Exciting! You are going to give birth
After about 40 weeks of pregnancy, the time has come: you are going to give birth. Many women find this exciting. You don’t know exactly what to expect and you can be in a lot of pain. But it is also the moment when you will finally meet your baby.
You may have already fully prepared for your birth. If not, we would like to list some tips for you.
What do you arrange for the delivery?
Once the birth starts, it’s nice if the important things are taken care of. We recommend that around the 35th week of your pregnancy;
- Put the telephone number of your obstetrician/gynaecologist and the maternity care in your telephone. Have your partner, if any, do this as well, in case you are unable or unwilling to call;
- Pack an escape bag or hospital bag with the most important items. Think about clothes for your baby and clean clothes for you. In our flight bag you will find everything to take with you;
- Put the bed on bobbins / bed risers so that it is at least 80 centimeters high;
- Prepare a crib or co-sleeper for your baby. Prepare the bed in advance and have two hot water bottles and an extra sheet and blanket ready;
- Keep diapers in size 0 and size 1 in an easy place;
- Prepare formula and bottles if you opt for bottle feeding;
- Having a maternity package at home, we recommend having this from your 20th week.
When you think labor starts
The moment you think the labor has started, we would like you to call us for a “message report”. We will then note your details and pass them on to the maternity nurse. If the birth continues and the midwife calls that the maternity nurse can come, she is already aware and can come to you immediately.
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Options for childbirth
There are several options for childbirth. It may be that you prefer to give birth in the hospital without a medical indication, others like to give birth at home in a familiar environment. Below we tell you more about the possibilities.
home birth
You can also opt for a home birth in your own familiar environment. The midwife then asks for support from the maternity care during the delivery. A maternity nurse will come to you who is trained to assist with childbirth. She helps the midwife and takes care of your baby when he or she is born.
If you give birth at night, the maternity nurse will go home after helping you with the first feeding and explaining what to watch out for that night. The next morning the maternity nurse returns. If you give birth during the day, the maternity nurse will stay with you immediately.
Giving birth in a maternity hotel
You can also opt for a birth in a maternity hotel. Maternity hotels are located in or near a hospital, so medical help is close by, but you do have a comfortable private room and bathroom. You can also stay there for the entire maternity period. So it is the middle ground between a hospital and a home birth. Maternity assistance is available 24/7 in the maternity hotel. If you go home during your maternity period, a maternity nurse from us will come to your home to handle the maternity care.
Hospital delivery (Outpatient)
You can opt for a hospital birth if you like it, for example because you like the fact that the doctors are close by. If you give birth on an outpatient basis (without medical necessity) in hospital, this will be supervised by your own midwife. She is assisted by the nurses in the hospital. Usually the maternity nurse is not present.
You or your midwife will contact us when your baby is born. We will then arrange for a maternity nurse to come to your home. If you give birth at night, she will come the next morning.
Frequently asked questions
Wanneer vraag je kraamzorg aan?
Het is het beste om dit op tijd te regelen, het liefst rond de 14e week van je zwangerschap. Zo heb jij de tijd om een kraambureau te kiezen dat bij je past en hebben wij voldoende tijd om jouw kraamzorg in te plannen en af te stemmen met je verloskundige, huisarts of eventuele gynaecoloog.
Verblijf in het ziekenhuis en de kraamuren
Als je in het ziekenhuis bevalt kan het zijn dat je na de bevalling langer moet blijven door complicaties bij jou of je kindje(s). Voor iedere nacht in het ziekenhuis moet blijven gaat er 6 uur (5,5 bij kunstvoeding) van je kraamzorguren af.
Uitgestelde kraamzorg of couveuse-nazorg
Als je kindje pas na de kraamperiode uit het ziekenhuis komt heb je soms recht op uitgestelde kraamzorg ook wel couveuse-nazorg genoemd. Dit zit niet in de basisverzekering, je hebt hiervoor dus een aanvullende verzekering nodig.
Uitgestelde kraamzorg is anders dan reguliere kraamzorg. De kraamverzorgende komt een paar uur langs (meestal 3 keer 3 uur) om tips en handvatten te geven bij de zorg voor je kindje en om vragen te beantwoorden. De zorg thuis is immers heel anders dan in het ziekenhuis, waar je er nooit alleen voor stond. Met uitgestelde kraamzorg helpen we jou om vol vertrouwen het ritme thuis op te pakken.