Doula & Coach for Fertility, Birth, Postpartum & NICU Journeys
I support people through some of the most vulnerable and transformative moments of their lives — from fertility and early pregnancy, through birth, postpartum, and NICU experiences.
My work exists to ensure that no one feels lost, unheard, or alone while navigating the Dutch medical system.
Becoming a parent — especially after a fertility journey, within a foreign healthcare system, or during a high-risk or unexpected experience — can feel overwhelming. Appointments are short.
Care providers change.
Protocols aren’t always explained.
And often, emotional support is missing. My role is to bring continuity, clarity, and calm into that space.
A steady presence when things feel uncertain
I walk alongside you, helping you understand your options, find your voice, and feel emotionally supported — from the moment you reach out, through birth and beyond.
Why this work is personal
My Birth Story
On January 9, 2018, I became a mother to my beautiful daughter Olivia — born at 30 weeks via emergency caesarean, after I developed a rare and life-threatening pregnancy complication called HELLP syndrome.
At 28 weeks, I was admitted to hospital, and things initially seemed under control. But then I developed an infection, and everything changed quickly. We tried for a natural birth, but the situation became urgent — and Olivia was born early to protect both of us.
Though she was born prematurely, and though our beginning was medically intense, we were lucky. But I wasn’t prepared for what came next:
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I didn’t anticipate how traumatic the birth would feel emotionally
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I wasn’t ready for the replaying of events in my mind
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I didn’t expect the anxiety, the triggers, or the deep sadness
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I never imagined I would question how and why things had gone as they did
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And I definitely didn’t expect to grieve the birth I thought I should have had — or the early moments with my baby I hadn’t fully shared because of my own medical care.
My husband was the first person to have with skin-to-skin contact with Olivia while nurses and doctors tended to me. It was a moment full of love — but it also underscored how different things had unfolded from what I imagined.
That experience — the preparation, the fear, the mismatch between expectation and reality, and the emotional aftermath — opened my eyes to something profound: mental and emotional preparation for birth matters just as much as physical preparation.
The Infertility Journey
A couple of years after my daughter was born, my husband and I took the brave & couragous decision to try and conceive our second child. What followed was one of the most emotionally challenging periods of our lives. Even more than the feeling and emotions experienced during and after the birth of Olivia.
Despite years of hope and effort, we experienced unexplained secondary infertility. We went through IUI and IVF treatments in the Netherlands — only to face disappointment after disappointment. At age 43, after another round of treatments failed, we were told that due to my age I would not be able to have another child. We were also advised that, because of my HELLP history, donor eggs were not advisable. The news was devastating — like being told a door you’d been clutching shut suddenly closed forever. Just like that.
Yet something in me still needed answers. So we sought a second opinion at a clinic in Greece. There, we received information we hadn’t heard before — and we learned that conceiving with my own eggs might be possible. But after all we had endured, we made a powerful and difficult decision: to stop fertility treatments and surrender to whatever the next chapter might be, trusting what was meant to be would unfold and accepting of the miracle we had was enough.
At my age, the chance of conceiving via IVF was not meaningfully higher than conceiving naturally. So we chose to step back, grieve that vision of family that we had held so tightly, and allow life to unfold in a different way.
I know the child wish deeply.
I know the pain of unanswered questions.
I know the heartbreak of wanting more than your body will give.
And I know the grief that comes with letting go of a dream you cherished.
That lived experience is a source of both compassion and strength in the coaching and support I now offer others facing similar paths.
Listen to our Story on the Dam Parenting Podcast
My Birth Story
On men's mental health - With my husband and former client
How this shapes my work
Not separate stories — One continuum
I understand what it feels like to:
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Yearn for pregnancy and feel uncertain
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Traverse medical systems that are unfamiliar and feel impersonal
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Carry hope alongside fear
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Experience joy and grief in the same heartbeat
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Ask why and what now
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Feel deeply seen — and deeply alone
My lived experience informs my work
Not by fixing or telling you what to do, but by meeting you exactly where you are.
I know that:
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infertility affects identity, relationships, and self-trust
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grief can exist alongside gratitude
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stopping treatment is not failure — it is a deeply courageous choice
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people need space to be held without being fixed
My Approach
A Doula & Coaching Hybrid
I don’t fit neatly into one box — and that’s intentional.
My work sits at the intersection of:
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Doula support (presence, advocacy, education)
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Coaching (clarity, mindset, emotional processing)
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Cultural translation (supporting expats in the Netherlands)
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Continuity of care (being a familiar, steady guide)
I walk with you through decision points, emotional and identity transitions, questions, and fears — with warmth, integrity, and presence, from fertility, into pregnancy, through birth, and into parenthood.
Who I support
My work weaves together doula presence, coaching, and nervoussystem support across the following services:
I primarily support:
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Expat families living in the Netherlands
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People navigating fertility treatments or IVF
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Parents experiencing medically complex pregnancies
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Families facing NICU stays or transitioning to home
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First- and second-time parents
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Anyone seeking more continuity, clarity, and emotional safety
Many of my clients have experienced:
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Fertility challenges
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Pregnancy loss
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Medical complexity
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Anxiety around birth or parenting
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Previous birth trauma
My essence as a Doula
What Matters Most to Me
At the heart of my work is a simple belief:
No one should feel lost or alone in a system they don’t understand — especially while carrying so much emotionally.
I aim to accompany you:
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From uncertainty to clarity
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From fear to confidence
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From feeling lost to feeling held and guided
I offer presence, honesty, and respect —
and I meet you exactly where you are.
Certifications
HOW TO BEGIN
If you're walking a tender path...
If you’re navigating fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, or the transitions that follow, especially when things feel complex or uncertain — I would be honoured to walk with you.
You don’t need to know exactly what kind of support you need yet.
You don’t need the right words. You just need a place to begin.
A free discovery call offers space to talk through your situation and explore whether my support feels right for you.