Preparation
Intake
Before 34 weeks of pregnancy, one of our maternity nurses will visit your home for an intake interview. During this interview, we would like to hear about your wishes and expectations for the maternity period and how we can best support you during this time. We will make clear agreements about the scope of the maternity care, based on the National Indication Protocol for Maternity Care. There will also be time to get to know each other and answer any questions you may have.
For a second child, we may conduct this interview by telephone.
How to prepare for the maternity week
We know from experience that people prepare extensively for the birth and that, as a result, they neglect to prepare for the postnatal period. That's a shame! Because the postnatal period is an important and intensive time that is essential for your start in parenthood. Just like a birth plan, you can also make a postnatal plan.
When drawing up a maternity plan, consider the following questions together
- When will we inform whom about the birth?
- How will we deal with visitors?
- Visualise a 24-hour day with your baby. What do you think will be nice and what will be difficult?
- How can we use our network for extra help (and ask these people in advance)?
- What choices will you make regarding your child's nutrition?
- Do you have sufficient knowledge about practical matters concerning the baby (see this website for all the information)
Everyone goes through their own process when deciding between formula feeding and breastfeeding. Some women have no choice and are bound to formula feeding for whatever reason, while others experience pressure from their environment to make a choice. It is important that you and your partner consider which feeding method best suits your situation, regardless of what others think. To help you weigh up the facts, below are the pros and cons of breastfeeding and formula feeding.
Breastfeeding
Benefits
- Milk contains exactly the right nutritional composition, tailored to the time of day and the baby's condition.
- Breastfed children seem to suffer less often or less severely from allergies, eczema, asthma and even, later in life, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
- Saves money.
- Faster physical recovery for the mother, as high oxytocin levels in your blood help your uterus recover quickly from pregnancy and reduce blood loss.
- Easier to return to your pre-pregnancy weight because you burn more calories by breastfeeding.
- More stable hormone transition from pregnant to non-pregnant, which can help with chronic conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and rheumatism.
- Always on hand and immediately at the right temperature.
- Sleeping aid: you quickly become sleepy during and after feeding, allowing you to sleep deeply and well between feeds. The baby also becomes sleepy after feeding.
- Expressed milk is easy to store.
- There are indications that breastfeeding reduces the risk of osteoporosis and breast cancer in mothers.
Disadvantage
- Getting started with breastfeeding can be very labour-intensive. This input must remain in balance with the mother's capacity.
- Breastfeeding can be accompanied by physical discomfort, but this can usually be resolved with the correct latching technique.
- Some women experience a feeling of sadness when their milk comes in. This is rare, but unpleasant, and it is important to mention it.
For more information and useful tips, including the role your partner plays in successful breastfeeding, visit the LLL website.
Bottle feeding
Advantage
- Feeding does not necessarily have to be done by the mother.
- Some parents like to be able to see how much their baby is drinking.
- A healthy and good alternative for parents who cannot or do not want to breastfeed!
Disadvantage
- Your baby does not get the benefits of breastfeeding.
- When you go out, you have to take feeding equipment with you.
- It costs money.
- As a mother, you will still experience engorgement around day 4, but fortunately this will subside after 1-2 days.
Type of bottle and teat
Bottles come in different shapes and with various ventilation systems, but ultimately it's about what your baby likes. Try out which bottle works best. In the first few months, a small bottle will suffice; make sure that the measurements are clearly visible.
The teat is more important than the bottle itself. Babies have their own preferences: round or flat, small or large hole. A greedy drinker benefits from a smaller hole, a calm drinker from a larger hole or multiple holes. There are also adjustable teats; the position under the nose determines the flow.
In terms of material, you can choose between silicone (durable and easy to clean) or latex (softer, natural rubber). Both are safe, but check regularly for wear and tear.
Preparation & warming
To prepare a bottle, follow these steps. You do not need to sterilise a bottle before using it for the first time. Washing it in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher is sufficient. After using the bottle, rinse it immediately with cold water, wash it in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water and leave the bottle, ring and teat to dry upside down. If you want to prepare a bottle in advance, put a maximum of two bottles in the refrigerator at 4 degrees and skip heating the bottle. You can store a prepared bottle in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
What you need
You may be inundated with checklists of everything you should have in your home for the postnatal period. Our most important tip is to only use lists from parties that have no commercial interest in your purchasing behaviour. We prefer to work with the checklist from the website www.deverloskundige.nl
For the maternity nurse, your bed must be at a minimum height of 80 cm. You can hire bed risers from a home care shop. You can also hire a backrest for your bed and, if necessary, a shower chair free of charge.
Finally, below are a number of useful videos that will greatly help you prepare for the maternity period.
