In this last episode of the podcast Danielle shares her postpartum experience of her son born in June 2023. She talks about how she prepared for it, who she invited into her space and what it did for her. Send Danielle a DM on Instagram mothers_transition with the word “Prepped” to receive her “Prepped for Postpartum” ebook https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/
Read moreThis is Danielle’s birth story of her birth at home in Finland. Links:Download the Asking for Help Guide at the bottom of this page https://www.motherstransition.com/Nest Doulas website: https://thenest.fi/Danielle’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/Sign up for Positive Birth Helsinki meetup: https://mailchi.mp/648e302327d5/positivebirthInformation about Motherhood Talks and other activities atLillaLuckan https://www.facebook.com/groups/1210503785696783
Read moreOn this episode I will be wrapping up the podcast for a few months as I go on my maternity leave. I share with you what I have been doing in the past few weeks to prepare for birth and postpartum as well as what I am hoping to feel and do in the last weeks of my pregnancy. The...
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Welcome to the new space for Motherhood Talks at Abrazo Studio in Pasila Motherhood Talks is a peer-to-peer postpartum group with moderation & empathic presence from professional perinatal and postpartum experts (doulas, lactation consultants, wellness instructors…). The group is aimed for mums & babies aged 1 month to 1 year. The group is free and international, our language is English. Read more
Welcome to the new season of Motherhood Talks! Motherhood Talks is a peer-to-peer postpartum group with moderation & empathic presence from professional perinatal and postpartum experts (doulas, lactation consultants, wellness instructors…). The group is aimed for mums & babies aged 1 month to 1 year. The group is free and international, our language is English. The group gathers weekly at Read more
Each month, from January to December we will be discussing a relevant topic to pregnant couples birthing in Helsinki. The topics are aim3ed to empower attendees with information and choices and to open up a discussion so that pregnant couples can feel more confident about their upcoming births. Join us and find out how to prepare now, during your pregnancy, Read more
Each month, from January to December we will be discussing a relevant topic to pregnant couples birthing in Helsinki. The topics are aim3ed to empower attendees with information and choices and to open up a discussion so that pregnant couples can feel more confident about their upcoming births. Join us and find out how to prepare now, during your pregnancy, Read more
Welcome to the new season of Motherhood Talks! Motherhood Talks is a peer-to-peer postpartum with moderation & empathic presence of professional postpartum experts (doulas, lactation consultants, wellness instructors…). The group is aimed for mums & babies aged 1 month to 1 year. The group is free and international, our language is English. The group gathers weekly at Lilla Luckan 12:00 Read more
Welcome to the new season of Motherhood Talks! Motherhood Talks is a peer-to-peer postpartum with moderation & empathic presence of professional postpartum experts (doulas, lactation consultants, wellness instructors…). The group is aimed for mums & babies aged 1 month to 1 year. The group is free and international, our language is English. The group gathers weekly at Lilla Luckan 12h Read more
Our next session of positive birth is open for registration! Join us on 14th September to discover how labour works and ask all your questions about birthing in Finland. After our chat, we offer more free time with us in “meet the doula” moment – chat with us about our availability & services to help your family thrive in most Read more
Welcome to a soulful gathering for women during the New Moon and Midnight Sun. The transformative retreat, from July 5th to 8th at the beautiful countryside Villa Saga near Helsinki, is a journey of deep rest, self-discovery and empowerment. The retreat is provided by The Nest Doula, yoga teacher and artist Mariee-Andrée Godin and Masha Marjatta and you can discover Read more
We have INCREDIBLE news for our nest community! Our perinatal doula and highly experienced yoga teacher Mariee-Andrée (@theaquarianmother) is providing an amazing free yoga class online next Sunday, 21st April 2024 at 15h Helsinki Time Book your seat by contacting her here or on her instagram. Join her and stretch your muscles from your cozy home, open your heart and Read more
María, from mumfullness.me is offering her famous course “Getting Ready for Breastfeeding” face to face in Helsinki next Saturday May 18th. This is a 3 hour session with updated information and science-based knowledge about how breastfeeding works, plus, time for your questions! The session is really inexpensive, 25€ per person or 40€ per couple (María is offering this reduced price Read more
