ACCESS NL > Childbirth Courses

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

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 surpassed my expectations and provided in depth information on all aspects of childbirth.  There was a great balance of hands on practice and discussion with instruction by Meida.  Meida was very welcoming of questions and knowledgeable in her responses. You could tell she has a wealth of knowledge beyond the main course material.”  Aimee, January 2023, Den Haag

“We got to meet Chitra following the ACCESS child preparation course for expats. What a wonderful person to guide you through the process of mentally and physically preparing for labor (but also for the weeks right before and after). We had the chance to discuss all of our questions and had very interesting conversations with her and the other participants, something you can’t have by just reading a birth preparation book. Chitra is a very positive person that is really on top of her field. What we appreciated the most is that she gave us info and guidance for all sorts of birth scenarios, without any bias towards a certain approach. She also provided us with all sorts of material to study further after the course. Definitely a recommended experience.”    Sofia & Bas, 2022, Utrecht

“My husband and I had no idea what to expect when we signed up for Chitra’s ACCESS childbirth preparation course – we felt we should enroll in a course to gain some knowledge as neither of us had any experience in births or babies and we wanted a course that would be in English. However, Chitra’s course taught us more than we could have imagined, from detailed information on different stages of labour and pain relief (including very insightful background on how the body itself works to prepare for and deal with labour), to practical ways that we can work together and support each other through the birthing experience and after. Active participation in the classes was encouraged, which made them interactive rather than ‘lecture style’, which we have experienced with a couple of other online information classes. As well as the course itself, we found Chitra to be warm and approachable. She is very positive, a fountain of knowledge, and happy to answer the many questions that we all had throughout the course. We would highly recommend this course.”   Cliona & Jesper, 2022, Utrecht