Pregnancy in Belgium
Are you planning on starting a family while you're in Belgium? Then here's everything you need to know to have a smooth and healthy pregnancy. We also go over abortion in Belgium should you have an unintended pregnancy.
Pregnancy care
No matter where you're located in Belgium, you'll want to first see your GP to confirm your pregnancy. You can also first confirm your pregnancy with an at-home test, which costs between €10 to €20. You can pick these up at pharmacies and supermarkets. After that, pregnancy care will depend on where you're located.
Flanders
In Flanders (Dutch-speaking community), you'll be taken care of by both your GP and OB-GYN in the private sector. A nurse will come for regular home visits.
If you need additional support during your pregnancy, you can consult with Kind en Gezin (Dutch), which offers free advice up until your child is three years old.
Wallonia
In Wallonia (French-speaking community), you'll be under the care of OB-GYNs in both the public and private sectors. You'll also be checked up regularly by medical social workers (travailleur medico-social (TMS) in French). They'll give you a maternity booklet called the Carnet de la Mere, which you'll have to bring to all your appointments with your GP and TMS.
The French equivalent of Kind en Gezin is Office de la Naissance de l'Enfance (ONE).
Checkups
To make sure you don't have an ectopic pregnancy, you'll receive an initial ultrasound. This scan also gives you an approximate due date.
After this initial scan, you'll receive monthly checkups up until you're seven months pregnant. From that point on, your checkups will be every two weeks, and then every one week past nine months.
The point of all these checkups is to ensure your baby is growing normally and that it's healthy. Not only that, but you may have some lab tests done to ensure you're healthy as well.
Most insurance policies cover:
- 3 ultrasounds
- Test for chromosomal abnormalities and streptococcus (done between 11 and 14 weeks)
Other tests (such as for Down and Edwards Syndromes) aren't included, so you'll have to pay out of pocket.
Giving birth in Belgium
You should get help with labor when your contractions come every four to five minutes. If you're bleeding, in pain, your water's broken and it's an odd color, or your baby's not moving, call 112 right away.
Hospital birth
Bring your ID, healthcare card, insurance documents, and blood group card. You'll get to stay in the hospital for five days in a private room and you'll have a full medical team with you, including midwives and physiotherapists.
Home birth
You can only have a home birth if you're healthy. You must have two midwives and you must see your GP in the week following birth.
An alternative to home births is going to a birth house (maison de la naissance in French). You'll still get a midwife but you'll give birth in a more well-equipped place than your home.
Abortion in Belgium
As of April 1990, abortion is legal in Belgium, so long as it's 12 weeks after conception or 14 weeks after your last period. If it's to save your life and/or because of fetal impairment, then there's no time limit.
To get an abortion, you must have pre-abortion consultation and legal counseling with a social worker. In addition, you must have a pre-abortion confirmation consultation.
After you've had counseling, there must be at least 6 days in between counseling and the actual procedure. Both must be done at the same place, which can be at either hospitals or family planning centers (slightly cheaper). You must seek contraception options at one of these consultations.
For your consultations, you need to bring your ID card, social security card, ultrasound (if available), and your blood group card. If you don't have the last item, the doctor will order a blood test.
The cost for an abortion is around €3 if you're a resident and have a social security number, as insurance covers almost all of the costs (but not hospital stays, which can cost up to €250). Otherwise, it'll cost around €450 at a hospital or €200 at a family planning clinic.
Useful links:
Office de la Naissance de l'Enfance (ONE) (French)
The Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) (Frenc)
