Care Stories — Planning for a Baby
Clarity and support when navigating pregnancy alone abroad
Clara is an expat employee navigating pregnancy alone in a new country. She faced overwhelming complexity across childcare, benefits, and leave, putting her wellbeing and ability to stay focused at work at risk. Here’s how Family First uncovered gaps early and guided her through every step.
Employer Profile
Employee Profile
Industry: Legal Services
Caregiving Role: Caring for a New Child; Self Care
HQ: Brussels, Belgium
Benefit Referrals: EAP
Size: 300,000 globally
Experience Enlisted: Benefits Navigation, Return to Work, Medical Complexity
The Situation
A regulatory affairs associate at the firm's Brussels office called Family First at 30 weeks pregnant with her first child. As an expat from Portugal, she was unfamiliar with how things work in Belgium when it comes to maternity and childcare. She was trying to make sense of the insurance process, the creche waitlist system, and her maternity leave rights under Belgian law. The office had no parental support in place, and with no family nearby, she felt completely on her own. The stress was showing up as anxiety, trouble focusing, and tension with colleagues.
"Everything has a waitlist and a different process. As an expat with no family here, I felt completely alone."
— Clara B., Preparing for a New Baby
How We Work
From first conversation to ongoing support, our Care Experts don’t just guide. They do the work, solving care needs and staying with caregivers every step of the way.
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Engage, Listen, Understand
We start by listening. Employees are matched 1:1 with a Care Expert to understand what's really going on, not just the immediate issue.
Do the Work
Proactive planning, coordination, coaching and advocacy. We make the calls. We navigate the systems. We take what we can off caregivers' plates.
Ongoing Support & Outcomes
Support continues until goals are outcomes are achieved and stress is reduced. We stay with caregivers until the work is done.
Working with a Care Expert
A whole-person assessment that standard healthcare misses
Family First assigned a Care Expert whose initial assessment uncovered that Clara had not registered with the required birth and childhood agency, and had no idea that creche applications in Brussels often need 9 to 12 months of advance notice.
Her Care Expert also found she was eligible for a birth premium she had not claimed. Working on Clara's behalf the Care Expert put together a care plan covering everything from prenatal logistics to childcare to her return-to-work strategy.
How We Helped
One Care Expert. Six coordinated moves.
Walked Clara through prenatal registration, consultation scheduling, and birth declaration steps
Researched and applied to eight creches across three Brussels communes, managing waitlist positioning
Handled the birth premium application and explained how maternity allowance payments work
Built a return-to-work plan using Belgium's parental leave credit and part-time options
Connected her with a postnatal doula and a local expat parents network
Helped the member prepare handover documentation and a phased re-entry schedule
"Family First understood the Belgian system better than I ever could have on my own. They turned chaos into a clear plan and I went on leave feeling genuinely ready."
Measurable results — for the caregiver and the employer.
58% Caregiver Burnout Reduction
100% Employee Satisfaction
6 Solutions Secured
210 Hours of Productivity Regained over 14 Weeks
Zero Days of Leave Taken Through Week 35 of Pregnancy
Baby Enrolled in Preferred Creche within 10 Weeks of Birth
This is what championing caregivers looks like
See how Family First can deliver meaningful outcomes for your employees across every life stage of caregiving.