Baby Ahoy: Recent Episodes
Chitra Natarajan
This episode is a slightly different one from all the other episodes I have released so for. Today, Karoll (CEO of Parentally) & I are sharing a few important bullet points for the listeners who are planning on Having a Baby in The Netherlands.
Karoll is Madagascaran French living in Amsterdam with her husband Thomas and two Leopold (almost 8yo) and Basile (5). Karoll is the CEO of an online platform called Parentally – www.parentally.nl. Parentally was created with the desire to raise awareness around the diversity and richness of perinatal and parental care available as well as to facilitate the connection between (future) parents and trustworthy practitioners in The Netherlands.
Karoll & I recently participated in Iam the Expat Fair in Amsterdam to talk about How to prepare for giving birth in The Netherlands. The workshop was housefull, and this gave us the idea to record this short informative podcast episode for anyone who is thinking about becoming pregnant or newly pregnant in The Netherlands.
If you have any additional questions or information, please feel free to write to us on karoll@parentally.nl or chitra@akriti.nl
If you are looking to change your health insurance company or package between November 12th and December 31st, 2023. It will come into effect on January 1st, 2024. You need to look into Independer or Zorgwijzer.
Karoll & I met about 6 years ago while she was pregnant with her second child. She wanted to have a Vaginal Birth after a C- section so she and I worked together for her to be prepared for her second birth. If you would like to listen to her episode then please check Episode 9 of Season 2 or click on this link https://akriti.nl/baby-ahoy-podcast/
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
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The post 2023-05-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 7 Karoll & Chitra’s conversation – Having a Baby in The Netherlands appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is about Joanna’s Postpartum journey. Joanna gave birth at home but had to be moved to the hospital because of the incomplete birth of the placenta & haemorrhaging. This is Joanna’s experience of postpartum, her struggles and how she & her partner managed the choppy waters during postpartum.
Joanna & I talk about how breastfeeding is hard and how she dealt with her emotional/mental health through breastfeeding journey and healing through postpartum. She breastfed her son for sixteen months. We also speak about Postpartum blues and importance of mental health in this episode. Joanna is Polish. After living in Dublin & New York City, she currently lives in The Netherlands with her partner, Iacer & her baby, Yiannis.
If you are a new mother or an expecting parent and if you have signs of depression, postpartum rage, mood swings or irritability then please do get in touch with your GP/huisarts and get a therapist for counselling as soon as possible.
Please do give this episode a spin.
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
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The post 2023-05-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 6 Joanna’s Postpartum Story appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is about Joanna’s HypnoBirthing, Home Waterbirth Story. Her story is in two parts, the first part about her, her journey into pregnancy & her birth story.
Joanna is Polish. After living in Dublin & New York City, she currently lives in The Netherlands with her partner, Iacer & her baby, Yiannis. Joanna & I talk about living in NYC during the pandemic and how she & her partner moved back to Amsterdam, their pregnancy story, how they both prepared themselves with HypnoBirthing and how she birthed to her lovely big baby boy, Yiannis.
Trigger Warning – At around 1hr15mins of the episode, Joanna talks about the birth of her baby boy and after the birth of her baby, she had placental hemorrhaging and blood loss post childbirth. We talk at length about what went on those moments and Joanna also shares her partner’s reflection as well. This can be triggering for some please use your discretion to listen to that part of the story.
The Part two of Joanna’s Postpartum journey will be released as the next episode.
Please do give this episode a spin.
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
Disclaimer & Privacy Policy – Refer www.akriti.nl
The post 2023-04-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 5 Joanna’s Home Water Birth Story appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is about Nadia sharing her homebirth story. Nadia & I talk about her pregnancy journey, her Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy, how she managed her health around GD & her accidental home birth.
Nadia was born & raised in Scotland. Nadia talks about how she & her Dutch husband Simon prepared for the birth of their baby boy, Lucas with HypnoBirthing.
