was the first obstetrician to attend home births in Hungary, and has faced a significant amount of harassment as a result of her choice to attend births at home. She was banned from practicing medicine once before, which is when she completed midwifery training (with decades of practice as an obstetrician under her belt) and started attending births as a midwife.

What are these criminal cases against Dr. Geréb?

Dr. Geréb is facing criminal charges in 4 separate cases. Two involve post-partum hemorrhages, one a twin birth at home after which one of the babies was born in an oxygen-deprived condition and subsequently died less than a year old, and one case of shoulder dystocia in which the baby died.

Dr. Geréb was taken into custody when the ambulance had to be called to a birth at her birth center in 2010, and the police arrived shortly on the heels of the ambulance. Dr. Geréb was first put in jail, but the international outcry due to the inhumane treatment she received prompted her release into house arrest, where she has been for more than a year.

Why are people upset about Dr. Geréb’s sentence?

The people of Hungary and the home birth community feel that the criminal cases against Dr. Geréb are nothing short of a witch hunt. The treatment she received while she was in prison prompted visits from Hungarian parliamentary representatives and an international human rights outcry. Evidence supporting the maneuvers and techniquest Dr. Geréb used was submitted by foreign experts, but this evidence was not allowed to be presented at her appeals hearing. Then the reasoning in her sentence offerey by the appeals court claims she used techniques and maneuvers that are not described in the medical literature at all. Furthermore, Dr. Geréb received a criminal sentence for actions and events that other practitioners would have faced a professional board for, not a criminal court, so there exists a serious double standard when evaluating her conduct as a doctor. Because of these and other reasons, many feel that the trial against her was meant to provide an example to frighten other home birth midwives in Hungary from attending home births.

Are home births in Hungary illegal?

Actually, they are not. Hungarian women have the right to choose their place of birth, it’s just that before 2011, Hungarian law did not provide any regulations for those who wished to attend a woman’s birth at home. The home birth midwives in Hungary used this legal gap to attend home births, but they were often harrassed by hospital staff when they needed to transfer a laboring woman to a hospital.

In 2011, due to the international outcry regarding Dr. Geréb’s arrest and the absurdity of the legal situation in Hungary, the government passed new regulations that were meant to provide guidelines and licensing for home birth practitioners. Although the regulations came into effect April 1, 2011, not a single person has actually received a license from the Hungarian authorities to attend home births.

This is horrible! What can I do?

You can spread the word. You can contact your Hungarian embassy to let them know you disapprove. You can support Dr. Geréb through a donation. Contact Dr. Geréb’s supporters at www.freegereb.org to offer your assistance. You will find information in English, as well as donation information. Please spread the word about the witch hunt against home birth midwives in Hungary. Click here to read how you can help the remaining home birth midwives in Hungary.

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Finding a babysitter you trust can be difficult, and as we discussed last week, this is especially true if you are an expat unsure of how to go about it in the foreign country you’re living in. Our resident super nanny, Barbi, has been through quite a few interviews herself. This week she’s covering interview basics: What are the best questions to ask? What information is most important? and more. Read on for some great tips!

Interviewing a nanny is usually preceded by a few phone calls and/or emails. When you get in touch with a potential sitter for the first time, you should clarify the following points:

- how many kids
- how old they are
- how often you would need them to work
- any kind of house keeping required

If you agree on meeting for an interview, choose a time when your child is awake and, if possible, not during the most tantrum-prone part of their day. This way your child(ren) can also meet the candidate and you will be able to see how the nanny approaches them, and vice-versa.

Ask any potential nannies to send you their CVs ahead of time via email, if that doesn’t happen they should definitely bring it for the interview. The nanny’s CV should give you a good idea of her background, any studies, any medical/first aid training, previous employment, experiences with children and references from other families. If your first impression after the interview is satisfactory, you should contact the families referenced and ask for personal feedback about the candidate.

During the interview you should make sure to cover these topics:

- duties regarding the child (e.g. daily routine, required time spent outside, mealtimes, nap times, any special dietary requirements)
- duties around the house (cleaning, ironing, laundry, shopping, cooking, what, when, how often)
- salary (hourly or average monthly salary? when payment would happen (at end of each work day, weekly or monthly?)
- salary during Hungarian holidays
- salary when your family goes for holiday and you want to take the sitter with you
- salary when your family goes for holiday and you’re not taking the sitter
- overtime on weekdays or working during weekends
- termination period

It may sound strange, but it’s also a very good idea to ask the sitter about potential situations, e.g. What would she do if the child had a tantrum on the playground? What would she do if the child doesn’t want to eat or sleep when they are supposed to?  Think of things that are important to you, that may have happened with you.

