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Happy #internationaldayofthemidwife ♥️As som

Happy #internationaldayofthemidwife

♥️As someone who no longer works frontline - I know that I have a job that has none of the incredible stress that so many of my colleagues face every day, every shift.

😎Saying “thank you midwives” and saying the #midwife that looked after your family was ‘amazing’ is lovely - but being over stretched, under paid, under resourced, understaffed is the reality for #midwives in Ireland today.

🥺I miss frontline care so much but I left so I could have balance in my life and to try and get pregnant. I hope to go back someday and look forward to perhaps experience the changes that have been long promised.

🤩I am so lucky to love, to know , to appreciate some of the best women * humans in my life that I have met through #midwifelife -Midwives are literal heroes.

✌🏻I will always continue to advocate and fight for a profession I am so proud to be a member of.

🫶🏽I’ve tagged a few who I adore and helped me through some rough professional times.

#midwivesrock PS so many more people to tag 🏷️

19 years- a lifetime but also seems still very clo

19 years- a lifetime but also seems still very close.

Today the sun shone and I thought of lovely memories of awesome Liz; people still remember her and that is her legacy.

Grief is the painful price we pay for love and it is always there. However, it doesn’t hurt as much. It’s different now nearly 2 decades later;the good times are so much easier to remember than the sad and bad bits.

For anyone that has more recently lost a loved one I’d like to offer hope. I promise it won’t always feel just so awful. When mum died I thought I would stop and that the world should stop to acknowledge the incalculable loss. It didn’t- abd that hurt even more.

I didn’t think I’d ever be able to function let alone be happy. There have been some terribly hard times but I have a life that is full of love and fun and connection and that is how I honour my mum’s memory. By trying to live the happiest and best life I can, having as much empathy and sharing kindness wherever possible. Grief never goes but it changes and time makes it feel less sharp. The love you shared is forever, even if the person isn’t.

Felix said to me tonight that ‘when tears fall hope grows ‘- it was in one of this books in school. sending love to all to all those who grieve♥️♥️♥️

#familyreunion - JUST DO IT!! ♥️I had an idea

#familyreunion - JUST DO IT!!

♥️I had an idea a few months ago about how awesome my family -multiple cousins- are. My dad, his sister and 2 brothers are all still great pals but , everyone is busy so we don’t get to hang out enough & unless at a time of loss, not all together. So no time like the present - reunion!

💎I bounced the idea of a few leading cousins (on my birthday for max emotional power) & received a wave of commitment, excitement &a plan.

🍀With my Dad & my super sister @embyre taking on the genealogy &my awesome co- conspirator cousin Susie Byrne sorting logistics - it all fell into place.

🕯️We gathered in our home of #aughrim with fun, love & delicious food to hang out , laugh and acknowledge how lucky we are to not just like, but absolutely love each other. It only worked because everyone wanted to be there. #awesome

👎🏻My own wee pet Felix had chicken pox so unfortunately Gar & him couldn’t join all the cousins but it was so Special. I so grateful and will spent another month recovering from the level of craic.

🥰 hopefully it might inspire a few others to do the same - go on!!

🙏🏻huge thanks to all but especially my cousin Paul Phelan and all the Paddy’s staff for hosting & putting up with enormous amounts of tomfoolery 😉🙈

😇my Aughrim family are the ‘scaffold of my soul’. They are the best. We Create magic by simply getting together. To watch all our little people immediately just adore each other and have fun- that’s family ♥️

#family #wicklow #aughrim #byrne #phelan #mcmanus

Delighted to be speaking again at the #allirelandM

Delighted to be speaking again at the #allirelandMMF2023 @midwiferyforum sponsored by @activeironworld

This is open to all #midwives and #studentmidwives and #birthworkers and us always a super day.

🗣️I’ll be talking about #Nutrition and #Iron in the #postnatal period and I’ll also be around to chat at the #activeiron stand so please come say 👋🏻 Hello

#maternityfestival #midwiferycare #studyday #speaker #presentation #allirelandmaternityandmidwiferyfestival2023

#midwiferytraining I met one of the loves of my l

#midwiferytraining

I met one of the loves of my life @bonnieswalsh & we remain besties and I returned from her Hen party in Athlone today in an absolute hoopla-hoop;after one of the best nights celebrating a diamond of a human.

👯‍♀️#ourstory begins with Training to be a #midwife. Absolutely the best thing I ever chose to do.However it was a challenging, long &at times,soul destroying. It is incredibly rewarding but as a mature student , in my late 20’s, I gave up becoming a barrister to move back home with my dad, in Dundalk, after having realising law wasn’t for me; I was the ultimate fish out of water. I know people did not understand my decision & some thought I was insane.

❤️The only reason I made it is because I met the most wonderful people. Other than the privilege of working in the birthing~work space ,with & for women, pregnant people and families-the greatest gift is you work with some of the best people that exist.

🌟Siobhan and I were unlikely besties-I am the best part of a decade older;siobhy was 17 and wasn’t sure she wanted to be a midwife or go to college in Dundalk. But we clicked and have been adoring each other ever since.

😍we made each other better midwives. She didn’t believe sometimes,but I knew she would be a spectacular and incredible midwife & I couldn’t be more proud to know & feel hope because despite its massive issues-the irish maternity service is filled with people like her. #hopesurvives

🇦🇺🦘 Our friendship thrived even though she midwife in Australia for 8 plus years. But shes back !

