Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
The Laura Dowling Experience
Claim This Podcastby Laura Dowling
4.9(1,080 reviews)
198 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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Publishing Since
8/23/2022
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Recent Episodes
July 16, 2026
Nobody Tells You How Hard Motherhood Is with Becca Maberly #178
<p>Becca Maberly did everything "right." An A-grade student with an obstetrician father, she got to the hospital, had her baby with no pain relief, and was home for lunch - certain she was going to be brilliant at motherhood. Then the postnatal period arrived, and she went, in her words, straight to the bottom of the class.</p><br><p>In this honest, funny and disarming conversation, Becca and Laura pull apart the gap between what we're told motherhood will feel like and what it can actually be. Becca talks about feeling like an unnatural mother, the loneliness of the long hours in between, and the maternal rage that surges from nought to a hundred over spilled milk. She shares the day she asked her GP for help and was sent to a psychiatric unit, only to be handed a leaflet and told to count to ten.</p><br><p>She also names something few people hear about: D-MER, or dysphoric milk ejection reflex - the wave of crushing sadness that hit her at every let-down, which she only understood years later. The conversation moves on through renegotiating a relationship after a baby, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that nearly went unnoticed, and why Becca now believes the meaning of life is simply finding your own balance. It's a reminder that if you're not loving every moment, you're not failing - and you're far from alone.</p><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>🔑 Key Points</h2><p><br></p><p><strong>From A-grade student to the bottom of the class</strong></p><p>Becca sailed through pregnancy and birth, then found the postnatal period the hardest thing she'd ever done — and the mismatch between expectation and reality floored her.</p><br><p><strong>"Enjoy every moment" can do real harm</strong></p><p>Being told to treasure a stage you are quietly struggling through can leave mothers feeling ashamed and isolated rather than supported.</p><br><p><strong>Not bonding straight away is more common than we admit</strong></p><p>Becca loved her son but didn't feel the instant, overwhelming rush she'd been promised — and says a baby can feel like a stranger for a long time.</p><br><p><strong>D-MER is real and rarely talked about</strong></p><p>Dysphoric milk ejection reflex brought a homesick, crushing sadness at every let-down; naming it, years later, changed how she understood it.</p><br><p><strong>Maternal rage often comes from feeling unsupported</strong></p><p>The nought-to-a-hundred surge over something tiny is frequently about exhaustion, unmet expectations and carrying too much alone.</p><br><p><strong>Asking for help doesn't always get the right response</strong></p><p>When Becca told her GP she was angry and shouting, she was sent to a psychiatric unit and handed a CBT leaflet — a reminder of how far perinatal support still has to go.</p><br><p><strong>Talking openly is its own kind of therapy</strong></p><p>Ranting honestly online led Becca to realise she wasn't the only one — and connecting with other women became the support she couldn't find elsewhere.</p><br><p><strong>Honesty is the most useful thing we can offer new parents</strong></p><p>Not to frighten anyone, but to sit somewhere between "you'll be great" and "this could be the hardest thing you ever do" — the truth is usually in between.</p><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>📚 Resources</h2><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amotherplace/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>A Mother Place</strong></a></p><p>Becca's platform for honest, unfiltered motherhood</p><br><p><a href="https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/postnatal-depression/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Postnatal Depression (HSE)</strong></a></p><p>HSE information and support</p><br><p><a href="https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/talk-therapy/types/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Talk Therapy (HSE)</strong></a></p><p>Talk therapy and counselling options</p><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>⏱️ Timestamps</h2><p><br></p><p>00:00 — Intro</p><p>01:51 — From A-grade student to the bottom of the class</p><p>04:00 — Calling BS on "enjoy every moment"</p><p>04:52 — The feeding nobody warns you about</p><p>09:31 — Loneliness and the hours in between</p><p>11:58 — The GP, a psychiatric unit and a CBT leaflet</p><p>15:13 — D-MER: the sadness that comes with let-down</p><p>19:19 — Maternal rage and the spilled-milk surge</p><p>22:16 — When your baby feels like a stranger</p><p>24:02 — Renegotiating the relationship after a baby</p><p>37:11 — Her book, and a ruptured ectopic pregnancy</p><p>42:28 — The meaning of life is balance</p><p>Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4xDBAAv7WCZCJ0VJC8lIXiX8_QtHFZJ&si=yi8ifI_sbjJJISSi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lauradowlingexperience?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@lauradowlingexperience</a> for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fabulouspharmacist?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@fabulouspharmacist</a> for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
July 14, 2026
Bitesize Moment: "Entertained, Not Educated." — Jennifer Rock on spotting advice you can trust