Trigger Warning – At around 43mins of the episode, Nadia talks about how after the birth of her baby, Lucas, he didn’t breathe for the first three minutes as he had fluid in his lungs. Nadia & I talk at length about what went on with her at that point. This can be triggering for some please use your discretion to listen to the birth story.
We not only talk about her birth story but also about Postpartum & Breastfeeding. Role of Kraamzorg (maternity nurse) in The Netherlands.
Please do give it a spin.
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
Disclaimer & Privacy Policy – Refer www.akriti.nl
The post 2023-04-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 4 Nadia’s Birth Story appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is my conversation with a HypnoBirthing dad, Rudolf who shares his journey into Parenthood. Rudolf was born in South Africa, met his Brazilian partner/wife, Fernanda in The Netherlands. He shares his story of how he prepared himself for the pregnancy by attending the HypnoBirthing course and by 9 books to the frequency of 1 book a month during his wife’s pregnancy to make sure that he can be well prepared.
Rudolf & I talk about everything about preparation during pregnancy, Fernanda’s labor & birth and Rudolf’s presence in the laboring room. Rudolf also shares some intimate details of what went on with him while his wife was giving birth. The sleep deprivation that comes during postpartum and how they have been steering illnesses from the daycare that their toddler brings home.
We recorded this podcast late last year so we talk about birthing in the pandemic and easing of the omicron virus protocols. This episode will make you smile, grin, laugh and enjoy a father’s/partner’s perspective immensely. Can I just mention that Rudolf’s partner, Fernanda, gave birth to her baby the day after we recorded the podcast? Yes! Now they are a happy family of four and I can’t wait to bring him back on this podcast again to talk more about raising two small children.
Enjoy the episode !
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
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The post 2023-03-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 3 Rudolf’s Journey into Parenthood appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is about Nerys sharing her Birth & Parenting journey with us. Born in Wales, Nerys met her Italian partner, Giuliano in the UK in 2008, and moved to The Netherlands with her partner in 2009. After completing a Masters degree, Nerys began her PhD. They welcomed their daughter, Sofia in 2015 following an induction with epidural at the Wilhelmina Kinder Ziekenhuis at Utrecht.
Nerys got in touch with me for her second pregnancy for the birth of their second daughter, Mia, who was born in 2018 at St Antonius Ziekenhuis, Ledische Rijn, Utrecht. Nerys & Giuliano did the HypnoBirthing course with me to have a better birthing experience second time around. Nerys gave birth to Mia in the water according to their Birth Wishes. Nerys & I discuss not only her birth journey but also issues with tongue-tie and breastfeeding for both babies, and life as working parents during the pandemic.
Enjoy the episode
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
Disclaimer & Privacy Policy – Refer www.akriti.nl
The post 2023-03-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 2 Nerys’s Birth & Parenting Journey appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
2023-02-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 1 Maya’s VBAC Journey
This episode is about Maya sharing her birth stories. Her first Surgical (C-Section) Birth in India and her second Vaginal Birth after C- Section (VBAC) at the hospital in The Netherlands.
Maya was born & raised in India. She now calls The Netherlands her home and lives with her partner, Gaurav and her two daughters, Naina & Diya. In this episode, Maya & I talk about her first surgical birth, her second vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC), how she & her husband Gaurav have adapted their role as parents of two small children, sleep deprivation, how Maya has slowly transitioned back into work, struggles & challenges that comes with Breastfeeding & Postpartum.
In our conversation Maya talks about her first birthing experience in India because her first daughter was breach and had to have a surgical birth. We then talk about VBAC which is Vaginal Birth After C-section.
At 4min into the conversation, Maya mentions about turning the baby. The procedure is called External Cephalic Version (ECV). External cephalic version (ECV) is a procedure that tries to turn a breech baby into a head-down position so you can have a normal vaginal birth. To know more about ECV, please speak to your care provider.
