Postnatal help in Zwartewaterland

A bekkenfysiotherapeut is a physiotherapist with a recognised specialisation in the pelvic floor: the muscles that support your bladder, bowel and uterus. After birth those muscles are stretched, sometimes damaged, and often out of balance with your abdomen and breathing. A pelvic physiotherapist works out what is actually happening and trains specifically for it — not with generic exercises, but with exercises matched to what your pelvic floor is doing now.

Kraamzorg is postnatal care in your own home during the first days after birth, and it is close to unique to the Netherlands. A trained maternity nurse (kraamverzorgende) checks you and your baby, helps with feeding, watches for complications and takes on part of the household. It is not a luxury service: in that first week the kraamverzorgende is very often the first person to notice that something is wrong — with you or with your baby — and the one who calls in the midwife. If you have moved here from a country without this system, it is worth knowing it is standard, insured, and yours by right.

An IBCLC lactation consultant specialises in breastfeeding and has passed the international IBCLC examination. That is different from a breastfeeding counsellor or a volunteer from a breastfeeding organisation — both can be valuable, but IBCLC is the only internationally examined qualification, with recertification every five years. A lactation consultant looks at the whole picture: your baby’s anatomy, your breasts, feeding position, and anything medical that may be playing a part.