Comments on: The Dutch Midwife Mafia

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:54:05 +0000

oh to add to the lack of breastfeeding (which has been proven to be far better for the child’s health) in The Netherlands, what about smoking? Majority of Dutch people don’t think twice about lighting up a cigarette in front of a baby or child, yet get all upset about a mother considering an epidural?

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:42:07 +0000

To Johanna,
In regards to your post about natural birth and it being safer for the baby without medication, I agree, but I think you misunderstand.

I’m an aussie and I gave birth in Australia 7 weeks before coming to the Netherlands. I’m glad I gave birth there first. I absolutely wanted a natural birth without painkillers, but I was glad to know and understand all the options. In pre-natal classes they explained the risks and advantages of all the pain killers. It made me feel secure knowing that although I didn’t want painkillers, I knew what they were about. I did end up having an epidural, but that is another story I won’t go into, and I kinda wish I didn’t. Turned out I was closer to giving birth than we realised, and if I had have known I would have gone natural.

But that said, since coming to the Netherlands the support network after you have a baby is very lacking. Sure, my son gets all his injections, and a check over by the doctor, but that’s it. In Australia the support for everything (if you want it) is tremendous. There is much more support for breastfeeding, looking after your baby, pre-natal depression. Having a baby in hospital is not just about the drugs…..I was in hospital for 4 days after a trouble free birth, but those 4 days were about teaching you how to look after the baby, breastfeeding, taking your baby from you for a couple of hours so you can get some sleep. Having that support does NOT make you wussy, despite what the Dutch people will make you think.

And on another note, for a country that so strongly advocates “natural child birth”, why do so many women bottle feed?

I agree that The Netherlands approach is very old fashioned, although I also understand why the Dutch “think” they are doing it the good “natural way”. To someone from aussie it feels more like: push it out, go home and deal with it.

I’ve been here over a year now, and hating it. Looking forward to going home soon hopefully.

By: Happy Hotelier » Blog Archive » 10 Expat Blogs about The Netherlands

Happy Hotelier » Blog Archive » 10 Expat Blogs about The Netherlands — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:28:43 +0000

[...] away from 2003. I fully second her sometimes hilarious mutterings and especially her post about The Dutch Midwife Mafia, as we have been confronted ourselves by some grave errors in this area recently. It is not only [...]

By: johanna

johanna — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:10:32 +0000

im sorry you feel this way. it seems you are very misinformed. though im guessing youve already had your baby in austrailia now i feel i must reply to a few of the points you have made above as i would hate for others to be mislead by what you have said.
the infant mortality rate is not the highest in the netherlands. the homebirth rates are also more favorable than hospital in holland. early administratioj of an epidural is shown in numorous clinical trials to increase the risk of instrumental delivery (forceps or vacume extraction) by up to 10 times and is shown to increase your risk of c section by 5 times. pain in childbirth is a way for your body to to prepear by getting into a safe supportive environment and sets of a cascade of hormones and natural opiates to assist your healthy active birthing and to encorouge bonding between you and your baby. im sorry so many women including yourself are so disempowered about your bodiesnatural ability to give birth and are so fearfull of such a natural beautiful process, it means you miss out on a very empowering experience and a right of passage that qualifies mothers and prepears them for the challanges ahead. the more you interfear with birth by using drugs and being treated like a patient as apose to a woman giving birth (which is A natural and not a new thing) the higher the risks of a traumatic birth for you and your baby. medicine is there to help when things need help. when used frivolously it causes more harm than good. i think you missed out on a very special experience by leaving holland to return to australia to have your baby. being reduced to a passive patient on your back with no sense of the power your body has in the process of giving birth is an incredible sad phenomenon. maybe with your next child you could take responsibilty and read and learn about your bodies own power and have a natural birth that will benifit you and your baby.

By: dutchcourage

dutchcourage — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:19:37 +0000

You fucking pussys, dopeheads, just looking for a buzz, pillpoppers whining about givin birth the natural way, pffffff.
Did you ever give your pets painmeds when they have to give birth?
think about it you pussy..

By: GM

GM — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:54:00 +0000

I am so glad someone is thinking the way I am!! I gave birth in Australia in 2006. My pregnancy was from 32 weeks at high risk so I ended up in hospital and had my own obstetrician. He delivered my premature baby at 35.5 weeks. She is now healthy and well. I am planning on a 2nd baby, but after the stories I’ve heard about Holland, it makes me want to fly back home just to give birth. My sister also lives here and she had a miscarriage last year. When she called the midwife to say she thinks she is having a miscarriage the midwife said, there is nothing I can do, just stay at home and eventually it will all come out by itself. My sister waited and waited and weeks passed with her having pains. She went again to see the midwife and she said she was spot bleeding and the midwife again said, there is nothing I can do, it will all come out by itself when the time comes. After 4 weeks of hell my sister finally had a full on miscarriage and found out that the baby was already dead in her for the past 4 weeks. I cannot believe the system over here and am having nightmares thinking about having a baby here. I am so thinking of flying back to Australia to get it done as for some reason there are no doctors here and midwifes do all the work. It is totally ridiculous!! They still live in the stone age over here and we get nothing for all that money we spend on insurance.

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By: navtej kohli

navtej kohli — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:33:04 +0000

Wish I had the talent to write such posts.

By: lola granola

lola granola — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:29:47 +0000

I’ve got some good news for you Suze… MCH Westeinde in The Hague is finally catching up with the modern world and is opening up a specialist childbirth clinic offering 24-hour care and different methods of delivery and pain relief.

The clinic is intended mainly for immigrant groups who prefer to give birth in a hospital and who are not comfortable with the Dutch cultural norms of home births.

You can read all about it here: http://www.ad.nl/denhaag/article1959411.ece

Apparently they already have a waiting list from women around the Hague and surrounding areas, and there are plans to open other clinics within the randstad.

Happy New Year to you and your gorgeous family!

By: pj

pj — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:22:34 +0000

oh boy!..I was thinking of moving to Holland for a year or two (have visited loads of times)..you’ve just reminded me what a bunch of moralistic, self-righteous prats the Dutch are! Think I’ll just stay put here in Cape Town and thank my lucky stars that I live in such a fantastic city…