Home birth
What is helpful to know if you want to give birth at home?
Home Birth
You can give birth at home or in the hospital. Research shows that both places are safe. It is good to think about where you want to give birth while you are pregnant and your plan can always be adjust to new wishes at any time!
To give birth at home, you and your baby must be healthy and you must be between 37 and 42 weeks pregnant. These can be benefits of giving birth at home:
- Some women are better able to relax in their own familiar surroundings. This has a positive effect on the course of the delivery.
- You don’t have to go to the hospital with contractions. The midwife comes to you and takes with her everything she might need.
- There is less risk of medical intervention, and women are more likely to give birth spontaneously at home, without a vacuum pump or cesarean section.
- You and your baby will not come into contact with bacteria from a hospital.
With a home birth, the maternity nurse (kraamzorg) is also present. She helps with the postnatal care and your baby and cleans up. There is always a chance that during the birth is a reason occurs to go to the hospital. Usually this is not an emergency and you can go to the hospital by yourself. Just in case of that scenario; make sure you have a bag of things ready.
Medical analgesia, such as an epidural, is not possible at home. Fortunately, you can use other pain relief methods, such as changing positions, a (birthing) bath, shower, massage and the Birth TENS.
A home birth is fully reimbursed from the basic package of every health insurance company.
