Vhi HealthClub

Bonding With Baby

Dr John Sharry, our resident psychologist, joins me today to talk about the process of parenting and attachment and the impact that these relationships can have for the child in the future.

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(3 mins 33 sec)

Premature Babies

The Rotunda Maternity Hospital is celebrating it’s 250^th year and it’s highest birth rate with an expected 8000 births this year. With this comes an increase in premature births with about 100 babies passing through the neo natal unit in the last year. Advanced Care Practitioner Christine McDermott joins Aileen O meara to talk about the chances of survival for premature babies, the advances in premature care and some reasons for the rising number of premature births in Ireland.

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(4 minutes 31 secs)

IVF Treatment – The Expert’s View

Earlier in the year we spoke to Lisa Callaghan about her struggle to conceive and her experiences with IVF. Dr Hanora Ryan, a specialist in IVF treatment from the HARI unit in the Rotunda, is with us to explain what couples can expect when going down the route of IVF. Dr Ryan explains that the process takes several weeks with between 50% and 70% of eggs fertilizing during the process. If you are considering IVF or have had experiences with IVF we’d like to hear your stories - just comment on our blog at www.vhi.ie

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(3 minutes 49 secs)

Diary of a Pregnant Mum – part 5

We’ve been following journalist Deirdre McCarthy through her pregnancy and the big day has finally arrived, albeit two weeks late! As cramps turned into full labour in the early hours she was in no doubt that the baby was on the way. Deirdre had been considering not getting pain relief but on the night labour lasted just an hour so the pain relief was not an option – Deirdre tell us of her experiences on the day and her plans to be out walking with baby in tow very soon.

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(3 minutes 21 secs)

Coming to terms with Fatherhood

Expectant mothers have nine months to come to terms with the new arrival, but our parenting expert John Sharry says that it takes fathers longer to come to terms with becoming a father and often they may not feel a strong bond until after the birth. John gives his advice to expectant fathers and new dad Tom hayes talks about his preparation for the new arrival and the tells us how a man feels on the day of the birth.

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(3 minutes 43 secs)

Pregnancy & Alcohol

A survey has shown that Irish women are drinking more during pregnancy – but is a glass of wine or two ok for an expectant mum? A blunt ‘No’ is the answer according to our nutrition expert Nuala Collins. While other European countries are implementing health warnings on alcohol reflecting the impact on the health of the developing baby, Nuala says the advice coming in, is that alcohol is to be avoided at all stages during the pregnancy.

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(2 minutes 44 secs)

Diary of a Pregnant Mum – Part 3

It is week 36 of Deirdre McCarthy’s pregnancy and she is back with us to tell us all about it! Unfortunately, she is once again experiencing pain with a slipped joint and is on the crutches. For her the most important thing is not to aggravate the joint as it may cause implications at the birth which is expected in about four week’s time she hopes!   Deirdre has a sneaking suspicion that her third child may hang on for another six weeks yet and the waiting game is hard for her with so many others things to balance.

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(4 minutes 09 secs)

Pregnancy & Miscarriage

Pregnancy is a joyous time but for many can end in heart break with a miscarriage. As midwife Georgina Farren tells Aileen O’Meara miscarriages are more common in first pregnancies and often happen between the 10 and 12 week point. There are many causes for miscarriage and many parents go on to successful pregnancies after a miscarriage. Georgina recommends special treatment if you have had three or more miscarriages but not to give up hope.

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(2 minutes 51 secs)

Exercising while pregnant

Keeping fit and healthy is paramount during pregnancy. Our fitness coach Philip Phelan is back to talk us through the do's and don'ts of exercising while pregnant. Philip's top tip is to be fit and training before you become pregnant and to use exercises to strengthen your lower back, especially in the first and last trimesters. Of course the most important thing is not to overdo it and to tailor your exercise to your stage of pregnancy.

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(2 minutes 44 secs)

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – One Mother’s Story

The loss of a child is a very traumatic experience and can be even more so when the cause is unknown. In 1997 Ingrid Doyle lost her seven month old daughter Hannah to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. After finding her crying and gasping for air, Ingrid called an ambulance but unfortunately Hannah died in hospital. Here Ingrid talks about the experience, the effect on her family and her marriage and how a support group helped her and her husband cope.

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(4 minutes 15 secs)