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.
Midwife antenatal clinics
Below is a list of the midwife antenatal clinics (jordmoderkonsultation) affiliated with the hospital:
Hillerød
Nordsjællands Hospital
Jordemoderkonsultation (Midwife antenatal clinic)
Early intervention - midwife antenatal clinic
Entrance 51, level 3 (enter from Bakkedraget)
Dyrehavevej 29
3400 Hillerød
Familieambulatoriet (family outpatient department)
Entrance 54 (enter from Bakkedraget)
Dyrehavevej 29
3400 Hillerød
Helsingør
Sundhedshuset, Jordemoderkonsultationen (Midwife antenatal clinic)
Murergade 5, ground floor
3000 Helsingør
Frederikssund
Frederikssund Hospital, Jordemoderkonsultationen (Midwife antenatal clinic)
Frederikssundsvej 30
3600 Frederikssund
Lyngby - Tårbæk
Bauneporten 20
2800 Kgs. Lyngby
Contact the Jordemodersekretariatet (midwife secretariat) if you have any questions about booking an appointment. You can find the telephone number under the contact information.
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 two ultrasound scans at the hospital.
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, the scan itself and a blood test taken by your general practitioner before the first trimester scan. 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. (in Danish only).
During the first trimester scan, you will be given an appointment for the second trimester scan.
During the second trimester ultrasound (weeks 19-21 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.
Bring one adult companion
You are welcome to bring along one other adult. The ultrasound requires quiet and concentration, so we do not recommend bringing along a child. If your child is ill and there is no one else to take care of her or him, you are welcome to call and book another time for the scan.
There may be several people at the scan
There may be several people in attendance during the scan, e.g. trainees. We may also need additional personnel to access the scanned images.
Appointments with an obstetrician
Some pregnant women will be offered consultations with an obstetrician at the hospital due to illness or 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 breastfeeding consultation if you:
- have 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.
Live online antenatal class - webinar (in Danish only)
You and your partner can attend antenatal and parenting classes online. You will be able to ask the midwives and maternity nurses teaching the class questions. They will also ask you questions to help you prepare for the first few weeks with your newborn.
The webinar consists of two modules:
- Module 1: Pregnancy & delivery (weeks 32-34 of pregnancy).
- Module 2: The newborn child & the new parents (weeks 34-36 of pregnancy).
You can register for the class by writing to us via MinSP or by calling the outpatient department for pregnant women, G0112. You can find the telephone number under the contact information.
Healthy habits during pregnancy
Diet and exercise
All pregnant women should eat a varied diet and exercise regularly. We recommend following the seven 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.
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.
If you are vegan or vegetarian, it is important that you check the specific recommendations for your diet.
You can read more about the official dietary recommendations at www.sst.dk/English.
There are special recommendations for pregnant vegan and vegetarian women 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.
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.
Giving birth
Contact us when it is time to give birth
After week 37 of pregnancy, contact the delivery ward when you are having regular contractions, if your water breaks or if you experience bleeding similar to your period. You can find the telephone number under the contact information. 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 a duvet for the newborn, extra food, a charger for your phone and a child safety seat if you are driving home.
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 can find more information about giving birth at home at www.nordsjaellandshospital.dk/hjemmefoedsel (in Danish only).
After giving birth
Outpatient birth
If there were no complications during delivery, and both you and your child are well, you can head home straight from the delivery ward. We can be in close contact with you during the first few days: If you are a first-time mother, a midwife will pay you a visit on the first and third day after giving birth.
A maternity nurse will call you two days after the birth to check on how you are doing. If this is not your first pregnancy, the midwife will call you the day after the birth and visit you on day three after the birth.
During the visit, the midwife will test the baby’s hearing, screen for congenital eye diseases and take a blood sample from the baby’s heel.
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.
If you have given birth at home
Births at home are considered outpatient births and follow the same procedure.
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 blood sample is used to check for several different and rare metabolic disorders. Before you leave the delivery ward, we will set up an appointment to take the blood sample. The blood sample will be taken from your child’s heel 48-72 hours after birth. The hearing test can be carried out three days after birth and later.
Health visitor
If you have given your consent, a health visitor will be in touch. You can find your health visitor on the municipality's website.
Post-birth consultation
We will discuss the birth with you when we visit you at home three days after delivery or while you are staying on the maternity ward.
If you would like to further discuss the birth following this visit, you can contact us to speak to the midwife or doctor who was present during delivery.
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. You will receive a health check during the second appointment, which 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 here: www.regionh.dk/patientrettigheder (in Danish only).
Learn more
You can read more about pregnancy and delivery on the Danish Health Authority's website, www.sst.dk/English. Search under ’Pregnancy’.