Women's health is an important issue. When it comes to expatriates who want to start a family or expand the one they already have, the worries multiply. But don't panic! Find out how to have a healthy pregnancy in Belgium.
Pregnancy care in Belgium
No matter where you are in Belgium, you'll want first to see your GP to confirm your pregnancy. You can also secure your pregnancy with an at-home test, which costs between €10 and €20. You can pick these up at pharmacies and supermarkets. After that, pregnancy care will depend on where you're located.
Flanders
In Flanders (a Dutch-speaking community), you are taken care of by both your GP and OB-GYN in the private sector. A nurse comes for regular home visits. If you need additional support during your pregnancy, you can consult (Dutch), which offers free advice until your child is three.
Wallonia
In Wallonia (a French-speaking community), you'll be under the care of OB-GYNs in both the public and private sectors. You'll also be checked up regularly by medical social workers ["travailleur médicosocial" (TMS) in French]. They'll give you a maternity booklet called the Carnet de la Mère, which you must bring to all your appointments with your GP and TMS.
The French equivalent of Kind en Gezin is .
Checkups in Belgium
It would help if you did an initial ultrasound to ensure you don't have an ectopic pregnancy. This scan also gives you an approximate due date.
After this initial scan, you'll receive monthly checkups until you're seven months pregnant. From then on, your checkups will be every two weeks and then weekly during the last month before the due date.
The point of all these checkups is to ensure your baby is growing normally and healthy. Not only that, but you may also have some lab tests done to ensure you're healthy.
Most insurance policies in Belgium cover:
- three ultrasounds;
- test for chromosomal abnormalities and streptococcus (done between 11 and 14 weeks).
Other tests (such as for Down and Edwards syndromes) aren't included, so you'll have to pay out of pocket.
Giving birth in Belgium
You should get help with labor when your contractions come every four to five minutes. If you're bleeding, in pain, your water's broken, and it's an odd color, or your baby's not moving, call 112 immediately.
Hospital birth in Belgium
Bring your ID, healthcare card, insurance documents, and blood group card. You'll get to stay in the hospital for five days in a private room and have an entire medical team with you, including midwives and physiotherapists.
Home birth in Belgium
You can only have a home birth if you're healthy. You must have two midwives and see your GP the week following birth.
An alternative to home births is going to a birth house ("Maison de la naissance" in French). You'll still get a midwife but give birth in a more well-equipped place than your home.
Abortion in Belgium
As of April 1990, abortion is legal in Belgium, so long as it's 12 weeks after conception or 14 weeks after your last period. If it's to save your life and/or because of fetal impairment, then there's no time limit.
To get an abortion, you must have a pre-abortion consultation and legal counseling with a social worker. In addition, you must have a pre-abortion confirmation consultation.
After counseling, there must be at least six days between counseling and the actual procedure. Both must be done at the same place, which can be at either hospitals or family planning centers (slightly cheaper). You must seek contraception options at one of these consultations.
For your consultations, you must bring your ID card, social security card, ultrasound (if available), and blood group card. The doctor will order a blood test if you don't have the last item.
The cost for an abortion in Belgium is around €3 if you're a resident and have a social security number, as insurance covers almost all of the costs (but not hospital stays, which can cost up to €250). Otherwise, it'll cost around €450 at a hospital or €200 at a family planning clinic.
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