Dam Parenting

Dam Parenting Podcast
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Parenting in the Netherlands as an international family can feel overwhelming — but you don’t have to do it alone. DAM Parenting is a weekly podcast supporting international parents through pregnancy, birth, and parenthood in the Dutch system. With 175+ episodes, we explore everything from giving birth in a system you may not fully understand to raising third-culture kids in multilingual homes. Featuring real birth stories, expert insights, and honest conversations, this is your space for clarity, reassurance, and community. You are not alone.

  1. Gossip, Gossib & Godsib: The Medieval Women's Ritual That Became a Dirty Word

    1 day ago

    Gossip, Gossib & Godsib: The Medieval Women's Ritual That Became a Dirty Word

    Gossip. Gossib. Godsib. The same word — and the meaning was changed on purpose. Before gossip became something shameful, it meant godsib: God's sibling. Your circle. The women who gathered around you when you gave birth, who cooked and held and stayed. That tradition was deliberately dismantled — and we are reclaiming it. In this final episode of the Maternal Mental Health Month series, I sit down with artist Sanne Freijdag, whose project the Gossib Gathering is doing exactly that: bringing women together over fabric, stitching, and the kind of honest conversation that happens when your hands are busy and your guard is down. We cover the medieval history of women's gathering spaces, how the quilting circle became women's last sanctioned meeting place, the science of why working with your hands is so healing, and what matrescence — the becoming of a mother — has to do with all of it. And we launch the next session: three Sunday sessions in Amsterdam Oost where we'll be making a quilt together for one pregnant woman in our community. Because you can't always see your village — but you can make something that proves it exists. You don't need experience. You just need to show up. Book your spot HERE 📅 28 June · 5 July · 12 July 12:30–16:30 GROND, Amsterdam A donation of €10 on the day to fund the supplies is all that is asked! Sanne Freijdag: www.freijdag.com Instagram @sanne.freijdag

    22 min
  2. You don't have to do this alone: MamaSocial, mum friendship and maternal mental health in the Netherlands

    2 days ago

    You don't have to do this alone: MamaSocial, mum friendship and maternal mental health in the Netherlands

    We close Maternal Mental Health Month with something the research says matters just as much as therapy: community. Rachael Forester — therapist and new lead of MamaSocial — joins Dam Parenting to talk about why mum friends aren't optional. The science of co-regulation. Why female friendship in early motherhood is neurologically unique. And what MamaSocial — the community space for international mothers across the Netherlands — actually looks like to walk into for the first time. If you've moved to the Netherlands, newly pregnant or just looking to fine more mom frirneds and you're doing this without your village yet — this one is for you. MamaSocial runs events in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem and more. MamaSocial instagram page

    14 min
  3. Delft Mama - The Thing That Actually Helps Expat Isolation

    2 days ago

    Delft Mama - The Thing That Actually Helps Expat Isolation

    Maternal mental health doesn't always look like crisis. Sometimes it looks like not having a single person to call when your baby spikes a temperature at midnight. This week, as part of our Maternal Mental Health Month, Eva speaks to Robyn from Delft Mama — a volunteer-run charity that has been quietly building community for international families in and around Delft since 2007. They talk about what belonging actually does for a mother's mental health, why showing up to that first event is the hardest and most important step, and how a group of volunteers has built something that feels like the sisters and mothers so many of us left behind. If you're in the Delft area or the surrounding areas feeling like you still haven't found your people — this one's for you. Find Delft Mama on Instagram and Facebook, or at delfmama.nl. For international parents in the Netherlands. Every Wednesday.

    7 min
  4. Music, Dance & Mental Health: The Amsterdam Events Where Parents and Kids Can Let Go

    2 days ago

    Music, Dance & Mental Health: The Amsterdam Events Where Parents and Kids Can Let Go

    When was the last time you danced? Not in the kitchen with a toddler on your hip — actually danced, to music you love, in a space that felt like yours? On this special episode on Dam Parenting closing up the Maternal Mental Health Month series, Eva is joined by Morgan and Sam from Tiny Grooves — two Australians, nine years in Amsterdam, five kids between them, and the creators of something genuinely wonderful: rave-style daytime events for parents and babies in real Amsterdam club venues. We talk about why joy is one of the most underrated tools in the maternal mental health toolkit, what happens on a dance floor when a parent finally feels like themselves again, and why your baby actually loves techno. Their next event is June 21st — Father's Day. See you there! Find them at @tinygrooves on Instagram. Dam Parenting — for international families in the Netherlands. Outro Music is called 'Dream a Dream' by Moby.

    12 min
  5. Finding Your People Abroad: How Expat Kids Eindhoven Is Fighting Expat Loneliness One Hangout at a Time

    2 days ago

    Finding Your People Abroad: How Expat Kids Eindhoven Is Fighting Expat Loneliness One Hangout at a Time

    For those in the Eindhoven region, we have reached out to a community down there, ready and waiting to welcome you. On this episode I'm joined by Sylvia, founder of Expat Kids Eindhoven — a community she built from scratch after having her baby during COVID, far from her family in Colombia, and realising other international mamas were probably feeling exactly the same. We talk about what actually happens when women walk into a space where they finally feel understood, why belonging isn't a luxury for expat moms, and what Sylvia would say to any mama who hasn't found her people yet. If you're in or around Eindhoven, find Sylvia at expatkidsineindhoven.nl or on Instagram at expatkidsineindhoven_ This episode is part of our May Maternal Mental Health Month series.

