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PRsonal: ‘I felt like a broken incubator': Meet miracle mum Claire Nicholson Bell

In this series of podcasts, Charlotte Nichols, managing director of PR agency Harvey & Hugo, gets up close and PRsonal with a variety of well-known business faces. Nothing is off limits as she digs deep to get to know the person behind the professional…

In this episode…

Claire Nicholson Bell just wanted a family.

However, she was put through ‘hell’ as she spent years undergoing IVF which pushed her to the brink.

In this poignant episode of PRsonal, Claire recalls the bittersweet agony of watching her friends have children as she battled loneliness and heartbreak during round after round of IVF.

Both she and host Charlotte share their own experiences of IVF, as Claire recalls how the process changed her – and why she had to quit social media for a year due to the process.

But Claire then reveals the astonishing moment her dream finally came true.

Settle in for an incredible episode of PRsonal – but bring the tissues….

Key moments:

• 0:00:07 - Introduction to the podcast and guest, Claire Nicholson Bell
• 0:00:42 - How it feels to experience infertility
• 0:02:16 - ‘Some of my friends have experienced infertility – but I still felt lonely’
• 0:03:46 - The ‘cruel’ process of IVF
• 0:08:25 - ‘You become a different person’
• 0:10:53 - How infertility and IVF changes everyone – including the people around you
• 0:12:38 - ‘I quit social media for a year to avoid pregnant friends’
• 0:16:31 - ‘A broken incubator: How you see yourself during IVF’
• 0:19:16 - ‘I took my IVF injections in front of a colleague’
• 0:28:15 - ‘Sex stopped becoming fun’
• 0:30:00 - Creating an alternative family
• 0:33:20 - ‘I was going to end up in a mental health hospital if I didn’t stop
• 0:34:18 - Massage, exercise and crystals – the alternative therapies Claire utilised
• 0:36:18 - The emotional moment she found out she was pregnant
• 0:40:05 - Why she struggled to connect on her first pregnancy
• 0:44:54 - How crystals could help with fertility or other medical treatments
• 0:45:58 - ‘Crystals helped bring my dad peace when he was dying with cancer’
• 0:51:52 - The spiritual encounter with her dad
• 0:59:58 - How good is Claire at sex?