Home Birth in the Netherlands: What Many Expat Women Wonder—and How to Prepare

For many expats or women coming from countries where childbirth is heavily medicalised, the idea of birthing at home in the Netherlands feels both inspiring and a little mysterious.

The Dutch system is built in a way that often supports physiological birth (natural, low-intervention birth) with midwives attending low-risk pregnancies, home births being a respected option, and a strong focus on maternity care. 

The Netherlands has the highest home birth rate with 30% of Dutch women birthing at home while around 60% do so in hospital, mostly for medical reasons, and another 10% birth in special out-patient birthing clinics.

If you’re an expat who feels more comfortable birthing at home—even though you were raised to expect medicalised birth—this guide is for you: what questions to ask yourself, what you need to consider, and how a doula can support you if you want to rely on your body’s own physiology.

Key Questions Expat Women Should Ask Themselves

Reflection helps you feel clear and in command of your experience. You might ask:

1. What is my risk level? Do I have a low-risk pregnancy? Are there any medical conditions, previous surgeries, multiples, or complications? A midwife in the Netherlands will assess this early.

2. How comfortable am I with less medical intervention? In home births, use of pain medication (like epidurals) is not standard; hospitals are more likely to offer them. Home births typically rely on non-pharmacological comfort measures. Expatica

3. How do I feel about transfers? If complications develop, what is the plan? How long will it take to reach hospital? What are the indicators for a transfer?

4. What support do I want emotionally? Am I clear about who I want with me (partner, doula)? Do I want continuous presence and someone who understands both my background and the Dutch system?

5. How will I prepare practically? What’s the required or helpful equipment (“kraampakket,” home birth tools)? How do I understand the midwife’s role vs obstetric backup? What are my preferences for birth position, environment (lighting, music), rituals, etc.?

6. What expectations or fears do I carry from my home country? Many expats carry implicit beliefs: that birth always needs pain relief, that births are necessarily over-medicalised, or that safety lies in hospitals. Asking where these beliefs come from can help you decide what you really want, rather than what you assume.

What Research & the Dutch System Tell Us

• About 30% of births in the Netherlands are still planned home births for low-risk pregnancies under midwife care. 

• Studies show that women planning home births are more likely to have spontaneous births and fewer medical interventions (less use of episiotomy, less augmentation), compared to those planning hospital births. PubMed

• The concept of “physiological birth” is well recognised in NL: midwives are trained to support natural labour, encourage movement, hydration, freedom, and to refer only when needed. World Health Organization+1

• Many expats report culture shock around Dutch birth norms (less frequent use of pain relief, less hospitalisation, more home births), so language and expectation gaps can cause discomfort. Practices like having an English-speaking midwife or doula, reading the Dutch guidelines, and discussing preferences early help a lot. 

  
  

How a Doula Can Support Expat Women Who Choose Home Birth

A doula becomes your companion, translator of culture, and your emotional and informational anchor. Here’s how:

• Co-creating your birth plan that reflects your birth values, preferences, and cultural background. Helping you prepare for both a home birth and what to do if transfer is needed.

• Bridging cultures and expectations, helping you understand Dutch midwifery norms and what is flexible vs what might be standard practice and how to deepen the conversation with your midwife.

• Protecting your physiological birth space: helping you maintain comfort, reduce interruption, preserve privacy, support hormonal flow (oxytocin, endorphins) through environment, rituals, calm, touch.

• Continuous emotional presence and decision support: being there with you during pregnancy for fears, questions; during labour to remind you of your strength; helping your partner support you too.

• Post-birth integration: helping you process the experience, care for your body with Ayurvedic and traditional healing practices, ensuring rest, nourishment, emotional anchoring.

How Expats Can Best Prepare if They Want a Home Birth in NL

• Choose a midwife early, ideally one who is comfortable answering your questions seriously.

• Interview a doula who speaks your language (if helpful) or at least is culturally sensitive, who can help you with informational and emotional support.

• Create a well-crafted birth plan including your “non-negotiables” (e.g. environment, rituals, partner/doula involvement, pain relief wishes).

• Prepare your home birth environment: kraampakket, preparing your room, lighting, music, comfort items.

• Deep selfwork: working with beliefs about birth, fears, previous narratives. A doula or therapist can help.

Reassuring Truths

• You are not alone in this—even though the system might feel foreign, many expats have walked this path and found home birth deeply empowering.

• Your body knows more than you think. When well supported, many of the automatic medical interventions can be avoided.

• A well-prepared home birth with a midwife + doula gives you both safety and autonomy.

If you are considering home birth, or just leaning toward trusting your body’s physiology more, I’d love to hold space for you. Whether this is your first baby or you’ve birthed before, let’s connect in a free call and explore what feels aligned for you—honoring your history, your values, and your birth vision.