First of its kind Mayo pregnancy day

THIS July, a first-of-its-kind pregnancy day out is taking place in Mayo.

The Great National Hotel, Ballina, is the venue for Feile le Cheile (Celebrate Together), a Pregnancy Journey, taking place on July 21.

The event is run by local midwife Laura Carr and emergency medicine doctor Lisa Cunningham. They have gathered experts in the fields of health, wellness and beauty together to share their knowledge on all things pregnancy and babies.

There is a lack of good quality, evidence based information readily available and this event aims to tackle that, along with also giving people a glam day out.

Local speakers, such as Tara Rafter (The Navigation Coach) and James Geraghty (Molloy's Pharmacies), will be chatting through the day, vendors selling a wide variety of mum and baby products will be on site, lunch and afternoon tea are provided, along with prosecco and refreshments.

"This event is going to blow people away. The quality of speakers in one room providing information is rarely seen, so having it aimed at pregnancy and beyond is so exciting, not to mention the fact it is in the west.

“This makes it accessible to the people who usually have to travel for everything, which is a huge bonus," said Laura Carr.

"Having many non-medical parent friends, I see first hand the health worries and anxieties parents have in relation to pregnancy and the newborn.

“Google is used but this can actually have a negative effect. We aim to relieve those worries with national and international evidence based advice that is brought to the parents in a relaxed, day out environment."

Laura and Lisa, along with Lisa’s husband Bernard and baby Feile, were recently on Ireland AM discussing the homebirth Lisa had, with Laura supporting her.

From discussion and experience, they could see that information and education was lacking, which has led to the establishment of Feile le Cheile, a Pregnancy Journey.

Lisa is an emergency doctor and mother of three. Laura runs her own company, To Delivery and Beyond, providing a range of services to pregnant women across Ireland.

They both have a passion for spreading positivity around pregnancy and birth, along with research and evidence based information.

Tickets are available on https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/feile-le-cheile-tickets-61663311625.