In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Monica Heck, a mother of two who was diagnosed with Graves' disease after having her first child. She started experiencing symptoms of hyperthyroidism about four months post-partum and has since been on different medication to help with thyroid dysfunction as well as antibodies as a result of her auto-immune condition. Monica talks about what it's like to live with an invisible illness, how it's impacted on her life and her sense of self, and the various ways in which it impacted on her breastfeeding and fertility journeys. She also shares her experience of suffering a miscarriage under the 8th amendment, and explains why she couldn't leave her now-home, Switzerland, for the inferior healthcare system in her beloved Ireland.

Bits of Me is on Instagram as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you have a minute to spare and would consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Spotify and iTunes, that would be of huge help and massively appreciated. If you like this episode, perhaps you might share it with a friend or on your socials?

The photo used in the episode cover for this episode is used with thanks, with permission from the photographer, Johanna King Photography & Films. 

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #gravesdisease #graves #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunehyperthyroidism #hyperthyroidism #hypothyroidism #thyroiddysfunction #thyroid #childbirth #pregnancy #anxiety #depression #miscarriage #8thamendment #repealedthe8th #pregnancyloss #motherhood #hormones #bodyimage #thyroidectomy #tricuspidvalvedamage #incontinence #urinaryincontinence #ptu #eltroxin #neomercazole

Elizabeth Sankey is a film maker, mother, and one half of the band Summer Camp. After giving birth to her first child back in August, she started suffering from severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts, and was eventually taken in to a Mother and Baby Unit in London. In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Elizabeth about what those early weeks were like, how she and her husband tried to get help, and what it was like to finally spend a month in a psychiatric unit. We talk about unrealistic narratives around childbirth, the tough realisation that you are much sicker than anyone wants you to be, baby blues, WhatsApp mum support groups, privilege, recovery and more. 

You can read a piece Elizabeth wrote about her experience here, and follow her on Instagram or Twitter, where you'll also get updates about her film and music. Bits of Me is on Instagram as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you want to help spread the word about Bits of Me, it would make me very happy if you would share an episode on your socials and subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Spotify and iTunes. Perhaps you could also tag a friend on Instagram the next time a relevant episode pops up? It's all massively appreciated!

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #postnatalanxiety #postnataldepression #postnatalpsychosis #postnatalmentalhealth #perinatalmentalhealth #maternalmentalhealth #mentalhealth #maternitycare #childbirth #pregnancy #anxiety #depression #motherandbabyunit #MBU #NHS #hormones #motherhood #babyblues #recovery #breakthestigma #psychosis

Angela Coraccio is a writer and editor who was involved in starting up the Abortion Rights Campaign in Ireland. In this episode of Bits of Me, she shares her experience of infertility: from fighting for an endometriosis diagnosis and coming to terms with the fact that her husband was not sold on the idea of trying for a baby, to measuring and scheduling and tracking everything, trying IUI, and eventually deciding that she was done focusing on this one thing she wasn't able to achieve. We talk about the online forums, the things people say, what grief does to you and why reproductive choices should be destigmatised, regardless of the situation. 

You'll find Angela's blog, which features everything from home renovation updates to thoughts on infertility and body image, at http://thinkofmeoften.blogspot.com. Bits of Me is on Instagram as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you want to help spread the word about Bits of Me, you could share an episode on your socials and subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Spotify and iTunes. Perhaps you could also tag a friend on Instagram the next time a relevant episode pops up? It's all massively appreciated!

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #infertility #IUI #IVF #fertility #fertilitytracking #ovulationtest #ovulationstick #cervicalmucus #abortion #abortionrights #abortionrightscampaign #grief #ARC #TTC #tryingtoconceive #endometriosis #feminism #endoawareness #endo #repealedthe8th #abortionpills #D&C #childlessness #childfree #periods

In this episode, I talk to Michelle Mayefske, a mother of five and birth and post-partum doula with a passion for advocating for pregnant women in bigger bodies. Michelle shares her birth experiences, from a straight-forward but far from empowering hospital birth in America, via a non-consensual membrane sweep and an unassisted birth, to some wonderful home water births. She also explains why she is so passionate about advocating for fat, pregnant women, why BMI should be scrapped completely, why so many people are upset about the HSE cessation of water births on the public system, and why she is putting together a book with tips for pregnant people in bigger bodies and empowering birth stories written by fat women. 

