Kraamzorg: the Dutch maternity nurse at home, explained
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
Kraamzorg is postnatal care at home by a trained maternity nurse, paid by Dutch basic insurance. You are entitled to between 24 and 80 hours, usually until day 8 after the birth. Register with an agency early: many accept you from week 12. At home you pay an own contribution of €5.70 per hour in 2026; in hospital you pay nothing.
What kraamzorg is
Kraamzorg is the part of the Dutch system that newcomers rarely know about before they arrive: a trained maternity nurse (kraamverzorgende) who comes to your home after the birth to look after you, your baby and the rest of the household.
Zorginstituut Nederland, the public body that explains what basic insurance covers, describes it in two parts:
- During the birth (partusassistentie). The kraamverzorgende supports your midwife and accompanies you and your partner. This lasts until 2 hours after the placenta is born, and there is no own contribution for it.
- After the birth. She checks your health and your baby's, supports feeding (breast or bottle), explains how to care for your baby, helps your baby settle into the family and looks at how the whole household is doing, including a partner or older child.
The Dutch call the first days with kraamzorg the kraamweek. In practice, the kraamverzorgende also tracks your baby's temperature, skin colour, breathing, nappies, weight and behaviour, according to the midwives' association information site.
How many hours you are entitled to
Zorginstituut Nederland states that you are entitled to at least 24 and at most 80 hours of kraamzorg. The number is set right after the birth by the kraamverzorgende together with the midwife, depending on factors such as:
- whether you or your baby were admitted to hospital during or after the birth;
- whether your baby is breastfed;
- whether there were complications for you or your baby.
The law gives mother and child a right to kraamzorg until 6 weeks after the birth, but in principle you receive it up to and including day 8, sometimes up to day 10. The midwife decides with the kraamverzorgende if you need it for longer.
Is it normal?
Zorginstituut Nederland notes that a shortage of maternity nurses can mean you receive fewer hours than first assessed. If that happens, ask your agency and your midwife what support is planned, and tell them honestly if you have no family nearby.
What it costs in 2026
| Situation | What you pay, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Kraamzorg at home | Own contribution of €5.70 per hour |
| Kraamzorg in hospital | No own contribution |
| Assistance during the birth (partusassistentie) | No own contribution |
| Kraamzorg in a kraamcentrum or birth centre by your own choice, without a medical reason | €5.70 per hour, plus what the centre charges, plus possibly other costs such as dressings |
| Deductible (eigen risico) | Kraamzorg does not count towards it |
Source: Zorginstituut Nederland. Additional insurance may refund part or all of the own contribution: check your policy.
A quick way to estimate your bill: multiply the hours you will receive at home by the hourly contribution. Because the hours are only fixed after the birth, ask your agency at the intake for its estimate.
How to book, step by step
- Check your health insurance. Kraamzorg comes from the basic package, which is the same for everyone, but each insurer decides which providers it contracts. Zorginstituut Nederland warns this can affect your reimbursement.
- Register with a kraamzorg organisation. Many accept you from week 12. You are free to choose. Popular areas fill up, so do not wait for the second trimester if you can avoid it.
- Intake at about 2 months before the due date. You talk with a kraamverzorgende for the first time; she estimates the number of hours you are likely to get.
- Prepare your home before 37 weeks. For a home birth, the midwives' association lists a maternity pack (kraampakket), bed raisers, two hot water bottles, a digital thermometer, clean towels, two buckets and bin bags, running water on the same floor, a hospital bag in case of transfer, and baby things. Bed raisers and a maternity pack are needed even if you plan to give birth in hospital or a birth centre, because the care continues at home.
- Call the agency when labour starts or when you are home, following the instructions they give you at the intake.
Your midwife can also help: Zorginstituut Nederland lists registering with a kraambureau among the practical things a midwife discusses with you.
What a kraamweek looks like
Every family's week is different, but you can expect:
- Checks on you: temperature, blood loss, healing, how feeding is going, how you feel.
- Checks on your baby: colour, temperature, breathing, weight, nappies.
- Feeding support: positioning for breastfeeding, or preparing bottles safely; both are respected.
- Information and practical tips: how to care for your baby day to day, and how to fit your baby into family life.
- Care from your midwife: Zorginstituut Nederland lists care during and after the birth among the midwife's tasks.
- The heel prick and hearing test: a screener, usually from the consultatiebureau, comes to your home in the first week; sometimes your midwife or maternity nurse does it. The heel prick is free and voluntary. It is triggered by your birth registration, so register within 3 days.
Questions to ask your kraamzorg agency
For the partner
The kraamweek is your training week too. Ask the kraamverzorgende to show you bathing, changing and settling, and take on the night bottles or nappies you can. When she leaves after day 8, you become the support she was. Partners who are employees also have one working week of paid birth leave within 4 weeks of the birth.
When kraamzorg ends
After the kraamweek, your baby's care moves to the consultatiebureau (free youth health care), which invites you when your baby is 1 month old, according to Rijksoverheid. For your own health after that, your GP is your first point of contact.
Everything else about the Netherlands
Kraamzorg is one piece of the system. For the midwife, the place of birth and the costs, read how Dutch midwife care works; for the paperwork after the birth, registering your baby, the BSN and the IND permit; and for the full map, having a baby in the Netherlands as an expat.
Questions parents ask
When should I book kraamzorg in the Netherlands?
As early as you can. Zorginstituut Nederland says many kraamzorg organisations accept registrations from the twelfth week of pregnancy. You choose the organisation, but check which ones your insurer has contracts with.
How many hours of kraamzorg will I get?
Between 24 and 80 hours. The exact number is set by the maternity nurse and the midwife right after the birth, depending for example on a hospital stay, breastfeeding and complications.
How much does kraamzorg cost in 2026?
For kraamzorg at home, Zorginstituut Nederland lists an own contribution of €5.70 per hour in 2026. Kraamzorg in hospital has no own contribution, and assistance during the birth itself is free. Kraamzorg does not count towards your deductible.
Is kraamzorg compulsory?
No. It is a right under basic insurance, not an obligation. Most families find it very helpful, especially far from their own family.
Sources
- Zorginstituut Nederland — Kraamzorg (Zvw) checked October 13, 2026
- Zorginstituut Nederland — Verloskundige zorg (Zvw) checked October 13, 2026
- De Verloskundige (KNOV) — Thuis bevallen, in het ziekenhuis of in een geboortecentrum? checked October 13, 2026
- De Verloskundige (KNOV) — Controles en vaccinaties baby checked October 13, 2026
- Pre- and neonatal screenings (RIVM) — The heel prick test checked October 13, 2026
- Rijksoverheid — Ik krijg een kind (checklist and explainer) checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.