Where can you give birth?
In some cases, the location of your birth is already determined for you. There may be medical reasons that require you to give birth in hospital, but if a pregnancy goes well, it is a choice you make yourself. Research shows that the location of your birth makes no difference to the safety of both mother and baby. It is up to you to choose what is most comfortable for you personally!
The choice you make is not final. You don’t know how the birth will go and how you will feel.
If you want to give birth on an outpatient basis, but everything is going so well at home that you can no longer go to hospital, you can give birth at home. If you had planned to give birth at home, but prefer to go to hospital during labour, that’s fine too.
Read more about the different types of births below:
Home birth
The Netherlands is one of the few countries where women have the choice to give birth at home. Dutch midwives are well-trained to assist with home births and offer initial care in case of any complications. The midwife will guide you through the birth together with a maternity nurse. Research shows that the location of the birth makes no difference to the safety of mother and child.
Advantages
- Privacy and relaxed atmosphere. You are in your own familiar surroundings.
- Feeling in control.
- Reduced risk of infections.
- You can decide who is present during labour.
- No travelling home after giving birth.
- After giving birth, you can immediately go in your own shower and bed.
- Giving birth at home is fully reimbursed.
Disadvantages
You may be distracted by daily worries or other children at home. In case of complications, you still have to go to hospital.
If problems do arise during or after childbirth, the midwife will consult the gynaecologist or paediatrician and ensure you get to hospital as soon as possible. When giving birth to a first child, the likelihood of this happening is about 49% and 17% for those who have previously given birth without problems. In most referrals, there is no immediate urgency and there is room and time to go to hospital. The midwife determines whether the home situation is suitable for giving birth. If you are unsure whether the home situation is suitable for giving birth at home, it is best to discuss this with your midwife beforehand.
Hospital (outpatient) birth
If you give birth in hospital without medical reasons, this is called an outpatient birth. In concrete terms, this means that the birth starts at home. The midwife will -in consultation with you- decide when you can go to hospital. The midwife will call the hospital to announce your arrival. In hospital, your own midwife will accompany you during labour, together with a maternity nurse from your chosen maternity care organisation. If the delivery goes smoothly, you and the baby will return home after about two hours.
The maternity nurse will join you to make everything ready for you and the baby at home. There you can also receive your maternity visitors. If you need to stay another night, in most cases your partner can stay too. You are responsible for the transfer to and from the hospital.
Advantages
- In case of complications, you are already in hospital.
- You are not distracted by daily worries.
- In hospital, you can have 2 more people with you in addition to the midwife.
Disadvantages
- Strange surroundings.
- In the car with contractions.
- Less privacy.
- Higher risk of infection.
- (Outpatient) birth in hospital is not fully reimbursed. You ‘rent’ the delivery room. Ask your health insurer about the costs.
Hospital birth with a medical indication
In some cases, there may be a medical reason to give birth in hospital with the assistance of your own midwife. The midwife will discuss this with you.
This is called outpatient childbirth with a medical indication, the costs will then be fully reimbursed.
Again, the birth starts at home and you go to the hospital with your midwife for the delivery. At the hospital, you will be accompanied by your midwife and a nurse from the hospital. When everything has gone well and no more check-ups are needed, you will return home. There, the maternity nurse will support you.
Giving birth in hospital under the supervision of the gynaecologist
If you are under the care of a gynaecologist, you will give birth in hospital with a medical indication. This is called a clinical birth. The gynaecologist will give instructions as to when you should report when labour starts.
The physician’s assistant, clinical midwife (obstetrician) or gynaecologist will give instructions on when you should report when the birth starts.
Costs of clinical childbirth are always reimbursed.
Giving birth by Caesarean section
On the Deventer Hospital website, you can watch a film about the Caesarean section.