HSE South West Launches New Women’s Health Podcast to Empower and Educate

HSE South West today launched a ‘Women’s Health Podcast – Your Body, Mind and Baby’, a new series from the Ireland South Women and Infants Health Directorate in conversation with Dr Doireann O’Leary.

The podcast is designed as a valuable resource for women and families, offering expert insights, advice and support across obstetrics, gynaecology and newborn health. It will cover a wide range of important topics including complex menopause, menorrhagia, pelvic floor dysfunction, supporting families through the NICU, breastfeeding support, birth reflections, perinatal mental health and the early days with newborns.

The series launches with two episodes. In the first, ‘The First 6 Weeks – Take the Help’, Dr Aisling Garvey and Dr Neidin Bussmann, Consultant Neonatologists at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), join Dr Doireann O’Leary to share their personal experiences of early parenthood. They discuss breastfeeding challenges, vaccinations, the RSV immunisation, and the physical and emotional toll of the newborn period. Neidin also reflects openly on her own postnatal struggles, describing how she felt as though she was “walking through a fog.”

The second episode, Birth Reflections, features Senior Midwives Gillian Walsh and Alex Campbell from CUMH, who highlight the positive impact of the Birth Reflections service in supporting women after childbirth.

Dr Mairead O’Riordan, Clinical Director at CUMH, welcomed the launch, saying:

“We are passionate about putting the patient at the heart of our service. Our priority is to educate and empower women to ensure they receive the best and most appropriate care. Across our health service, we have incredible professionals dedicated to delivering expert care every day, but we also want to reach women where they are. The HSE is a trusted source for healthcare, but care does not need to happen only in hospital. We need to bring our experts to women, complementing and supporting their care plans.”

She also highlighted the contribution of Dr Doireann O’Leary:

“Dr O’Leary brings a wealth of knowledge and insight not only through her work as a GP but also through her strong digital presence. She is deeply passionate about self-care and was the ideal partner for this project. We hope that by tuning in, women will gain valuable information they can incorporate into their own treatment plans, empowering them to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.”

‘Women’s Health Podcast – Your Body, Mind and Baby from the HSE’ is now available for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episodes will be released fortnightly, giving listeners the flexibility to tune in at their convenience.

You can find the podcast here:

· Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wXY0H51CCmbPde0sXf75r?si=hrem4qDgTJmWZQBDhp2mAA

· Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/hse-womens-health-podcast-your-body-mind-and-baby/id1837388720