What kinds of government-sponsored assistance programs or support exist for new mothers in countries around the world?

Parental leave in Canada is http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/special.shtml#Parental3 with 15 weeks maternity and 35 weeks parental covered, the latter split between the parents as they wish. I think that it's covered by employment insurance. I know of two programs in Canada, one each pre- and post-natal, respectively. They're open to anyone who wants to use them, but there is a larger emphasis placed on attracting low-income and new Canadians: "The http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/prog-ini/cpnp-pcnp/index-eng.php is a community-based program delivered through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). For more than ten years, CPNP has helped communities to promote public health and provide support to improve the health and well being of pregnant women, new mothers and babies facing challenging life circumstances." and "The http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/prog-ini/capc-pace/index-eng.php is a community-based children’s program delivered by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). It was established in 1993 and is jointly managed with the provinces and territories."

Not to derail, but what if you're self-employed in these countries? Or are a SAHM with another kid? Are there assistance programs in those circumstances?

CEPR has a 2008 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/plp/ across 21 OECD nations. You might be interested in the http://www.expatica.com/nl/family/kids/Kraamzorg-_-Postnatal-Care-in-the-Netherlands_13313.html of post-natal home help and guidance in the Netherlands (http://crookedtimber.org/2008/02/06/maternity-nurses-in-the-uk/) which a number of other countries have eyed. Ideefixe: in the UK, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869 covers self-employed mothers who aren't eligible for statutory maternity pay.

In Ireland, http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/leave_and_holidays/maternity_leave.html 26 weeks paid and an optional 16 weeks unpaid, during which your job must be held open for you. The parent(s) of every child under 16 gets http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/child_benefit.html; this is €140 ($200) per month for the first child and multiplies for subsequent children. This payment is not means tested; Bono can (and probably does) collect it and affluent families more or less consider it a tax rebate. A Public Health Nurse (aka District Nurse) commonly but not always visits a new mum and baby at home in the first week, though I'm not sure what determines that; it isn't means tested so I think they just ask you if you'd like her to come. She will check your latch, weigh the baby, change nappies with you, and help you with bathing. If there are issues like slow weight gain or PND she'll return. These nurses are often part of the http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth_family_relationships/before_your_baby_is_born/flexible_maternity_services.html, and if you birthed at home, the midwife will very likely be your midwife. All pregnancy and maternity and labour care is covered, and where I live includes home birth if you opt for that. None of the above are predicated on whether you are self-employed or a SAHM, except paid maternity leave. If you are financially sound you are on your own money wise. If you are unemployed, http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/pregnancy_and_social_welfare_payments.html for that circumstance; it's less generous but other benefits kick in. The worst circumstance to be in would be married, self-employed and broke. You're a bit stuffed then unless you're smart enough to file for unemployment as soon after you fall pregnant (there's a six month wait for self employed people before they can get benefits.)

(The above is accurate to the best of my knowledge; I've not had a baby in Ireland but did research this before we moved here - which was a while ago now.)

Many countries offer some assistance to the employer as well in order to compensate for the loss of the employee. This disincentivizes discrimination against future mothers in hiring and promotion decisions (which is absolutely rampant in the US).

The UK has a http://www.healthvisitors.com/hv/25/508 scheme. "Every family with children under five has a named health visitor. Our role is to offer support and encouragement to families through the early years from pregnancy and birth to primary school and beyond." I am a regular reader of the Yahoo! Answers parenting sections and from that have gleaned that the advice dished out by health visitors can be less than modern; lots of rice-in-the-bottle stuff and this-way-or-else parenting philosophies. Australia has http://www.tresillian.net/; "Each year Tresillian assists close to 80,000 families with young children across New South Wales. We pride ourselves on offering a caring and personalised service to parents in the early years as we help them gain confidence in their own parenting abilities." It is bizarre and shows up on Yahoo! Answers in the form of mothers nervous because their babies don't http://www.tresillian.net/tresillian-tips/settling-techniques-newborn-12-months.html parentlessly as Tresillian aims for. You can http://www.tresillian.net/tresillian-services/residential-stay.html; they are big on "sleep routines" (it is institutionalised cry-it-out). In New Zealand: http://www.plunket.org.nz/. "Plunket sees more than 90% of newborns in New Zealand each year. Plunket offers parenting information and support as well as developmental assessments of your child. Our nurses provide support through home and clinic visits..." (Also dodgy; NZ is apparently still recovering from http://www.openwriting.com/archives/2007/01/a_dangerous_ind_1.php) For what it's worth, here in Canada, a public health nurse called a week or two after birth and offered to come and visit me if I needed anything (no); the same county health services, I think, sent me a board book around 1.5yrs postpartum with a little "Is your toddler developing normally" sort of checklist, and I have otherwise remained blissfully untouched by these things. My province has a thing called http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/oeyc/index.aspx which seems (?) to focus on offering playgroups. I don't think any country offers quite what http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIC offers (and I am floored to see no "Criticism" on that Wikipedia page?). A perusal of Yahoo! Answers reveals it is not just a formula and cereal distribution racket but also a great deal of state oversight of lower-income mothering, with lots of attendant worry about weight checks, mandatory anaemia tests, and inquiries about family feeding. Of course: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Leche_League_International, "an international nonprofit organization that...has a presence in sixty-eight countries" If you want to read more about the history of help and advice given to mothers, you will adore http://www.amazon.com/Rima-D.-Apple/e/B001JGAKOK; "Perfect Motherhood" and "Science and Motherhood" are riveting (er, if you are into this stuff). Further reading: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0742533581/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802073611/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415966574/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ (but only if you are really into this particular field; otherwise, stick with Apple). I wish I had a more charitable take on these sorts of maternal aid things, but "professional" advice to new parents has a long history of being pretty bad, and often it still is. Final book recommendation is http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0852246102/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/, 500 pages (covering even more years; it is an exhaustive history) of sometimes pretty remarkably dreadful "help" for babies. My take: yay internet.

If cold hard cash comes under the heading of "support", then you might like to know that the Australian Federal Government gives new parents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Bonus#Australia, tax free. The amount has gone up and down a little, and payments are no longer made in a lump sum, they're in instalments, because of concerns over young mothers being irresponsible with the money. Also at that link, eighteen weeks paid parental leave at minimum wage, means-tested.