Calling all who Identify as Women
What does it mean to be a woman in 2021? Is it all beauty, feathers, glitter and sparkle? What is women's work? How do we define work? What do we value and who do we allow into the fold? A couple of weeks ago, the shining light that is Kitty Maguire shared a story on...
Hope in the time of COVID
Way back in October I planted bulbs, excited at the prospect of them flowering from the frosts in February to midsummer. A few weeks ago most of them had pushed their green heads through the soil. I wanted to whisper to them 'go back down, I know it's warm right now,...
A kitchen garden
A friend asked me this week how to decide what herbs to buy, where to buy them and how to look after them. I realised that the wisdom I soaked up as a child, surrounded by parents who grew everything under the sun, wasn't common knowledge. In truth, whenever I buy...
Celebrating Tradition
I can't remember when I started to bake with Mum. It feels like we've always baked Christmas goodies together. Whenever the tradition began, it is now a firm one, a ritual we share, one we get excited about together. This year, as we agreed when we'd get together to...
I’ve been neglectful
It's over 8 months since I wrote anything here. I could claim buying a new house with my husband (yippee) distracted me. It did. I was verra distracted. Is that the reason though? I feel kind of ashamed. Where does the shame come from? Probably a learning from my...
Welcome Spring, Happy Imbolg
I've been seduced by the darkness. I used to hate the Winter. Boring and quiet and moody. I didn't want to hang out there at all. I wanted daffodils. I wanted new growth and new projects. The appeal of comforting stews & winter woolies always wore off quickly....
Supported by Samhain…
I've signed up for a programme called The Celtic Wheel. It's a year long online programme, weaving the wisdom of the Celts into my life and that of 65 other modern women...helping us to live intentionally and on purpose. Oh jesus, even writing that scares the shit out...
Writing a new ending…
Yesterday I read a post from one of my favourite writers, Brené Brown, who has just published a new book; Dare to Lead (on the Christmas List) She shared the post below & it grabbed me. Mostly because I felt intimidated by it...followed swiftly by curiosity. I...
Before I wasn’t a parent…
Before I wasn't a parent, I was the perfect parent. Before I went through fertility treatment I was the perfect patient. I knew what was needed to succeed. I knew which boxes to tick & I bloody well ticked them. Twice for good measure. Except of course that I...
Stiff Upper Lip
I often feel that I need to bite my tongue, rather than ask for what I need. I feel that the world around me doesn't much want to hear about my needs, my feelings, my sadness. Sometimes I feel that not being a Mum can mean my need for rest, compassion and comfort...
Obstreperous Young Woman…
I used to be polite, to the exclusion of being real, being myself, being seen. I used to smile when strangers asked me probing, personal questions. I used to wince & bite my lip as I tried to tell them a story they could hear, something that would fit with their...
Sacred space…for new beginnings
My first post in many, many months. I pause before I start typing, wondering how to condense the last year and a half into a few lines. I can't of course. So much has changed. I am not the woman I was last March, 2017...when I sat with my husband in the fertility...
Grace & Gratitude
When I wrote my last blog post, waaay back in April (I know, it's been a while) I was pretty taken aback by the response. Close friends, strangers...all sorts, insisted my story should be read by everyone. I was happy to share my story but I wasn't convinced it was...
We Need to Talk About…Miscarriage After IVF
In December of last year, my husband and I began our 2nd round of IVF and our 3rd round of treatment since we began our fertility journey 5 years ago. We had spent 3 months preparing our bodies and minds; following all of the advice I hand out on a daily...
Bust Stress & Anxiety for Fertility Fitness
Have anxiety and stress always been a feature in your internal world? Is your experience of fertility struggles making it even harder to stay grounded and feel strong? Or is your nature to be a fairly light hearted, easy going gal? Maybe that's changed for you in the...
My Top 3 Fertility Hacks
I bet you've heard this before. You're struggling to get pregnant because you left it too late. You focused on your career when you should have been finding the right man or woman to settle down with and now you're paying the price. Am I the only one that has to sit...
Eating for Fertility
What we eat matters, we all know that. Preparing your body for fertility treatment and pregnancy includes focusing on food that is dense in nutrients. This is not about calorie counting, but rather nutrient counting. Can you flip your brain to this way of thinking?...
