Ireland's Birth Stories

This week I share my chat with Una who talks me through her two birth stories. Una gave birth to her first baby at 38 weeks after discussing an induction with her consultant. She also opted for a walking epidural which to her gave great relief. She welcomed her daughter and looks back on her birth with positive memories. She then revisits discovering she was pregnant with twins and the shock that brought with it. At 24 weeks gestation Una decide to finish up work, going with a gut feeling. She felt off at 27 weeks feeling feverish, so went to hospital to get things checked out. Investigations started but a short time later Una was told she would be delivering her babies immediately. She birthed her first twin, her son, vaginally followed by his sister who was brought into the world by c-section. Una is so honest in recalling her experience of premature birth and feeling that disconnect between her babies being in the NICU and no longer in her tummy. She shares just how isolating it can be despite the fact she was going through this with her husband by her side. The constant ups and downs in terms of her twins health and the general physical and mental discomfort of the whole experience. Una does consistently mention how incredibly trusting she was in the team that surrounded her in each of her births and also in the HCP that looked after her twins. An episode that continues to opens our eyes up to the reality of life in NICU.

Thanks so much Una

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This week I share my chat with Angel who I'm sure you all know. Angel previously shared her first experience in EP163 followed by a lovely chat around building community which I will link below. This time we chat through her second pregnancy and hope of a homebirth. As her first son was a big baby, Angel was met with concerns around the size of her second baby and whether she would in fact be suitable for another homebirth. It wasn't until her third trimester that she knew her homebirth could happen, she was signed off by her consultant and her midwife could official take her under her wing. When labour started, it started quickly which Angel found hard to manage. Her body was ready to go, working hard to bring her baby into the world but Angel wasn't quite there yet. She reflects on how that felt and where she is now.

Thanks Angel x

EP163 Angel

Community in Me - Angel

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This week I share my chat with Niamh who talks me through the birth of her three girls. Niamh shares the moment she discovered she was having triplets and what a shock it was. At 29+6 days Niamh felt something was off so was admitted to hospital, she was convinced she would get to 35 WKS but the decision was made very quickly to bring her babies into the world immediately. Each of her girls were brought to NICU under the most amazing team who were ready and waiting for their arrival. Niamh spent some time in HDU following their birth. She also shares the days and weeks that followed with one of her girls in SCBU, one in Crumlin and one at home. She then talks us through having her three girls at home and realising after the birth of her fourth baby, her son, the magnitude of what she went through with the triplets.

Thanks Niamh

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This week I share the first episode of the NICU Series. My guest Karen shares the birth of her first baby, Tadgh. She went into spontaneous labour at 35 weeks with her waters breaking at home. She gave birth to her little man vaginally and unmedicated and got to feel that sense of "pure love" as she held him for the first time. Karens motherly instincts told her something wasn't right with Tadgh and his feeding so she asked for help. She was listened to and quickly her baby was taken to the HDU (High Dependency Unit). Hours later she witnessed an emergency as she approached HDU, that emergency was her son. Tadghs heart rate was worryingly fast for such a little baby so he was transferred to the NICU to be closely monitored. Karen shares how life looked with her son in NICU from the discussion withs HCP, pumping to help support her baby, looking after herself post birth and those early days at home.

Thank you so much Karen x

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Produced & edited by Corah Gernon at She Talks Productions

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This week I share my chat with Aimee, it was such a pleasure to chat to her again, felt like chatting with a friend. She talks me through the decision that led to deciding to try for another baby and discovering she was pregnant. She invested so much time into prepping for the VBAC that she really wanted and hoped for. After much consideration and conversation with her husband and consultant Aimee decided a c-section was the best way to welcome baby. She actually went into spontaneous labour the day she was scheduled for her c-section. She laboured for as long as she could but the decision was made with the support of her husband and other HCPs to continue with the original plan and move forward with the c-secton. Aimee already made peace with this decision so she felt excitement knowing this was it, she was going to meet her ay. Her consultant had also ensured her it would be a gentle c-section and it certainly was., I have been lucky enough to see the moment her boy was born.

She shares so much in this episode and also what lies ahead for her in the coming weeks, the Dublin City Marathon. I can't wait to support her as she makes her way around the course with her son Caolán on his mammy's shoulder.

Thanks Aimee

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This week I share my chat with Matti who talks me through the birth of her daughter. Matti was induced, she talks me through labour, having the ultimate nap and waking up to hearing the news she was 9cm dilated. She reminisces about the moment she touched her babies head just as she was being born and the rush of excitement she felt at the prospect of meeting her baby. Matti then shares how things changed very quickly after her daughter came into the world as she suffered a haemorrhage. She spent time in the HDU (High Dependancy Unit), received a blood transfusion and struggled in the days following. Matti is also open about her mental health history and the supports she needed. She was linked with the mental health team in early pregnancy who were there to guide her as she began to process what she experienced. Now, Matti is in a great place and is also a doula which to me, is amazing to hear!

