Hospital birth
Are you under the care of a midwife during your pregnancy? Then you can usually choose where you want to give birth: at home or in the hospital. It is important that you choose the place where you feel most comfortable. Some women prefer to give birth in a hospital, where specialist care is closer at hand.
WHICH HOSPITAL?
If you choose to give birth in a hospital for no medical reason, the PUUR midwife will supervise your birth in hospital. There are three hospitals in our region from which you can choose:
- Vrouw Kind Centrum Spaarne Gasthuis Haarlem
- Moeder- en Kindcentrum Alrijne Hospital in Leiderdorp
- Vrouw Kind Centrum Amstelland Hospital in Amstelveen
For a delivery in hospital without medical indication, a personal contribution is charged. This personal contribution is sometimes reimbursed by an additional insurance. Please check the policy conditions of your health insurance.
WHY A HOSPITAL BIRTH?
An outpatient delivery in the hospital may be preferable to the advantages of a home birth, for instance if you feel more comfortable there or if there are circumstances where giving birth at home is not ideal. It is important that you give birth in the place where you feel most comfortable. For some women that is the hospital. That way you can best relax and give in to the contractions.
One advantage is that if intervention is required during labour, you no longer need to be transported to hospital, but are already there. In case of complications, this can save time. Sometimes, however, medical intervention is sooner (unnecessary).
Some women have a medical indication for a hospital birth. There is a slightly increased risk of complications. The gynaecologist will then take over the care from us and you will give birth in hospital.
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO THE HOSPITAL?
An outpatient birth always starts at home. Before you go to the hospital, the midwife will visit you at home to see how labour is progressing. Depending on the number of centimetres dilated, the strength of the contractions and the expected progress, she will decide when it is time to go to the hospital. A large part of the delivery takes place at home. When you have your first baby, you often go to the hospital when the dilation is 6 centimetres, and the next time it is 4-5 centimetres.
CHOICE
In our practice it is not compulsory to indicate in advance where you want to give birth. During your contractions, decide where you feel most comfortable: at home or in the hospital. It is wise, despite your preference, to be prepared for both options. Sometimes a birth goes faster than expected, then it is handy if everything is ready for a home birth. Also make sure that an escape suitcase is ready if you must go to hospital unexpectedly.
