Blood test
After your first consultation with us you will be asked to have a blood test taken at one of the GP labs in the area (SALTRO). The blood test form will have the website with the addresses and opening times of the appropriate locations on it. The brochure ‘Pregnant!’ explains what we will test your blood for. Normally we should have the results of your blood test available at your second appointment. If the results raise any concerns, we will contact you beforehand.
Breast or bottle feeding?
During your pregnancy start to think about what kind of feeding you would prefer for your newborn.You are given the opportunity to ask questions about feeding when you come in for your check ups.
Breastfeeding is the healthiest type of feeding you can give your baby. We are here to support you and provide advice. Should you decide to bottle feed your baby we will of course support your decision and provide appropriate advice. You are of course also welcome to attend our practice for questions about bottle feeding.
Acknowledgement of the baby
If you and your partner are not married you may prefer to arrange for the baby to be acknowledged.
The mother’s consent is needed for acknowledgement. Acknowledgment by the father must be done in person at the Register Office. You can find more information at www.utrecht.nl
Register a birth
Registering a birth must be done within 3 days following the birth. The day of birth is not included in this.
If the last day of those 3 days falls on a Saturday, Sunday or an official Dutch holiday, the baby needs to be registered on the first working day. For registration in Utrecht you must book an appointment. All information about registering a birth can be found on:
www.pki.utrecht.nl
Heel prick
Following the baby’s registration the district nurse will visit you at home to perform the heel prick test on your baby. Find more information at maternity period.
Maternity products and accessories
From week 37 of your pregnancy you can hire accessories such as bed blocks, a bedpan or even a single bed via the Hartingbank (http://www.harting-bank.nl/) or from the Home Care Shop (thuiszorgwinkel Vitaal in shopping centre Overvecht or for Bunnik, the thuiszorgwinkel in Zeist).
If you need a breast pump, you can hire these from various lactation experts in the area or from the home care shops.
Child Benefit
After your baby has successfully been registered you will automatically receive child benefit claim forms in the post. The amount of benefit you would receive depends on the age of your child.
Childcare
Allow yourself plenty of notice in preparing child care. Sometimes waiting time can be around a year.
Maternity Pack
Depending on your health insurance cover, your provider can arrange for a maternity pack to be delivered at your home around the 7th or 8th month of your pregnancy.
If you are not entitled to receive this pack through your health insurance, you would need to purchase these items yourself or collect a pre selected pack from your pharmacy or the home care shop (thuiszorgwinkel).
What is in a Maternity Pack?
* mattress protector
* 2 large maternity bed mats,
* 10 small maternity mats
* 1 umbilical cord clamp
* 1 bottle alcohol 70%
* 2 packs sterile gauze
* 5 to 10 pcs gauze of 10cmx10cm
* 1 pack cotton wool
* maternity pads
* soap dispenser
Maternity Care
We find maternity care essential during your maternity period and for assistance during a home birth.
There are two ways to organise care:
1. Notify your health insurance that you are pregnant and that you wish to have maternity care.
2. Register with a maternity care provider (addresses in the yellow pages/internet, word of mouth recommendation from friend, family, etc). The care provider will then arrange the financial side with your health insurance. The benefit of this option is that you can register with the maternity care provider of your choice.
Register for maternity care with plenty of notice, definitely before the 16th week of pregnancy. First come, first served!
Moeders voor Moeders
Moeders voor moeders collect urine from pregnant women. From the urine pregnancy hormones are isolated and processed into medication to aid women whom have difficulty conceiving. You can register for this from the 11th week of pregnancy; you can participate until (approx.) the 16th week.
http://www.moedersvoormoeders.nl/
Antenatal Tests
In case you requested this during your initial consultation, we will have discussed the combined test and the SEO. The combined test takes place between week 11 and 14 of your pregnancy. The SEO between week 18 and 22. We recommended you give these tests a lot of thought. Do you want to undergo these tests? What do you want to know about your baby before it is born and what not? How will you react to the results? See >> antenatal checks
http://www.rivm.nl/zwangerschapsscreening/downscreening/
Hospital Bag
What to put in the hospital bag?
* clothes for the baby (2x baby grows size 50, 2x body suit, 2x hat, 2x socks)
* jacket for the baby
* blanket or maxi cosi muff
* clean clothes for yourself for after the birth (you can still use your maternity clothes)
* shirt for the birth: optional 2x undershirt, shirt with long sleeves
* pyjamas, dressing gown, slippers
* sources of quick energy such as Dextro Energy, energy drink, and breakfast cereal bars etc)
* camera, video camera (batteries, chargers)
* toiletries, lip balm
* clothing for your partner
* hospital registration details and insurance
* reading material, cd’s
* phone numbers
Health Insurance
Making arrangements for a good health insurance is part of preparing for the birth of your baby. But what is covered under your health insurance and will you need a supplemental insurance? Find more information about this on the website of consumentenbond.
In the Netherlands it is law for children to have health insurance from the day they are born. This is achieved by adding the child to the policy of the parents. All children are automatically accepted. Contact your health insurance provider or check out their website to see how you can add your child and to which of the parents policy.
Pregnancy Class
On www.zwangerinutrecht.com you can find details about many classes being held in Utrecht and surrounding areas. In addition we have a red information folder at every practice for you to browse through, which contains a range of information, including pregnancy classes. Attending a pregnancy class is not compulsory but can be very enjoyable and highly recommended when you are expecting your first child.
Register for a class with plenty of notice.
Pregnancy Declaration
An employer often requests a pregnancy declaration in order to arrange for your maternity leave. You can request this declaration from us when you come in for a check up and we will issue one during your appointment.
Maternity Leave
You are entitled to a minimum of 16 weeks maternity leave.
Leave will start 6 weeks before your due date. You can choose to start your leave 4 weeks before your due date. In this case you are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave following the birth.
Should your baby be born before your due date, your leave after the birth will be extended by the amount of days you were ‘early’. In total your total entitlement remains 16 weeks. If the baby is born after your due date, your leave is extended by the amount of days between your due date and the day of the birth. Then these days are added to the 16 weeks of leave. This makes the total amount of leave longer.
Do you own your own business?
Then you are entitled to both pregnancy- and child birth benefit. The UWV can provide more information.
