You get maternity care after your baby is born
In the Netherlands, after the birth of your baby, you get support from the maternity help. The maternity help takes care of the mother and monitors the baby's health.
You get practical and medical advice from the maternity nurse
Especially for parents with their 1st child, the maternity nurse offers practical advice. This includes not only medical matters, but also daily actions such as changing, washing and feeding the baby.
In addition to caring for the baby, the maternity nurse also helps with household chores, such as cleaning. The maternity nurse also helps watch your other children.
During your pregnancy, you will meet the maternity nurse
The 1st interview with the maternity support organisation takes place around the 7th month of pregnancy. During this interview you will discuss how many hours of support you want and what your expectations are.
After giving birth, the maternity nurse determines exactly how much help you need. If necessary, they will adjust the number of hours of help. You may be able to get more maternity help if there were problems during childbirth.
Maternity care can cost money
Maternity care is covered by the basic health insurance, but a personal contribution applies. For maternity care in hospital, you pay €35 per day, while maternity care at home costs €4.60 per hour. Sometimes you can take out supplementary health insurance to get cheaper maternity care.
The start of maternity care depends on childbirth
When you get maternity care depends on childbirth. With a home birth, the maternity nurse is present immediately after the birth to help the midwife. If you give birth in the hospital, the maternity care begins as soon as you are home.
Here is what you can do if you are unhappy with the maternity nurse
It is important that you feel comfortable with the maternity help you receive. If you do not understand each other well or if you prefer to get help from someone else, discuss this with the organisation your maternity nurse works for.