What to take care of

What to take care of during the Pregnancy

Important to know
Acknowledgment of paternity

When you’re not married, it is important to arrange the acknowledgment of paternity of your child during the pregnancy. This is a statement by the father-to-be that he accepts fatherhood. As a result, joint inheritance rights and maintenance duties come into existence between the father and the child. During the acknowledgment of paternity the future last name of the child will also be determined. To acknowledge paternity of the child you can go to city hall. It is important to do this prior to the 24th week of the pregnancy. When a child is born too early, it has to have a last name starting at 24 weeks.
For more information go to the website of Rijksoverheid.
Also take a look at the website of the Rijksoverheid for other information about what to take care of during pregnancy

Parental responsibility

The acknowledgment of paternity of the child is not the same as obtaining parental responsibility. When you’re not married, you will have to arrange that both parents have parental responsibility. To do this you have to issue a request to the family court. The forms you will need for this you can get when you arrange the recognition of the child. You can also issue a request digitally at Digitaal loket Rechtspraak.
For more information you can visit the website from Rijksoverheid.
Also take a look at the website of the Rijksoverheid for other information about what to take care of during pregnancy.

Maternity leave

If you’re pregnant you have the right to pregnancy- and delivery-leave. Together this takes up about 16 weeks. The pregnancy-leave can start 4 to 6 weeks prior to the due date. If you stop 6 weeks before the due date you will have 10 weeks delivery-leave. If you stop 4 weeks before, you will have 12 weeks of delivery-leave.
If you deliver later than your due date this does not reduce the amount of delivery-leave you have. If you deliver before your pregnancy-leave has started, your 16 week period leave will start at that time. Your employer will ask you for a pregnancy-statement. You can get one of those from us.

If you are self-employed, you are also entitled to maternity benefits from the UWV (beside the benefits you might receive from your own disability insurance). You can find more information on the website of the UWV (in Dutch). 

Your employer has to ensure that during your pregnancy you can work in a safe and healthy manner. If necessary, you can negotiate a temporary change of job within the company or different working hours. Sometimes it’s wise to make a preventative appointment with your company doctor.
For more information about pregnancy-leave or about illness during your pregnancy you can visit the website from Rijksoverheid.
Also take a look at the website of the Rijksoverheid for other information about what to take care of during pregnancy.

Pregnancy-course

We advise, especially during a first pregnancy, to take a pregnancy-course. It is good to prepare yourself for what is to come. But also during a second pregnancy it can be nice to spend one evening a week just thinking about your pregnancy. Depending on the kind of course you’re taking (possibly with your partner), you will get information about pregnancy and the delivery. In general, attention is also paid to breathing- and relaxation-techniques.

Most courses start around the 26th week of pregnancy. It is advisable that you sign up at an early time. By visiting ‘usefull links’ you can find the addresses for different pregnancy-courses in your area.

Labor-/postnatal package

During the delivery and the postnatal stage you need a labor-/postnatal package. Usually, this package is delivered by you insurer. In case your insurer doesn’t cover the package, you can get one at the drugstore, pharmacy or special babycare-stores.

Daycare

It seems as if it’s still too early to think about daycare, but there’s usually a waiting-list. That’s why it’s important to orientate yourself as to the different possibilities and that you sign up your child in a timely fashion.

Interested?

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