Postnatal period

After nine months of waiting, your beautiful baby is finally here! The postnatal period has arrived. Love, happiness, lack of sleep and tears will alternate.

Most people think mainly about childbirth, but caring for your baby only starts after delivery. We will also guide you during this special period. We are available 24 hours a day for all questions, advice and concerns!

Check out our postnatal timeline to find out what to expect each day.

You can choose to stay in a Birth Center after the birth. Maternity nurses are always present here and will help you day and night with the care of your baby and helping you to latch on. When you are ready, you go home and a maternity nurse (kraamzorg) will come to your home for the first eight days. She will do daily checks on you and the baby to see if everything is going well.

Breastfeeding

Do you know that your milk is unique? It is especially made for your baby. The composition of nutrients is precisely made to what your child needs per moment.

For example: Your newborn baby does not need much food yet, but it does need food that is easily digestible for an immature gastrointestinal system. These first drops of breast milk are called colostrum and look yellow, these drops are also thicker than ‘regular’ breast milk. The composition of colostrum protects your child in the first days outside the womb against infections. A few days later you will notice that your child needs a little more nutrition and that your breasts are also getting fuller.

Research shows that breastfed children are sick less often and are less likely to develop allergies. They are also less likely to develop overweight, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease later in life. In addition, breastfeeding has the advantages that it is cheaper than formula and that the milk is always at the right temperature.

In addition to the fact that breastfeeding is the best food for your child, the mother’s recovery is also faster when you give breastfeeding. For example, when your baby is drinking on the breast, oxytocine is made, and this hormone will cause uterus contractions. This allows your uterus to recover faster from childbirth. This ensures that you have less and shorter blood loss during childbirth.

Check-ups during the postnatal period

We will come by several times in the first 10 days after birth to see if everything is going well with you and your newborn baby. In addition to the maternity nurse (kraamzorg), you can also ask us all your questions. The midwife is ultimately responsible for the health of mother and child. That is why the maternity nurse will always contact us first if she has any doubts about the health of the mother or child or if additional checks are required. In principle, you are entitled to 49 hours of care (kraamzorg). You can divide the hours over the different days during the postnatal period. Often the maternity nurse comes eight hours during the first days and the next coming days the hours will gradually be reduced. If you still need some extra care, it is possible to indicate a 9th and 10th day. This is done by the midwife in consultation with you and the maternity nurse.

Postnatal check-up 6 weeks after birth

The follow-up check takes place approximately six weeks after delivery. This check is preferably with the midwife who supervised your delivery. During this check-up, your pregnancy, delivery and maternity week will be discussed again. How do you feel about the pregnancy, delivery and maternity week? Do you have any questions? We also look how you recovered form your pregnancy and delivery. Checks are done such as measuring your blood pressure and feeling whether your abdominal muscles have recovered. If you still have physical or emotional complaints, we can refer you to the relevant healthcare provider if necessary. There will also be extra attention for discussing birth control. And of course we would love to see you and your baby again! Your child is already a lot bigger and often looks very different than (just) after birth. We would like to admire him or her even more! You can always call yourself to schedule a follow-up check.

Get to know us first?

We understand that you want to know who you choose as your midwifery care provider during this life changing event. You are therefore very welcome for a no-obligation introduction! Contact us.