VBAC resources – If you are interested in knowing more about VBAC births then refer to the following links
https://vbacfacts.com/
Caesarean.org.uk – offers information and support on many aspects of cesarean and vaginal birth after cesarean, including articles, photos of C-section scars and a C-section birth plan, A Woman’s Guide to VBAC offers support for decision-making about VBAC versus repeat cesarean section, based on guidance from the National Institutes of Health.
International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) provides information about C-section in the name of preventing unnecessary cesareans, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
VBAC.com provides childbearing women and maternity care professionals access to research-based information, resources, continuing education and support for VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)
Evidence Based Birth – https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ebb-113-the-evidence-on-vbac/
For more information about my work, Please go to www.akriti.nl
Disclaimer & Privacy Policy – Refer www.akriti.nl
The post 2023-02-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 3 – Episode 1 Maya’s VBAC Journey appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
This episode is about Karoll sharing her birth stories. Her first Surgical (C-Section) Birth in the US and her second Vaginal Birth after C- Section (VBAC) at the hospital in The Netherlands. Karoll was born in 1984 in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar to Madagascan parents. She left her home country with her family...
The post 2022-04-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Episode 9 Karoll’s VBAC Journey  appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Vasia is a Greek expat living in Luven, Belgium for the last 9 years. Vasia is a researcher at the University of Luven. She is a mother of two young boys, Nikolas and Vyron, and a wife to compassionate lovely man, Koen. Today’s episode is a continuation of the previous episode. We talk about Vasia’s...
The post 2022-03-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Vasia’s Second Pregnancy & Birth Journey – Part 2 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Vasia is a Greek expat living in Luven, Belgium for the last 9 years. Vasia is a researcher at the University of Luven. She is a mother of two young boys, Nikolas and Vyron, and a wife to compassionate lovely man, Koen. Trigger Warning – Today’s episode is Vasia’s first pregnancy and a difficult, traumatic...
The post 2022-03-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Vasia’s Pregnancy & Birth Journey – Part 1 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Serdar was born in Turkey, in a city at the Black Sea region, in the fall of 1980. Due to his father’s job, he grew up in multiple cities throughout his childhood, including Istanbul, Ankara and Paris. Thanks to those domestic and international moves, he experienced international friendships and cultures from a very young age....
The post 2022-02-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Serdar’s Journey into fatherhood appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Lindsay is originally from the US. She and her husband, Brent moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands as expats. They lived in The Netherlands for Six years and moved back to the United States in the summer of 2021. Lindsay was enthusiastic, kind, and flexible to give me the time to record her incredible birth stories....
The post 2021-11-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Lindsay’s Pregnancy & Birth Journey – Part 2 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Lindsay is originally from the US. She and her husband, Brent moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands as expats. They lived in The Netherlands for Six years and moved back to the United States in the summer of 2021. Lindsay was enthusiastic, kind, and flexible to give me the time to record her incredible birth stories....
The post 2021-11-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Lindsay’s Pregnancy & Birth Journey – Part 1 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Julia is originally from Germany but lived in the UK for ten years. She & her partner Robin decided to move to The Netherlands in 2020 during the pandemic from the UK. Julia shares how she moved from being fearful about birth and wanting a c-section to moving to the other end of the spectrum...
The post 2021-10-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Julia’s Pregnancy Journey – Part 2 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Julia is originally from Germany but lived in the UK for ten years. She & her partner Robin decided to move to The Netherlands in 2020 during the pandemic from the UK. In today’s episode Julia shares her brief experience of navigating the UK’s NHS during pregnancy and finding her feet in the Dutch maternity...
The post 2021-10-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 – Julia’s Pregnancy Journey – Part 1 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Hi ! Welcome to the first episode of Baby Ahoy Podcast Season 2. Barbara is originally from Germany and Serdar is from Turkey. Barbara moved to the Netherlands to live with Serdar. Barbara loves animals and nature, enjoys long walks with her dog. She spent many years living in different countries, including very remote areas...