Positive Birth Helsinki in May will be held on a Saturday in May. This month we are sorry but we are trying to still confirm the dates with Lilla Luckan. But very soon we will update all the information here and in our social media. Follow us on Instagram here. If you want to register to our email list and Read more
Join us on 10th April from 12h to 14h in a new edition of Motherhood Talks. This session will be a bit special – we are taking all our baby carrying tools to check all options with María – one of our doulas, and a baby carrier educator and enthusiast! This part of the session will take around 45 minutes Read more
Our April session will be held, as usual in Lilla Luckan. April 2024 Positive Birth Helsinki session is about dads & birth partners: What do you expect from your birth team? How can your birth partner feel less stressed about birth? How do doulas work with the birth partner? What are your birth partner(s) needs and questions about birth? Lilla Read more
Mothers (and Babies) Circle Welcome to the weekly gathering hosted by Marie-Andree Godin, a mother, artist, perinatal doula, and yoga teacher. This heartfelt gathering is dedicated to fostering an honest conversation about motherhood, where our shared experiences are respectfully weaved together in circle. We will explore the tapestry of motherhood, discussing its beautiful messiness, the complexities of relationships, the joys Read more
Register for our upcoming workshop on induced birth in Finland! Attending is free, but you need to book your spot here>>
On this episode of the podcast, I’m sharing with you Alma’s birth story. In this episode Alma shares her challenging experience of dealing with a late diagnosis of preeclampsia which led into an induction and then to a cesarean birth. Alma so vulnerably shares how one of her biggest fears was having a cesarean and how throughout her pregnancy she Read more
Welcome to this episode of the podcast where we dive into Maria’s birth stories. A first birth story which left Maria feeling broken and traumatized followed by a healing and empowering experience of birth with her second child. Maria talks about the importance of good support in healing from birth trauma as well as recognizing it as such in the Read more
On this episode of the podcast I chat with Linda Tötterman, a midwife working at Lohja hospital. Linda used to work at Naistenkilinikka before Lohja and we got to chatting about some of the differences between these two hospitals. We touched upon the capacity, the amount of midwives there, the general approach and atmosphere, and much more. Linda shared her Read more
Today’s episode is all about water birth! Johanna Honkanen has been working as a midwife for 17 years. She has been in the hospital and now has her own private practice. She is one of the leading midwives in Finland about childbirth and has been involved in writing the water birth guidelines and recommendations that are used in hospitals all Read more
On today’s episode you will hear another wonderful birth story from Mai who shares about the birth of her first daughter. We also got a bit into the birth of her second son and how those two were a bit different and of course connected. Mai talked about the importance of preparation and having a support person such as a Read more
Welcome to this episode of the podcast – a solo episode with your host Danielle Bensky. Today I share with you my feelings and thoughts about becoming a mom of two. In the moment of this recording I am 2 months away from giving birth and I wanted to share from the place that I am in right now just Read more
On this episode my guest is Georg Macharey – a perinatologist working in the delivery ward of Naistenklinikka. Georg has written his PhD on the topic of breech presentation and is one of the experts in this field in Finland. In today’s episode Georg explains the different breech positions that exist and their implications for the birth as well as Read more
This episode of the podcast is all about the pelvic floor or as we’ve been calling it on the episode – the pelvic trampoline. Listen in to find out why my guest Mari Camut prefers this imagery to more accurately represent what this area of our body is all about. Mari talked a lot about what can happen to the Read more
Welcome to today’s episode where you’ll hear another birth story. This time it’s from a second time mother who talks so beautifully about getting ready for labor using hypnobirthing, and learning to trust herself through understanding what it is she wants. Ana shared how relaxed she got in labor using hypnobirthing to the point that her husband thought that labor Read more
Welcome to this episode with Saskia who shared the birth story of her third child. Saskia gives us her experience of the challenges she faced as well as the non linear progression of her fast birth. Listen in to find out about some upcoming events this month of March 2023 and sign up with the links in the show notes! Read more
Welcome to the 45th episode of the podcast and to our one year anniversary! This is such a wonderful milestone of creating content for you that is relevant and helpful in navigating your way through giving birth in Finland, especially as a foreigner. Thank you for being with me on this journey and for coming back each week to listen Read more
