Having a baby in Belgium

Yes, babies are bundles of joy, but there’s also no denying that they’re a lot of work as well – and not just of the changing diapers and late-night feedings variety. Having a baby abroad can have leave expectant parents with a lot of questions: how will the local healthcare system support us? What nationality will my baby be? How do I go about finding childcare?

In Belgium, there is a lot of support for expecting parents. Pregnancy and birth are well-covered by insurance or the public health system (Les Centres Publics d'Action Sociale, CPAS, in French, and Openbaar Centrum voor Maatschappelijk Welzijn, OCMW, in Dutch). Further, children zero to six receive free medical care and both parents receive parental, though women receive more.

At every step along the way, there is someone to help you prepare for and adjust to your growing family. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.

Pre-natal steps

Caring for your baby starts long before she actually arrives. Of course, you have to look after your own health, but there are also a number of practical matters to decide.

Two important organisations to keep mind are Office de la Naissance et de L’Enfance (ONE) and Kind & Gezin (K&G). ONE operates in Wallonia and Brussels and K&G in Flanders, and both provide pre- and post-natal support for expecting parents, from helping you find a doctor, midwife or gynaecologist to pre-natal care classes.

A third organisation is the Brussels Childbirth Trust (BCT), which, while not covering as broad an range of services at the other two, provides pre- and post-natal care and courses in English.

Finding a creche

If you are both working parents, then getting a place in a good crèche is essential. This requires a little planning. ONE and K&G recommend booking your spot in a crèche four months into your pregnancy. That pretty much means starting to look around as soon as you know you’re expecting.

What makes a good crèche? That depends on the parents and the child, but location to home or work is important. Language is also something to consider, as well as cost. Contacting the crèche and taking a tour of the facilities should answer any questions you need. Also, read The Bulletin’s more detailed article on finding crèches in Belgium.

The birth

Most births in Belgium take place in hospitals. Labouring mothers go to maternity hospitals found throughout the country, which will either be wards in general hospitals or in apart buildings.

As an alternative to the hospital setting, you can also choose to go to special birthing clinics called maisons de la naissance. These provide a more home-like atmosphere and have midwives on staff who will oversee your birth.

Home births in Belgium are less common, though some opt for this path as well. To give birth at home, your doctors must declare you to be in good health and you must have two midwives present. The Professional Union of Midwives website can help direct you towards finding a midwife.

Unlike many other countries, hospital and clinic stays in Belgium tend to be on the long side for mother and child – typically around five days. In choosing your hospital or clinic, it’s important to ask about the typical costs of giving birth in a particular facility. Private clinics and hospitals will be more expensive than public ones; having your own room will also cost you more and might increase the amount the doctors and other care givers charge as well. Also check with your insurance (mutuelle) to see how much they will cover and how much you can expect to pay out of pocket for a typical birth as well as for any complications that may arise.

Post-natal

Congratulations, now you have a baby! Now you likely have a whole new set of questions to be answered. Once again, ONE, K&G and BCT are the places to turn, as all have excellent post-birth services to help adjust to your new housemate and work out some of the technical kinks. These include breast- and bottle feeding support and even trainings on how to handle cloth nappies.

ONE or K&G, depending on where you live, will also be who you turn to post-natal medical care. They have consultation clinics all over Belgium and provide free medical services to children zero to six years old. They also provide home visits.

When your baby is born, you’ll get a small booklet (the carnet de l’enfant) that will be a record of his or her physical development, medical history and vaccinations. You’ll need to take this booklet with you to every check up. 

Making it official - registration

As a last formality as you settle into life with your new baby, you will need to register his or her birth with the commune within 15 days. Note, however, that while it make feel less than intuitive, you should register the child with the commune in which she was born – so where the hospital is – and not the commune of your home address.

It’s a Belgian!...maybe

A quick trip to the town hall should solve all of that, and, voilà, you have an official Belgian resident. She is not, however, necessarily Belgian. According to the law, simply being born in the country does not automatically grant one Belgian nationality.

There are several criteria that may or may not make a child a Belgian. One of particular note if neither parents holds Belgian nationality is that you as a parent can only request Belgian nationality for the child if Belgium has been your main residence for the 10 years preceding the child’s birth.