Shortages in maternity care: a growing problem

Cramps, sleepless nights, questions about feeding and a lot of emotions. The first weeks with your baby can be very challenging, both physically and emotionally. A maternity care professionals is a welcome source of support and encouragement during the maternity period. An experienced professional who stands with you, gives advice and understands how you feel.

At the same time, there is a serious shortage of these maternity professionals. So great, that many families cannot count on more capacity beyond the legal 24 hours of maternity care.

What is the reason behind the shortage in maternity care?

The reason? That is a combination of circumstances. One of the main reasons is the aging population in maternity care. The outflow is greater than the inflow from the various healthcare training programs.

“There are now about 9,000 maternity professionals working in the Netherlands. Whereas about 11,000 are actually needed for the 168,000 babies born each year.” - Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd, 2022

In addition, budget cuts in the healthcare sector are also having a major impact on the supply of maternity care. Less budget available for training and employing maternity care professionals.

Alternatives due to maternity care shortage

These shortages cause solutions to be sought. This also means that these future fathers and mothers may consider alternative options. For example, consider a postpartum doula, or seeking support from family and friends.
Several initiatives have been undertaken in response to the shortages by the industry itself. Examples include maternity care organizations developing their own training programs and collaborations between maternity care organizations to share knowledge.

BabyManager; the digital addition for maternity care

This is also why BabyManager was created by Kraamzorg 1op1, KraamInzicht and Kraamzorg De Waarden. BabyManager offers a unique combination of digital instruction and information, allowing (future) parents to be guided remotely before, during and after the maternity period. Through the unique collaboration with health insurers, insured clients have the opportunity to exchange 1 hour of maternity care for two months of the BabyManager+ subscription.

This gives them the opportunity to contact experienced maternity care professionals 24/7 via chat or video call. Together, we keep care accessible for everyone and reduce the pressure on physical maternity care.

Curious about how BabyManager can contribute to your services?

Download our white paper now and learn how BabyManager can keep maternity care accessible and affordable.

Ensuring quality in birth care

We must continue to look for and encourage alternatives to reduce the pressure. Only then will we ensure that the quality of care remains guaranteed, and maternity care organizations have a clear view of the safety and health of the brand-new parents and the passionate maternity workers.

For more information about BabyManager, continue reading here: https://www.babymanager.nl/en/about

Employed in birth care? Read more about BabyManager's contribution here (in Dutch): https://www.babymanager.nl/babymanager-voor-kraamzorg