The practice was founded on 17 January 1983 by Annemiek Cuppen and Aleid Beks, who settled at 20 Oudegracht in Utrecht. Giving birth at home with a midwife was almost impossible in the city of Utrecht due to a shortage of midwives. At the time they settled there were only three other midwives in Utrecht.
With the establishment of their practice, they have therefore played an important role in the return of the guidance by midwives and the home birth in the city of Utrecht.
‘That practice was a success, and we enjoyed working, following women in the way they wanted to give birth, helping to carry rocking chairs into the hospital, and mainly supervising deliveries at home: lying, standing, squatting, on the birth chair, on all fours, kneeling, in the bath, in the kitchen, in front of the fireplace, in the bedroom and under the desk. Women turned out to be enormously creative, partners and girlfriends inexhaustible, and together they were strong, they could draw on resources they had often not tapped before. Women not only became mothers, but also more women, they often came out of that experience with an intense sense of pride, strength and self-confidence. “Annemiek Cuppen, October 1995, Journal of Health and Politics, volume 13 no. 5
In the summer of 1990, the practice moved from Oudegracht to Breedstraat. This is where the current name of the practice comes from.
After Annemiek and Aleid, several other midwives continued the practice. Midwifery practice Breedstraat stands for tailor-made personal care. Each partnership has given it its own twist, but care for the pregnant woman and partner has always come first.
As of December 1, 2020, the practice moved to Boothstraat, where we got a lot more space. The name of the practice has been a household name in Utrecht for so long that it was decided to keep it. At the new location we can work with several midwives at the same time, the assistant has more space and we also have a room for group meetings and a lovely garden.
At this beautiful place we continue our work for pregnant women in Utrecht with a lot of love for the profession! Curious to see our new team? Look at the page ‘Who are we’.
