CHILDRENS HEALTH

What's a visit like?

Section Map

When you arrive at the clinic you should hand your Groeiboek to the receptionist and tell them what time your appointment is. She will tell you when to do what, depending on how late things are running; only experience will tell you how good/bad your local clinic is at punctuality. Read about what you should bring along to the clinic here.

When the receptionist tells you to, you should strip your infant down to its nappy and bring it along to the scales on her table. It will first be weighed (for which you should whip the nappy off at the last minute) and then measured (also nappy-less; everything's very wipe-clean .) which can be a little alarming for the first-time parents as one has to help lie one's infant down on its back and reasonably straight, and it doesn't usually care for the procedure. Relax: you're among friends here and nobody's in a hurry. Then you're allowed to strap the nappy back on before its head circumference is measured, after which you can wrap it up in something warm to wait for your appointment. This routine will be the same through baby and toddlerhood (see Peuterbureau).

 

Time with the Doctor (or nurse)

You will then have ten minutes or so of appointment with some combination of the doctor and nurse. Generally doctors stick to regular schedules at the clinics around town, so you will probably get to know him/her a little. As in any medical situation, the doctor/nurse may have a trainee present, about which she will always consult you, and should you object you are entirely at liberty to say so.

My experience is that clinic staff are gentle, caring and just plain good with the infants. In particular my clinic are exceedingly quick and practised with injections and totally positive about breastfeeding, which gets my vote.

Apart from the vaccinations, the doctor and nurse both perform essentially the same task, which is to attempt to assess in a very short time the general state of development of your child by means of some simple checks and tests on the child (read more here) and questioning your good self. This means that although they will spot the big issues (that is, after all, what they are there for), it is very much up to you to help them out with the small things, so do TALK to them about things which are bugging you, if any. Read more here.

Preventative side