Pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care

Information about pregnancy, labour and delivery and postnatal care.

Congratulations on your pregnancy

There are many things to consider and deal with as a pregnant woman or partner in connection with pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. To help you as much as possible, we have prepared an overview of what you can expect.

When you need help

In the event of acute need for help before the 20th week of pregnancy

Contact your general practitioner or dial 1813 to reach the medical helpline outside your general practitioner’s opening hours if you need acute help before the 20th week of pregnancy. You will not necessarily be treated at the same hospital as you will give birth in.

In the event of acute need for help after the 20th week of pregnancy

If you develop acute problems after the 20th week of pregnancy, contact Gravid- og Fødemodtagelsen/Akutmodtagelsen for Gravide (the pregnancy and delivery ward/emergency admissions for pregnant women). Their phone number is under contact information. For example, you should call them if you have persistent itching over your whole body, experience heavy bleeding or if you cannot feel the foetus kicking.

Appointments during your pregnancy

Appointments with a midwife

You will be offered four to six consultations with a midwife during your pregnancy. The midwife will monitor the child's development and talk to you about healthy habits while pregnant. You will also discuss the physical changes you will experience and the emotional changes that you and your partner may experience during the pregnancy. The midwife will also help you prepare for the birth. We will try to ensure that you see the same midwife throughout your pregnancy. We therefore recommend that you do not change any appointments.

Appointments with your general practitioner

You will be offered three consultations with your own doctor around weeks 6-10 of pregnancy and weeks 25 and 32 of pregnancy. You have to book these appointments yourself.

Ultrasound scans during your pregnancy

All pregnant women are offered an ultrasound scan at the hospital during their first and second trimesters.

During the first trimester ultrasound (weeks 11-14 of pregnancy) we will calculate your due date and ascertain whether there are one or more living foetuses. You will also be offered a risk assessment to ascertain the probability of your child having any genetic deviations such as Down's syndrome. The probability is calculated based on your age, measurement of the nuchal fold and a blood sample. The blood test is called a double test.

You can book an appointment for the first trimester scan at www.minsundhedsplatform.dk or in the app Min SP. You can also book an appointment by calling +45 38 68 38 78 on weekdays between 08:00-15:00.

To book an appointment for a blood test, call +45 38 68 30 80 on weekdays between 14:00-18:45. You can make the appointment for a blood test two days after booking an appointment for the nuchal fold scan online.

During the second trimester ultrasound (weeks 18-20 of pregnancy), we will check the position of the placenta and check the development of the foetus. We will scan the foetus and its organs for any visible abnormalities. If you wish, we can tell you the sex of the child during this scan. If you have not already booked your second trimester ultrasound a few weeks before week 20 of your pregnancy, contact us.

The phone number is under contact information.

Appointments with an obstetrician

Some pregnant women will be offered consultations with an obstetrician at the hospital due to illness or if there is a risk of complications in connection with the pregnancy that may affect either the child or mother.

Breastfeeding consultation

It is important that you tell your midwife if you have had surgery on one or both of your breasts. You should also mention any nipple piercings.

Some pregnant women are offered a consultation to prevent complications in connection with breastfeeding. You will be offered a consultation if you:

have had surgery on your breasts e.g. a breast reduction, a nipple repositioning or received breast implants
previously had problems with breastfeeding
are in doubt about whether you want to breastfeed or have any other concerns regarding breastfeeding.

Home visits by a health visitor during pregnancy

Some municipalities offer home visits by a health visitor during pregnancy. The health visitor can provide guidance, support and advice for pregnant women and families with babies or young children.

Antenatal classes

Healthy habits during pregnancy

Diet

All pregnant women should eat a varied diet and exercise regularly. We recommend following the official dietary recommendations:

Eat plant-rich, varied and not too much.
Eat more vegetables and fruit.
Eat less meat - choose legumes and fish.
Eat whole grain.
Choose vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products.
Eat less sweet, salty and fatty foods.
Quench your thirst with water.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, it is important that you check the specific recommendations for your diet.

