/Emma

I’m from the Netherlands. And I’m a feminist, my mom was a feminist (heck she was one of the first women to keep on working after she got maried and got children!!!), all my (girl)friends are feminists. However all of uss chose to gave birth at home or at least without painmedication (if possible). It is absolutely not true that the feminist movement in the Netherlands has the opinion that men decide on what women should endure in the Netherlands. during labor, however I do hear this nonsense a lot. The ambulance system is not as well organized as you picture here. Yes there is the idea that everybody should be able to get to the hospital within 10 minutes. But for me it took an hour. However our midwifes are the best in the world and very well equiped they know when it is time to go to the hospital or when they have to call an ambulance! Maybe you should get in contact with the following women (midwifes) Beatrijs Smulders and Mariël Croon. To give some acurate information about the dutch system. Because it is not the first time I read something on the internet about the dutch system that is actually translated from an english site written by someone who actually opposes the dutch system. Most dutch women don’t want pain medication while they are in labor! I didn’t want to. My friends didn’t want to. And you do definitely get it when you ask for it! In the Netherlands a big part of women will agree with me, some won’t, but they have the choice to get pain medication if they want to. It is mainly men I hear say in the Netherlands that it is unfair that women suffer so much during labor. Well I don’t think I suffered one bit I experienced to most wonderful thing in the world with my whole body. And I’m happy I know what is is!