Katy Doolan

Ex researcher now civil servant. Mum to one, wife & dog mum to two. Sharing my experience of birth trauma & prematurity. Views are my own, not of my employer

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

These photos only flash up for a moment but our neonatal experience stays with me for a lifetime. So grateful to @BelfastTrust @NHSCTrust NICU staff & the wonderful @TinyLifeCharity and @Blisscharity for everything they did for us #WorldPrematurityDay2021

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Thank you @BelTel for the write up of my crazy husband and his amazing sim to raise money for @Hopeforchildren by competing in the Marathon Des Sabes ultramarathon across the Sahara. Please RT to share as wide as possible!

[Belfast Telegraph @BelTel]

Carrickfergus marathon man Mike to tackle gruelling Sahara challenge for charity https://t.co/amO2RCIuW0 https://t.co/amO2RCIuW0

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@JDaviesPhD We can give you support 1 month before your due date. My entire MH issues stemmed from an expected premature birth during my 1st pregnancy. Giving me support a month before an assumed due date was pointless & hugely triggering

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

And to be clear I was told by a GP and midwife to go to a&e for IV fluids I didn’t just rock up there for a bit of a holiday

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

#hyperemesisgravidarum a 🧵A few weeks ago on the advice of my GP & based on test results I ended up in a&e yet again due to severe vomiting & nausea in pregnancy. During triage I was told ‘you don’t look like you have hyperemesis’

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Not entirely sure what you’re meant to look like with hyperemesis but apparently I didn’t fit the profile 🙄 why does this happen time and time again with #womenshealth

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

So just for anyone else who also suffers from #hyperemsis make sure you go up looking like you are on death’s door to be taken seriously or just get very good at that vomit aim to be believed #prematurity #pregnancy #womenshealth

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

It’s exhausting having to justify yourself. Why would I sit in a&e for 8+ hours in my first trimester with my 3 year old at home just for the pure craic. The same triage nurse rightly changed her tune when I projectile vomited across the floor

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@doc_bipolar Wonderful thread. I also remember all the beautiful acts of kindness our amazing neonatal nurses did for us during our NICU stay, you are so right their kindness changed everything and brings such light to what can be crippling darkness

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Finally heard from a clin psychologist today for perinatal MH support. Them ‘We’ll offer you support 1 month before your due date’ Me ‘but my traumatic birth & MH issues stems for an unexpected premature birth’ Them ‘radio silence’. I despair #prematurity #perinatalmentalhealth

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@Yorkshirelover1 @saxylizbeth @vintedUK They do - HMRC have had a number of campaigns over several years now tackling illegal dog breeding and working with the police to do so

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Entering month 4 of #hyperemesisgravidarum and I think my dog is secretly delighted because I’m too unwell to tell him to get off the bed 😂 so here we are getting through it together #rescuedog

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

The accuracy 😂

[Dr. Ish (they/them) @ishsulin]

any woman who is a doctor: “I use Dr on my reservations because i worked hard on getting the title and im proud”

some man with the handle @DrRichardDickFiddleMMBSBsc(Hons)FRCP_PGDipshit: “isn’t that a little conceited, pompous maybe?” 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@NICU_Musings I remember asking if not when. Heartbreaking question to have to articulate as a neonatal parent

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Came out of my first antenatal app for baby no 2 today and cried with relief at how kind and compassionate the midwives and consultants were. After a traumatic, prem birth with no 1, kindness and empathy go such a long way for parents #prematurity

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@DrEmmaJWalker @MeltedParentsNI @duponline Well done @DrEmmaJWalker for speaking out. The pure ignorance in some of these comments demonstrates how NI continues to be backward in supporting parents & in particularly those of us who work really hard for a living. Backing you all the way for sharing your lived experience

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@CarolynJarman And limited access to each other as partners. Due to covid restrictions so many families couldn’t be with/care for their babies as a ‘unit’ and lean on each other for support in such a traumatic environment. I experienced it 1st hand and the impacts are lasting

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@DrSdeG I’m glad to hear your mother has never had a negative experience. My white Zimbabwean husband living in Ireland has been repeatedly told to ‘f off back to where he came from’, purely based on his accent.

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

Reflecting on the strength & resilence of our gorgeous, now 3 year old daughter on #WorldPrematurityDay & remembering the skills, expertise & endless kindness of @BelfastTrust & @NHSCTrust neonatal staff who guided us to get her home safely 💜

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@MSweetingSLT @NeoSLTCEN Not a member of @NeoSLTCEN but I am a neonatal parent & in my opinion, anything that eases burden/trauma on NICU parents having to retain medical records/info and tell their/their babies story/medical history countless times is a huge step forward!

[Katy Doolan @DrKDoolan]

@BAPM_Official Is this consultation also open to parents of NICU babies? Or is purely to seek views of medical care providers?