More and more parents are looking for something other than the medicalised approach to birth that’s common in Belgium, and are exploring alternatives that are gentler and more attuned to women’s bodies and babies’ natural rhythms. This has led to the establishment of several birth centres in Belgium in recent years.
Brussels
- At Pass-ages in Forest, pregnant women can have their pregnancies monitored and give birth, provided the delivery is low-risk. The environment is warm and peaceful, allowing women to choose their preferred birthing positions and relax in a bath if they wish. After the birth and a period of rest for the family, they can return home relatively quickly.
Follow-up care is provided at home by a midwife. Pass-ages works with the Amala midwifery team and has an agreement with the maternity ward of CHU Saint-Pierre to guarantee good conditions in the event of a transfer.
Walloon Brabant
- Midwives Stephanie Wampach, Samanta Burresi, and Valentin Pasin at the Pandore birth centre in Braine l’Alleud can support women before, during and after birth. Their birth centre can welcome 4-6 babies per month in a space designed for physiological births that offers an inspiring view.
With the Pandora midwives you can give birth at their birth centre, at home, or at Erasme’s Cocon birth centre or Ixelles hospital.
Flemish Brabant
- Bolle Buik midwife Patty Docx runs ‘Birth and breakfast’ (site in Dutch) at her home in Viersel, Flanders. This is a small birth centre, where you can give birth in the comfort of a home setting, under the watchful eye of a midwife.
Wallonia
- Founded in 2005, L’Arche de Noé in Namur has a team of midwives who will support you from the moment you want to have a child, before, during and after the birth until your baby’s first birthday. For the birth of your baby, depending on your plan, they can welcome you in the rooms of the birth centre or join you at home for a home birth.
- In Seneffe, La Bulle Naissance is a dynamic place where your pregnancy can be followed by midwives and where you can give birth in a home-like environment. The team places an emphasis on respecting the rhythm of each woman, each baby, each couple, and it’s a place where both physical and emotional comfort are central.
