The postnatal period is the roughly 8 to 10 days after the birth. A maternity nurse comes to your home to care for you and your baby, and we visit to see how you are both doing.
You usually get around 49 hours of maternity care, spread over those 8 to 10 days; the maternity nurse discusses with you how to divide them. Your basic insurance covers maternity care apart from a statutory personal contribution per hour (€ 5.70 in 2026), unless your supplementary insurance covers that. Arrange maternity care in good time, preferably before you are 16 weeks pregnant.
What the maternity nurse does
- checks your temperature, blood loss and stitches
- weighs your baby and helps with feeding
- teaches you how to bathe and care for your baby
- keeps the household running and looks after any other children
- notes down anything we should know
What we look at
During the postnatal period we call in several times to see how you and your baby are doing. On these visits we pay attention to the following, among other things.
For the mother
- how much blood you are losing
- the position of the womb
- how any wound is healing
- any problems with the breasts
- your physical and mental condition
- your temperature
For your baby
- how feeding is going
- whether your baby passes enough urine and stools
- whether the colour is good
- the weight
- the temperature
We also register your baby for the heel prick test and the hearing test. At the end of the postnatal period we hand over your care to the child health clinic. For your postnatal check-up you call us yourself.
When to call us
Between visits you are always welcome to call if you are unsure about anything. Do call us if you have a temperature of 38 °C or higher, if you are bleeding heavily, if you have a painful hard spot in your breast, or if you are worried about your baby. If the maternity nurse is with you, feel free to talk it over with her first.