Pregnancy & postpartum
Pregnancy massage and postpartum care in Amsterdam
From your second trimester into your first months with your baby. Book a single massage, or arrange your care for all nine months in one go.
- 15+ years of bodywork
- 77 Google reviews
- 319 reviews on Treatwell
Prices
Choose how to start
One massage when you need it, or your care arranged for the months ahead. The programs cost less than the same sessions one by one.
Pregnancy massage
From your second trimester, on a table made for pregnancy. Book one whenever you need it.
First half: during pregnancy
The full nine months
Prefer to pay in two halves, the second around week 36? Or starting in your third trimester, with a shorter Journey for € 1 020? Send me a message and I’ll set it up.
Second half: after birth
- Baby early? Unused pregnancy sessions move into your postpartum care.
- Need more time? Programs are valid for 12 months, and we pause the clock whenever life asks for it.
- Circumstances change? Whatever is left becomes a gift card for its full value, valid two years.
Not sure where to start? Book a free 25-minute consultation, while you’re pregnant or after the birth. You leave with a clear plan, whether or not you book anything.
During pregnancy
Pregnancy massage that doesn’t treat you like glass
Pregnant women tend to be handled as if they might break. In my experience it’s more the opposite: your body is working harder than ever and responds well to real, purposeful pressure where it helps. I work with firm, attentive pressure on your back, hips, glutes and shoulders, and a lighter touch on your legs, where lighter is the safer choice in pregnancy.
There’s no need to wait for your leave, which in the Netherlands starts only four to six weeks before your due date. Pregnancy massage works best when you start in the second trimester and keep going at a rhythm that suits you.
A table made for pregnancy
My table has an opening that supports your belly, so you can lie face down again, often for the first time in months. If you’d rather lie on your side, on the day or for the whole session, you always can.
After birth
Recovery in the fourth trimester
After birth, the pressure that held everything in shape is suddenly gone. The midline, the pelvis and the tissues of birth need time to heal, while broken nights, feeding and carrying ask a lot of your body. From about six weeks after birth, postpartum sessions do three things.
Release
What’s been overworking: neck, shoulders, upper back, hips.
Bring things back together
The midline, the pelvis and your posture, so you can stand tall again.
Mend
What birth left behind: a C-section scar, areas that feel pulled, numb or disconnected, and home care for a perineal scar.
Three ways of working, swap as you like
- Structural Integration: whole-body work on alignment and posture, mostly lying on your back.
- Scarwork: precise, gentle work on C-section and other scars. I trained in Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork, including her postpartum course.
- Postpartum massage: deep tissue massage adapted to a body that has just given birth, with most attention on the neck, shoulders and back that carry and feed all day.
In the programs, sessions after birth are set as Structural Integration. Would Scarwork or a postpartum massage suit some of them better? Just tell me and we swap them, at no extra cost.
What clients say
77 Google reviews · 319 reviews on Treatwell
Een hele fijne massage gehad door Albert. Hij is heel professioneel en kijkt goed naar waar je behoeften liggen. Mijn lichaam voelt veel meer in balans, echt een aanrader!
Uitstekende massage, bekkenpijn was daarna absoluut verlicht. We hadden een een aangenaam gesprek en ik kon waarderen dat hij uitlegde wat hij aan het doen was.
Amazing. Most relaxed I have felt in so long!
Good to know
Practical details
I work alongside your doula, midwife and pelvic floor physiotherapist, never instead of them.
- Where
- Vinkenstraat 184, 1013 JX Amsterdam, in the Haarlemmerbuurt near Westerpark, from 1 November 2026. The treatment room is up a flight of stairs inside the venue, so I’ll meet you at the entrance and we walk up together, at your pace.
- When
- Usually Tuesday to Friday and Sunday. You’ll see every free time when you book online.
- How you’ll lie
- Pregnancy massage mostly face down on the pregnancy table; Structural Integration and Scarwork mostly on your back; postpartum massage face down and on your back.