Special recommendations for pregnant vegans and vegetarians are available from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration at www.altomkost.dk (in Danish only).

Vitamins and iron supplements

We recommend following the Danish Health Authority’s recommendations for pregnant women. Take the following daily:

400 micrograms of folic acid up to week 12 of your pregnancy.
10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout your pregnancy.
40-50 milligrams of iron from week 10 of pregnancy until birth.
500 milligrams of calcium or eat and drink what corresponds to half a litre of dairy products throughout your pregnancy.

Avoid smoking and alcohol

Avoid smoking and alcohol as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. Both smoking and alcohol are harmful to foetal development and can, at worst, cause permanent harm to the child.

We also recommend that you do not use products containing nicotine when you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Passive smoking can harm your child during pregnancy and breastfeeding as harmful substances from smoke can be absorbed in breast milk.
We recommend contacting your general practitioner if you find it difficult to avoid alcohol, smoking and other products containing harmful substances, e.g. nicotine, while you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The hospital can refer you to your municipality’s free counselling on giving up smoking.

You and your relatives can also contact Stoplinien anonymously by sending a text message with the word ‘Rygestop’ to 1231. Stoplinien will then give you a call. You can also find more information on giving up smoking during pregnancy at www.roegfribaby.dk (in Danish only).

Medication and other substances

Talk to your general practitioner about whether it is safe to continue taking any medication you are on during pregnancy.

Medication or drug abuse can harm both you and your child. Speak to your general practitioner about help to stop your substance abuse.

You can also find help from Trygmor, an organisation that provides free counselling for pregnant and breastfeeding women about medicine, herbal medicines and drugs. Visit www.bispebjerghospital.dk for more information (in Danish only). Search under 'trygmor'. You can also call +45 38 63 63 63.

Familieambulatoriet (family outpatient department)

The family outpatient department at Hvidovre Hospital can provide help for pregnant women who have had an addiction to medication, alcohol and/or other drugs within the last two years. You can also contact the department if your partner has an ongoing addiction.

You can read more about the family outpatient department at www.hvidovrehospital.dk (in Danish only). Search under 'Familieambulatoriet'.

Exercise

Take moderate physical exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Moderate exercise means that you move at a rate that leaves you a little out of breath e.g. walking, bike riding, gardening, swimming and weight training.

Read more about physical activity and pregnancy at www.sst.dk/English. Search under ’physical activity’.

Other matters to be aware of during pregnancy

Gestational diabetes

We will offer to test you for gestational diabetes if you:

have had gestational diabetes before
have previously given birth to a child weighing 4,500 grams or more at birth
have sugar in your urine during a midwife consultation
had a BMI of 27 or higher prior to your pregnancy
have children, siblings, parents or grandparents with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
are pregnant with more than one child.

The test is usually done around weeks 10-20 of pregnancy and once again between weeks 24-28. We offer to repeat the test in some circumstances.

Rhesus negative blood type

If your blood type is rhesus negative, we recommend having a blood sample taken around week 25 of your pregnancy by your general practitioner. The blood sample will show the blood type of your baby.

If your baby is rhesus negative, the Danish Health Authority recommends that you receive an injection of anti-D during the 29th week of pregnancy and then again soon after delivery. The injections will prevent your immune system from creating antibodies against your child’s blood. Your midwife will make sure you receive the injections.

Remove your nipple piercings during pregnancy

Your breast and nipple will change during pregnancy. We recommend that you remove any nipple piercings early in the pregnancy so your breast and nipple can develop naturally.

Giving birth

Contact us when it is time to give birth

If you are having regular contractions, your water has broken, you begin to bleed or you feel less movement, contact Gravid- og Fødemodtagelsen (the pregnancy and maternity admissions) at +45 38 68 32 57. Together with you, we will determine whether it is time for you to come to the hospital or if you should wait at home a little longer.
If you are giving birth at home, call the midwife on the same telephone number to see if it is time for your midwife to come to your home.

