Prepped to Parent is for all the realities that you will encounter after birth. Inspired by the many parents who’ve told us about things they wished they’d had a clue about, we’ve crowd-sourced the essentials of early parenthood into 5 classes.
Throughout these five two hour sessions, you'll get prepped to parent alongside 5 other couples - all due within the same 8 weeks
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Each session focuses on a different topic using hands-on & interactive tools taught by our experienced local experts
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Sessions: Baby Medical Basics, Breastfeeding, Preparing for Postpartum, Becoming Parents Together & Mental Health From Pregnancy to Parenthood
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Access to a WhatsApp group to stay connected during and after the program
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Join four Mama Cafes to join within three months postpartum
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Join one Dad Hang to join within three months postpartum
And you'll likely end up with some very good friends who you can talk about poo with and not bore them. Sweet deal, right?
Cost: €320.00 per family, so €32 per person per class
JOIN OCTOBER
For babies due between November & December
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Saturday October 8 10:00-12:00
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Saturday October 15 10:00-12:00
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Saturday October 29 10:00-12:00
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Saturday November 5 10:00-12:00
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Saturday November 26 5:00-6:30
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Reunion date to be determined by the group
JOIN NOVEMBER
For babies due between December & January
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Saturday November 12 10:00-12:00
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Saturday November 19 10:00-12:00
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Saturday November 26 5:00-6:30
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Saturday Dec 3 10:00-12:00
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Saturday December 10th 10:00-12:00
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Reunion date to be determined by the group
There's plenty out there to learn how to have that baby you're growing; those are antenatal classes.
This is NOT that.
These are all the things typically reserved for hindsight to tell us we should have known. So you can beat hindsight at its own game.
Baby Medical Basics
Babies can’t tell you if something’s wrong. And you’ll probably naturally think everything is wrong. This session from UK-trained Paediatrician Dr. Camilla will help you keep a calm head around the million do’s, don’ts, normals and abnormals of fumbling your way through those early days.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is a skill that both you and your baby can learn together. Andrea's goal is to help you increase your confidence to follow your own maternal instincts.
Becoming Parents Together
This session is all about how you can support each other through the postpartum period and beyond, sharing the load in the team sport of parenting.
Preparing For Postpartum
You don't yet have a baby on the outside, but Natalie's session is all about YOU and helping to create a positive postpartum experience. We'll explore how a combination of tools like mindfulness & processing, relaxation & nourishment can help new parents recover from pregnancy & birth.
Mental Health From Pregnancy To Parenthood
Here, UK-trained Clinical Psychologist Dr. Naomi will help you realise you are far from alone on this rollercoaster ride, and what to do if you feel like you want to get off! During this session we'll explore the emotional challenges during pregnancy & the early stages of parenthood, alongside how both parents can look after their emotional health. Plus strategies to help manage stress, worry, low mood & more…
THE BIG REUNION
Yes we’ll prime you to become a parent in 6 weeks, but we’re not just going to wave you off into the sunset with a cheery good luck. That’s not the style of The Labour Department at all, we’re building a playground for parenthood. So we’ll keep in touch and come back together around 4 weeks postpartum (due dates are not set in stone deadlines unfortunately!)
As new little family units we’ll gather and coo, compare eyebags, tell our first stories from the reality of after birth and celebrate. Our house is your house, and this village is your village. We can’t wait to meet you and get Prepped To Parent together.
Sorry, no learning how to breathe through a contraction here, we'll get you Prepped to Parent instead.
Meet the team
Dr. Camilla is a UK-trained Paediatrician. She relocated with her family to Amsterdam in 2018. She has a specialist interest in Paediatric Emergency Medicine and continues to work in the U.K National Health Service. Dr. Camilla teaches Paediatric Basic Life Support, including the management of choking and First Aid to parents and caregivers.
Dr. Naomi is a UK-trained Clinical Psychologist, specialising in work with parents, parents-to-be, and families. She facilitates weekly ‘group therapy for new mums’ at The Labour Department, and offers 1:1 psychological support for individuals and couples. Dr. Naomi is passionate about supporting parents with their mental health and wellbeing, so that they show up as the wonderful parents they already are. Having moved to Amsterdam in 2020 to set up life in a new country with 2 small children, she knows all too well the importance of finding your own community to ease some of the stresses of parenting in the early years!
Zyanya has been a postpartum educator and certified babywearing consultant for the past 5 years. She teaches workshops for expecting fathers (with her husband), and workshops for expecting couples that focus on building resilience into your relationship as you make the beautiful, but often challenging, transition into parenthood. She also helps families use babywearing as a tool to get two free hands and feel more independent as new parents.
Andrea is a Registered Nurse and Lactation Specialist originally from California but currently living with her husband and 2 children in The Netherlands. Andrea provides in person or virtual Breastfeeding Support and Breastfeeding Education courses.
She facilitates a weekly “Babies Meet Up” and a weekly “Expectant Mums Meet Up” locally in her Haarlem. She has always had a strong bond with women, babies and children, both personally and professionally. Working as a Lactation Specialist in the Netherlands allows her to provide education and support to a global community of women.
Natalie is a doula, childbirth educator and Hypnobirthing teacher. Half American/half Belgian, she grew up in the US, but lived in Spain, the UK, China and now the Netherlands. She believes that everyone deserves an empowering, supportive birth partner, and strives to create a feeling of safety, relaxation and connection with her doula clients and course students. She has two children, Alma (4) and Julius (2).
Our aim: to make becoming a
parent slightly less like visiting
a foreign country.