The post 2021-09-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 2 Episode 1 – Barbara Hendus’s Pregnancy & Birth story appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Today’s episode very close to my heart as I am sharing my dear friend, Jane Boogaard’s birth stories. Jane is from the UK and currently lives with her husband, Rob and their two gorgeous children Chloe & Josh in The Netherlands. Jane is an amazing artist. She trained in Theatre Arts and was a stage...
The post 2021-07-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 1 – Jane Boogaard’s Birth Stories (Season Finale) appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Today’s episode is the second part of Archana’s journey into Parenthood – we discuss Archana’s unexpected unassisted home birth. Please note, it was an accidental unassisted home birth. Archana had well trained, experienced midwives to help her through her pregnancy.
9 odd minutes – Archana mentions a book that her partner Mrinal read, book title is Men, Love & Birth – The book about being present at birth that your pregnant lover wants you to read by a male midwife from the UK. His name is Mark Harris. I would highly recommend all Birth companions to read this book. We also talk about Perineal massage using Epino www.epino.de & Aniball www.aniball.nl
19 – 20 odd mins – Archana mentions Time Distortion and the effect of your body’s own hormones acting like a narcotic
20mins25seconds – Fetus ejection/ejaculation reflex for the birth of the baby
41 mins – Archana is a sexual abuse survivor. She advocated herself for less to no cervical examination for her birth and she mentions about how breastfeeding was something that she didn’t look forward to
Archana & I also spoke about Postpartum blues, rage and importance of mental health. If you do feel signs of depression, postpartum rage, mood swings or irritability then please do get in touch with your GP/huisart and get a therapist for counselling as soon as possible.
Archana is multifaceted, a Technology Strategist, a Public Speaker, a Coach with specialty in coaching culturally diverse teams, Archana is also a Stand-up comedian. Her social media account is very impressive with her talking about Body image, Body positivity and her journey into Parenthood. Archana loves dancing.
Do join me to listen to this wonderful human talk about her journey into parenthood.
The post 2021-06-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 1 – Archana’s Pregnancy & Birth Story – Part 2 (Postpartum) appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Archana’s Pregnancy Journey
Trigger Warning – Some content of this episode can be triggering and difficult for some. Kindly use your discretion before you listen.
Today’s episode is only the first part of her journey into Parenthood – Archana’s pregnancy journey, we discuss very sensitive and deeply difficult topics about why she and her partner had to decide whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy, her previous miscarriage, body image, fat phobia & body positivity. Her many health hurdles during pregnancy and how she overcame all of the hurdles, how she and her partner navigated the Dutch maternity system by being an advocate for her rights to having a baby and a special note about their baby’s name.
Archana is multifaceted, a Technology Strategist, a Public Speaker, a Coach with specialty in coaching culturally diverse teams, Archana is also a Stand-up comedian. Her social media account is very impressive with her talking about Body image, Body positivity and her journey into Parenthood. Archana also loves dancing.
Do join me to listen to this wonderful human talk about her journey into parenthood.
Archana’s Birthing journey and postpartum will be released as the second part on the 15th of June 2021.
The post 2021-06-01 | Baby Ahoy Season 1 – Archana’s Pregnancy & Birth Story – Part 1 appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
An appealIndia is currently seeing an exceptional number of covid-19 infections. You must have seen some of the devastating scenes from India of people dying without oxygen supplies and others dying due to starvation. Your help and support will bring help and relief to so many. I request you to please donate how much ever you can. Every little donation counts, and it will make a big difference for people who are currently suffering.
You can donate to the following organisations
https://fundraisers.giveindia.org/
https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/mission-oxygen-helping-hospitals-to-save-lives
Thank you in advance for your kindness & support in donating for the people of the Indian Sub-continent.
Ozge Willem’s Birth Story
Ozge & I met for the first time in 2017 when she got in touch with me for the HypnoBirthing course. Ozge is from Turkey and moved to The Netherlands for love. Her husband Bart is a dutch man. Ozge has keen interest in Personal developments such as understanding people and psychology. Her love for learning alternative wellness methods for self-care for mental & physical health and well-being is very apparent.
