A wonderful yet potentially overwhelming period is about to begin. Those first few days and weeks at home will involve seeking a new equilibrium. Fortunately, you’re not alone: indeed, once at home, you can make use of maternity care.

What is maternity care?

You’ll need time to find your feet following the birth of your child. Maternity care is there to assist. There are two types of maternity care: midwifery services provide medical support and maternity assistance provides non-medical support.

What services does a midwife provide?

A midwife is medically trained to provide support both during and after your pregnancy, in consultation with your gynaecologist. What exactly does a midwife do?

- She performs medical checks on both you and your baby.
- She checks your baby’s weight and examines their eating and sleeping patterns.
- She provides support with breast or bottle feeding.
- She offers psychological guidance when you’re feeling below par.
- Should your partner or other children have any questions or concerns, then you can discuss these with her.
- She also furnishes you with information about contraception.

You needn’t request the help of a midwife in advance. You can do this during your stay in hospital.

What is maternity assistance?

A maternity assistant provides (light) domestic, familial and psychosocial assistance. What exactly does that entail?

- She can help you take care of your baby. She can help you with bathing, changing, dressing and undressing your baby, for example.
- She can relieve you of light household chores, such as cooking, washing up, grocery shopping and ironing.
- She can also take care of your other children, by helping them wash and get dressed, taking them to school or helping them with their homework.

When should you apply for maternity assistance?

You should ideally request maternity assistance once you are six months pregnant. Otherwise, the waiting time may increase. Request your maternity assistance via your health insurance fund or an expertise centre.

How much does it cost?

Midwives are typically paid directly by your health insurance fund. Please note: this only applies to approved midwives. So don’t forget to check that in advance.

How much you pay for maternity assistance depends on your net income. It’s usually a maximum of 11 euros per hour. Many health insurance funds cover a large portion of your maternity assistance costs. CM, for example, reimburses 5 euros per hour, up to a maximum of 150 euros (or 30 hours) per year. Are you a CM customer? Then CM will reimburse you up to 300 euros. You’ll often be entitled to additional reimbursements via your hospitalisation insurance. Be sure to enquire about this with the maternity care service, your health insurance fund and your insurer.