Birthing in Finland Podcast
Below are all the Birthing in Finland podcasts recorded by Danielle Bensky when she was with The Nest Doulas. Each episode is self-contained and explores a different facet of the birth world in Finland: from experts to birth stories. The aim is to help international couples navigating the Finnish maternity system understand better their choices and options in a foreign country.
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#01 Welcome to the podcast!
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…
#02 The physiology of birth with Rosalia Pihlajasaari
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…
#05 Prioritising the well-being of parents with Anna Suarez
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…
#04: A mothers group for new moms with Annabel Battersby
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…
#03 Pregnancy and postpartum massage with Sona Jany Louhivuori
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,…
#06: Yoga as birth preparation and postnatal healing with Nicola Moberg
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…
#07: Menstrual awareness for fertility and beyond with Carmen Lorenzana
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…
#08: Overcoming breastfeeding challenges using baby massage and reflexology with Laura Merivirta
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…
#09: A supportive community of foreign mothers – “Neighborhood Mothers” with Anna Lenkewitz
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…
#10: Debunking the myth that a birth doula replaces the partner with Chloe Bernard
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…
#11: The energetic experience of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with Brenda Miquiztli
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…
#12: What makes for a positive birth experience with midwife Anu Lampinen
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…
#13: Birth as a sexual experience with sex therapist Anna-Riitta Kässi
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…
#14: Emotional vulnerability for men and fathers – a non-violent approach for communication with Giuliano Valentini
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…
#15: Parent-infant bonding support as a public service – with psychologist Mirjam Solomon
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…
#16: Informed choice, consent, and taking responsibility for your birth – with midwife Silja Seppänen
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…
#17: Perspectives on Finnish birth culture with Johanna Sarlio-Nieminen
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…
#18: A cozy living room for families in the middle of Helsinki with Olavi Karvonen
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…
#19: Supporting the well-being and mental health of foreigners in Finland with Clara Vazquez
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…
#20: An introduction to hypnobirthing with Anna Perälä
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…
#21: Getting into “birth brain” mode with Maria Fernandez
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…
#22: The reality of life with a newborn and having “baby brain” with Maria Fernandez
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…
#23: Parenting with acceptance and unconditional love – An introduction to Conscious Parenting with Clara Vazquez
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…
#24: Acupuncture for gestational migraine and obstetrics, and the integrative exploration of the treatment of primary and secondary infertility with Sari Tjurin-Zeiger
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…
#25: Why asking for help is actually a radical act of community building with Gabriela Ariana
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…
#26: Babywearing through the Finnish winter with Hanna Grankvist
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…
#28: Having a homebirth in Finland with midwife Ria Malva
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…
#29: Maria’s mindful postpartum journey and transition to motherhood
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…
#30: What you’ll want to know about breastfeeding your newborn with Maria Fernandez
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…
#31 The First 40 Days after Birth with Midwife Anu Lampinen
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…
#32 Nutritional Preparation for Labor and Birth with Rosalia Pihlajasaari
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…
#33: Supporting baby’s emotions after birth using Zone Therapy with Heli Ahlsten
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…
#34: The baby’s position in pregnancy and what it means for birth – with doula Chloé Bernard
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…
#35: Homeopathy for the parenting journey with Anna Perälä
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…
#36: Preparing for postpartum in pregnancy with Postpartum Doula Danielle Bensky
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…
#37: Mindfulness as a parenting superpower with postpartum doula Danielle Bensky
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…
#38: Normalizing the needs of a new mother and her newborn baby with postpartum doula Danielle Bensky
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…
#39: Family friendly playgrounds in Helsinki with Leikkipuisto Loru instructor Laura Laitala
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…
#40: Emotional support through pregnancy loss with doula Rosalia Pihlajasaari
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…
#42: Perinatal mental health care in Finland with Inka and Laura from Äimä ry
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…
#43: Birth story with Amelia (and birth doula Rosalia Pihlajasaari)
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…
#44: A birth story from the perspective of the partner – with Johannes
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…
#45: “It was cool, I liked it” – A birth story with Anayte
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…
#46: The birth story of Saskia’s third child
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…
#47: Ana’s Hypnobirthing birth story – “I was so calm my husband thought labor had stopped”
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…
#48: What happens to our pelvic floor through pregnancy and birth with pelvic floor PT Mari Camut
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…
#49: Breech and twin births in Finland with perinatologist Georg Macharey
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…
#50: My feelings on becoming a mom of two with Danielle Bensky
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…
#51: Mai’s birth story – feeling trust in my body
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…
#52: Water birth – with midwife Johanna Honkanen
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…
#53: Giving birth at Lohja hospital with midwife Linda Tötterman
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…
#54: Maria’s birth story – a healing second birth experience
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…
#55: Alma’s birth story – navigating preeclampsia, induction, and a cesarean
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…
#56: Final episode before my maternity leave
On 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…
#57: Welcoming my Baby: Danielle’s birth story
This 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:…
#58: Last episode: Danielle’s postpartum experience
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…