Maternity care
Maternity care is unique in the world. Apart from the Netherlands, there is no other country in the world where women get a nurse who supports them during the maternity week. The tasks of the maternity nurse include teaching you and your partner to take care for the baby and she will help you with breastfeeding. A maternity nurse will stay for approximately 8 days after the delivery. If you stay in the hospital for the first few days, you will receive this care from the hospital, and maternity care will be used for the remaining days at home. If you give birth at home, the maternity nurse will come to you just before the delivery to guide and support you. She assists the midwife during the delivery and she is there to support you and your partner. After giving birth, she takes care of you and the baby. If you give birth in the hospital, you call the maternity care organization before you go home.
"Apart from the Netherlands, there is no other country in the world where women get a nurse who supports them during the maternity week.
— Team Verloskundigenpraktijk Oostelijke Eilanden
Maternity care intake interview
Usually between 30 and 36 weeks of pregnancy someone from the maternity care agency comes to your home for a personal intake. She provides you with information and asks questions about your situation and the habits at your household. You can also indicate personal wishes. If you have given birth before, the intake is often by telephone. You always only meet the maternity nurse at the moment of your home birth or when you leave the hospital. So you don't know in advance who will come to your home.
Signing up for maternity care
You can already sign up with maternity care after the term ultrasound. Do this as soon as possible, preferably when you are about 12 weeks pregnant, but no later than in the 20th week. This is the best way to get the number of hours of maternity care you need. You may get fewer hours due to busy periods, for example during holiday periods or during a baby boom. You always receive the legal minimum of maternity care: 24 hours spread over 8 days. You can find the list with maternity care compagnies here
Obstetric care during the maternity week
As a midwife, we do the check-ups and guide you during the first week after the delivery. After a week we will close the immediate care and the general practitioner and the consultation office (consultatiebureau) will take over the care. During the first week after the birth, the maternity nurse comes every day for check-ups and supervision of breastfeeding. As midwives, we come by an average of 3 times during the maternity week. Usually day 2 or 3 after giving birth, day 4 or 5 and after a week. This can also be a telephone appointment. Together with you we find out what is best for you. During these home visits, we check if you are doing all right, we discuss how your recovery is going on and how breastfeeding is going on. You can ask questions and we explain a lot about what is normal and what you should pay attention to. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always reach us on our emergency number 06 511 999 69.
Time to recover
Pregnancy and childbirth are major events for the mother's body. It is for good reason that giving birth is often compared to running a marathon! Your body needs time to recover, but mentally too, the period after childbirth can be quite tough, due to all the changes and often little sleep.
Tips for a pleasant maternity period
Source: groeigids kraam
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Ensure adequate rest
Although it is nice to show your baby to everyone right away and to invite many maternity visitors, the most important thing is rest. Even if you both are very proud of the new baby, do not immediately invite everyone during the first days, to come by and admire your baby. It is often great to have the first days completely to yourself and to have all the time together with the maternity nurse to get to know the baby and to recover from the delivery. Then plan a maximum of 1 maternity visit per day, preferably during the day and not in the evening. Sleep when the baby sleeps, even during the day, and make sure there are few distractions from the phone or social media.
Enlist help
The maternity nurse is at your home for the first 8 days, to familiarize you with parenting and to spoil you and to ensure that you can rest sufficiently. But it is also nice to have extra help in the period thereafter, because you are still in your recovery period, especially after a caesarean section, and the baby requires a lot of time and attention. So make sure someone can do the shopping for you, maybe cook and even do the housework. Also, if you notice that sleeping is still difficult and you remain tired, it is nice to have someone in the house now and then, for example family or friends, who can take over the care of any older children.
Healthy food
A delivery, but also pregnancy, can be quite an assault on your body. Make sure you eat healthy food after childbirth, even if you often don't feel that hungry, because of all the hormones that are raging through your body. Also you can feel a bit weak and lethargic, because you lost about half a litre, or sometimes more, of blood during childbirth. Of course this can also be caused by fatigue. Iron-rich food, such as green vegetables, legumes and meat (steak is allowed again!) can help you to recover. It is important to drink a lot, especially if you are breastfeeding. It is advisable to continue taking pregnancy vitamins, so you will at least get enough vitamins and minerals if eating is less successful.
Don't be scared of maternity tears
The maternity period is a time in which emotions play an important role. Everything is changing in your body, that has to recover from childbirth, and there are important changes in your endocrine (hormonal) system. Your family has expanded with a baby that needs a lot of attention. That is quite a responsibility and, moreover, it drastically changes the well-known daily routine. You have to get used to the fact that the days and nights are different than before. All this can lead to you feeling one moment very joyful, happy and cheerful, and the next moment suddenly bursting into tears. This is a very normal phenomenon, we call this “maternity tears”. Most women experience this, often on day 4 after giving birth.
Contact
If you have questions, or if you want to make an appointment feel free to contact us.
