Postnatal care in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country where postnatal care is held in high regard. Kraamzorg, a type of postnatal maternity care, is, in fact, unique to the Netherlands. When do you arrange for kraamzorg? What are you legally entitled to? And what comes after kraamzorg? Here's what you need to know about postnatal care in the Netherlands. 

Kraamzorg: A unique form of postnatal care in the Netherlands

The kraamzorg is a unique Dutch postnatal care system that sees a trained maternity nurse come to help new mothers at home in the days immediately after the birth of their child. Every woman has the right to a kraamzorg. 

What does a kraamzorg nurse do?

The kraamzorg nurse will visit you daily in the days and weeks after the birth and:

• Teach you and your partner about basic childcare
• Check your recovery
• Check the baby (weight, temperature and so on)
• Do basic housekeeping, such as doing the laundry and cleaning the bathroom
• Help you, if necessary, with breastfeeding

Kraamzorg entitlement

You are legally entitled to:

• A minimum of 24 hours, divided over eight days
• A maximum of 80 hours

The standard amount is 49 hours in total. 

If your recovery is not going as expected, you may be entitled to more hours of kraamzorg.

Costs of kraamzorg

For the most part, kraamzorg is covered by the basic Dutch health insurance package (basiszorgverzekering). You have to contribute 4,50 euros per hour yourself. However, if you have additional insurance, this amount may also be covered.

How to register with a kraamzorg

Typically, you need to arrange for kraamzorg by the 12th week of your pregnancy, but increasingly agencies are accepting applications from expectant mothers at any point. You are advised to register as early as possible with your preferred agency.

You can choose which organisation will provide you with a kraamzorg nurse. You can search providers on the Keuzehulp website. You'll be asked to fill out a form with your information, your due date and your health insurance provider. It's worth making sure at this stage that your insurance provider will reimburse the costs. 

Later on in your pregnancy (around week 30), you'll have an intake interview. During the intake interview you will discuss your needs and preferences. Based on this conversation, you will get an estimate of how many hours of kraamzorg you will likely get. This can change at a later stage.  

Consultatiebureau

After kraamzorg, the consultatiebureau (child healthcare centre) takes over the monitoring of your child. You don’t need to contact them; they will contact you once you have registered your child at the local municipality.

You and your baby will visit the consultatiebureau around 13 times. The first visit will occur when your baby is four weeks old; your last visit will occur when your child is four years old. A check-up at the consultatiebureau lasts about 20 minutes.

What does the consultatiebureau do?

The consultatiebureau:

• Monitors the health and growth progress of your baby.
• Gives information and advice concerning the health and growth of your baby.
• Vaccinates your child. 
• Offers eye tests, usually after your child’s third birthday, and again after your child’s fourth birthday.
• Offers courses, such as prenatal classes, breastfeeding guidance and similar. 

They also offer the following: 

• A newborn blood spot test, also called a heel prick test (hielprik). This test will screen your baby for rare but potentially serious disorders. The test is voluntary, and it will be done in your home.
• A hearing test (gehoortest) to determine your baby’s hearing. This test will not hurt your baby and only lasts for a couple of minutes. This test is done in your home.

Please note, it is not compulsory to visit the consultatiebureau.

Vaccinating your child

All children in the Netherlands are invited to take part in the National Vaccination Programme. Four to six weeks after your child is born you will receive an information package on how and when to get your child vaccinated against a range of potentially life-threatening diseases. 

This includes vaccinations against:

• Diphtheria
• Whooping cough
• Tetanus
• Polio
• Hib diseases
• Pneumococcal disease
• Mumps
• Measles
• Rubella
• Hepatitis B
• HPV

These vaccinations are not mandatory but most children in the Netherlands receive them. They are free to receive. 

Claiming your maternity allowance 

Also, you are legally entitled to at least 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. Read more about maternity and paternity leave in the Netherlands.