✨ Sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics ✨
This episode is proudly sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics 💗
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A portion of every purchase supports global breast cancer research, including studies at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
Thank you to RevitaLash for supporting Everything Changed.
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🎙️ Everything Changed | Carly Chan’s story
In this episode, Rosie speaks to Carly Chan, who shares the reality of pregnancy sickness that became life-threatening and why giving birth was not the end of her struggle.
Just weeks into pregnancy, Carly developed hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe condition that left her bedridden, dehydrated, and unable to function. What’s often dismissed as “bad morning sickness” became months of relentless nausea, isolation, and a devastating impact on her mental health.
Carly speaks honestly about:
* Losing her sense of identity
* Feeling trapped in her own body
* Experiencing suicidal thoughts, not because she didn’t want her baby, but because she desperately wanted the sickness to stop
Although the physical symptoms ended as soon as her son was born, Carly explains how she struggled to bond with him, feeling intense fear, anxiety, and shame in the early days of motherhood.
With support from friends, her husband, and specialist perinatal mental health services, Carly made the terrifying but life-changing decision to enter a Mother and Baby Unit, where she received intensive support for severe postnatal anxiety and depression.
This is a powerful, honest conversation about pregnancy, postnatal mental health, and why asking for help can be lifesaving.
If this episode resonates with you, you are not alone.
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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 “I felt suicidal during pregnancy”
00:36 Meeting Carly and the start of her story
01:58 When pregnancy sickness suddenly took over
04:19 Hospital visits, dehydration and being dismissed
06:12 Diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)
09:49 Giving birth and expecting everything to be okay
10:15 Struggling to bond with her newborn
13:24 Reaching breaking point and suicidal thoughts
15:32 Friends stepping in when Carly couldn’t cope
18:48 The moment she realised she needed more help
19:48 Being told she needed a Mother and Baby Unit
21:57 The first night alone with her baby
24:14 Treatment, exposure therapy and recovery
29:28 How this changed her decision to have more children
32:00 Carly’s message to anyone struggling
33:07 Finding strength, endurance and pride
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🧡 Support and resources
If you are struggling during pregnancy or after birth, these organisations can help:
🤍 Pregnancy Sickness Support
https://pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk
Support, information, and peer mentoring for people experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum and severe pregnancy sickness.
💛 PANDAS Foundation
https://pandasfoundation.org.uk
Support for parents and families affected by perinatal mental illness, including postnatal depression and anxiety.