On this episode of the podcast you will hear a birth story from the perspective of the partner! How did he experience the birth of his daughter, what effect did having a birth doula have on his experience and what are some things that were really touching and challenging for him. Johannes and his wife had Chloe (from The Nest) Read more
On this episode we will hear Amelia’s birth story of her son Phoenix. Together with Amelia, I have on the episode her birth doula Rosalia from whom you will find out how Amelia prepared for birth and what happened in the labor as well as in the moments after. Amelia’s story is an unmedicated vaginal birth at Jorvi hospital with Read more
On this episode of the podcast I welcome Inka and Laura who work at a charity called Äimä. This is a charity aimed at dealing with perinatal mental health challenges while looking at the entire family unit as well as how to make change on a national political level. We talked about the kind of mental health challenges that the Read more
On this episode of the podcast Rosalia and I speak about pregnancy loss. We touched on the emotional experience of families who are going through this, what are their needs and how a person like a bereavement doula can meet those needs. We talked about the terminology and the importance of the words we use, as well as the statistics Read more
Welcome back to this episode of the podcast with Laura Laitala, organizer and instructor at the Loru Leikkipuisto inside Oodi. Laura came on the podcast to introduce the concept of Leikkipuistos (playgrounds) to any foreign parent who doesn’t know it. We spoke about the history of the playgrounds, what you can find there, why the instructors could be a great Read more
Welcome to episode 38 of the podcast and the second episode in my mini-series of solo episodes about postpartum. This episode is dedicated to newborn mother and newborn baby needs and expectations. I’ll be explaining what new mothers need and what is found across several traditions and cultures that is in common to postpartum care. You’ll find out how you Read more
In this episode of the podcast I talk about using mindfulness in parenting. This is the third and last episode in my mini-series of solo episodes that have focused on postpartum and parenting. Mindfulness has been a big teacher in my mothering and I love sharing that with other parents! I spoke about what mindfulness could look like at the Read more
Happy New Year to those listening just as this episode airs. We are just a few days into 2023 and that marks 1 year since I started working on this podcast full time. To mark this beautiful celebration I’m coming out with a mini series of 3 solo episodes dedicated to postpartum preparation and expectations. Think of it like your Read more
On this week’s episode we’re having Anna Perälä back on the show to talk about her other passion – homeopathy. Anna is a homeopathic birth doula who introduces us to the world of homeopathy. In this episode we debunk some myths about this healing modality and I have to say that it made me curious! Anna explained the basics and Read more
Welcome to this episode all about baby’s position in utero. Chloé and I spoke about the different positions that the baby could have during the pregnancy and especially at the end. We made the connection between your baby’s position and the labor that you might have, recognizing the importance of the baby’s position in that. We explained how the way Read more
This episode of the podcast starts the conversation about the baby’s experience of birth and the way in which babies too want to tell their birth story. Heli shared the ways in which Zone Therapy can support the parenting journey from conception to postpartum as well as how it can help the babies after they are born. By helping the Read more
On today’s episode Rosalia and I talk about preparing for birth with nutrition. We get into exactly why nutrition plays such an important part and what are some of the problems it can help you overcome or avoid. Rosalia explains the connection between the food we eat, suggesting that one thing influences the other and depends upon the other for Read more
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Anu Lampinen once again. Today’s episode with Anu will focus on the postpartum time after birth. The 40 days after the birth where your body and mind go through so many changes and your baby is adjusting to life outside the womb. There is so much to say about the postpartum and in Read more
Welcome back to the Birthing in Finland podcast and to today’s episode with our nest doula Maria Fernandez! This episode will be all about breastfeeding in the early days of newborn life. You’ll find out what a pregnancy person needs to know about breastfeeding, whether or not you should prepare the body for breastfeeding, prenatal colostrum expression, the most common Read more