- Baby and partner
- Both welcome at the consultation and at postpartum sessions. Feeding and pauses are part of it. Many mothers also enjoy an hour that is only theirs.
- Table and oil
- A table made for pregnancy, with cotton sheets and phthalate-free foam. Organic jojoba oil, unscented or with a little lavender.
- Your care team
- For leaking, a feeling of heaviness, or pain during sex after birth, see a pelvic floor physiotherapist (bekkenfysiotherapeut) first; I’m glad to work alongside them. Referred by your doula? Mention her when you book.
- Insurance
- Sessions are not covered by health insurance.
When can I start pregnancy massage?
From the second trimester, around week 14, until the end of your pregnancy. If your pregnancy is being monitored for anything, check with your midwife first.
Is massage safe during pregnancy?
For a healthy pregnancy, yes. A review of the trials found regular massage safe from the second trimester, with care around specific risks. I keep deep pressure away from your legs, where pregnancy raises the risk of clots, and before we start I’ll ask about blood pressure, bleeding, the placenta and any history of clots.
Is it safe to lie face down while pregnant?
On a table made for it, with your belly supported rather than hanging, most women find it comfortable and restful. If it doesn’t feel right on the day, we switch to lying on your side.
Can it help with sleep, swelling and back pain?
These are exactly what most women come for, and what they report improving: better sleep, less swelling, and relief in the lower back and hips. Just as important: an hour that is entirely for you.
60 or 90 minutes?
Sixty minutes covers your back, hips, shoulders and legs. Ninety minutes adds time for the whole body, feet included, and a slower finish. The programs use 60-minute sessions during pregnancy.
I’m already in my third trimester, or I’ve had my baby. Is it too late for a program?
Not at all. Starting in your third trimester, there’s a shorter Journey for the weeks you have. After the birth, the Postpartum Program stands on its own, whether your baby is six weeks or six years old.
How soon after birth can I come?
Usually from about six weeks, once your midwife or doctor has checked you. After a C-section, the scar needs to be closed and healed before direct scar work; until then we work around it.
My C-section was years ago. Is it too late?
No. Scar tissue keeps remodeling for a long time, and older scars still respond to work, just more slowly.
Can you help with diastasis recti?
I work on how your abdomen, ribcage and pelvis organize around the midline, which supports the muscles coming back together. If the gap is wide or comes with symptoms, a pelvic floor physiotherapist should be part of your care as well.
Can bodywork help with postpartum depression?
It isn’t a treatment for depression. The baby blues usually lift within two weeks; if low mood lasts longer or gets heavier, talk to your huisarts or midwife. Many women find that being physically cared for helps them feel more like themselves, alongside proper support.
What does the research say?
I’d rather show you the evidence than make promises. In plain terms:
Pregnancy massage. In controlled trials, pregnant women who had regular massage reported less back and leg pain, less anxiety and low mood, and better sleep, and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. [1] [2]
The pelvis. Pelvic girdle pain affects about one in five pregnant women at any given time, and for around one in ten it continues more than three months after birth. [3] [4]
The midline. Six weeks after birth, 60% of first-time mothers in a Norwegian study still had a separation of the abdominal muscles, and a third still did at twelve months. [5]
C-section scars. In a randomized trial with women living with pain after a C-section, four sessions of soft tissue work on the abdomen and scar reduced pain and improved how the scar moved, and the results held at follow-up. A smaller 2022 study measured softer, less sensitive scars after two sessions. [6] [7]
The hormonal dip. After birth, estrogen and progesterone fall quickly. Most new mothers go through the baby blues in the first two weeks, and postpartum depression affects more than one in ten within the first year. [8] [9]
The research is promising, not conclusive, and most studies are small. That’s why I talk about comfort, function and recovery, never guarantees.
Want to improve your quality of life?
Whether you have a question first or you are ready to book, I am here to help you find the right place to start.
