Childbirth Courses

Starting (or expanding) a family far from home, where health care practices and customs may differ, can be overwhelming. This is why the ACCESS Childbirth Preparation Courses have been so popular over the years. In addition to answering your questions, you will also learn how to prepare for labour and delivery in the Netherlands. 

What to expect

Our courses are designed for couples/parent(s) and are offered either as a weekly class or as a one-day intensive course. Check Dates & Locations for exact details in your area. Our trainers suggest that you be at least 26 weeks pregnant or during your third trimester when starting the course.

The cost of our intensive ACCESS Childbirth Preparation Course is €295. The four or five-weekly extensive course plus a baby reunion is €325.  A receipt is issued upon payment, and fees include 21% VAT.

Some of the topics covered include:

•     The Dutch health system as pertaining to prenatal and postpartum care
•     The stages of labour and delivery
•     Relaxation, breathing and massage techniques to deal with labour pain
•     The role of the birthing partner during labour and delivery
•     Attitude towards pain and contractions
•     Breathing and positioning during the different stages of labour
•     The pros and cons of medical pain relief
•     Instrumental assisted delivery (vacuum extraction, caesarean section)
•     Breastfeeding information (limited)
•     First week of motherhood
•     Dutch habits and customs

* The costs of the course may be reimbursed by your health insurance. ACCESS, however, bears no responsibility for this process. Please check with your insurance company for details.

You can read about our Birth Course Trainers  – Chitra Natarajan in Utrecht and Amsterdam; Meida van Baal and Maggie Bijl in The Hague and Anastasia Psaropoulou in Eindhoven here.

For an overview of the most frequently asked questions about our Childbith Courses, please see this.

Participants’ Feedback

“I really recommend the course with Meida because, especially for expat mothers-to-be, they can get a detailed overview of how childbirth works in the Netherlands. Meida has been doing this for years, explaining everything in detail and giving you lots of useful tips on how to cope with labour and postpartum.” Camilla Vaselli, Childbirth Preparation Course, June/July 2024, Den Haag

“We had an amazing experience at the course, it was very informative and just completely spot on. So we are very very happy.”  About Maggie by Simona, 1 Day Intensive Childbirth Course, June 2024, Den Haag

“Incredibly positive experience, we learned and experienced everything we needed, to actually feel ready and comfortable to our little boy.  Chitra is a wonderful teacher, mother and friend.  The knowledge you gain, will forever change in a very positive way how you perceive childbirth and the journey ahead.”  Eduard, May/June 2024, Utrecht   

“There really is no feed back to be given.  We really enjoyed the course and learnt more than we expected.  Meida is a great teacher who really takes the time to explain things well but also answer all the questions.”  Alicia and Daniel, February 2024, Den Haag

“This course was one of the best things that happened to me in the Netherlands! Before the course I was terrified of giving birth, but after the course my attitude changed completely. All because of valuable information and the extremely positive atmosphere that Chitra created. She also explained everything in a very detailed and clear way, which helped me to gain confidence. Even though I wasn’t able to apply all the breathing techniques and poses during the labor, at least I approached it feeling happy and confident, which is already a great thing! I also really liked our group and how everything was organized: the room was comfortable and it was nice to have a tea break and talk to group mates. All in all, that was great! Highly recommend it!”    Anna Skopina, January 2024