After all this, if you like each other, you might agree on a trial day or trial week to see how things go in everyday life and if the child(ren) also like the new babysitter.

Next topic is not an easy one – salary.  Payment terms should always be defined early on, way before you set up a trial period.

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I`ve been a nanny in Budapest working for foreign families since 2006. I have met people from many different backgrounds, babysat for kids of all ages and have experienced a lot about what it means to become part of a family, and having the patience to handle not only many different types of children, but their parents too. Since 2011 I`m a blessed mom of a precious little boy, and have come to know firsthand `the other side of the coin` (to directly translate an expression from Hungarian). Now I`m back to work part time with my son tagging along. I`m happy to answer any nanny- or baby-related questions. I’m also happy to help moms find cleaning services, drivers, gardeners or any other help around the house.

Today’s recipe is wonderful as it can be a sophisticated dinner for adult company and an easy meal for kids. Of course, I am talking about salmon. Now, the first thing you need to know about salmon is that it is one of the most flavourful fish, special spices aren’t absolutely necessary to make it taste wonderful. There are many ways of turning salmon into a delicious entrée:

You can steam it: Cut salmon into desired portions, place it in the steamer or steaming baskets, then pour wine or water over it. Cover and bring to a boil. Use medium heat and steam three minutes per 100 grams or one minute per ounce. Tip: Wrap salmon portions in cheese cloth so you can remove them from the steamer in whole pieces.

You can grill it: Place salmon steaks on tin foil, lightly spread with mayonnaise and seasoning. Cover it with a separate piece of tinfoil and seal the edges leaving 3 cm opening for the steam. Place on the barbeque and grill for 8-10 min. Tip: leave it covered for 10 minutes after grilling.

You can poach it: Use a mixture of chicken broth, white wine and water to poach the salmon. Add one bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon each dried parsley and dried thyme. There should be enough water to cover the fish in a skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, poaching for 6-7 minutes. Chill and serve cold. Tip: Add several drops of lemon juice to the water.

You can fry it: Preheat the skillet with butter or oil, there should be enough to cover half of the fish thickness. Make sure that the butter is not too hot and doesn’t smoke, but it must be hot enough to capture juices and oils inside the fish. Dip the salmon in milk then in flour or crumbs and place in the skillet. Fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Tip: after frying, place salmon on paper towels to absorb the fat.

Today we will bake it!

All of these ingredients can easily be found in any grocery store in Hungary

For baking the salmon

Salmon fillet – 1.5-2 kilos (lazac filé)
1 teaspoon of honey (méz)
1 teaspoon of butter (vaj)

For the wraps

One pack of tortilla wraps (tortilla lap)
1 teaspoon of mayonnaise (majonéz)
Fresh lettuce leaves (friss saláta levelek)
2 teaspoons of basil, freshly chopped (bazsalikom)
2 teaspoons of Philadelphia cream cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C or Gas Mark 5). Place the salmon fillet on a baking tray with tinfoil. Melt a teaspoon of butter and mix it with a teaspoon of honey (the honey will take the bitterness away and give the fish a delightful aroma). Spread the mixture over the salmon and place it in the oven, uncovered. Bake for 15-20 minutes (10 minutes per inch / 2.5 cm of thickness). Take out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting (you can also cut it before placing it in the oven). Garnish with vegetables on a tortilla and serve.

Now the fun part: making wraps! Place a tortilla flat on a plate, lightly cover it with the cream-cheese-mayo-basil spread, add fresh lettuce leaves and salmon. Roll it up tightly and secure with toothpicks. Cut in half, serve and enjoy! Tip: make ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to two days.

Egészségedre!

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I am Bibi Ebel, Kazakh by birth, living in Canada with my wonderful husband and two adorable daughters Hannah (3 years) and Lara (7 months). We moved to Budapest in August 2011 and love-love-love it here. My attitude to life is like my attitude to our house: must be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.

Peaceful demonstration for home birth in Szeged, Hungary. Photo by Csaba Karnok

Home birth in Hungary is legal. Only, you can’t have one. Yet.*

Women in Hungary have the right to choose their place of birth. Since 2011, we even have brand spanking new regulations that are supposed to govern the work of those attending home births, and lay out the rules for who can receive a license to do so.

