Mum Loves Data

26/08/2025

Good morning everyone! ☀️

It’s been a little quiet here lately, I know. But Mum Loves Data has been busy behind the scenes! Most of my updates, tips, and stories for mums-to-be now live on Instagram. 🙃

👉 Come join me there: https://www.instagram.com/mumlovesdata?igsh=cXRjcmxheTVmNm9i

Click 'Follow' and you will continue to see all the tips, tricks, reflections, networking notes and so on! 💗

Here’s my latest reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNv3VMVUKG5/?igsh=NGF0bmlweW11bmJj

And if you prefer more condensed and ocassional, you can also sign up for my quarterly newsletter. Just DM me your email address!

Wishing you a lovely day! 😘

226 Followers, 559 Following, 71 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Linda Sile-Shriram, PhD • Mum (who) Loves Data ()

11/08/2025

I wish I knew about Solidaris and their offers when I was pregnant.
(Solidaris is one of the health insurance providers operating in Antwerp)

I had a very very informative conversation with Peggy and Eva from Solidaris Antwerpen

I approached them, because I had heard that Solidaris is one of most family-friendly health insurance providers.

✅ It seems very true.

Two main benefits that put Solidaris ahead of other health insurance providers.
🎁 They offer a rather extensive basket of gifts for you and your little one at different milestones. You can choose between practical items like a car seat or a buggy. But you can also opt for a gift certificate in a store or a lump sum.
🤰They offer coverage for doula fees. With the mandatory insurance package, the coverage is up to 300 EUR, but the hospitalisation insurance you can have from them, can top this up to around 1000 EUR. Not bad, right? 🙂

A bonus is a super friendly attitude towards expats! 🌍🩷

Solidaris is certainly worth considering for your health insurance.

❓Do you have more questions?
📩Send me a message right away!

05/08/2025

Did you know that you have to have (a good) hospitalisation insurance BEFORE you are pregnant?

Yes, that's the case here. A large part of childbirth costs are typically covered by a hospitalisation insurance. But there is a one big precondition. You have to have the insurance already before you are expecting a baby. Most insurance providers, have a 'waiting period' policy. This means that from the moment you sign up for an insurance, you have to wait certain number of months until the full benefits of your policy kick in.

If you are thinking about having a baby, please, please, please, get a hospitalisation insurance! 💗

I have heard, unfortunately, many times that someone didn't do this or didn't fully understand the system here. She didn't have hospitalisation insurance. The consequence was that after the baby was born, the new mum had to share a hospital room with another woman (and her baby). Plus, her partner could only visit, but not stay alongside 24 hours a day throughout the entire hospital stay. Yes yes, this sounds really weird, but that's how it works here. 🤷‍♀️

Make sure your insurance is in order before you are pregnant!

I'm here and happy to tell more.
DM me to make an appointment! 🙂

28/07/2025

Online sessions with a pre- or postnatal physiotherapist are an option. Did you know that?

This option could be particularly interesting when juggling the challenges of a young mum with a newborn. I wish I had known about it earlier.

There are, however, some preconditions for this. You cannot have all your sessions online. You will have to start with a few appointments in person. Then, you can check with your physiotherapist about continuing with (occasional) online sessions. One of the points to consider will be whether your condition allows skipping a hands-on follow-up and manual therapy, and whether it works for you that a session is primarily a sequence of exercises you have to execute.

Besides, an online session can be more budget-friendly.
Sounds good, right?

Check with your physiotherapist about this possibility!

I know that Cathy offers this. Maybe others too.

25/07/2025

Recognise this? I'm standing in front of one of the Antwerp hospitals where you can give birth.

ZAS Vincentius.
This hospital is known for three things.

1️⃣First, this is one of the Antwerp hospitals with a BFHI label (check my previous post).
2️⃣Second, the policy of this hospital actively promotes physiological birth.
3️⃣Third, this is one of the super rare hospitals where the staff is trained to assist with a breech birth. Yes! That's possible. (if you understand Dutch, check the podcast episode with Dr. Cha'ban by )

This hospital is certainly an option to consider, if you want to give birth in a hospital, but would like the birth to be as natural as possible with no or minimal medical interventions.

