Pack a bag, and write down what you want
Paperbump's advice, not the checklist's: from about week 37 it is worth having a bag ready, wherever you plan to give birth, because the day itself rarely gives notice. Checked against deverloskundige.nl on 22 September 2026.
- Who it applies to
- Everyone having a baby in the Netherlands
- On your timeline
- Paperbump schedules this usually between week 36 and week 38 of the pregnancy
- Official source
- deverloskundige.nl
- Last checked
- 22 September 2026
What else to know
The hospital provides maternity pads, towels and nappies, so the list is shorter than it looks: two changes of clothes for you and for the baby, toiletries and your ID and insurance details. Paperbump would add warm socks and something to eat for whoever is with you, which are not on anybody's official list but are what people say afterwards they wished they had. This is also the moment to write down your wishes for the birth (geboorteplan) so the people looking after you know what matters to you without having to ask in the middle of it.
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