Only problem is, not a single person has actually received a license since April 2011, when the regulations came into effect.

How did home birth in Hungary exist before the regulations?

In the past, home birth midwives in Hungary were hiding in the legal gap of no regulations to be able to attend home births. The authorities did not look kindly upon this, and home birth midwives were prosecuted and home birth parents were ostracized and generally made to feel crappy in those instances when a hospital transfer became necessary. It took some real determination on the part of the midwives to keep providing this kind of service in face of charges pressed and harrassment from the police and the authorities, and determination on the part of the parents, knowing that in the event of a hospital transfer, they could expect unreasonable rudeness from hospital staff.

I heard about this home birth midwife in Hungary who was arrested. What happened to her?

The midwife you heard of was Dr. Ágnes Geréb, an obstetrician of some 17 years experience who is the leader and “poster child” for the home birth movement in Hungary. She was arrested in 2010 after police were called to a birth at her birth center where the woman experienced heavy bleeding after the birth. The midwives in attendance called an ambulance, and along with the ambulance, the police also arrived. The mother was transported to a hospital and released in good condition shortly thereafter. But Dr. Geréb was never released. She first spent time in jail, then following an international outcry due to the inhumane treatment she received in jail, she was released into house arrest and has been there since. You can find out more detailed information about her at www.freegereb.org

What is going on with Dr. Ágnes Geréb’s case?

The judge sentenced her to two years in jail in 2011. Her case was appealed and is coming up for an appeals hearing on February 3rd, 2012. However, she is still under house arrest, not allowed to leave the place where she is living (which is a friend’s apartment, since her own home was deemed unsuitable). The police come and check up on her 4 times a day to make sure she is in the apartment. She is not allowed to leave this apartment even to go for a walk. She has been living like this for over a year.

What about the new regulations? Why can’t anyone get a license?

Three midwives have made it their mission to try to meet all the criteria set forth in the new regulations and get their license. They have stopped attending births and have devoted themselves full time to pursuing licensure. They’ve been working on it since April 2011 and still do not have their license. Mostly, they report bureaucratic stalling and being made to jump through hoops (“submit this, no, it’s not right, submit it again, wait, you’re missing some papers, oh, we sent your case on to the ministry ages ago, what do you mean it was never received?”), as well as the impracticality of the new regulations, which apparently need to be modified as they go along because some of the conditions are impossible to meet.

To be crystal clear, these are women who have college degrees in midwifery and years of experience in both hospital and home settings.

They are also struggling to raise the money to fulfill some of the requirements set forth in the regulations, like having a CTG machine (not just a doppler), and buying liability insurance. This all sounds reasonable enough, but a CTG machine is HUF 450 000 (EUR 1500) for midwives who are currently out of work, is a tall order. Even when they were working, home birth midwives in Hungary charge between HUF 50 000 (EUR 170) to HUF 140 000 (EUR 450) for the entirety of prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care. Can you imagine how many births it would take for a home birth midwife in Hungary to raise enough money just to cover the cost of the CTG machine? And these women have been out of work for over a year.

And then there is the cost of the liability insurance. Since this is a novelty for Hungarian insurance providers, the best quote they were able to receive for liability insurance was HUF 380 000 (EUR 1300) per year per person, payable in one lump sum. In short, these three midwives have had to go into debt in an effort to get their license, with still no prospect of being able to work legally in sight.

So are there no home births in Hungary right now?

There are more than 3 home birth midwives in Hungary. And yes, some of them are still attending births, at great risk to themselves. But many of them have been frightened away by what happened to Dr. Geréb and have stopped attending home births.

So what happens if I want to have a home birth in Hungary today?

You can find a midwife who’ll be putting her freedom on the line in order to attend your birth. Or you can hope that by the time your due date rolls around, one of the 3 midwives struggling to get licensed will be legal. Or you can leave the country to have your baby in a home birth.

This is horrible! How can I help?

If you want to make home birth in Hungary legal and feasible any time in the near future,

Send these women money!

Dr. Ágnes Geréb needs money for her legal team. You can find donation information at www.freegereb.org.

The team of three midwives struggling for licensure need money to pay off their CTG machine and to be able to afford their liability insurance. Every penny helps – these women have been voluntarily out of work for a year! You can donate money by clicking the donate button below.

 

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