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Essay on The Dutch Approach the Childbirth

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The Dutch philosophy about childbirth is that it’s a natural, physical process, not a medical condition. Prenatal care is usually provided by midwives and unless there are complications the role of the doctor or gynecologist is minimal if any. More than 60% of Dutch women get pregnant, have a baby and go home without ever seeing a gynecologist or a doctor. Home births are also fairly common practices with the Dutch, they account for approximately 30% of all births. There are fewer preventative screenings and test as well. (Buitendijk , de Jonge & Gravenhorst , 2007) They also rarely use pain medicine during labor; instead the emphasis is placed on natural methods of pain management such as yoga. In general, they believe in a …show more content…

If the family does decide to deliver at a hospital, it is not uncommon for the mother and baby to be released as soon as four hours after birth. If there are complications she can stay up to 10 days but this is rare. The first day that the family is home she will be visited by a maternity nurses or doula, referred to as Kraamzorg. The role of a Kraamverzorgende varies depending on the families wishes. The purpose of the kraamzorg is to aid in the recovery process of the mother and to provide assistance and advice on how to care for her newborn. These duties can change depending on the individual family’s needs and wants. A meeting at the 7th or 8th month between the nurse and the family meets at the prenatal house to discuss their needs and expectations. They will provide a range of services; help during the delivery, guide the mother through feeding, bathing a taking care of the child, monitoring the health of the mother and the newborn. They will also ensure the home is hygienic by cleaning every day the bathrooms and the mother and newborns room. The family will use the kraamverzorgende up to 8 hours a day for 7-10 days following the delivery. The midwife will again visit the mother and newborn for a checkup one week after delivery. (Buitendijk , de Jonge & Gravenhorst , 2007), (Walsh, 2012) Since the Dutch do not seek the same type of care that we have here in the United States, the role of the nurse changes significantly. The

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