This episode comes with a trigger warning for mentions of sexual abuse as well as references to obstetric violence.

You can follow Michelle on Instagram, where you'll find her as @fat.and.pregnant, and you'll find her website here. Bits of Me is also on Instagram, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you want to help me to spread the word about Bits of Me, please share this episode on your socials and rate and review the podcast on Spotify and iTunes.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #fatpregnancy #plussizepregnancy #childbirth #birthing #waterbirth #homebirth #homewaterbirth #labour #hydrotherapy #fatbirthadvocacy #doula #postpartumdoula #birthdoula #hse #obstetricviolence #freebirth #feminism #hospitalbirth #pregnancy #birthrights #epidural #privatemidwivesireland #maternitycare #birth #fatandpregnant 

In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Simone, a 21-year-old university student with a stage-three uterine prolapse. Simone found a bulge in her vagina when she was 18 years old, but she was too embarrassed to go to the doctor about it at first. She shares her story of showing her mother a photo of her vulva, going off to Denmark for studies abroad and being forced to ask her new flatmates for help to translate pelvic floor exercises into English, learning to trust her body and find confidence in it again, and finding ways to communicate with friends and partners about her condition. We also talk about some of the myths surrounding this common condition, and Simone gives EVB Sport support wear a shout-out.

You'll find Simone on Instagram at @living_with_prolapse, and you can read more about her experience and top tips on her blog. Bits of Me is on Instagram too, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you like the podcast, please review and subscribe, and if you know anyone who could do with listening to this particular episode, please share it with them.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #uterineprolapse #prolapseatayoungage #pop #prolapsebeforekids #prolapse #stagethreeprolapse #pelvicorganprolapse #livingwithprolapse #evbsport #evb #pfpt #pelvicfloorphysiotherapy #pelvicpain #pelvicfloor #vagina #vulva #uterus #sexeducation #sexed #womenshealthcare #feminism

Sandy Connolly is a mother and independent post-partum doula supporting people on their reproductive journeys and post-partum experiences. She was told at a reasonably young age that she would never be able to have children, but then she went on to get pregnant and have a daughter, Juno. Following that, she suffered a number of losses and years of grief, depression and challenges. In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Sandy about her fertility journey - from the relationship with her body following that initial comment from a doctor, through pregnancy, breastfeeding, miscarriage and bodily grief and to a decision between her and her partner that may surprise many. 

Needless to say, if you've suffered pregnancy loss, this episode may be triggering for you. But in addition to sharing some raw, difficult moments, Sandy talks with a great deal with wisdom and perspective about healing rituals, the power of language, the difficulty of jealousy and loss, and the many events of the corridors of the National Maternity Hospital... And yes, there's swearing. Just a sufficient amount of it.

You can follow Sandy on Instagram @sandydoula, and join her private Facebook community group, Sandy Connolly Doula - Your Virtual Village. Bits of Me is also on Instagram, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you want to help me to spread the word about Bits of Me, please share this episode on your socials and rate and review the podcast on Spotify and iTunes. 

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #miscarriage #pregnancyloss #babyloss #infertility #secondaryinfertility #hormones #childbirth #breastfeeding #singletonchild #onlychild #motherhood #grief #loss #depression #postnataldepression #pnd #feminism #perinatalmentalhealth #pregnancy #repealedthe8th #abortionpills #nationalmaternityhospital #nhm #maternitycare #birth #birthing #bleeding

In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to activist, creative and mother-of-two Jac Sinnott, who started experiencing feelings of uncontrollable rage and low moods after weaning her youngest child. She shares her story of being misdiagnosed with post-natal depression, googling in search for answers, trying to find the right pills to help her, and getting through lockdown as a sometimes suicidal mother to young children. 