    9 min
  6. Singing for Mental Health: Why Mums Who Sing Together Feel Less Anxious, Less Alone

    2 days ago

    Singing for Mental Health: Why Mums Who Sing Together Feel Less Anxious, Less Alone

    What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your mental health as a mother didn't involve a therapist, a screen, or a to-do list — but your own voice? This week on Dam Parenting, we're closing out our Maternal Mental Health Month series with something that surprised even us. Host Eva went along to a Singing Mamas session in Amsterdam — and felt it from the very first song. Singing Mamas is a group singing movement for mothers that started in the UK and is now building community across the world. Babies are welcome from the earliest weeks. No musical experience needed. What happens in the room is something science is only beginning to catch up with: group singing regulates the nervous system, lowers cortisol, reduces anxiety, and creates a felt sense of safety and belonging that so many mothers quietly need and rarely find. Eva sits down with Danielle, the woman who brought Singing Mamas to Amsterdam, to talk about what actually happens when mothers sing together — the emotional releases, the unexpected connections, the women who walked in disconnected and left feeling like themselves again. This episode is for the mother who feels anxious, isolated, overstimulated, or not quite herself. The one who thinks "that's not for me" — and needs to hear why it might be exactly for her. This isn't wellness as performance. It's somatic, communal, and real. In this episode we cover:— Why singing together works differently to singing alone— The psychology and neuroscience behind group vocalisation and stress relief— What mothers experience emotionally when they allow themselves to let go and sing— How community singing builds connection in the postpartum period and beyond— What to expect if you walk into a session for the first time If you've been looking for something that goes beyond talking about your feelings — something somatic, accessible, and rooted in community — this one is for you. You can find Danielle on Instagram at danielle.singingmamas.ams Dam Parenting is our international parents in the Netherlnads podcast for the honest, unfiltered side of parenthood.

    18 min
  7. Starting Solids Anxiety: What to Feed Your Baby with Petit Gourmet Academy

    5 days ago

    Starting Solids Anxiety: What to Feed Your Baby with Petit Gourmet Academy

    Starting solids is meant to be an exciting milestone—but for many parents, it brings anxiety, confusion, and a constant feeling of getting it wrong. When do you actually start? What should your baby eat first? Is baby-led weaning realistic—or just something we see on Instagram? And what does “starting solids” actually look like when you’re living in the Netherlands, shopping in Dutch supermarkets, and raising your child between cultures? In this episode, I’m joined by Melody, a paediatric and perinatal dietitian from Petit Gourmet Academy, who supports families from pregnancy through to the family table. Together, we talk about: The real signs your baby is ready for solids (beyond just age) The most common anxieties parents face—and what’s actually normal First foods in real life (not just perfect plates online) Purees vs baby-led weaning vs doing what works for you What feeding a baby actually looks like in busy, overwhelmed households Affordable, realistic food options from Dutch supermarkets Why feeding your baby can feel emotionally heavy—and how to reduce that pressure This is not about doing it perfectly. This is about understanding what matters—and letting go of the rest. Whether you’re approaching 4–6 months or already feeling the pressure, this episode is here to help you feel more confident, informed, and less alone.

    35 min
  8. Postpartum Mental Health in the Netherlands: Veronika's Honest Story

    23 May

    Postpartum Mental Health in the Netherlands: Veronika's Honest Story

    In the Netherlands, if you are experiencing postpartum depression (PPD), your first point of contact should be your huisarts (general practitioner) or verloskundige (midwife). They can formally diagnose you and provide a referral to specialized, Dutch healthcare-covered psychological care. There is the Pop Poli clinic, which we prevoiusly had on as a guest 2 years ago, A POP-poli (Psychiatrie, Obstetrie, Pediatrie) is a specialized outpatient clinic in Dutch hospitals that provides care for women with a desire to have children, who are pregnant, or who have recently given birth, and who are dealing with mental health challenges. They are located in all major hospitals: OLVG Amsterdam, St Antonius Utrecht, Catharina Ziekenhuis Eindhoven, Antes Rotterdam are some examples. Equally there are nationwide psychological support teams which you can go through your huisarts to get referred to such as: Psyche zwangerschap and Postpartum Centrum Nederland

    25 min
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About

Parenting in the Netherlands as an international family can feel overwhelming — but you don’t have to do it alone. DAM Parenting is a weekly podcast supporting international parents through pregnancy, birth, and parenthood in the Dutch system. With 175+ episodes, we explore everything from giving birth in a system you may not fully understand to raising third-culture kids in multilingual homes. Featuring real birth stories, expert insights, and honest conversations, this is your space for clarity, reassurance, and community. You are not alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Dam Parenting Podcast
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    203
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dam Parenting Podcast
  • Show Website
    Dam Parenting

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