verloskundigenpraktijken

Verloskundigen, or midwives, are healthcare professionals who specialize in pregnancy, labor, and the early postpartum period. In the Netherlands and in many other countries, verloskundigen provide most routine maternity care for low-risk pregnancies and may work in private practices, clinics, or hospital settings. Their scope includes prenatal care, birth support, and postnatal follow-up, typically from early pregnancy through about six weeks after birth. They perform health assessments, monitor fetal development and maternal well-being, provide education on nutrition, warning signs, and childbirth expectations, and manage non-complicated lab tests and basic screenings. They also plan birth with the expecting family, including decisions about home birth, hospital birth, or birth centers, and arrange referrals if complications or risk factors arise.

In the Netherlands, verloskundigen are trained at bachelor level and regulated through the BIG-register; they generally work within the first-line maternity care system and coordinate with obstetricians and other professionals for higher-risk cases. They may provide home visits, on-call support during labor, and postpartum visits, including newborn checks and breastfeeding support. The professional practice emphasizes patient autonomy, informed choice, and minimizing unnecessary interventions, while ensuring safety through risk assessment and timely transfer when needed. Training typically includes clinical obstetrics, fetal monitoring, anatomy, and emergency skills, such as resuscitation for newborns and management of obstetric emergencies. The role can vary by country and healthcare context, but the core function remains to support healthy pregnancies and mitigate complications through continuous, trusted care.