LAYOUT LIST

Mother (maternity set)
Tip: Your health insurance company will probably send you this set.

• A pack of white cotton balls for swabbing with alcohol.
• A sterile cord clamp used by the midwife to clamp the umbilical cord so it can be cut safely.
• A mattress cover, a protective sheet the size of your mattress.
• 5 small cellulose mats, mats that protect part of your mattress and bed.
• 2 large maternity mattresses to protect your mattress.
• 2 packs of sterile gauze; the maternity assistant will use them to wrap and protect your baby’s umbilical cord and navel.
• 100 cc alcohol (70%) to disinfect the thermometer, etc.
• 2 packs of maternity pads, which you will need after the birth due to the blood loss. Maternity pads, unlike sanitary pads, don’t contain any plastic, which means there is less irritation and they are more comfortable.
• 2 packs of sanitary pads; you can switch to sanitary pads after the first few days.
• Gauze knickers* to help keep the maternity pads in place.

Tip:* Useful to have handy

Essential to have ready!

• 1 thermometer (a second thermometer is useful*); after the birth, the maternity assistant will regularly take your temperature and that of your baby. It is preferable to use an “old-fashioned” thermometer. Aural thermometers are only suitable for children over the age of 24 months.
• Blocks for your raising bed; various types of blocks are available from the home-care shop. Arrange to borrow a set from the shop from the 35th week of your pregnancy. They are not only helpful for yourself but for the maternity assistant too. To comply with our working condition standards, your bed needs to be raised to a height of 70 – 90 centimetres during the delivery and post-partum period so you can get in and out of bed more easily and so that the maternity assistant can look after you properly. If you plan to have the birth at home, your midwives may want your bed to be raised to a different height.

Baby

• 6 rompers or vests
• 3 Babygros/leggings with a top and socks
• 12 muslin nappies. These cloths are essential: You can use them as towels or covers for the baby-changing chest. They’re useful to have around when you’re at home and out and about.
• 2 packs of disposable nappies or 20 cotton nappies
• 6 muslin facecloths; they are perfect as face wipes or burpy cloths; because they are very soft, they won’t be rough on your baby.
• 6 burpy cloths
• A cradle or cot; check the safety standards at veiligheid.nl.
• A mattress; it should be firm and fit the cot snugly.
• 2 lower sheets or fitted sheets
• 2 upper sheets and two blankets
• A changing mat
• 2 flannel sheets to protect the mattress
• 2 hot water bottles (preferably steel). Your baby can’t keep itself warm properly yet so you need to put one/two hot water bottles) in the cot before you put the baby in the cot.
• 2 hot water bottle covers
• Baby bath and/or upright baby bath
• 2 large bath towels or bath capes
• 1 bonnet; the baby only needs to wear a bonnet on the midwife’s instructions Don’t put a bonnet on the baby without that advice because your baby may be too hot.
• 1 bucket with a lid to dispose of nappies
• Hairbrush and comb

Tip: We recommend washing the baby layout in advance for the sake of hygiene and to prevent the baby’s skin becoming irritated. Don’t use any fabric conditioner but there’s no harm in using a tumble dryer.

If you bottle-feed your baby

• 2 teats specifically for newborns
• 2 bottles
• Bottle brush to clean the bottles.
• Bottle warmers* to heat the milk. You can also heat the bottle in the microwave or on the stove in a pan of hot water.
• Baby milk powder (formula milk): the brand is not important, as long as the milk powder is specifically for newborns.

Tip:* Useful to have handy

For a home birth
Tip: not included in the maternity set

• 2 buckets + two large bin liners or dirty washing and rubbish during the delivery.
• Good lighting and emergency lighting (powerful battery torch). The midwife needs good lighting to be able to supervise the delivery properly. Make sure you have a torch ready with fully charged batteries as well as lamps, just in case there is a power cut.
• A bedpan, which you may need if you can’t walk to the lavatory. The bedpan is also used to collect the placenta. You can borrow a bedpan from the home-care shop.

For a hospital birth, you should take:

• Insurance papers and/or hospital ID card
• Underwear
• Toiletries
• Dressing-gown and slippers
• Clothes for before and during the birth
• A telephone programmed with the telephone numbers of the maternity care agency and other organisations
• A camera (check the memory card is empty and bring extra batteries)
• A cellulose mat for the car
• A towel or wet facecloth for the journey
• Money
• Something to eat for you and your partner
• Clothing for you and your baby for your journey home
• A car seat for your baby
• The birthing plan, if you have one.

Tip: It’s a good idea to have a suitcase or bag ready packed beforehand (37 weeks) for the birth.

A hospital birth?
If you plan to have the baby in hospital, we advise taking your marriage papers or the acknowledgement of paternity certificate and both parents’ IDs with you to the hospital. During office hours, there will be a civil registrar from the municipality at the hospital so you can register your tiny addition to the family immediately. Many hospitals offer this service.

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