Welcome to this episode about Maria’s postpartum story. In this episode Maria shares her experience of having Danielle Bensky (myself) as her postpartum doula. We spoke about what was meaningful to her, how preparing for postpartum assisted her and her partner in getting aligned on their expectations, allowed them to see their blind spots and feel more ready. Maria also Read more
This episode introduces you to Ria Malva, a home birth midwife. I will be asking Ria all the questions that parents want to know when considering the option of a home birth in Finland. From worries about what happens if a transfer to the hospital is needed, to how much home birth might cost. We go into different worries and Read more
Welcome to my conversation with Hanna Grankvist. Hanna is a birth and postpartum doula as well as a babywearing instructor living right here in Finland. Hanna is also so gifted and talented that she weaves her own baby carriers made locally under the name of Tyykityy. In our chat we talk about the importance of choosing an ergonomic carrier and Read more
On today’s episode I share with you my conversation with Gabriela Ariana. Gabriela is an ecological artist, body therapist, ecosomatic practitioner, dancer and singer. She has been working with mothers and women on their feminine journey for over 20 years. Gabriela also trains postpartum doulas right here in Finland together with Anu Lampinen who has also been a guest on Read more
On today’s episode I’ll be chatting with Sari Tjurin-Zeiger. Sari is an acupuncturist specializing in gynecology, obstetrics, and reproductive medicine. In this episode you will find out what kinds of challenges Sari can help people with, why scientific research is so important to inform the working practice, and how it supports reproductive health including secondary subfertility. We spoke about how Read more
Welcome back to the Birthing in Finland podcast! Today I am talking about a topic I love so much – conscious parenting. My guest is Clara Vazquez, a conscious parenting guide and psychologist who facilitates conscious parenting trainings right here in Finland. In this episode we explored how conscious parenting is actually much more about discovering who we are more Read more
Welcome back to the birthing in Finland podcast. This is another special episode that was recorded a little over one year ago to capture the special moment. Today I have Maria Fernandez with me again along with her then 4 week old newborn baby. We got to talking about baby brain in the immediate postpartum, the use of mantras or Read more
Hello and welcome back to the show. This episode with Maria Fernandez about birth brain is brought to you by the Positive Birth Helsinki meetups. Our free upcoming session will take place on Saturday September 10th at LillaLuckan near Kamppi from 10 to 12am. The topic of this meetup will be “induction”. When might you be offered one and how Read more
On today’s episode I’m bringing you my conversation with Anna Perälä, a doula, homeopath, reiki healer, clinical hypnotherapist and hypnobirthing practitioner. Anna lives in Seinäjoki and has been supporting both Finnish and international families. Anna has a lot of knowledge and expertise to share but for today, we’ve decided to dive deep into hypnobirthing. Today’s episode is brought to you Read more
On today’s episode of Birthing In Finland I will be chatting with Clara Vazquez about her role as a family expert and psychologist with Mielen Portti. Clara facilitates and leads events and gatherings for families with immigrant background, with the focus of mental health and well being. In this episode, you’ll hear more on what Mielen Portti has to offer Read more
On this episode of Birthing in Finland I am going to tell you about a sweet little, almost secret oasis for parents at the heart of Helsinki. It’s a place called Albert’s Living Room and in this episode you’ll get to meet the main coordinator of this space, Olavi Karvonen. Albert’s Living Room is run by HelsinkiMissio, an organization with Read more
On this episode of Birthing in Finland I will be speaking with the wonderful midwife Johanna Sarlio-Nieminen. Johanna has been working as a midwife for 25 years in the hospital as well as home birth setting. She is active in efforts to improve maternity services and is a passionate doctoral researcher. Before getting into the details of the episode i Read more
In today’s episode I’m bringing you my conversation with Silja Seppänen, a midwife and childbirth educator. Silja discovered her passion for midwifery when she was just 9 years old and living in Kenya with her family. Our conversation today will take a deeper look into the topic of informed choice and informed consent of the birther and everything that comes Read more
On today’s episode I’m chatting with Mirjam Solomon. Mirjam is a psychologist who has spent the last 6 years working in Terapeuttinen vauvaperhetyö which is a public service provided by the city municipality. Mirjam specializes in psychological therapy that helps parents who feel that they are struggling to build a bond with the baby in pregnancy and or afterwards. In Read more