If you have had a caesarean section in connection with a previous delivery, call us when you begin to have contractions.

Have a bag ready

It is a good idea to pack a bag with all the things you will need to take with you to the hospital when you give birth. For example comfortable clothing, toiletries, clothes and duvet for the newborn, extra food, a charger for your phone and a child safety seat if you are driving home.
Leave large baby equipment in your car as there is limited space in the delivery rooms.

Giving birth on the delivery ward

The delivery ward can handle both easy births and more complicated births that require extra monitoring of both the child and mother.

Giving birth at a maternity clinic

A maternity clinic is an option if the future mother is healthy and there have been no complications during the pregnancy. Using the clinic also requires that labour has begun naturally and that no complications are expected during delivery.

Giving birth at home

Giving birth at home is an option when the mother is in good health and there have been no complications with the pregnancy. The midwife will come to your home and help you during delivery, and will stay with you for two hours after the child is born.
If any complications arise during delivery, you will be transferred to the delivery ward. The midwife will accompany you if this happens.

You will be given more information about giving birth at home during your consultation with the midwife.

After giving birth

Outpatient birth

An outpatient birth requires that you are in good health, that you give birth without complications and the child does not need any additional treatment at the hospital after delivery. An outpatient birth means that you will go home about 4-6 hours after giving birth.

We can be in close contact with you during the first few days:

The day after you give birth, a midwife will call you to check up on you and the baby.
We will also schedule an appointment for you at our postnatal outpatient department to conduct a hearing test of the baby, a screening for congenital eye diseases and to take a blood sample from the baby’s heel.
During the first week, you can call the staff at the maternity section 24/7 if you have any questions about your health or the health of your child at (+45) 38 68 94 53.

Staying at the hospital after giving birth

If there were complications during pregnancy or delivery, or if you or your child require hospitalisation after the birth, you can stay on the maternity ward. First-time mothers who deliver without any serious complications such as a caesarean section are welcome to remain on the ward for about 24 hours.

If you have given birth at home

If you give birth at home without complications, you will be offered the same services as women who give birth at hospital as outpatients.

Appointments after birth

Hearing test, screening for congenital eye diseases and heel blood sample

All newborns have a blood sample taken from their heel and are offered a screening for congenital eye diseases and a hearing test. The hearing test can be done 3-14 days after birth. It can be done later in some cases, up to 2 months after birth. The blood sample is used to check for several different and rare metabolic disorders.

If you give birth at home, return home directly from the delivery ward, or if you were discharged from the postnatal ward before a blood sample could be taken, you will be asked to return to the hospital. The blood sample will be taken from your child’s heel 48-72 hours after birth.

Health visitor

If you have given your consent, a health visitor will be in touch. You can learn more about municipal health visitors at www.patienthåndbogen.dk (in Danish only). Search under ‘Besøg af sundhedsplejersken’.

If you do not receive a call from the health visitor after returning home, you are welcome to contact the health services yourself. Find your health visitor on the municipality's website.

Post-birth consultation

You are welcome to contact us if you would like to talk to us about the birth. We can help you get in touch with the midwife or doctor who was present at the birth, or who you were in contact with during the pregnancy. You can also book an appointment with a midwife for a postnatal consultation.

Appointments with your general practitioner

You will need to book two appointments with your general practitioner. The first appointment for a check-up of the child should be scheduled for approx. five weeks after the birth. The second appointment, a gynaecological examination, should be scheduled for eight weeks after the birth.

Worth knowing

Check your medical journal and test results

You can check your medical journal, health data and any test results at www.minsundhedsplatform.dk and www.sundhed.dk. They are both available as apps: MinSP and MinSundhed. Log on to the apps with your MitID.

We will notify your doctor

We will send information about the birth to your general practitioner. Let us know if you do not want your general practitioner to receive information from the hospital.

Tell us about your experience

We would very much like to receive your feedback. If you are considering lodging a complaint, please contact the hospital’s impartial patient advisors.
Read more at: www.regionh.dk/patientrettigheder.

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