One of the first things I noticed about Ozge when I met her for the first time is her friendliness and warmth that she exudes. She is a great listener, a fantastic host & an amazing human being. I will never forget the hospitality Ozge & Bart showed when i visited their beautiful home. I have to mention Bart’s Carrot cake is absolutely droolworthy.
In today’s episode, Ozge & I are having a conversation, a trip down the memory lane about the birth of her little boy, Atlas. Ozge had an unexpected Preterm birth at 34+ weeks.
- At 19 odd minutes of the Podcast, Ozge mentions about a position that she was taking while she was In labor – It’s the all fours/hands & knees position
- At 32 odd minutes Ozge mentions about Kraamzorg person. For people tuning in from different parts of the world. The Maternity care in The Netherlands called Kraamzorg is very unique. Right from the time the baby is born up to the first 8 days, the kraamverzorgster (a Maternity Nurse) would help the new family to get used to new addition in the family. Please check this link for more information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraamzorg
- Ozge also mentions about too many staff/people in her birthing room. Please note that this was an exceptional situation as Ozge went into pre-term spontaneous labor so the hospital had a full staff ready for the birth of baby Atlas. Please note you can always say no to too many people in the room. It’s about informed decision making about whether you give consent or refuse.
- At 39 mins Ozge mentions about waterpokken illness which is chickenpox caused by a varicella-zoster virus
The post 2021-05-15 | Baby Ahoy Season 1 – Ozge Willem’s Birth Story appeared first on Hypnobirthing.
Show notes – Elisabeth
Elisabeth is a mother of 3 children. She’s an empathetic teacher, supremely creative artist and a lovely human being. I met Elisabeth through the local community. She has a wealth of information and knowledge about lay of the land, She’s a great organizer and I see her as a community builder.
She later followed my HypnoBirthing course for the birth of her third baby. We talk about her long IVF journey using various fertility treatments of 10 pregnancies to having 3 healthy children but also the loss of pregnancies/miscarriages.
Pregnancy loss & miscarriages can be triggering for some and may bring difficult emotional memories. So please take care of yourself while you listen. Please talk to your GP/huisarts about various possible fertility treatments if you need help. Please also look up local Pregnancy loss & miscarriage support group so that you don’t feel lonely in this journey.
If you are an expat living in The Netherlands then please do join Expat Miscarriage Support Group NL on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/121972851801146
At 38.45 – We talk about New Zealand government approves paid leave after miscarriage announced on the day we recorded this podcast (25th March 2021). Unfortunately, I stand corrected. The western media has incorrectly reported that New Zealand as the first country to implement such a law.
India passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act in 1961, which grants 6 weeks of fully paid leave for women who experience a miscarriage at any point in their pregnancy.
Mauritius offers 3 weeks for miscarriage and 14 weeks for a stillbirth, both fully paid.
Philippines offers 60 days of fully paid leave for miscarriages at any stage of pregnancy, and this also applies to emergency terminations.
Indonesia 6 weeks fully paid leave for the mother at any point in her pregnancy.
Taiwan offers between 5 days to 4 weeks, depending on how far along the pregnancy was.
Sources – https://ins-globalconsulting.com/taiwan-business-guides/learn-about-taiwan-labor-law/taiwan-guide-maternity-paternity-leave/
https://labour.govmu.org/Pages/The-Workers’-Rights-Act-2019-and-Regulations.aspx
https://content.next.westlaw.com/0-508-0242?transitionType=Default&firstPage=true&contextData=%28sc.Default%29
https://in.makers.yahoo.com/india-first-country-legalise-miscarriage-leave-yet-its-implementation-is-not-so-forward-030706342.html
https://pcw.gov.ph/availment-of-the-105-day-expanded-maternity-leave-under-republic-act-11210-faqs/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/25/world/asia/new-zealand-miscarriage-paid-leave.html
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