11-16 weeks
The first three months are over! Your pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue and nausea are slowly fading away. During this time your baby has very quickly developed from a tadpole into a small person the size of an avocado. Vital organs have been formed and this has cost your body a lot of energy.
Things to organize
There are a few matters which need organising during your pregnancy. Below you will find a list of the most important things.
Blood test
When you attend your intake interview, we will give you a blood test referral form. The form will have a link to all relevant Saltro locations. Make sure you have the blood test done before your 13th week and do not forget to bring ID. The test results are sent to us within 5 working days. If results are clear, we will inform you at your second appointment. If results show anything to worry about, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Contact your health insurance provider
Check with your health insurance what you are covered for during your pregnancy, e.g. cost of maternity care, hospital- or home birth, do this sooner than later. Our midwifery care is covered 100% by your basic healthcare insurance policy. If you change health insurance providers during your pregnancy, please let us know.
Maternity Certificate
To be entitled to maternity pay from your employer, you need to provide them with a maternity certificate. You can request this document from us during one of your appointments or have our assistant send it to you by mail.
Register for maternity care/maternity pack
Once you know your due date, you can arrange for maternity care. This can be done through your health insurance provider. Here you can also request your maternity pack. The pack contains essential items for during the birth and the 1st week following the birth. Items such as maternity pads, mattress covers, umbilical cord clamp, rubbing alcohol, sterile gauze etc. If the cost of a maternity pack is not covered by your insurance, you need to buy one yourself. Packs are available from your local chemist or from www.prénatal.nl. It is often cheaper to buy the items separately.
We work closely together with the maternity nurse, at the birth and during your maternity period. She assists us during the birth (either at home or the hospital) and afterwards she will support and supervise you and your partner with taking care of your baby. She will be there even if you have given birth under the supervision of a obstetrician. It is best to arrange for maternity care before your 16th week.
Acknowledgement/naming
If you are not married or in a civil partnership but you want joint responsibility for your child, you can legally "acknowledge the unborn foetus". This should ideally be arranged before the 24th week of pregnancy, at your local registry office. This way your child will legally have a father or 2nd mother as soon as it is born. You also have the option of your child taking the name of your partner.
After “acknowledging the unborn foetus”, the registered partner will receive a certificate to take home. Your partner needs to bring this certificate when you go register the birth of your child, after which their name is entered on the birth certificate. “Acknowledgement” does not mean your partner will have automatic parental rights. If you wish for them to have parental rights, this can be arranged via the digital desk of www.rechtspraak.nl
Child day care
When you go back to work after your maternity leave, it will be a comforting thought to know you have arranged good day care for your child. Arrange for day care sooner than later during your pregnancy, as day care centres often have a waiting list.
Maternity leave/Parental leave
As a pregnant woman in paid employment you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave. You can choose when your leave starts: this can be 6 weeks before your due date, but no later than 4 weeks. During this period you are entitled to 100% of your salary. If you give birth after the due date, you are entitled to a longer period of leave. Post natal maternity leave is at least 10 weeks. If you are self-employed, you can apply for the ZEZ benefit by contacting the UWV.
Working parents have a legal right to temporarily reduce their working hours. However it depends on the employer if these hours are paid partially or not at all.
Pregnancy class
Many expectant parents choose to attend a pregnancy class in addition to our services. Our services provide you with all the necessary information about your pregnancy, the birth and the maternity period. Attending a pregnancy class can be beneficial in many ways, such as learning new information, encouraging physical exercise and / or relaxation techniques. For a list of available classes in Utrecht, please visit www.zwangerinutrecht.com Also consider an information evening about breastfeeding and a class especially for fathers!
The 22 week vaccination
During your pregnancy you have the choice to be vaccinated against whooping cough; this vaccination is given around 22 weeks. It is intended to protect your baby against whooping cough during the first weeks after birth. If you choose to have this vaccination, please book an appointment at the child healthcare centre.
Bed risers
During the birth and the maternity period you will need risers to raise the bed. The maternity nurses can then reach and care for you better. The bed risers can be borrowed from the thuiszorgwinkel from week 37. If you cannot use bed risers, you can use empty beer crates instead.
Pregnancy symptoms
Many different things happen during pregnancy, both physically and mentally. You can experience a range of discomforts and concerns, but often there is help available. Talk to us about any problems you are experiencing and check out these links for more information; De verloskundige en How about mom.
Psychosocial help
For most people, pregnancy is a time of great change, especially when it is your first child. A lot is going on, both physically and mentally. Because of a different hormonal balance you are often more emotional and generally not yourself. You are likely to experience mood swings, quickly changing from being irritable to feeling depressed to feeling overly happy. These mood swings can happen during the pregnancy and after the birth. Also common are feelings of anxiety, these can be about trying to balance your pregnancy with your job/relationship. But also feeling anxious about the upcoming birth and the health of your unborn child.
It is important that you feel able to discuss these concerns. We would like to support you in this and where possible, refer you for extra help.
Fiom, baby blues domstad, Mama & Meer, Praktijk OK, Tirza Janssen, POP-poli diakonessenziekenhuis.
Appointments with the midwife
During the intake we will create a personalised care plan for you. Together we decide how often the checkups will take place and if you would like to join the centeringpregnancy scheme. During your first trimester you will have a check-up approx. every 4 weeks. From week 24 it will be every 3 weeks, from week 30 we will see you every 2 weeks and near the end of your pregnancy you will come in weekly.
Each check-up takes around 15 minutes. We recommend bringing your partner to both the intake and the birth plan consultation as a lot of information will be given. It is up to you if you want to bring your partner to any other checkups. Children are of course also welcome. If necessary we can book in extra checkups. Please do not hesitate to ask!
What happens during the follow up consultations?
We are flexible. Do not hesitate to tell us your preferences!
During these follow-ups, we talk about how you have been doing in recent weeks and we check your blood pressure. We will also perform an external examination to check on the baby’s growth, position and heart beat.
From 28 weeks it is possible to ‘feel’ the baby’s position. In the final month of pregnancy we will check if the baby’s head has lowered into the birth canal. Near the end of the pregnancy, around the 34th week, we make an appointment to discuss the birth with you. We will talk about your preferences and any questions you may have regarding the birth. We will provide you with instructions on when to contact us. In addition to the birth (plan) consultation we would also like to invite you to attend our information evening.