Thanks Matti x

(Embra Doula Care )

Lorna Dwyer

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This week, I share my chat with Megan, who talks me through her twin pregnancy and the birth of her babies. At her 21 week anatomy scan, Megan was told that while her little boy was developing just as expected but her daughter, Selki, had been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, spina bifida. Megan shares how the weeks that followed unfolded, including further investigations into Selki’s condition and an MRI. Together with her husband, she met with a multidisciplinary team to discuss Selki’s diagnosis, what the future might look like and the options available to them.

After careful thought, consideration and a decision that took them to depths most of us could never begin to imagine, Megan and her husband travelled to the UK where they made the incredibly difficult decision to have a partial termination. At 32 weeks and 6 days, Megan went into spontaneous labour and later gave birth to her daughter, followed by her son via c-section as he has had turned footling breech. Feilan, Selki's twin brother spent some time in NICU needing minimal support and now thriving toddler.

Thank you Megan

Below I have also included supports for those who need it:

https://www.alittlelifetime.ie A little Lifetime provide emotional support and help and support the decisions that come following a stillbirth or neonatal death.

The HSE have a dedicated resource for anyone who has recieved a diagnosis of a fetal anomaly and is considering termination. It also includes information about travelling to access care: https://about.hse.ie/publications/hcp-termination-of-pregnancy-for-fetal-anomaly-booklet/

LMC provide non directive support and advice for those who have recieved a fetal anomaly diagnosis, in addition to bereavement support: https://lmcsupport.ie/

Féilicáin provide support for all parents affected by stillbirth or neonatal death, including supplying memory boxes to all Irish maternity hospitals: https://feileacain.ie/

https://pregnancyandinfantloss.ie This website is specific to the Republic of Ireland and is aimed at supporting parents bereaved through pregnancy loss and perinatal death.

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E: [email protected]

IG: Irelands Stories Birth Podcast IG

Produced & edited by Corah Gernon at She Talks Productions

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This week I share my chat with Lorna who shares each of her two birth stories. Lorna also brings us through trying to conceive (TTC) and seeing her first positive pregnancy test after so many investigations. We then talk through her pregnancy, care and the various interactions she had with health care professionals. At 40+ weeks Lorna did go into labour herself but the decision was made to bring her bay into the world through a c-section. Her little man greeted his parents with a huge roar giving his mam and dad the relief they needed. We then move onto her second pregnancy, a very different experience TTC from her first. This time Lorna decided she would opt for a VBAC at home with the support of PMI (Private Midwives Ireland) and her doula. There is so much in Lornas story for you to hear.

Thanks Lorna

You can find Lorna on IG here

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Produced & edited by Corah Gernon at She Talks Productions

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This week I share my chat with Siofra who shares each of her two birth stories. Siofra was breech born vaginally at 33 weeks and spent some time in the NICU. She then talks me through her second pregnancy and the relief she felt as she got past the 33 week mark to full term. Siofra went into labour spontaneously and did want an epidural but her baby was very much on her way so there was no time to administer it. When Lucy, Siofra's daughter was born her husband could sense a change in the room. It was discovered that Lucy had a cleft pallet. Later after further investigation Lucy was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence at only a few days old. A tough road lay ahead as Siofra felt unheard throughout the weeks that followed. Finally at four weeks old a PHN listened which finally helped provide the care and services Lucy needed. Siofra also shares her experience with PPD which is such a tough listen, thankfully she is in a much better place now.

Thanks Siofra

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Produced & edited by Corah Gernon at She Talks Productions

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This week, I share my chat with Lucy, who talks me through her two very different birth stories. Lucy’s first baby, her son, was born at 32 weeks via emergency C-section. After three weeks in NICU, he was finally discharged, and Lucy and her husband walked out of the hospital for the first time together as a family of three.

When they decided the time was right to start trying for their second baby, this time TTC looked very different. After three pregnancy losses and IVF treatment that didn’t give them the results they had hoped for, they were left wondering what options remained. Lucy has a didelphic uterus, she has two uteruses, two cervix and two vaginas. Following further investigations, Lucy opted to undergo treatment in her left uterus, while her son had been conceived in her right uterus. Not only did Lucy see a positive pregnancy test but 9 months later she gave birth to her daughter.

This time, Lucy’s C-section experience was completely different from her first. There was no emergency and, instead, everything felt calm, controlled and positive.

Thank you so much Lucy

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Produced & edited by Corah Gernon at She Talks Productions

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