A baby! And now?
The delivery is over and you are the parents of the most beautiful child in the world. The next eight days are called the postnatal period. This period is meant for recovering from the delivery, getting to know your baby and getting acquainted with the care for your child. The maternity nurse will support you in it during these days. We will also visit you a few times this week.
Postnatal care
Dutch postnatal care is unique in the world. There is no other country in the world where new parents receive care at home in the first week immediately after birth. We work closely with the maternity nurse during the childbirth and postnatal period. She will guide you in taking care of your baby, perform medical checks, do light housework, but especially give you a lot of tips and advice. She will contact us when problems arise.
Postnatal care is included in the Dutch basic healthcare insurance. This means that postnatal care is covered with all Dutch healthcare insurances. However, a standard contribution per hour is calculated. If you have a supplementary healthcare insurance, you have more chances that the contribution is reimbursed.
New-born blood spot test and hearing test
Every new-born baby is offered blood spot screening (also known as the heel prick test) and a hearing test. This is done in the first week after birth. An employee from the screening team at the nearest children’s healthcare centre (Dutch: consultatiebureau) will come to your home to carry out the screen and hearing test.
More about blood spot screening More about hearing test
Children’s healthcare centre
In the Netherlands, pregnant women, babies and young children go to a children’s healthcare centre for regular developmental check-ups. In Dutch this is called ‘consultatiebureau’.
During your pregnancy we’ve checked if your baby has been developing well. Of course, now that your baby is born, we would like to continue to monitor if he or she continues to develop normally. This is done by paediatricians and nurses at a children’s healthcare centre. You can contact them with all your questions about the health, upbringing and development of children. The vaccinations are also carried out by a children’s healthcare centre.
The first introduction to a children’s healthcare centre already takes place during the postnatal period. An employee will visit you at your home to carry out the blood spot screening and a hearing test. A little later, a nurse will make an appointment with you for a home visit and when your baby is around 4 weeks old, you will visit the children’s healthcare centre for the first time. During this consult a paediatrician will examine your baby, your baby is weighed and measured, and you can ask all your questions. At each consult, the next consult is scheduled.