Mama Dance 1-on-1
Enjoy individual support to connect to your body, bond with your baby, and prepare you both for a gentle and loving pregnancy and post-partum.
You have been preparing for birth theoretically. You have asked your questions at your appointment with a midwife or obstetrician and watched a lot of videos on how to breathe during labor.
You know what’s important but still don’t feel prepared.
It’s the practice that’s missing. And it’s the practice that your body will rely on instinctively during labour.
If you want the practice, in your own time and space, I can come over and help you learn about your body and the baby, reduce pregnancy-related pain, and overcome fear by sharing your experience.
You are free to move your body and have fun with your baby.
All in the safe environment of your home.
Learn about your body and your baby
PRACTICE SO YOU CAN LET GO
Your body is wise and capable. You are growing a life, producing milk to nourish that life, and your body knows how to give birth to it too.
When you have developed your intuition to recognise what your body’s changes are telling you, you trust your body to be able to give birth.
This trust and connection to your body is the most powerful tool for taking ownership of your birth experience.
In Mama Dance, we approach the changing body with curiosity rather than fear. We practice a variety of techniques such as movement, connecting to your pelvic floor, and letting go with the awareness on your breath. This prepares you with a personalised toolkit to support you and your baby in each moment of labor so that you can trust the body’s muscle memory and intuition.
REDUCE PREGNANCY-RELATED PAIN
Pain needs one of two things: rest or movement.
As you develop your relationship with your body, you will explore how to determine what your body needs and try different options to reduce discomfort. This practice can open up a connection to what your body needs in each moment, a precious connection during labour.
To prepare the body for labour...
we will practice active birthing positions: standing, sitting, kneeling, and on all fours. We will use the voice to relax the pelvic floor. We will have fun with music and movements from the Caribbean, Africa, and the Orient to ease your lower back pain.
When you know how to turn your unique discomfort into easeful movement, you are confident in your body’s strength to support your needs in labour and recovery.
Share your experience
ENJOY THIS SPECIAL TIME
In pregnancy, we rush to get things done for work, preparethe baby room, finish this or that before the baby arrives. In 1-on-1 coaching, we take time to connect with your body and its innate wisdom, to pause and experience quiet and calm, and to ask the questions you don’t know where else to ask!
We draw inspiration and affirmation cards to put words to your deepest thoughts and feelings. At the end of a class, we dance the “baby welcoming dance,” in which we hug ourselves and the baby as a ritual to expressour love with words and movements.
These are the most powerful moments of connection between you and your baby. These are the moments that warm your heart and create a special, memorable pregnancy experience.
The best part of it all is...
the feeling of connection with your baby
During a guided relaxation, I invite you to speak to your baby, to tell them that they are loved and welcomed. That you love them with all your heart and that you can’t wait to meet them.
And a cherry on top
The direct connection to someone who has had an empowering birth experience.
You can ask me anything, share anything, and benefit from my knowledge and experience.
How it works?
Schedule
The first step is a 45 min discovery call, where I ask some things about you and your current experience. I also share some movement tips and a little fun choreography, so that you can get an idea of how the class is.
Then, we meet for 3 sessions of 75min weekly, on a day and time you choose. It can be in the morning, afternoon, or early evening, as you prefer. I can come to your home, or you can come to the studio, whatever you find more relaxing and enjoyable.
We set clear objectives for our sessions, for example:
- objective 1: relieve tension and pain related to pregnancy/postpartum,
- objective 2: establish connection to pelvic floor
- objective 3: relax with breathing and visualisation techniques
One of the 3 sessions can be with your partner, to practice their role during labour.
When the 3 sessions are finished, you can decide to continue, so that you can get more practice in the techniques. I highly recommend continuing until you give birth, and come back to it with your baby after. You could even join the Mama Dance group class, after the first 3 sessions, to get the extra benefit of a supportive community.
Cost
The first 3 sessions are a package for 181,50 euros. Payment options and continuation can be discussed to suit your needs.
Sign up
Click the button below to book a discovery call.
Let's talk about your needs!
Your 45min discovery call is free
I loved my experience with Mama Dance. I got to create a meditative atmosphere for the arrival of my baby, the movements, the music, the contact with my husband, I was so grateful. [...] my experience at the moment of the arrival of my baby would have been more stressing without all the tips and the movements and the breathings that I learned in the classes.
LORENA P.W.
At my request, Katerina came to my house [...] We discussed my plans for a home birth and drew my cards.
I don't remember what the oracle said, but what I remember is that I got moving again! The pain in my back and lumbar region eased, and I felt as though I had regained some resemblance of control over my cumbersome body.
AUDE CARPENTIER
Hi, I'm Katerina!
I got to know my baby by his movement: when he moved, how much, and how I felt when he moved.
I realised that he was happy when I was happy, which was often after I had been moving or dancing. When I felt good, he was more content.
During postpartum, at difficult times when my baby wouldn’t sleep, my intuition guided me to dance him to sleep. To hum and to move. Sometimes with high energy, sometimes slowly, as I needed it.
The language of touch and closeness helped me feel closer to myself and to him. He was born small, and with our little dances, I could heal the fear I had in the first few weeks.
Fostering the mama-baby connection with dance was powerful in helping me to trust my baby, my body, and our bond. Tuning into what my body was already naturally doing – growing and caring for a baby – I could tap into my own wisdom, human nature, and gain trust in myself.
During labour, we were a team.
I felt an empowered conviction in the fact that I knew how my body and baby were doing better than any measuring device the doctors could consult.
In post-partum, I could trust in my own recovery process, learn to be gentle and accepting with myself,
and not feel pressured by societal norms about my body and the nourishment of my baby.
Mama Dance is open to moms from when they first find out they are carrying a baby to when they are holding the baby in their arms.
- I want you to feel relaxed and prepared for birth. To know your options and how to follow your intuition.
- I want you to feel supported and comfortable in a community of other women who accept you rather than isolated and alone.
- I want you to consciously enjoy your pregnancy, cherish the moments your baby needs you most, and not lose yourself in the dos and don’ts until you forget your own instincts.
Most of all, I want you to be able to make informed and courageous decisions on the birth and post-partum experience you want and need.
FAQs
FAQ 1
Do I need to have dance experience to join the mama dance practice?
Absolutely not. If you are in pregnancy or postpartum and you are willing to move your body to music you are perfectly prepared for mama dance.
FAQ 2
Is the Mama Dance practice safe for pregnancy?
Yes. I always give the option to modify an exercise or even rest for a bit. I am happy to have you join in from your first trimester, provided that you feel good in your body. In this class you will learn to follow the feeling of the body; come along as long as it feels good and take a break when it feels overwhelming. We do not force the body to move when it needs rest.
FAQ 3
How soon after birth can I come to Mama Dance?
A minimum of four weeks is advisable, but again I would like to ask you to feel inside the body and see what is possible and what not. We do not want to force recovery, we want to allow the body to heal and support it in this healing process. The breathing and relaxation techniques we practice in class are helping against muscle tensions and mental or psychological challenges during postpartum. Besides, dancing the same songs with your baby on the outside feels warm and fuzzy and helps bonding with them.
FAQ 4
Is this practice covered under mental health / physiotherapy expenses by my health care provider?
No, as far as I know. You could ask your healthcare provider to be sure. In the Netherlands it might depend on the additional packages you have on your healthcare agreement.
FAQ 5
Are the prices above with or without tax?
All amounts stated above are including 21% tax as charged in the Netherlands. Invoices to companies are also possible.
