The midwife supports pregnant women as of three months’ pregnancy. You are free in your choice of midwife. The midwife checks the progression of the pregnancy and the health of mother and child. If you cannot pay the midwife, she can claim her expenses from Het CAK (see medical insurance). In principle the child is delivered at home. If you prefer to deliver your child in a hospital, you need to pay for this yourself in most cases. Only if the midwife has indicated that there are medical reasons why the child cannot be delivered at home can hospital care be covered by Het CAK Nederland. In these cases the hospital can claim these expenses from Het CAK. You can go to any hospital nearby.
Maternity care helps the mother during the first days after the delivery. If you cannot pay for maternity care, the medical part of this care, can be claimed from Het CAK. Ask the midwife at which maternity care institution you can best be registered.
The infant welfare centre vaccinates children up to the age of four years and checks their development. Ask the midwife for help with registration at the infant welfare centre. The infant welfare centre has a duty of confidentiality and will not pass on addresses to other institutions. Vaccinations and check-ups by the infant welfare centre are free of charge. After registration a nurse of the GGD will come round for a heel prick (PKU test). Once the child has become 4 years of age the GGD become responsible for the vaccinations. Keep in mind that you need to obtain a birth certificate for your child and, if applicable, acknowledgement by the father. Please refer to the family law page for information about the birth certificate. When pregnancy is unwanted, look at: family planning.
