Can't find maternity care? How to improve your chances — and what your rights are

How tight is it really?

Maternity care has been under pressure for years. The number of maternity carers is falling — by around 10% a year according to recent figures — while the number of births is falling more slowly. Where in 2023 only a handful of regions worked with waiting lists, there are now many more. Early in 2026 the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate concluded that the available capacity needs to be distributed better, and since 2026 tailored agreements are being made region by region.

Worth knowing: "no maternity care" is not the same as "less maternity care" or "assigned late". Most families do get care in the end — just sometimes fewer hours than usual, from a different provider than their first choice, or only confirmed shortly before the birth. Annoying, but a different situation from having none at all. And there is a lot you can do yourself.

What you can do yourself

1. Arrange it early. Maternity care organisations prefer to receive requests before week 16 of the pregnancy. Start orienting around week 12. The earlier you apply, the better your chances of getting your preferred provider — and of there being a place at all. Don't wait for the 20-week scan.
2. Approach several providers at once. You're not committed to anything until you have a confirmation. Register with two or three organisations and say so honestly; whoever has a place first wins. Politely cancel the others once you have a place.
3. Be flexible where you can. On which maternity carer you get, on the exact start day within the maternity week, and on a slightly wider area than just your own town. A provider a few kilometres away may well have room.
4. Involve your midwife. Ask for names of providers who do well in your region, and ask whether the practice will help make calls if it doesn't work out. A midwife who calls — especially if there is a medical reason — often gets further than you can alone.
5. Use an overview of your region. On Kraamplein you'll find maternity care providers near you — self-employed maternity carers and agencies alike — so you can see at a glance who to approach instead of googling one by one. Also read When should you arrange maternity care? and What to look out for when choosing maternity care.

Your rights if it doesn't work out

Your health insurer has a duty of care. If you can't arrange maternity care yourself, call your health insurer's care mediation department (sometimes called "care advice" or "waiting list mediation"). They are legally obliged to help you find care. Call in good time — they need time too.

A medical indication gives priority. If there is a medical reason why maternity care is extra important — for example after a caesarean section, in the case of a medical vulnerability, or after a difficult previous maternity period — have your midwife state this clearly on the request. It carries weight in the allocation.

A basic level must always be provided. Even when things are tight, maternity care has a minimum package: a number of hours a day for checking on mother and child and for explanation and instruction. If you're told you'll get fewer hours, ask what you will get. Your maternity carer can request extra hours during the maternity week if it turns out to be needed at home (a re-assessment).

The last resort. If maternity care at home really cannot be arranged, discuss with your midwife or the hospital whether you can stay on the maternity ward or in a birth hotel a little longer after the birth. Not a standard solution, and not your decision alone — but worth discussing.

What you don't have to do

You don't have to pay for "priority". Within the maternity care your health insurance covers, there is no legal shortcut where an extra payment puts you at the top of the list. Some agencies do offer separate, private extra hours on top of your insured package — that's allowed, but it's not the same as buying priority. Don't fall for an expensive "guarantee package" if you simply search in time and widely enough.

In short

• Request maternity care before week 16; start orienting from week 12.
• Register with several providers at once.
• Be flexible on maternity carer, start day and distance.
• Ask your midwife for names and to help make calls.
• Not working out? Call your health insurer's care mediation — they have a duty of care.
• A medical indication gives priority; have it stated clearly.