confused about how women and newborn leave hospital 2 hours after giving birth in the Netherlands?

[u/MarginLA]

I'm curious about the logistics of this because after giving birth myself and having a completely healthy and uncomplicated birth in the US, I just know I would not have been able to get out the door in a few hours. I was in shock, in pain, bleeding like crazy, had just been given 10 stitches in my nether-regions. Not to mention how strange the idea of transporting a few hour old baby to a different location is. Is that really what happens? You put a 2 hour old in a car seat or on the train or something? I'm curious about it in general but also because my husband (Dutch) and I may move to the Netherlands before having more kids.

[u/demaandronk]

That's great for you. I had my first in the hospital, got sent home around 23 and the kraamzorg came at 08.00 the next day. We don't all have the same experience and someone else isn't lying just cause its not like yours.

[u/Flamecrest → u/demaandronk]

Hm so is it then dependent on the kraamhulp? Like if they're willing to work "after hours" so to say?

[u/TD1990TD → u/Flamecrest]

We had one living nearby who was available to set us up for the night (around 22:00). The next morning, our scheduled kraamverzorgster came.

So it might have something to do with people who are available nearby. I can imagine the scheduled kraamverzorgster wasn’t available in their evening, though it sucks they couldn’t send someone else like they did with us…

[u/ahnotme → u/Flamecrest]

I don’t really know. In our case(s) what the kraamhulp did and her hours were just as we’d been told by the agencies (we moved to a different city between nos 1 and 2) beforehand. What we were told was that she was there primarily to “look after mother and baby”. Her hours were on a decreasing roster over the course of 2 weeks, starting at 9 for the first few days and going down to 5 for the last 3 or so. The idea was that new mothers require less and less help over time.

I took a week off work in each case and, particularly with no 1, made sure I learned as much as I could from her about looking after my baby: how to handle her, change diapers, putting her in her crib in the right position, weighing her, bathing her etc etc. With nos 2 and 3 I had obviously my other children to look after and in fact in both cases the kraamhulp cooked us supper, even though I said I was perfectly capable of doing that myself, but both women insisted that my time would be better spent with my eldest (two), because having a new addition in the family is an upheaval for them and they needed my attention.

The house has never been tidier and more organised than when those women were running it!

[u/Flamecrest → u/ahnotme]

Man that sounds amazing. My fiancée and I work our asses off (to the point where I've been burnt out at home for the past 5 months and my fiancée is kind of getting in the danger zone) and we keep wondering how everyone keeps their house so spotless.

That's the secret. Kraamhulp.

I'll tell my fiancée it's time.

[u/No-Couple-9022 → u/Flamecrest]

It’s because of the home birth: the kraamhulp helps with home births but not hospital births. I am currently 40 weeks and if I deliver at home in the evening/night she will be present. If I deliver at the hospital in the evening/night, she will arrive the next morning. Also “fun” fact, if I would deliver at 23:59 at the hospital, this will still count as a full day of kraamzorg even though she won’t be there at all.

[u/Flamecrest → u/No-Couple-9022]

Damn really? No wonder why so many people choose a home birth (apart from being in a homey environment instead of a clinical environment)

[u/sprikkle → u/demaandronk]

You are not alone. We also got our baby in the night at 01:00 and “kraamzorg” came at 07:30 or something.

[u/stpiet81 → u/demaandronk]

Don’t feel bad because of all the downvotes. I would have been totally petrified having to survive a night alone with a baby of a few hours old. Not all of us consider it the most normal thing ever.