Dutch pregnancy and baby words, in English
The 23 Dutch words you meet while having a baby in the Netherlands, each explained in plain English and linked to what you actually have to do about it. Erkenning, kraamzorg, geboorteaangifte, eigen risico and the rest. Checked 21 September 2026.
- verloskundige — midwife
- In the Netherlands a midwife, not a GP or a hospital, leads normal pregnancy care. You choose the practice yourself and you do not need a referral from a doctor. What to do about it
- termijnecho — dating scan
- An ultrasound between about week 10 and week 14 that measures the baby and fixes how far along you are. What to do about it
- 20 wekenecho — 20-week scan
- A detailed ultrasound that checks how the baby is developing physically. What to do about it
- pretecho — a scan you book and pay for yourself
- Dutch care gives three ultrasounds as standard. Anything beyond them you can book yourself without a referral and pay for, at roughly 40 to 120 euros depending on the scan and the clinic. What to do about it
- kraamzorg — maternity care at home
- For the first days after the birth a maternity nurse comes to your home to look after you and the baby, check on you both, and help with feeding. This is normal in the Netherlands and is covered by basic insurance apart from a small contribution per hour. What to do about it
- kraamverzorgende — the maternity nurse herself
- The person who comes to your home for those first days. What to do about it
- geboortecentrum — birth centre
- If your pregnancy is healthy you choose where to give birth: at home, in a birth centre (geboortecentrum), or in hospital with your own midwife. What to do about it
- erkenning — acknowledgement of the baby
- If you are not married and not in a registered partnership, the mother's partner is not automatically the baby's legal parent. Acknowledgement fixes that, and you can do it before the birth at any Dutch municipality. What to do about it
- gezag — parental custody
- Since 1 January 2023 acknowledgement also settles parental custody, which you confirm at the same appointment. What to do about it
- naamskeuze — choosing the surname
- You can record the baby's surname before the birth at the municipality, or at the birth registration. Both parents go together. If you make no choice, unmarried parents' children take the mother's name. What to do about it
- zwangerschapsverlof — pregnancy leave
- Employees get 16 weeks of paid leave in total: pregnancy leave starting between 6 and 4 weeks before your due date, then maternity leave after the birth. What to do about it
- bevallingsverlof — maternity leave
- The part of those 16 weeks taken after the birth. What to do about it
- ZEZ — Zelfstandige en Zwanger, the self-employed arrangement
- Self-employed people have their own arrangement, giving at least 16 weeks of benefit around the birth. What to do about it
- geboorteplan — birth plan
- Your wishes for the birth, written down so the people looking after you know what matters to you without having to ask in the middle of it. What to do about it
- geboorteaangifte — registering the birth
- You must register the birth with the municipality where the baby was born, within 3 working days. What to do about it
- hielprik en gehoortest — heel prick and hearing test
- In the first week, usually between day 4 and day 7, a health worker comes to your home to take a few drops of blood from the baby's heel and to test their hearing. What to do about it
- geboorteverlof — partner's birth leave
- A partner in employment gets one working week of paid birth leave, taken in the first four weeks after the birth, paid in full by the employer. What to do about it
- aanvullend geboorteverlof — partner's extra birth leave
- After that first week, a partner can take up to five more weeks in the first six months after the birth, in one block or spread out. What to do about it
- betaald ouderschapsverlof — paid parental leave
- Each working parent can take up to 9 working weeks of parental leave paid at 70% of their daily wage by UWV, as long as the weeks are taken in the baby's first year. What to do about it
- kinderbijslag — child benefit
- A payment from the SVB for every child. The municipality tells the SVB about the birth and they write to you inviting you to claim. What to do about it
- kinderopvangtoeslag — childcare benefit
- If your baby goes to registered childcare, the government pays back part of the cost. What to do about it
- consultatiebureau — child health clinic
- Free child health care that starts early: the clinic invites you when the baby is about a month old, and keeps seeing you through the first years to check growth and development. What to do about it
- eigen risico — your insurance excess
- The amount you pay yourself before insurance starts paying. Pregnancy care does not come out of it. What to do about it