📨Send me a message if you have more questions! Happy to help. 🙂

Huge thanks to Hannelore and Sarah from .in.zasvincentius for answering my questions and the chance to introduce my work to the team of this very special hospital. 💗

22/07/2025

Have you heard of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative?

It is a program launched by the WHO and UNICEF in 1991. The goal of it is to improve the care provided to mothers and newborns in a healthcare facility. It also explicitly promotes breastfeeding.

You can see this initiative as a kind of quality label for hospitals.

If a hospital wants to have this label, it has to fulfil certain criteria or 'steps' as they are called in the BFHI program.

Here are some examples.

🌟Rooming-In: Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24/7.

🌟Exclusive Breastfeeding: Support exclusive breastfeeding unless medically indicated otherwise.

🌟No Artificial Teats or Pacifiers: Avoid pacifiers or bottle feeding to prevent ni**le confusion.

If these things are important for you, look for a hospital with this label!

In Antwerp, these are the BFHI hospitals:
- ZAS Vincentius .in.zasvincentius
- AZ Monica Deurne
- UZA Edegem .bevalt

🤙Give me a call, if you'd like to book a consultation! I can help with choosing a hospital and all your other practical questions on pregnancy in Antwerp.

05/05/2025

💚 Today is International Day of the Midwife and the perfect moment to share this. 👇

Just over a year ago, I didn’t know much about what midwives really do. Now, I’m 100% convinced they are key players in maternity care.

See me here (after) having coffee with the midwife who supported me, my husband, and our daughter with knowledge, care, and empathy. What started as a professional interaction is gradually turning into a friendship. Still feeling supported but no longer paying the client fee! 😄🤭❤️

Happy to know you, Fleur and wishing you a wonderful day!  🙂

Maybe this connection is a bit exceptional, but it does show how important it is to take the time to find an independent midwife with whom you really have a good 'click'. It makes the whole experience so much easier (and fun!). 🎉🫶☀️

Text me, if you need more info on finding an independent midwife in Antwerp! 😘

28/04/2025

Do you sometimes get caught up in a neverending to-do list? I do. It just happened.

I noticed I've been building up a feeling of guilt because not enough things are crossed off from my always-expanding list of tasks. 😵‍💫

One year into motherhood (yey! 🎉) and still making the mistake of totally misjudging the time and energy needed for pretty much any task while taking care of a super active little one. 😊

And we just moved to a new apartment!!!! So yeah, tasks like finding the box with towels or rice top my current to-do list.

A bit of long way around, but this is what I'm trying to say 👇

☀️☀️☀️It's okay to take a break.☀️☀️☀️

Pregnancy and early motherhood are unique life situations that require adjusting and reshuffling other tasks. It is not always obvious how exactly this reshuffling should look like. Also each of us has very different energy reserves. It's superimportant to be aware what your limits are and act when you get close to them.

If you need a break, take a break! 🫶 (if only for 5 minutes 😘).

Ps. Swipe to see how our living room and bedroom look like at the moment. 😆🙈🥰

Pps. Can't wait to get back to the project with 100% attention. Many exciting ideas in progress 😎🌞🍃

13/04/2025

Yes! You can bring your baby to your postnatal physiotherapy sessions*.

While your body gets some well-deserved attention, your baby has some explore-new-place-and-toys-time right next to you.

Amazing, right? 🙂

Have a nice Sunday! 😘

* Still inquiring, if this is offered by everyone in Antwerp. These ones do .kine If you know others who offers this, mention/tag them in comments please 🙏

08/04/2025

My plan was to clarify some questions I had about pre- and post-natal physiotherapy. Somehow the conversation with .kine got carried away in a somewhat different direction. 🙈 This is what happens when two expat mums meet and start sharing their personal and professional life experiences. 😊🤷🏼‍♀️💖

☝️Check the 'Train je Core' post-natal exercise programme .kine offers! She also has group sessions in Borsbeek
kine we'll have to have a cup of coffee soon again. I still have a loooot of questions. 😃🤓