One of the loveliest surprises of having a baby in the Netherlands: for the first week or so, a trained professional comes to your home to help. It’s called kraamzorg, and it’s a national institution. Here is what it is, how your insurance covers it, the small fee, and when to arrange it.
What kraamzorg is
As Zorginstituut Nederland describes kraamzorg, a kraamverzorgende (maternity nurse) comes to your home for roughly the first 8 to 10 days after the birth. They:
- help care for the baby and support the mother’s recovery,
- assist with feeding and do some light household tasks, and
- crucially, watch for health problems in mother or baby, reporting to the verloskundige (midwife).
What insurance covers, and the eigen bijdrage
The good news on cost. As Zorgwijzer explains kraamzorg cover, the basisverzekering covers it, typically 24 to 80 hours spread over 10 days from the birth.
There’s a small catch, per Univé on the kraamzorg eigen bijdrage: a wettelijke eigen bijdrage (statutory own contribution) of around 5 to 6 euros per hour. An aanvullende (supplementary) insurance can reimburse that, so most of the cost is covered, you mainly pay the modest hourly bit (and it counts separately from your eigen risico).
Arrange it early
Don’t leave it. The advice is to arrange kraamzorg before about week 16 of pregnancy, via a kraamzorgbureau (sometimes through your insurer or verloskundige), so they can plan around your due date. You agree the planned hours, and the final number is set just after the birth based on your needs.
What the kraamverzorgende actually does
It surprises many expats how hands-on and broad the role is. Beyond watching mother and baby’s health (temperature, feeding, the baby’s weight and your recovery), a kraamverzorgende will teach you, how to bath and swaddle the baby, support borstvoeding (breastfeeding) or bottle feeding, and spot warning signs, and they handle light tasks like laundry and keeping the kraamkamer hygienic. They also liaise with your verloskundige and flag anything that needs a doctor. Think of them as a coach for the first, foggy week, not just a helper.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de kraamzorg | maternity home care |
| de kraamverzorgende | maternity nurse |
| de eigen bijdrage | own contribution |
| het kraamzorgbureau | maternity-care agency |
| de bevalling | the birth |
| de verloskundige | midwife |
Where it connects
Kraamzorg sits at the heart of the Dutch birth experience, alongside the verloskundige (midwife), the kraamvisite (baby visits), and the wider zorgverzekering and eigen risico that frame the costs. It leads into the early-childhood world of the consultatiebureau and RVP vaccinations, and it’s one of the Dutch care relationships where insurance matters, like registering with a tandarts (dentist).
The bottom line
Kraamzorg is Dutch maternity home care: a kraamverzorgende in your home for the first ~8 to 10 days, covered by the basisverzekering (24 to 80 hours) bar a small eigen bijdrage (~5 to 6 euros/hour, often reimbursable via aanvullende cover). Arrange it before week 16 through a kraamzorgbureau. Learn kraamzorg, kraamverzorgende and eigen bijdrage, sort it early, and you’ll have expert help in the overwhelming first days, knowing exactly what it costs.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the maternity Dutch you’ll need, kraamzorg, kraamverzorgende, eigen bijdrage, verloskundige by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can arrange care and understand the policy instead of decoding it in the exhausting first days with a newborn.
Frequently asked questions
What is kraamzorg?
Kraamzorg is Dutch maternity home care: a trained kraamverzorgende (maternity nurse) comes to your home for roughly the first 8 to 10 days after the birth. They help care for the baby, support the mother’s recovery, assist with feeding, do some light household tasks, and crucially watch for any health problems in mother or baby, reporting to the verloskundige (midwife). It’s a distinctive and valued part of the Dutch birth system.
Does insurance cover kraamzorg, and what do I pay?
Yes, the basisverzekering covers kraamzorg, typically between 24 and 80 hours spread over 10 days from the birth, with the exact hours set with your kraamzorgbureau and confirmed after the birth. There’s a small statutory eigen bijdrage per hour (around 5 to 6 euros), which an aanvullende (supplementary) insurance can reimburse. So most of the cost is covered; you mainly pay the modest hourly contribution.
When and how do I arrange kraamzorg?
Early, ideally before about week 16 of pregnancy, so the kraamzorgbureau can plan around your due date. You usually arrange it through a kraamzorgbureau (sometimes via your health insurer or verloskundige), agree the planned hours, and the final number is set just after the birth based on your needs. Booking late risks fewer options, so put it on your to-do list early in the pregnancy.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for pregnancy and maternity care?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the maternity Dutch you’ll need, kraamzorg, kraamverzorgende, eigen bijdrage, verloskundige, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can arrange care and understand the policy instead of decoding it in the exhausting first days with a newborn.
