The Netherlands' unique postnatal home-care system, known as kraamzorg, is under growing pressure from staff shortages even as it remains a core part of maternity care for almost all new mothers in the country.
For decades, kraamzorg has meant that a trained maternity care assistant visits families at home every day in the first week after birth, helping the mother recover, monitoring the baby's health, and teaching parents basic newborn care.
How Kraamzorg Works at Home
The service is usually provided over the first eight to 10 days after delivery, either following a hospital birth or directly after a planned home birth. Assistants support with feeding, bathing, recognizing warning signs in mother or baby, and keeping in contact with the midwife or family doctor if concerns arise.
Every woman living in the Netherlands is legally entitled to this postnatal care, and kraamzorg is included in the basic health insurance package that all residents must have, according to the BBC.
Parents are entitled to at least 24 hours of care, spread over eight days, with a maximum of 80 hours in more complex situations such as twins or medical complications. In practice, most families receive a standard 49 hours, which can be adjusted up or down after an intake interview and reassessment once the baby is born.
Because kraamzorg is seen as essential, basic insurance pays most of the cost, while families usually pay a small fixed contribution per hour unless they have extra insurance that covers this fee.
Intake visits often take place in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, when a maternity nurse or agency assesses the home, explains what support is available, and plans how many hours of care will likely be needed.
Once the baby arrives, the nurse's tasks can also include light household work such as washing baby clothes or preparing simple meals so the mother can focus on rest and recovery, kraamzorgsestra reported.
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A Valued System Facing Staff Shortages
In recent years, however, unions and care organizations have warned that the system is under strain. In 2024, around 500 families were reported to have missed out on a maternity nurse at home because there were not enough staff available, and projections suggest this could rise sharply in the coming decade if nothing changes.
Five major healthcare unions have submitted a petition with nearly 15,000 signatures to Dutch lawmakers, calling for better pay, fair compensation for long standby hours, and a dedicated government representative for kraamzorg.
Despite these challenges, Dutch midwives, unions, and many parents argue that kraamzorg helps prevent complications, supports breastfeeding, and reduces the need for longer hospital stays, making it a model that many consider worth protecting, as per The Guardian.