Embrace Your Body
Last Sunday night, I met with some of my favourite women and went to see the Dublin premiere of Embrace, a feature length documentary by Taryn Brumfitt. I got to chat with Taryn too (woop!) and want to share her message with you. Taryn is an Australian Mum of 3 and...
Take the Slog out of Prepping for Treatment
If you're new to fertility investigations and treatment, or even if you've earned a few grey hairs from the process already, preparing for a round of treatment can feel like a minefield. How do you decide what to eat? Who do you listen to, when deciding which...
Nollaig na mBan, Women’s Christmas
Nollaig na mBan, pronounced "Nullig na Mon" or Women's Christmas in the Irish language, is celebrated in Ireland on January 6th. This day heralds the end of Christmas celebrations and in Christian traditions, the feast of the Epiphany and the arrival of the 3 Wise...
A Winter Solstice Ceremony
New Year's Eve has always been a bit of an anti-climax for me. I've felt distant from the partying, booze and glamour of that night, for as long as I can remember. Somehow, moving from December 31st to January 1st has never felt all that special, try as I did to...
Festive Advice on Thanksgiving…
Today in Ireland, it’s a quiet November Thursday. I’m starting to think about virtuous mince pie recipes and considering the best tactics to ensure I eat well while celebrating this Christmas. The festive buzz is just beginning to make itself felt in my home. I reckon...
Asking for help is hard…but so good.
I used to pride myself on being self sufficient; on being an independent, financially resourceful and capable woman. I didn't need anyone's help and I always found the resources I needed within. I was in control of everything, including my emotions. (Spoiler - I was a...
Do you Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Coffee?
I made it into my 30's without ever drinking coffee. No, that's a lie. I was once given instant coffee by a friend's Mum when I was a teenager. I remember being so incredibly disappointed that it tasted nothing like it smelled. I never drank it again, convinced the...
The Green Eyed Monster
Ever find yourself watching people and wishing your life was a little more like theirs? You don't know them from Adam, you know zero about their life, but you find yourself being drawn towards them. These ordinary people appear in your line of sight and you can't take...
I am not a statistic. Nor are you.
Do you sometimes wonder if the IVF statistics you are quoted represent you? Do you ask yourself if you're getting personalised treatment that appreciates who you are, not just your age & AMH? I do. I wonder sometimes, if I "fit" the model that has been designed to...
Want to Hibernate from your To-Do List?
Does this list look familiar? Do you have one just like it? Have you ever achieved everything on your to do list? If you have, you can stop reading now. You are clearly a creature unknown to most humans and I cannot help you. If this is familiar to you though, please...
Is Gluten Affecting My Fertility?
Good question. The debate about gluten has been raging for years. It's really confusing. On the one hand, we're told that only those who are diagnosed as Celiac should eliminate gluten from their diet. On the other, we hear stories of women and men who removed gluten...
How will you move into this new season?
There's a radio show I like to listen to called The Sunday Business Show. Yesterday, the host Conall O Móráin chatted with psychologist Dr Jolanta Burke about hanging on to the feeling of Summer and keeping the momentum going as we move into Autumn. If you live in the...
Soften your gaze, make space for joy
Picture this. A few years ago, I was at my weekly yoga class. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and the intensity of seasonal planning, parties, shopping and work pressure was building. At the end of the class, our teacher offered us a very simple practice....
This journey hurts…
It hurts, this journey. It hurts and then it eases and then, like a smack in the face it hurts again. I didn’t expect that. I thought it would be easier to process, move on and feel optimistic again. Get on with my joyful life. As I get older and wiser, I’m learning...
Confused about Folic Acid?
In Ireland, there are ads on the radio, promoting a brand of folic acid. It sounds like a public health announcement. The pleasant sounding woman tells us that whether we're planning a pregnancy or already pregnant, we should take 0.4mg (400 micrograms) of folic acid...
5 Tips to Remove Fertility Damaging Chemicals
I can’t remember when I realized that big brand shampoos, toothpastes, body lotions and deodorants were filled with chemicals that were, in a word, nasty. It’s been a slow journey, but these days I never wander down the ‘personal care’ aisle in any supermarket. Now I...
What if IVF DOES work?
