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English page on midwifery Care in the Netherlands

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Prenatal check-ups

During your pregnancy the midwife will see you between 8-12 times at the practice. We will measure your blood pressure and check on the growth of the baby. There is enough time to ask questions and discuss any concerns.

Ultrasounds

Around 9 weeks after the first day of your last period we will perform the first ultrasound. It is helpful to have a full bladder for this ultrasound. Apart from this ultrasound we will make an appointment for an intake, where we will assess your general health and potential risk factors.

Around 11 weeks we will perform an ultrasound to set the due date.

What do you need when the gynaecologist is your primary caregiver?

In this case you also need midwifery care after you’ve been discharged. Feel free to contact us during your pregnancy if you want to meet us in advance.

Prenatal Screening of your baby

During pregnancy you can choose for additional screening of the baby. For the screening of Down-, Edwards- and Patau syndrome, you can opt for the combination test or the NIPT test. You will have to pay a fee for this screening.

Around 18-20 weeks you can opt for the ultrasound to screen the baby for congenital anomalies.  The costs of this screening test are covered by your health insurance.

Information about prenatal testing for Down syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome in different languages.

Information about the screening for congenital anomaly with the 20 week ultrasound in different languages.

Delivery

Most of the pregnancies are low-risk. This means that you and the baby are healthy and there are no additional risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes. In this case it is safe to deliver the baby at home with your midwife and specialized nurse (kraamverzorgende). You can also choose for a delivery in the hospital (poliklinisch). The midwife and specialized nurse will assist you in both the home delivery and the delivery in the hospital.

Post natal period

Midwifery care

After birth the midwife will check on you and the baby. Usually we visit 3-4 times in the first 8 days. When you are worried about yourself or the baby, you can always contact your midwife.

Kraamverzorgende

”Een kraamverzorgende “ is a specialized nurse assisting during delivery and the first week after birth.  “Een kraamverzorgende “ will support you and your partner during the 8 days after delivery with a minimum of 3 hours per day. She contacts the midwife if necessary.

Geboorteaangifte – Registration of birth

Within 3 working days after delivery the partner needs to register the birth of the baby in the municipality where the baby was born. If you’re not married, you and your partner need to visit the municipality in pregnancy (before 20-22 weeks) to declare that the baby is yours. Then you’ll be allowed to register the baby after birth without the mother being present. In Enschede it’s also possible to register the baby online. You and your partner need to log in with Dig-iD. More information

Screening of the newborn baby

After 5-6 days a nurse will assess the hearing of the baby (gehoorscreening) in a home visit and also take some blood to screen for serious congenital diseases (de hielprik) that need treatment quickly. Information about screening of the newborn baby in different languages.