Mums-to-be PhD inspired by family

Dympna Walsh-Gallagher followed the progress of 17 mums-to-be, in Northern Ireland and the Republic, from pregnancy through to birth and beyond.

Their disabilities ranged from spina bifida, motor neurone disease, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, brain tumours, blindness to mild learning difficulties.

"I looked at the challenges they faced and obstacles they encountered, in some cases taking on the health and social care services in order to keep their babies," she said.

"But none of them ever gave up on their babies even if their own health suffered. They always saw the treasure at the end of the rainbow - their baby - even if the health professionals or their partners couldn't.

"These women all delivered healthy babies and they have all have proved to be great mothers."

But Dympna from Donegal was close to abandoning her research project after her mother died suddenly at the beginning of her PhD studies in September 2004.

Her sister, Anne Marie, who was born with cerebral palsy, encouraged her to carry on.

"I was ready to give it up but Anne Marie, who lives with me, made me stick with it," said Dympna.

"She made the long journey with me from our home in Ballybofey to Jordanstown for tutorials. The lecturers, Professor Marlene Sinclair and Professor Roy McConkey, were great about her being there and she got to know them all. We started calling her the 'Saintly Scholar' - she became a big part of my PhD.

"She also helped me when I was interviewing the women as they felt comfortable opening up to me because I had a sister who was also disabled."

The Donegal woman suffered another setback during her studies, when she was eight months pregnant and involved in a car accident which left her with serious back injuries.

Thankfully she gave birth to a healthy boy - the first of two sons, Peter and James, born during her PhD.

Upon her graduation recently, she praised her family for their amazing support over the past five years.

"I feel brilliant that I've finally finished my PhD and I'm dedicating it to my mammy and daddy," she said.

"I also promised the women who participated in the research that I would try and do more for them to try and improve the health service for pregnant women with disabilities.

"These women had a really tough time but some really simple things could be within the maternity care provision in order to make their journey from pregnancy to motherhood a more enjoyable one, for example, further education and training of multi professionals is necessary with regards to effective communication and treating women with disabilities in a more sensitive and equal manner."

Dympna has already given a number of presentations on her findings to groups of midwives and ward sisters in Northern Ireland, the Republic, Australia, England and Scotland.