<p>In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, skin expert and Skin Nerd founder Jennifer Rock explains why so much health and skincare advice online is built to entertain rather than educate — and how to tell the difference.</p><br><p>She makes a straight-talking case for checking qualifications, standards and the source behind any advice before you act on it, so the next viral "must buy" doesn't catch you out.</p><br><p><strong>🔑Key Points</strong></p><p>• Why qualifications and standards matter in skincare and health</p><p>• How social media is designed to entertain, not educate</p><p>• Why you should always check the source of your advice</p><p>• A simple filter for viral trends and "must buy" claims</p><br><p><a href="https://shows.acast.com/the-laura-dowling-experience/episodes/6884bea46e658a8b3cc920bd🎧 Listen to the full episode here." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">🎧 Listen to the full episode here.</a></p><p>Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4xDBAAv7WCZCJ0VJC8lIXiX8_QtHFZJ&si=yi8ifI_sbjJJISSi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lauradowlingexperience?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@lauradowlingexperience</a> for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fabulouspharmacist?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@fabulouspharmacist</a> for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
July 9, 2026
Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery
<p>Laura sits down with community pharmacist Darragh Connolly, who has built a men's health service — Men's Health Downunder — around something most clinics rush past: helping men get their sexual function back after prostate surgery. It's a candid, frequently very funny conversation about a subject usually wrapped in silence and shame.</p><p>Darragh explains the male anatomy in plain (and memorable) terms, why nightly "micro-erections" keep the penis healthy, and what actually changes after a prostatectomy. He walks through how a penis pump works, what constriction rings are for, and why this isn't only for men who've had cancer surgery — smoking, diabetes, spinal injury, certain medicines and simply getting older can all play a part.</p><p>Running through all of it is a hopeful message: a prostate diagnosis or surgery is not the end of sex, intimacy is far more than penetration, and men well into their 80s can still enjoy a full sex life. Darragh also makes the case for meeting men's sexual health at the pharmacy counter, not only the consultant's clinic.</p><br><p><br></p><h2>🔑 Key Points</h2><p><br></p><p><strong>Sexual health is health — and still taboo</strong></p><p>There's deep shame and silence around men's genitals and sexual function, and Darragh's whole approach is to demystify it, often with humour, so men actually seek help.</p><br><p><strong>Micro-erections keep the penis healthy</strong></p><p>Men have around five micro-erections a night that bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the tissue; without them it's "use it or lose it", and the penis can shrink and lose function.</p><br><p><strong>Erectile dysfunction has many causes, not just prostate surgery</strong></p><p>Ageing, smoking, diabetes, lower-back trauma, spinal injury and some medications can all affect erectile function.</p><br><p><strong>How a penis pump actually works</strong></p><p>Used for five to ten minutes a day, it draws blood into the penis like training a muscle, improving vascular and nerve health over time.</p><br><p><strong>Constriction rings let men maintain an erection for sex</strong></p><p>Paired with the pump, a constriction ring traps blood to hold an erection for penetrative sex — but should never be left on more than six to eight minutes.</p><br><p><strong>A prostate diagnosis is not the end of sex</strong></p><p>With the right tools, men who hadn't had an erection in months or years can have penetrative sex again — and intimacy is always more than penetration.</p><br><p><strong>Know the warning signs of prostate trouble</strong></p><p>Dribbling, a weak stream, going more often (especially at night) and "stage fright" can point to an enlarged prostate; Movember is a good place to learn the signs.</p><br><p><br></p><h2>📚 Resources</h2><p><br></p><p><a href="https://menshealthdownunder.ie/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Men's Health Downunder</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Darragh Connolly's Irish men's health service and the surgical-grade penis pumps discussed</p><br><p><a href="https://ie.movember.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Movember</strong></a></p><p>the men's health charity Darragh recommends for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male suicide awareness</p><br><p><br></p><h2>⏱️ Timestamps</h2><p><br></p><p>00:00 — Welcome and sponsor</p><p>01:36 — Why a pharmacist is talking about men's health</p><p>03:24 — How Darragh got into men's health</p><p>04:32 — What a prostatectomy actually involves</p><p>07:28 — Male anatomy explained simply</p><p>13:48 — Micro-erections and "use it or lose it"</p><p>20:55 — How a penis pump works</p><p>24:31 — Constriction rings and maintaining an erection</p><p>38:33 — The prostate and its warning signs</p><p>52:44 — How Viagra and Cialis were discovered</p><p>57:00 — Low-dose Cialis, the pump and the post-surgery "void"</p><p>1:01:24 — Couples, intimacy and a hopeful note</p><p>Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4xDBAAv7WCZCJ0VJC8lIXiX8_QtHFZJ&si=yi8ifI_sbjJJISSi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lauradowlingexperience?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@lauradowlingexperience</a> for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fabulouspharmacist?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@fabulouspharmacist</a> for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
198 total episodes available
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