Lucky moms in the Netherlands get baby nurses sent to their homes for a week

The Dutch aren’t known for a pampering approach to pregnancy, except when it comes to post-natal care. The Netherlands’ National Health Service entitles all new mothers to one week of at-home service from professional maternity nurses called “kraamverzorgsters,” or kraamzorgs for short. This amazing benefit ensures that the baby is tended to properly in the critical first days and new parents are provided with much-needed support and guidance.

A kraamzorg will do whatever is necessary to look after the newborn and her mother. She will show a new mom how to breastfeed, bathe and dress her little one. A kraamzorg will go food shopping and prepare meals, do laundry and light housekeeping, play with the older kids in the family and serve refreshments to visitors. Also, very importantly, she will also keep a log of the baby’s progress and contact a midwife or doctor if she is concerned about the infant or mother’s health. One thing she won’t do is strain her back changing the sheets; if the bed isn’t at least 70 cm high, in compliance with Dutch health and safety regulations, you’re on your own on the crispy-clean sheets front.

Kraamzorgs generally arrive at the new mother’s home within a few hours of her return from hospital or, if the baby was delivered at home with a midwife (as is the case of 30 percent of babies in the Netherlands), shortly after its birth. The kraamzorg will then work between three and eight hours a day for seven or eight days, depending on the insurance policy.

I had an incredible kraamzorg after my daughter’s birth four years ago. Not only was Maryke extremely nice, calm and easy to be around, but she had been working as a maternity nurse for 15 years and had taken care of at least 600 babies. I was in the best possible hands.

Maryke held my daughter so I could sleep and shower. She put me on a strict breastfeeding schedule – every three hours – and held me to it. She took the initiative of doing the laundry and dusting the house and ran out to the pharmacy to buy homeopathic energy-boosting potions (although I’m not convinced the vile beverages worked). She allowed me to get a lot of rest and bond with my baby girl.

“The best part is that I can help people,” said Maryke when I asked her about her job. “I help with the rhythm of the day. I try to explain things and make the mother feel confident. I help the mother to make a start in her new life.”

A recent Unicef study showed that Dutch children are the most content in Europe. Not surprising, given that the focus on their well-being starts at birth. – ALEV AKTAR

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