On today’s episode I’m chatting with Giuliano Valentini about communication and vulnerability. Giuliano facilitates a peer support group and a workshop through the organization Mielen Portti. The peer group is called “Men Talk” and is a safe space for men to openly discuss their struggles, and the workshop is called “Communication Talk” and is centered around non-violent communication. In this episode Read more
On today’s episode you will meet Anna-Riitta Kässi, a doula, owner of Doula Akatemia a center for doula training, as well as a sex educator and therapist. Our conversation focused on the topic of sex and sexuality along the journey of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Anna-Riitta goes into the sensitivities around sex and intimacy at each of these very different Read more
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Anu Lampinen, a seasoned midwife of over 30 years. Anu has worked as a hospital and home birth midwife throughout her career. She also has knowledge in Chinese medicine and acupuncture as well as breastfeeding consultancy and postpartum recovery. In this episode Anu and I talk about what a positive birth means for Read more
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Brenda Miquiztli. When I asked Brenda how she would describe herself, she said “medicine woman”. In the first part of the episode you’ll hear what this means to Brenda and why she chose this description. Brenda grew up in Mexico surrounded by natural remedies, witnessing the traditional care women receive especially in pregnancy Read more
Today I bring you my conversation with Chloe Bernard who is a birth and postpartum doula. In this episode we talk about the difference between the role of the birth doula and partner. We speak about the doula’s job in bringing evidence based information to the family to help them make informed choices, the continuity of care that a doula Read more
Today I’m excited to share with you my conversation with Anna Lenkewitz who is the area coordinator for the Neighborhood Mothers activities in Helsinki. Neighborhood Mothers is part of Nicehearts ry and it provides a platform for and with women of migrant backgrounds to initiate community activities, to share knowledge in Finnish or the participant’s own mother tongue, as well Read more
On today’s episode of Birthing In Finland I will be chatting with Laura Merivirta about breastfeeding, baby massage, and reflexology. Laura owns a private neuvola practice where she sees babies as well as helps with breastfeeding challenges, gives baby massages, and treats with reflexology. Laura is a qualified IBCLC which stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. This means that Read more
Today I’m sharing with you my really amazing conversation with Carmen Lorenzana, a menstrual educator and coach working on fertility awareness, menstrual tracking, and more! Carmen goes into the basics of fertility, when are we fertile, how can we notice it in our body, how can we use this knowledge as natural contraception, how can the knowledge of your body Read more
On today’s episode of Birthing In Finland I will be chatting with Nicola Moberg! Nicola is a yoga teacher teaching Purna Yoga, prenatal and postnatal yoga in Helsinki at her English speaking yoga studio – Purna Yoga Helsinki. In this episode, Nicola and I talk about the beautiful benefits of yoga in pregnancy and postpartum, the power it has in Read more
On today’s episode of Birthing In Finland I will be chatting with Sona Jany Louhivuori about pregnancy and postpartum massage. Sona is a birth doula, a masseur, a hypnobirthing practitioner, and so much more! Sona explains the beautiful advantages of the massage, why she loves it so much, and the effect she has seen it have on her clients. We’ll Read more
On today’s episode of Birthing In Finland I will be chatting with Annabel Battersby, a clinical psychologist and founder of Compass Psychology here in Helsinki. In 2017, Annabel opened the New Mothers Group together with her colleague, Jane, based on the mothers group concept that exists in Australia where Annabel comes from. The New Mothers Group allows first time non-Finnish Read more
Today I’m talking with Anna Suarez, one of the Nest Doulas! Anna is a psychologist, psychotherapist and researcher specializing in maternal mental health. Join us as we talk about the importance of prioritizing parent’s well being and mental health for the benefit of the entire family unit! You’ll hear Anna’s tips on how to take care of yourself even in Read more
Today I have Rosalia Pihlajasaari with me. Rosalia is one of the Nest doulas, working as a birth doula since 2003. She has attended over 1,000 births and has supported many women in prenatal education, breastfeeding, pregnancy loss, and much more! She is an incredible asset for birthing people in Finland and is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Rosalia Read more
In this episode I share with you why and how this podcast was created, taking you back in time with me to when I was pregnant and listening to podcasts biking through the city of Amsterdam. I will also introduce you to The Nest – Helsinki International Doulas+, our doula collective that creates the foundation of this podcast.Relevant links: The Read more