Babies/Toddlers 
During the first week of your baby's life in The Netherlands you will receive encouragement and support from your midwife and your maternity nurse (kraamzorg), to help you on your way to establishing successful breastfeeding. An excellent start that you are sure not to get anywhere else in the world as part of the standard care you receive !
It is a fact that "Breast is Best". However, along the way you are sure to have questions or even experience problems. It may be an idea to find a specific forum specialising in discussing problems to do with breastfeeding. Your neighbourhood consultation bureau will also have "walk-in hour" for free advice from a breastfeeding expert. Someone I know found the Borstvoedings Forum quite good, but it is in Dutch. Can you recommend an English one that you've found really useful ? Please let us know !
If you're really stuck then you can pay for some serious advice by calling the Dutch Organisation of Breastfeeding Experts (Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen). Here are a few examples of what you can contact them for:
- Info and advice about breastfeeding
- Problems getting baby to latch on
- Baby refusing to breastfeed
- When breastfeeding becomes painful
- Recurring breast infections (mastitis)
- Insufficient milk supply/ insufficient growth of baby
- Premature babies
- Sickness or handicap of mother or baby
- Beginning again with breastfeeding
You will get an initial appointment of around 1.5 hours, during which time a plan of action will be drawn up. The costs for this advisory service is €64 per hour (exclusive of VAT). Advice over the phone costs €0.54 per minute (exclusive of VAT). On their website they state that they are currently in negotiations to get the costs of this service refunded through the health insurance. For the time being that you will have to pay for this privately but it seems that some breakthroughs are being made.
Working and Breastfeeding
Expressing regularly increases your milk supply, whilst on demand feeding can cause tummy upsets/colic and unstructured feeding times at the wrong time of day. Exactly when a mum should be resting and getting a good nights sleep, it's best to have a schedule that suits both you and your baby. Many mothers can successfully breastfeed while working. You can establish a good routine which works well for both you and baby. Here's how a typical day could look:
| 06:00 | Express milk at home for baby's breakfast, then leave for work. |
| 10:00 | Express 150-200ml milk at work. He will drink this the following day at the crèche at 10:00. |
| 14:00 | Express 150-200ml milk at work. He will drink this the following day at the crèche at 14:00. |
| 19:00 | Breastfeeding baby myself at home. |
| 23:00 | Breastfeeding baby myself at home. |
| Avent Breast Pump / Medela Electric Pump is GREAT |
| Two large Avent feeding bottles with tops |
| 4 cooler elements (the sort you get for your picnic basket !) pre-frozen at home |
| Small padded cooler bag, just big enough to line withe the cooler elements and fit two feeding bottles in the middle. |
| Breast pads |
| Absorbent cloth for putting across knee while expressing. |
| A photo of your baby. This really works so well in getting the let down reflex to kick in ! |
| Steriliser ? You only need to wash the pump and sterilise it once per day. I got this confirmation from the district nurse at the consultatiebureau. |
The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers provides a leaflet of really helpful tips and information on expressing milk when you go back to work. Visit The Working Mom for practicletips and funny stories.
Dutch Legislation for Breastfeeding Mothers
There is extremely good legislation in place for breastfeeding mothers concerning the amount of time you are allowed to spend breastfeeding your baby. Someone I know's breast pump broke at work so she made extra use of this to get home early and get a spare part sorted out for the pump !
Period of breastfeeding, working hours legislation, article 4:8 (original)
- A female employee who is breastfeeding her baby is allowed, as long as she has informed her employer, to spend time during her normal working hours to breastfeed and/or express milk. She is allowed to do this until her baby reaches 10 months of age.
- The time spent feeding and/or expressing milk is allowed to occur as frequently and for any length of time necessary as long as it does not exceed 1/4 of the working time per day/shift. The actual time should be set out after discussion with the employer.
- The time spent feeding and/or expressing milk will be viewed as working time and will be paid as normal.
- Every condition that deviates from this article, which negatively affects the employee, is null and void.
Arbo Decree, article 3.48
A room which can be locked should be made available for pregnant employees and employees who are breastfeeding their babies, so that they can have the opportunity to rest. In this room there will be a comfortable fold up bed or sofa available.
Additional Information in the Arbo Leaflet
As well as the above information this leaflet also states that the room which is made available must be suitable, pose no dangers, and be sufficiently ventilated. It states that if such a room can not be made available then the employee should be given time to go home to breastfeed and/or express milk. They also suggest you contacting your company doctor at the Arbo (bedreifsarts), workers union, labour inspectorate (arbeidsinspectie) if you are unable to reach a suitable arrangement with your employer.
Soul's Story
With all three of my babies, breastfeeding at first, was not natural or pleasurable. I experienced excruciating pain in the first week, serious pain in the second week but it was all fine by day 15. Despite being very careful:extra care with latching on properly, not starting too fast, too long... keeping nipples dry etc, I got bruised and cracked nipples with each baby. It felt like my nipple was under a sewing machine. Tears of agony combined with exhaustion, it was awful, so "un-natural".
The good news is that it sorted itself out after two weeks. In the end, with all three, I breast-fed to six months or beyond. My advice is to keep in mind all the amazing benefits of breastfeeding while you are struggling (and swearing under your breath) during the first two weeks establishing your milk supply and getting into a routine.
