Not to fear! Here in front of you is a guide to having a baby in Flanders.
First things first: If you want to get pregnant or are pregnant, the first step is finding a gynaecologist. The hospital you go to is directly tied to your gynaecologist, so if you want to give birth in a certain place, make sure you choose one associated with that hospital. Your normal family doctor, who will do the blood analysis and sonograms, can refer you to a gynaecologist.
Next: the sociaal assistent, or social worker, will be your new best friend. This person’s entire function is to answer your questions – about pregnancy, symptoms, giving birth, breastfeeding and more. Plus, they can also explain the intricacies of the Belgian health-care system in terms of benefits, maternity leave, etc.
This fantastic service is provided to expectant parents, both before and after birth, by Kind & Gezin (Child and Family), a Flemish government agency. From home visits by an area nurse to informational evenings, there is no lack of support.
Another person included in the pregnancy process is a physiotherapist, who can be available at the birth to help with pain relief. Belgium also supports using physiotherapy in the following weeks to ensure the body recovers fully after the stress of childbirth.
Kind & Gezin also issues a maternity booklet called Mother’s Notebook for the mother to take with her to all doctor and hospital visits. They record vital information in it so that the same information is relayed to the various people involved in your pregnancy.
Pre-natal visits closely monitor the expectant mother’s health and minimise the likelihood of premature or underweight babies. Your health insurance will also send a brochure to explain the pre-natal aspects of having a baby.
You can choose to have a hospital or home birth. Both are cool by ➟ Belgian standards and are covered by insurance. If you opt for a home birth, a number of mitigating factors apply in relation to the mother and child’s health. If choosing a hospital birth, the average stay for mothers is five days – a full day more than the European average.
Diana Albiol, an English expat who lives in Lochristi, East Flanders, recently had a baby and was thrilled with Belgium’s policy of five days at the hospital. “I was so exhausted and overwhelmed with just how constant the needs of my son were – feeding, changing, burping. I slept a half hour here, an hour there, only when he slept,” she explains. “But my body really needed more sleep. On one night, the nurses held the baby for me, and I was able to sleep for five hours uninterrupted. It was wonderful and helped me cope so much better.”
Once the baby is born, along comes another book from Kind & Gezin called Boekje van het kind (Book for Your Child) in which all-important medical details are recorded. It is here that a number of vaccinations are listed detailing at what age the baby should have which shot. Much like a coupon, you just give a slip to the doctor to receive the baby’s vaccination free of charge.
Speaking of free, when people think about having a baby, one of their first concerns is the costs involved. And this is where Belgium is almost excessive in its support. Having a baby in Flanders is financially less of a strain due to a number of factors.
Services provided by Kind & Gezin are free of charge. Most other costs associated with the pregnancy, such as the hospital stay, doctors visits and the birth itself, are all covered by health insurance, which every legal resident has the right to. If you have good hospitalisation insurance, your care is covered in full. However, in Belgium, no pregnant woman is ever denied health care. And pre-natal classes, available in local hospitals in Dutch, are also free. (English-language pre-natal classes are available in Brussels; see Resources.)
Aside from that, all parents receive a cash allowance to help with the shocking costs of raising a baby. Have you ever seen the price of diapers?
Carine Van den Borre of Euromut has been in the insurance industry for 25 years. “The moment you can prove you are pregnant, usually with a doctor’s form, you get a birth premium worth a few hundred euros,” she says. In fact, depending on your insurance company and whether this is a first or subsequent child, it can be in excess of €1,000.
“Upon delivery,” continues Van den Borre, “you get the birth certificate and register the baby at a city hall. Once this happens, then there are the benefits both from the insurance companies and the government.”
That would be the kinderbijslag, or child allowance, in the form of a monthly stipend of about €75 for the first child to help cover costs. Provided by the OCMW, Belgium’s public social welfare centre, this is paid from six months pregnancy until the child is 18. Exactly what kind of benefits you receive depends on a number of factors such as if you are self employed, an employee or unemployed.
You also receive, of course, a big reprieve from work. Women may take up to 15 weeks maternity leave. In fact, the legal phrase is: “At least eight weeks must be taken after the birth and at least one week must be taken before the date when the baby is due.” Unfortunately, not quite the same is allowed for the father: following the birth, the father has a right to just 10 days of paternity leave.
Kind & Gezin Free advice to expectant and new parents – from pre-natal care to breastfeeding to manoeuvring Belgium’s social services. Also a number of free or low-cost booklets on pregnancy, birth and baby care www.kindengezin.be
National Social Security Office Information on the monthly child allowance, which parents receive until the child is 18 www.onssrszlss.fgov.be
Brussels Childbirth Trust This organisation in the capital hosts English-language support groups and both pre- and postnatal classes. A wealth of information for expats from expats www.bctbelgium.com
Community Help Service Another Brussels-based organisation, this English-language counselling service publishes Having Your Baby in Belgium, a free informational booklet and handy translations of pregnancy- related Dutch and French vocabulary www.chsbelgium.org
There are other aspects to having a baby in Flanders that are less technical but sometimes no less complicated. Diana Albiol from England recently had a baby in her home in East Flanders, where it’s common for families to visit the hospital in large groups.
“This was one tradition I could not embrace,” she explains. “The thought of eight people piled into my room while I’m tired and dealing with a newborn just seemed too stressful.”
One tradition she did embrace was the birth announcement. In Flanders, parents send everyone they know a card with birth date, gender and name immediately after the child is born. It usually also includes the names of the all-important godmother and godfather, as well as the gift registry location.
The birth announcement is not unique to Flanders, but the time and energy put into it here is impressive. Young people look to out-do each other in the creativity department, designing their own announcements to be as hip and cool as possible – mothers naked in bathtubs, Barbie dolls showing the birth process, ships at sea passing by islands that bear the baby’s vital statistics. They still need to be printed after the birth to get the date right, and yet you often receive them three days after the blessed event – Flemish efficiency at its most obvious.
In the Unites States, the baby shower is a long-held tradition that is now being repeated in some European countries. A family member or close friend throws a party for the pregnant mom, with food, drinks and gifts from the registry. The crowd oohs and ahs as each little sock or bib is held up.
In Belgium, there is a gift registry but presents are brought to the hospital or home after the baby is born. In return, Belgium has a unique tradition of giving a small token of appreciation back to the gift-givers, often in the form of sweets. But the Flemish get creative here, too: I’ve seen gorgeous little boxes filled with pralines and even little bottles of jenever.
Flanders Today is a 
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