Childbirth Education Amsterdam

Evidence-based birth preparation — holistic, personalised and taught in English and Italian

Knowledge doesn't dissolves fear but allows you to enter your birth feeling able to assess informations, make choices that are rooted in evidence-based practices and advocate for them.

What I bring to childbirth education is not a curriculum delivered from the front of a room. It is the honest picture of birth from someone who has been in the room — who knows what labor actually looks and feels like, what helps and what doesn't, what couples wish they had known and what genuinely makes a difference.

Most childbirth education courses tell you what will happen during labor. They cover the stages, the interventions, the pain management options. They answer the practical questions.

That is important. But it is only half of what you need.

What most courses do not cover is this: how to move through labor from the inside. How to work with your nervous system rather than against it. How to nourish and prepare your body in the weeks before birth. How to release the fears and beliefs that quietly shape how labor unfolds. How to understand what your body is designed to do — and trust it.

This is what makes my childbirth education different.

Built on evidence-based content and layered with Ayurvedic birth preparation, psychological insight and over a decade of doula experience — this is birth preparation that goes all the way.

What makes this different

There are good childbirth education courses in Amsterdam. What I offer is something more specific — birth preparation through the lens of someone who has been in the room.

As a birth doula since 2019, an Ayurvedic practitioner with a background in psychology and a certified childbirth educator — I bring everything I know about birth into these classes. Not just the information. The presence, the insight, the honest picture of what labor actually looks and feels like from the inside.

Evidence-based and honest You will receive clear, current, research-backed information on every aspect of labor and birth — the stages, the interventions, the options, the decisions. No ideology, no pressure, no single right way. Just the information you need to make genuinely informed choices.

Ayurvedic birth preparation What you eat, how you rest and how you nourish your body in the weeks before birth shapes how labor unfolds. We explore Ayurvedic practices for the third trimester — building Ojas, regulating the nervous system, preparing the womb and the body for the work ahead.

Psychological depth Birth is shaped by the beliefs you carry, the fears you have not yet named and the previous experiences still living in your body. We create space to explore these — gently, honestly, without pressure — because what you release before labor begins is as important as anything that happens in the room.

Partner preparation Your partner does not need to be helpless in that room. We give them real tools — physical support techniques, emotional presence, communication skills — so that when labor begins they feel capable, calm and genuinely useful.

Trauma-informed and inclusive All families are welcome. All birth choices are respected. The approach is anti-oppressive, intersectional and designed to meet each couple exactly where they are.

What the course covers

The curriculum is built on the Childbirth Education framework and expanded with Ayurvedic and psychological depth across the following topics:

The body in labor

Anatomy and physiology of labor and birth — what is actually happening and why. The stages of labor, what to expect in each one and how to work with your body rather than against it.

Pain and sensation

The full range of pain management options — pharmacological and non-pharmacological. Breathing, movement, hydrotherapy, epidural, gas and air — evidence-based information on each, with no agenda about which you should choose.

Navigating the system

How to communicate your preferences clearly. How to ask the right questions. How to understand what is being offered and why. Your rights, your options and how to advocate for yourself within the Dutch maternity system — whether you birth at home, in a birth centre or in hospital.

Interventions — the honest picture

Induction, continuous monitoring, instrumental birth, C-section — what each intervention involves, when it is offered, the evidence around it and how to make genuinely informed decisions.

Ayurvedic third trimester preparation

Nourishment, rest, daily rhythm and specific practices for the final weeks of pregnancy — preparing your body, your Agni and your nervous system for the work ahead.

Fear and beliefs about birth

A guided exploration of the fears, stories and beliefs you carry about birth — where they come from and how to work with them before labor begins. This is one of the most powerful parts of the course and one that most birth education programmes do not touch.

Partner support

Physical comfort measures, emotional presence, communication strategies and how to navigate the experience as a team. Your partner leaves feeling prepared rather than peripheral.

The immediate postpartum

The first hour after birth — what happens, what to expect, the importance of the golden hour and how to protect it.

Feeding basics An introduction to breastfeeding and infant feeding — what to expect in the early days and where to find specialist support if needed.

Postpartum planning

Birth is not the end — it is the threshold into one of the most significant recoveries of a woman's life. We introduce the fourth trimester and help you begin building your postpartum support structure before your baby arrives.

