Dutch postnatal care (kraamzorg) is unique in the world. There is no country in the world where women get a maternity nurse to support them during the maternity period.

Maternity nurse

A maternity nurse provides daily care for the mother and child in the first week after birth and assists the midwife during labor. A maternity nurse is employed by a postnatal care organization but works under the midwife's supervision. In case of problems, she will contact the midwife on duty.

What does the maternity nurse do?

• Teach you and your partner everything about the care and behavior of the baby
• Check your recovery daily
• Check the baby daily for color, weight, temperature, drinking, feces, and urination.
• If the maternity nurse finds something is not going well with you or the baby, she will discuss this with the midwife.
• She does the household basics: the laundry for you and the baby, changing the bed, the baby's room, and sanitary facilities. Do you already have children? Then she takes care of it too.
• She assists with breastfeeding.

How many hours do you receive postnatal care?

You are legally entitled to at least 24 hours of postnatal care over 8 days. You are entitled to a maximum of 80 hours of postnatal care. The standard number of hours of postnatal care is 49. The number of hours you will receive will be discussed during the intake interview, usually around the 6-7th month of your pregnancy. The number of hours can be extended if necessary in consultation with your midwife and postnatal care, for example, if:

• You are not recovering well
• There are complications
• You have problems breastfeeding
• You have multiple births

The composition of your family is also taken into account. Mothers without a partner receive help for longer. The hours can also be shortened if you have already spent a few days of childbirth in the hospital. You can also choose to purchase fewer hours.

What does postnatal care cost?

Most of the postnatal care is reimbursed from basic health insurance. However, the government has set an amount of 4.10 per hour that you must contribute yourself. Sometimes this is still compensated in your additional insurance. If you want to know exactly how this applies to you, check your policy conditions.

Postnatal care organizations

You can choose which organization you register with. Ask your health insurance company whether the postnatal care organization of your choice agrees with your health insurance policy.