fionamw

Excellent news, well done Mum, hello babe, (it all starts now, Dad!!)

Sounds as though you made the right call for you, glad it went ok.

Jur

1) Congratulations man!!!
2) it´s verloskundige

paul_bromsgrove

Thanks for the good wishes Fiona and Jur!

"verloskundige"...thanks for the correction! It's one of those words that I've been learning to say but never (so far) had to write!

mishimoto

Congratulations to you both! I am due in April next year and have decided on a home birth. I am starting hypnobirthing classes in Leiden next month. So hopefully that should relax me enough to not need any painkillers.. not that i'd get any anyway! haha.. well, do as the locals I say. I have never really wanted to birth in a hospital anyway. I think the homebirth and care you get over here sounds so good, I am not worried in the slightest.

I hope you are both not too sleep deprived!

fionamw

Congratulations & keep us posted!

paul_bromsgrove

Thanks mishimoto, and congratulations yourself on your pregnancy!

I certainly can't fault the homecare - 1 verloskundige and 1 nurse all the way through, and they didn't seem to be in any rush or anything during the labour (come to think of it...nor was the baby!!!) Following days there were home visits and checkups and things, very good. Last week the Consultation Bureau (people who look after the medical things of the baby till they're er...4(?) years old) came round as well.

My wife had gone to pregnancy yoga, and she thought it was pretty useless. I went with her for one lesson when partners were allowed to come too, and I completely agree - it was a lot of "empty your mind and focus" and "feel the energy" kind of talk with very little practical advice. Having said that, one bit of advice which at the time we thought would be useful was to push when breathing out (then your diaphragm pushes down and it helps)...but on the day the verloskundige advised against this, so it turned out to be advice which wasn't taken.

Sleep deprived? I'm too tired to notice! (but still over the moon!)

gelato

Congrats Paul and Mrs. Paul!

Anyway just bumping this thread as I wanted to ask if it's true that you can't have an epidural in a Dutch hospital. My husband is Dutch, we live in Italy but are vaguely thinking about moving to NL. We're also vaguely thinking about having another child.

My sisters in law scared me witless by saying that no matter how much you beg the midwives they won't give you an epidural in a Dutch hospital. Is this really true? One Dutch woman I know (childless ) also lectured me about how taking painkillers during labour is "unnatural" and interferes with bonding with the child. I had an epidural with my daughter in an Italian hospital and we bonded just fine thanks. I see it as a feminist issue about choice. Until recently here in Italy they also often didn't have epidurals available (Catholic doctors) but lately women's groups have pressured the government and they are now supposed to be available in all public hospitals (although they aren't...)

Thanks!

fionamw

I think it's reasonable - no vital - for everyone to have informed choice. That information ought to include the facts about the effects of stress during labour both on the mother and the baby.... and the stressful effects that can arise from a belief that you must be in hospital, doing things to someoneś book, HAVE to have a certain amount of contractions in a certain period of time, can't possibly remain at home if your waters have broken, should have no expectation of seeing the same staff throughout, etc etc., and of course to be able to make an informed choice, that information should absolutely include the effects on the baby of the painkilling drugs commonly used in labour today. Painkillers may or may not affect bonding, but in my view that's secondary to the belief that they are and should be a given. Few events are as unpredictable as labour and childbirth, and nothing should be assumed whether anti or pro pain relief.

I think there are a few on here who'll know the answer to the question ref Netherlands & childbirth.

gelato

I agree that nothing should be assumed either anti or pro pain relief in childbirth. It's up to every woman to decide what kind of birth she wants - either in hospital or at home, with an epidural or without, with a midwife or a doctor.

I react badly to propaganda and am an educated, informed woman. I did my research and I decided on a hospital birth and ended having an epidural (which was a wonderful experience). If I have another baby I would like to do everything the same as I had such a positive experience with my first birth.

luvwelly

Your sister-in-laws are not wrong...the Dutch have a weird minimalist attitude to pain relief in all areas it seems and yet allow euthanasia and potsmoking (which seems contradictory I know)....however I have heard increasingly in recent times, Expats temporarily in the Hague do have ways of 'getting the type of birth they want' sometimes by going to hospitals like the Bronovo in the Hague.
I am very pro pain relief in labour and had both my kids in UK NHS with loads of pain relief. Entonox/Gas and air is not available in Dutch hospitals at all as far as I am aware as it was banned because of miscarriage risks for female staff lol. (Haven't they heard of scavenger systems?)
I have also heard if you are in a large unit where pain relief may be on the menu(not all types), it can be harder to get an epidural if you are in labour during the night (this can also be the case in UK but only if the on-call anaethetist is dealing with a car accident say - not because there is no one on call at all for childbirth as is apparently the case in NL because they have an attitude that labour is natural!!!...that bonding stuff is complete medieval hogwash b.t.w.).

From your other thread, I would comment that the weather in Holland is considerably worse than the best UK weather on the South Coast of England...dull and grey, flat and depressing it is indeed.
Supermarkets also awful when I lived there but there are specialty foodshops in larger places like the Hague. Even if you like cheese as I do, the wall-to-wall Gouda gets very boring! It is banned from my house thesedays

Caitilin

mmm. Gouda. I miss me a good piece of Gouda.