😎This human has taken all actively learned birth knowledge & is now a Midwife Manager in a very busy Irish unit; she’s in for the long haul and I’ve no doubt will improve the service, strive for excellence and mind both staff and clients in the way that they should. #bettermaternitycare is being fought for in every single shift by people on the ground who are underpaid, understaffed , under resourced & dealing with unimaginable challenges every minute of every shift. Bonnie is also teaching students:I am in awe , but not in any way surprised.

🥳Last night we laughed, danced -thank you Bonnie.

#midwifefriends #madwives

♥️What a night celebrating @_geraldinewalsh an

♥️What a night celebrating @_geraldinewalsh and launching her amazing book #unravelingmotherhood in the best book shop there is @gutterbookshop

☘️I feel so lucky to have such immensely talented friends and to have been trusted to help Ger launch 🚀 into the world as an author,in her own right- was just a joy.

😃Was also lovely to catch up with old pals @heatherbetsy @helenatubridy @jenhoganjourno @standingbythewall_ and also meet some lovely new ones.

📚I want every mother and every parent to go and buy this compassionate , amazing and life - affirming read. I haven’t read a book that so reflects the huge duality of motherhood and ways in which we can unravel our own stories, and sew ourselves together a-new.

🥹So proud and so I’m awe of my awesomely talented friend. Thank you for writing book that I know is going to help so many people.

#buythisbook #motherhood #parenthood #irishbooks #irishauthor

♥️What an absolute treat- himself and I haven’t been away just ourselves together for over a year ( and it’s been a YEAR) so I was lucky enough to be whisked off to , what has to be, one of the most beautiful grand old house in Ireland @mountjulietestate .

🪄It was magic in every way, the most incredible place, amazing staff, beautiful food and remembering that I have a life partner whom I adore and just have the best craic with. We are very lucky to have the best grandparents who happily mind Felix and allowed us to go off gallavanting, living our country house dream (for a weekend). I would have made a great lady of the manor 🤣.

🔋I feel recharged, excited to dig into work and get cracking on some much needed advocacy for #womensheathcare.

🤩I am beyond privileged to have the resources ti be able to visit and stay in such a beautiful place, and I really do know how lucky I am. I enjoyed every single second. I don’t take any of it for granted for a millisecond. In the avoidance of doubt, I’m no influencer and paid for my trip in full. This isn’t an ad, just an appreciation post for the best weekend.

💪🏻The staff at @mountjulietestate are just the best of people. They made us feel like royalty and work so hard to cater and mind all the guests. Thank you to each and every one.

🌞Now- no excuses - to work I go!

♥️I am delighted to be helping the wonderful @

♥️I am delighted to be helping the wonderful @_geraldinewalsh launch her new book #unravelingmotherhood

📖it is an exceptional book- a love letter from Geraldine to her kids and a deep dive on the complex, conflicting humbling, joyful and challenging aspects of motherhood and parenthood.

🪑I am so honoured to be getting to chat with Geraldine about her magnificent book, parenting in modern Ireland & becoming the mother/parent you are as opposed to the one you think you should be.

🌏I have never read a book that resonated with me on such a deep level and read words so accurately described my own motherhood experience and made me really think differently. I hope EVERYONE buys and reads it!

🌚I hope to see some of you there and go order this book! You will not regret it.

#newbook #booklaunch #motherhood #parenthood #geraldinewalshwriter

⭐️ Hello- it’s me! 😃I am back….. 🤸

⭐️ Hello- it’s me!

😃I am back…..

🤸I took a long, needed extended break. But, Fear not my lovelies- All is well.

🫡I needed to take my own advice and focus on the stuff I needed to work on, as opposed to trying to do it all and getting overwhelmed.

👋🏻But I’m back - lots to do, lots to say, LOTS to advocate for. So I’m very grateful you all didn’t unfollow and hope you guys can stick around and you can tell me what’s some important stuff I need to highlight or talk about …

On my return… I thought a nice selection of some fairly cringe snaps was appropriate

😂🤣 I’m getting better with age thank goodness but the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s do offer some photographic gold!

⚡️I’m still midwifing and working away helping as many families as I can but I’d also like to share some other bits of my life too- I make ZERO apologies for broadening my horizons 🫣

👀hopefully there will be some interesting stuff to look at & unfortunately #womenshealthcare, #maternityservices & the rest have not gotten any better in my absence- so hello, annoying me is back with a bite! ❤️♥️👋🏻⭐️

#midwifelife #photostomakeyousmile

While I failed miserably to convince Felix to get

While I failed miserably to convince Felix to get a trim- Granny succeeded ♥️♥️

Great day at the @inmo_irl Midwives conference. I

Great day at the @inmo_irl Midwives conference. I was there with @activeironworld and great to catch up with friends and colleagues from all over. Some brilliant talks too ❤️❤️

#loneliness 💔Early motherhood and parenthood

#loneliness

💔Early motherhood and parenthood can be really lonely!!

✍🏾I was so delighted to be invited to write an article for @belfasttelegraph recently, on how to combat the often lonely times that can occur in early motherhood and parenthood.

🔗Link to article in my bio

Connecting with other parents, talking through your feelings and asking for help sound so easy! But in the fog of new born babyhood- it can be so hard.

😳Feeling lost at sea and lonely are incredibly normal and so common yet we are useless at taking about it.

☝️Please don’t suffer in silence - be honest and do something to combat it. And as always if you are feeling lost- reach out .

👥Also, if you know of a new parent - #reachin and keep reaching ! it doesn’t just take a village; it takes all of us helping each other.

⭐️Be the hand that you might have needed; it’s the best gift you can offer

#midwifeadvice #lonliness #earlymotherhood #baby #earlyparenting

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