"Esty's Story, Part 1" - With Dr. Esther Rollhaus

On this episode of the Healthful Woman Podcast, Dr. Nathan Fox speaks with reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Esther "Esty" Rollhaus, who shares the first part of her personal fertility and birth journey: years of male-factor infertility and multiple IVF cycles during medical school and residency, culminating in a twin pregnancy. She recounts a harrowing delivery at 32-33 weeks complicated by an unrecognized preterm labor, an inability to breathe while pushing, and serious postpartum infections in both her and her newborn son, followed by a difficult seven-week NICU stay for both twins. The episode closes on a reflective note about the disconnect between the joy she expected as a new mother and the fear and emotional numbness she actually experienced.