Pregnancy & Maternity

Pregnancy & maternity leave
Medical assistance during pregnancy and birth
Kraamzorg (postnatal care)
Consultatiebureau (Child Health Centre)
Registering your child

Pregnancy & maternity leave

You have the right to a total of 16 weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave. Pregnancy starts 6 to 4 weeks before the calculated date of birth. If you choose to start your pregnancy leave 6 weeks before the baby is due, you have a total of 10 weeks of maternity leave (16-6=10), where if you chose to start your pregnancy leave 4 weeks before the baby is due, you have a total of 12 weeks of maternity leave (16-4=12). The choice is yours.

It is wise not to wait too long before telling your employer about your pregnancy, as this allows your employer to take measures if necessary, such as finding temporary replacement. You are expected to tell your employer that you are pregnant when you are 16 weeks pregnant .

Medical assistance during pregnancy and birth

The World Health Organization lists the Netherlands as one of the world’s safest places to have a baby! Most women in Holland remain under the care of a midwife (verloskundige) during pregnancy and childbirth. If you want to go straight to a gynaecologist rather than a midwife, you must first get a referral from your GP. Your GP can help you locate a midwife in your area.

In the Netherlands, homebirths are relatively popular. About 55% of births are planned to take place in the home. If this is not for you, you can always choose to have your baby at hospital. However, some insurance companies will not cover a hospital birth unless there is a medically compelling reason to do so. So you should ask about the cover provided by your policy first.

Pain Medication
As natural births are also popular, pain medication is normally not offered during birth either at home or in the hospital. If you want pain relief, you must make it very clear to your care providers! Do not be afraid to ask for what you want, and stick to your wishes. Inform your doctor or midwife that you are from a different country and want your traditional form of care, whatever that is. Be aware that midwives are usually not trained to administer pain relief medication, so having it will possibly require a hospital birth.

Kraamzorg

The birth is followed by a programme of postnatal care, or kraamzorg. A postnatal welfare practitioner will come to your home for the first week after the birth or your return home with the baby. She will come over for several hours a day and help with everything to help you adjust: cooking, cleaning, feeding, changing, child minding, etc. Be sure to register for kraamzorg as soon as possible, preferably at the beginning of your pregnancy. Sometimes your insurance company will tell you which organizations you can register with in your area. Some insurers leave the choice to you.

Consultatiebureau

After your baby is 6 weeks old the midwife (verloskundige) will have a last consult with you, after which the Child Health Centre - Consultatiebureau will take over. You should register your child with a child health centre (consultatiebureau) yourself, but your midwife will be able to help you locate one in your vicinity. At the Consultatiebureau they will give your child regular check-ups and vaccinations.

Kinderbijslag (Child benefit)
The Dutch social security system pays an allowance to help pay for the cost of child raising. To receive it, you must first make an application. The forms are available in English from your post office. You can also request one from the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). When you apply, the SVB will ask you to send a list of vaccinations for every child living with you, so that they can send you a reminder whenever another one is due.

Registering your child

All births in Holland must be registered. The law says that this must be done within 3 days of the birth. Births can be registered at the town hall (gemeentehuis) by you, your partner or a nurse. The following documents will be required:

• both parents' passports
• child's birth certificate
• marriage certificate (if applicable) unless both parents are already registered in Holland
• Residence permits (if applicable)
• If unmarried, a declaration must be written by the mother stating the identity of the father. The couple must bring this and their ID to the town hall before the baby is born.

Some countries allow you to register the foreign birth of a child at the embassy. Contact the embassy before the birth so that you know what to do and what the time limits are, if any. When you register your child’s birth, you can ask the official for an ‘international birth certificate’, which may prove useful in your home country. If you need the international birth certificate to register a foreign birth at your embassy, it will be provided free of charge. A fee is payable for any other copies.

You will also have to register the child with the Aliens Police (Vreemdelingenpolitie). Call ahead as an appointment may be necessary. Take the original international birth certificate and your passport with you.