For many, the first time we 'try' to conceive a baby, naturally or otherwise, can be quite exciting. Hope, optimism and joy abound. The idea that in 9 months or so there might be a 'mini-me' joining the family is cause for celebration. Skip on a few months or years,...
Right Every Time Risotto
I have a risotto recipe. It's amazing and I'm kind of reluctant to share it...though I'm not sure why. Maybe because it is so bloody good and I want to give the impression that I can make gourmet risotto without breaking a sweat? I used to struggle to make risotto,...
The 7 Year Itch
This month, my husband and I will be together 7 years. We met in a café in Dublin, on a blind date. Internet dating was still a relatively new thing in Ireland and I was often warned (mostly by my mother) of the risks of meeting weirdos who hung out in dodgy online...
Hurry Sickness & Time Famine
I've borrowed the title for this post from Arianna Huffington's book 'Thrive'. I've been reading it slowly and savouring her lessons, for about 2 months now. So much of what she offers resonates with me. This week I've been diving into the section on Wisdom and the...
How to Handle Out of Whack Hormones
So. You've been told you have high FSH. Or maybe it's low Progesterone. On the other hand it might be Prolactin that's high. Stabilising and optimising hormones is a delicate balancing act. The glandular (endocrine) system is one of the most important and complex...
The Lime Landed Cut-Side Down
Do you ever judge the success of a day according to how a piece of food lands? A buttered piece of bread say, or a segment of lime you've just cut. If it lands cut-side down, then the day may not be going so well. Yesterday was one of those days. I know we all have...
You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.
Yesterday I had planned to spend the day working. My day was all mapped out and I knew exactly what I would be doing when. I like to be organised and in control. Oh yes. There is little room for spontaneity or changes of plan. My very focused day of work happened to...
You. Are. Worthy.
You Are Worthy. Do you believe that? Do you question whether or not you deserve to be a parent? Do you find yourself apologizing when you talk about your fertility journey? Do you feel that you are quite simply not good enough as you are? We are taught, as little...
Blood Sugar Balancing Brownies
Earlier this week I shared a photo of our Sunday night Bake-Off on Instagram. My husband baked traditional Irish brown bread. I got my game face on and made baked rhubarb and amazing chocolate brownies. Requests for the recipe flooded in, so I'm going to share it...
This is how I Breathe when Anxiety Visits…
Approximately 18% of us are reported to be diagnosed with anxiety. Anyone can be affected, regardless of background, education or religion. Even without a medical diagnosis of anxiety, anxious thoughts can rear their heads for all of us, at some point in our lives....
Small Changes for Radically Improved Sleep
Sleep. Not something we give much thought to, if we're sleeping well. If we're not? Lack of sleep can become an obsession. Thinking about how tired we are and how tough it is to get to sleep can become a stress in itself. What causes sleep problems? It's a long list,...
The 7 Surprising Ways to Kick a Cold
I have a cold. My head hurts. My throat feels like there’s a golf ball wedged right by my vocal chords. My ears ache. I have a cough that would wake the dead. It’s rare that I get sick. In fact, I’m reassured by the occasional cough or snotty nose. It tells me my...
Is Inflammation Affecting your Fertility?
In my last blog post, I began to introduce the topic of inflammation, how the health of your gut can cause chronic inflammation and the impact of that kind of inflammation on our fertility. If you missed it, it's worth a read... It's a huge topic. Reducing it to a...
Inflammation, gut health and our fertility
I was recently asked by a member of our Fertility Companion Facebook group, if I could elaborate on how inflammation and gut health can impact fertility and what can be done to improve things through diet. It’s a big topic and a long answer. The complexities of the...
Rest is the new Hustle
In the world of small business, I see this instruction everywhere. Hustle! Hustle! Hustle! Don't miss an opportunity, learn all you can, work smart and reap the rewards. I get it and yet, it has never resonated for me. Yes, in all parts of my life I want to work smart...
This injection pen is filled with Light!
Has fertility treatment begun for you? Can you remember the date it all kicked off? Often a long, drawn out path, one month can merge into the next. Investigations end, medical answers and explanations are given. Treatment begins. Did you mark that beginning in...
It’s never too late…
Every year, in the last days of December I think to myself, “This year I’ll take a day all for myself to review my year. I’ll reflect on my achievements, my wins, my losses and begin to visualize and plan for next year.” Every year, I get to January 4th or 5th and...