Choose your format

The Weekend Intensive — Group
Saturday and Sunday — approximately 8 hours across two days
Maximum 6 couples per group

The group format is ideal for families who want both thorough preparation and the experience of moving through this with others. There is something quietly powerful about sitting in a room with other couples at the same stage of the journey — the shared questions, the collective laughter, the relief of knowing you are not alone in what you are feeling.

Held on selected weekends throughout the year — ideally attended between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.

What is included:

Full 8-hour curriculum across Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning
Course materials and resources to take home
Partner included in the ticket price
Small group maximum of 6-8 couples — intimate, interactive and genuinely personalised

Please check the website or contact me directly for upcoming course dates.

Green Bottle Tier Per Couple and Solo

Full rate €395 | €350 (solo)

Middle rate €335 €297 (solo)

Community rate €256 €227 (solo)

Some supplementary Dutch health insurance policies (aanvullende verzekering) include partial reimbursement for childbirth education courses. Check your specific policy.

The Private Preparation — 1:1
3 sessions x 90 minutes — entirely tailored to you

The private format is for couples who want the full depth of childbirth education with complete personalisation — no group schedule to work around, no topics that are not relevant to your specific situation, and the freedom to go deeper on the things that matter most to you.

Private sessions can be held online or in person in Amsterdam — at a time and pace that fits your pregnancy and your life.

What is included:

3 x 90-minute sessions covering the full curriculum
Ayurvedic and psychological preparation woven throughout
Complete flexibility — topics shaped entirely by your needs and questions
Partner included in all sessions
Course materials and resources
WhatsApp access between sessions for questions that cannot wait

Best attended across weeks 26–36 of pregnancy — one session every two to three weeks.

Green Bottle Tier Per couple

Full rate €450

Middle rate €382

Community rate €292

Want even more support? The Illuminated Threshold

Childbirth education and birth doula support — together.

For the family who wants both to understand birth deeply and to be accompanied through it by the same person who taught them. The Illuminated Threshold Package combines private childbirth education with full birth doula support — so the preparation and the presence are woven into a single, continuous relationship.

Who this is for

This course is right for you if:

You are pregnant and want to feel genuinely prepared — not just informed
You are an expat navigating the Dutch maternity system and want clear, honest guidance in English
You want birth preparation that goes beyond the mechanics — into the psychology, the body and the spirit of labor
You had a difficult first birth and want to approach this one differently
You are planning a home birth, a birth centre birth or a hospital birth — all are equally welcome
Your partner wants to understand how to genuinely support you — not just be present but be capable

The best time to attend is between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy — enough time to integrate what you learn and still close to birth.

Who you will learn with

I am Ombretta — certified childbirth educator, birth doula and Ayurvedic practitioner.

I have been attending births in Amsterdam since 2019. Before every birth I have supported, I have sat with that family in prenatal sessions — answering their questions, working through their fears, preparing their partner and building the trust that carries us through labor together.

I teach in English and Italian. I am trauma-informed, inclusive and deeply committed to birth as an empowering experience — whatever form it takes.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to attend? Between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy — close enough to birth that the information stays fresh, with enough time to integrate what you learn and begin the Ayurvedic preparation practices.

Can I attend without a partner? Yes — solo attendees are warmly welcome at both the weekend intensive and private sessions. The partner preparation section will be adapted to your specific support structure.

Is this course suitable for a second birth? Yes — particularly if your first birth was difficult or did not go as you hoped. The psychological preparation and fear release components are especially valuable for families carrying the weight of a previous experience.

Is this available online? The private preparation sessions are available online. The weekend intensive is in-person in Amsterdam — the group dynamic is an important part of that experience.

Is this course covered by Dutch health insurance? Some supplementary insurance policies include partial reimbursement for childbirth education. Check your specific aanvullende verzekering. I am happy to provide documentation of attendance if required.

Can I combine this with birth doula support? Yes — The Illuminated Threshold Package combines private childbirth education with full birth doula support at a combined investment. [Read more →]

What language are courses held in? English primarily. Private sessions are also available in Italian.

How many couples are in a group course? Maximum 6-8 couples — keeping the group intimate, interactive and genuinely personalised.

The most empowered births I have witnessed are always the ones where the mother arrived knowing herself — her body, her fears, her capacity and her choices.

That is what this course prepares you for.

[Book your place →]

Weekend intensives — selected dates throughout the year
Private sessions — flexible scheduling from week 26
Amsterdam and online — English and Italian