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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

We talk a lot about the beauty of raising multilingual children — the richness, the connection, the gift of language. But what about what it actually costs to hold it all together?In this episode for Maternal Mental Health Month, host Eva welcomes back multilingual family coach Mimi from Growing up Multilingual, for an honest conversation about the side of language parenting that rarely gets named: the mental load.They explore why it's not the languages themselves that wear you down — it's the isolation, the pressure to stay consistent when life isn't, the guilt, the grief, and the endless feeling of being the only one keeping it all from slipping away.Mimi also shares what actually helps: building community, creating simple and realistic plans, sharing the responsibility, and — perhaps most importantly — knowing when to let go.If you've ever asked yourself "am I doing enough?" or "is it too late?" — this one's for you.Topics covered:– Why multilingualism isn't the problem, but the conditions around it often are– The perfectionism trap and how social media distorts reality– What to do when one parent carries all the language responsibility– Practical ways to reduce the mental load without abandoning your goals– What to prioritise when things feel truly overwhelming

 If you have ever lain awake in the dark, baby in arms, scrolling Instagram and feeling quietly worse with every post you see — this episode is for you.

This week as part of our Maternal Mental Health Month series, Eva sits down with positive psychologist Eva from The Joy Embassy for an honest, warm conversation about what social media really does to new mothers in the Netherlands — and what we can actually do about it. But the conversation goes further than most: into the history of how community itself collapsed when television arrived in the 1950s, into sociology of the forbidden emotions of motherhood, and into what it means to try to build real human connection in the jungle years of early parenthood.

In this episode:

Why seeing happy motherhood online makes struggling mothers feel worse — and the research behind it

How the algorithm actively shapes your postpartum experience without your consent

The history of community collapse — from bowling alleys to living rooms to Instagram

What de tropenjaaren (the jungle years) means, and who reaches back

What positive psychology actually offers a mother in the dark — beyond toxic positivity

Rachael Forester's new community space — real alternatives to scrolling

- Find our more about Rachael's new community space check out her website: RachaelForesterTherapy and scroll to bottom to find a sheet you can fill out. This is not a replacement for crisis, specialist care or therapy.  It's an opporunity to find grounding in such a ground shaking moment of parenthood in general.

I am not an expert. I am a parent with questions and a computer, trying to let people overhear conversations that might help them feel less alone. For international mothers in the Netherlands navigating postpartum far from home: you are not alone. And this podcast is my way of reaching back.

If you wan to read articles - check out these ones:

Exploring the influence of social media ‘Mumfluencers’ on postpartum body image

Exploring the influence of social media 'Mumfluencers' on postpartum body image

Why Don’t We Talk About the Joys of Motherhood Anymore?

Effects of Social Media on Motherhood

“I Don’t Want to Be Bad Mommy, but I Also Don’t Want to Be the Bad Mom”: How Mothers Story Their Experiences Navigating Social Media with Their Children

Do you ever feel like you're constantly dropping the ball, losing yourself in the chaos of motherhood, or just can't seem to keep up — no matter how hard you try? It might not just be motherhood. In this episode, originally aired as part of our 2024 Maternal Mental Health series, I'm joined by Emma, founder of ADHD Potential, a mother and ADHD coach who knows this reality from the inside out.

We talk about what ADHD actually looks like in mothers — because it doesn't always look the way you'd expect — the shame spiral that so many women carry silently, emotional dysregulation, executive dysfunction, and the strategies that can genuinely help. We also talk about why so many women go undiagnosed for years, and what to do if you suspect ADHD but don't know where to start.

If you're based in the Netherlands, we cover how the referral process works and what to expect, including waiting times and insurance coverage.

This episode is part of Damn Parenting's Maternal Mental Health Month series — bringing honest, real conversations about the things that affect us as mothers, the ones we don't always get to say out loud.

In this episode:

• What ADHD in motherhood really looks like
• Why so many women are diagnosed late — or not at all
• The shame and guilt that comes with it, and how to work through it
• Practical strategies for managing ADHD as a mother
• How to get diagnosed in the Netherlands
• Why "good enough" parenting is not only okay — it's necessary

You’re exhausted. You’re touched-out. You haven’t wanted sex in months and you’re quietly wondering if something is broken.

Nothing is broken.

This Maternal Mental Health month we’re talking about what nobody talks about: what actually happens to your body, your brain, your desire — and your sense of yourself as a sexual being — after you become a mother.

We are joined by Debby Poort, a sex and intimacy counselor based in Amstelveen at her psychotherapy practice Yellow Wood. She also works online.

We talk about matrescence and the body. Breastfeeding and desire. Guilt. Performance anxiety. And why your pre-baby self is not the benchmark.

For the woman at 2am who hasn’t had sex in 6 months and is scared it’s gone forever: it isn’t. This episode is for you.

Part of the Maternal Mental Health Month series.