You can follow Jac on Instagram, where she talks very openly about her experience of living with PMDD, alongside plenty of pictures of family life as well as her feminist pots and crockery designs. Bits of Me is on Instagram as @bitsofme_podcast and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you like the podcast, please rate, subscribe and review, and if you know someone who could do with listening to this particular episode, please share it with them.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #PMDD #severePMS #PMS #premenstrualdysphoricdisorder #hormones #periods #femalepain #depression #mentalhealth #pregnancy #mentalhealthstigma #feminism #postnataldepression #motherhood #bipolar #perinatalmentalhealth #maternitycare #periodtalk #pills #contraceptivepill #ssri #anxiety #suicideideation #rage #femalerage

Around the world, there are more people suffering from incontinence than hayfever, yet both urinary and fecal incontinence are still shrouded in stigma and shame. In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Luce Brett, author of PMSL: or How I Literally Pissed Myself Laughing and Survived the Last Taboo to Tell the Tale. We talk about antenatal classes, the haze of the first few weeks and months after becoming a mother, how intimate and embarrassing certain appointments with healthcare practitioners can be, and how the silence culture and lack of knowledge are hurting women every day. She shares her experience of wetting herself at the staff Christmas party; of that first, scary pelvic floor physiotherapy appointment; of utter despair when she started to also leak poo; and of all the kindness she's encountered throughout. We also talk about feminism, how birth can be radicalising, and why Luce is more pro-choice after everything she's been through than ever.

Pick up a copy of Luce's heart-warming, funny, beautiful, rage-inducing book, follow her on Instagram and Twitter, and share this episode with all your pregnant and mammy friends. Bits of Me is also on Instagram, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod.

If you like this podcast, please rate, review and subscribe, and share your favourite episode on your socials. Countless hours go into creating and managing this space every week, and in addition to time, it costs money to maintain it. A review can make a huge difference in helping others to discover Bits of Me.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #incontinence #urgeincontinence #fecalincontinence #urinaryincontinence #maternitycare #mesh #meshimplant #vaginalmeshimplant #childbirth #birth #motherhood #bladdertrauma #pelvichealth #pelvicfloorphysiotherapy #womenshealthphysiotherapy #feminism #pmsl

Emer O'Neill, a teacher, model and now mother of two, was heavily pregnant when the first lockdown hit. In this episode of Bits of Me, she shares her story of going into labour and giving birth at a time when partners were only welcome on the labour ward for very limited periods of time; of getting support and advice when figuring out breastfeeding for a second time; of life with a newborn without breastfeeding groups and mother-and-baby yoga sessions; and of her dreams for a more open-minded and representative, less racist Ireland. 

You can follow Emer on Instagram, where you'll find her as @emeroneill14. Bits of Me is also on Instagram, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod.

If you like this podcast, please review and subscribe, and make sure to send this episode to any friends of yours who are pregnant and facing giving birth and starting their motherhood journey during this crisis. 

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #motherhood #birth #childbirth #breastfeeding #breastfeedingsupport #misogynoir #maternitycare #racism #blackirish #blackandirish #representation #pandemicbirth #birthstories #lockdownbabies #feminism #parenting #mothering #labourwardrestrictions #maternitycarerestrictions #covidcare #coronababies

Around one in ten women will at some point suffer from vaginismus, a condition that can make sexual intercourse and tampon use very painful or even impossible. In this episode of Bits of Me, I talk to Grace Alice O'Shea, a Galway-based relationship and sexual health educator who grew up in Kerry and suffered from vaginismus for eight years. She shares her experience of not knowing what was wrong when she couldn't use a tampon, of being seen by sometimes rough and often dismissive medical professionals, and of travelling to the US for treatment. We also talk about how things have changed since then, how social media is both a force for good and a source of pressure, and how society's expectations on women are often unfair and unrealistic.

Follow Grace on Instagram at @grace_alice_sex_educator and keep an eye out for her brand-new website, which will launch soon. Bits of Me is also on Instagram, as @bitsofme_podcast, and on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. 

If you like this podcast, please review and subscribe, and share your favourite episode on your socials. Countless hours go into creating and managing this space every week, and in addition to time, it costs money to maintain it. A review can make a huge difference in helping others to discover Bits of Me.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

#bitsofmepod #womenshealth #womensbodies #vaginismus #painfulsex #vaginismusawareness #pelvicpain #tampaxad #tampaxadvert #tampaxcommercial #tamponuse #vulvodynia #dilation #sexualhealth #sextherapy #painfulintercourse #sexeducator #gracealicesexeducator #feminism