Speakers

Prof. dr. Ank de Jonge

PROFESSOR MIDWIDERY SCIENCE AMSTERDAM UMC AND UMCG, AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE MIDWIFERY ACADEMY AMSTERDAM GRONINGEN

Ank was the first midwife in the Netherlands who became a professor in midwifery science. She received several grants for research projects on interdisciplinary ways of working and continuity of care. Risk assessment, respectful perinatal care, and pregant women in vulnerable situations are at the heart of all her work.

Dr. Irena Katarzyna Veringa-Skiba

MINDFULNESS TRAINER AND SUPERVISOR AT ‘MIND IN BIRTH’, GUEST LECTURER AT THE MIDWIFERY ACADEMIES IN ROTTERDAM AND MAASTRICHT

Irena recently earned her PhD on the topic of fear for birth and the impact of mindfulness. She is the founder of the Mindfulness Institute for Perinatal Care, called ‘Mind in Birth’ and lectures on birthing pain, based on insights from neuroscience. She is trainer/ supervisor on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Parenting & Childbirth.

Drs. Nienke Stoop

HOLISTIC DOCTOR, PRESIDENT OF STICHTING DE GEBOORTENIS, SPECIALIST BODYMIND HEALTH FIRST 1000 DAYS AND AUTHOR

Nienke specialises in optimalisation of health and fertility starting before conception with special attention for the first 1000 days. She combines age-old insights from eastern medicine with the latest technological developments in quantam physics and western healthcare. She builds bridges between science and spirituality and loves physiology.

Sylvia von Kospoth

MIDWIFE, SCRIPTWRITER/FILM DIRECTOR AND DOCUMENTARY MAKER

Sylvia studied at the Theatre School in Amsterdam and after working abroad as an artist for several years returned to the Netherlands to become a midwife. In 2021, together with film director Jorien van Nes she produced the television documentary ‘Good Mothers’, about difficult issues in perinatal care for women with a complex background. This documentary caused her to be clearly recognised as a midwife with the guts to look beyond set limits.

(Photo: Mariel Kolmschot, 2021 Flair)