Ask a NICU Mama Podcast

This week on the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast , host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Diane Olusada for a heartfelt return episode. Diane first joined us in March 2025 for “I Healed in the NICU,”where she courageously shared her journey through infertility, the heartbreaking loss of her first son in the NICU, her daughter’s 108-day NICU stay, and her youngest son’s “brief” NICU stay. Through it all, she refle...

This week on the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Jane Cranston, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of Tiny Transitions Therapy Consulting. Jane shares how her personal experience as a mother of a child with special needs shaped her approach to supporting families. We discuss the transition from the NICU to home, the importance of cultural humility in healthcare...

This week on the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Isabelle Neza , who shares her journey through pregnancy, the unexpected premature birth of her son at just 23 weeks, and the challenges her family faced throughout their NICU experience. She opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of life in the NICU and the lessons she learned while navigating the complexities of neonat...

This week on the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast , host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Alexis Rhodes, a certified child life specialist and birth doula, for an honest conversation about birth, grief, NICU experiences, discharge, and what it really means to support the whole family . We talk about preparing emotionally for birth, navigatinggrief, supporting siblings of medically complex children, and why the pa...

What if music could help a NICU baby regulate, connect, and heal? 🎵💛 In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil sits down with music therapist Jamie Shegogue to explore how music therapy can support neurodevelopment, bonding, and emotional well-being for babies and families in the NICU. Together, they discuss the research behind music therapy, what it can look like at the...

🎙️ 100 EPISODES OF ASK A NICU MAMA! 🎙️ 100 episodes. Wow. 🥹 Since launching in January 2024, this podcast has broughtreal stories, hard truths, and hope to families navigating life in and beyond the NICU. Through hospitalizations, rescheduled interviews, and allthat life has brought, we made it to 100! For this special episode, my dear friend Diamond isinterviewing me about my NICU journey, grief...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined Andew and Amber Vassell, who share their deeply personal story of navigating two different NICU journeys , first with their 25-weeker, Austen, and later with their 26-weeker, Aliyah. They open up about the fear and uncertainty that comes withhaving a baby born too soon, while also trying to be present for the toddler(s) wa...

What happens when motherhood asks you to hold unimaginable loss and incredible hope at the same time? In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Natalie Estelle , a mother whose journey through motherhood has been anything but ordinary. In just two years, Natalie gave birth to three children. Herfirst was stillborn. Her second was a micropreemie, born weighing l...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Bittany Bowman, who shares the emotional and often overwhelming experience of navigating the NICU with a baby who was born full-term, reminding us that the NICU journey doesn’t always look the way we expect. From pregnancy, IVF, and genetic testing to Ethan’s unexpected medical challenges and eventual diagnosis with th...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Alli son Moise, who shares her deeply personal journey through her son’s birth, his diagnosis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) , and the unexpected path that led her to become a passionate advocate for HIE families. She opens up about navigating the NICU, how she copes withhaving to make complex medical decision...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Casandra Bradley, a mother of four, including two children with complex medical needs. Alongside navigating the challenges of caring for her children, Cassie has also faced her own medical journey, giving her a unique perspective on the importance of advocacy, resilience, and finding support. Through her experiences as...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Diamond Palmer who shares her heartfelt journey through her son's premature birth, a remarkable 354-day NICU stay across two hospitals , and the resilience it took to navigate complex medical challenges. From unexpected setbacks to celebrating milestones, she opens up about the emotional highs and lows of life as a...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Lauren Spruill   as she shares her powerful journey through a high-risk pregnancy complicated by fibroids, the unexpected delivery of her daughter at just 25 weeks gestation, and the emotional and medical challenges of a lengthy NICU stay. Lauren opens up about the uncertainty, fear, and resilience that shaped her exper...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Victoria Gokool-John, who shares her powerful journey through the unexpected reality of premature birth, a lengthy NICU stay, and the emotional road that followed. She opens up about the fear, uncertainty, andtrauma that so many NICU families experience—and how, over time, she began to rebuild her identity beyond the NI...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Sam Kozuch, a NICU mama turned NICU doula, whose journey is one of resilience, advocacy, and hope. Sam shares her experience navigating a high-risk pregnancy,a 152-day NICU stay, and life after discharge as she raises her daughter with complex medical needs. She opens up about the emotional highs and lows of the NICU, t...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Neelam, a mother of two NICU graduates, NICU & Postpartum Mental Health Educator, Maternal Wellness Consultant, and founder of Maternal Wellness Co. Drawing from both her lived experience and professionaltraining in perinatal mental health, Neelam supports mothers navigating the hidden trauma and identity shifts tha...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Mariann Shaw, Founder and Executive Director of Maison Alexander Support Group, Inc. (MASG Inc.), a faith-based nonprofit born from her own NICU journey. After developing preeclampsia, Mariann delivered her sonat just 28 weeks gestation via emergency C-section. She shares the challenges of navigating life after the NICU...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Katelyn Paz, who learned after a routine ultrasound that her daughter had Trisomy 18. She shares how she had to balance grief with hope and what it was like to constantly justify her decision to keep her daughter alive to her NICU team. She also opens up about finding herself back in the very same NICU two years later...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Nathan (Nate) Wieser, who shares his and his wife’s 10-year journey to parenthood—a path marked by pregnancy loss, infant loss, and a 121-day NICU stay. Throughout this episode, one thing remains abundantly clear: Nate’s deep love for his wife, his family and friends, and his children - both the ones he holds in his he...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Kimberly Johnson, who shares her journey of giving birth to her son at just 23 weeks gestation. She opens up about the previous loss of her daughter, navigating life in the NICU during COVID, and how the NICU experiencechanges you as a person. This conversation is honest, emotional, and full of perspective for anyone wa...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast , host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Dr. Kim, a pediatric physical therapist with 25 years of experience. We discuss the importance of early intervention, parent advocating for their children, and navigating the transition from the NICU to home to receiving school-aged support services. Dr. Kim also shares insights from her new book,  Move, Play, Grow ,...

In this Season 4 premiere of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Jenn Oseroff, MS, OTR/L, a NICU occupational therapist with nearly 30 years of experience caring for some of the hospital’s tiniest patients. Jenn shares valuable insight into the critical role occupational therapists play in the NICU, how they support infant development and feeding, and the ways they help fa...

In the Season 3 finale of the Ask a NICU Mama podcast, host Ashley O’Neil offers a heartfelt reflection on the grief, growth,and transformation that shape the lives of NICU families. She speaks candidly about the lasting impact of loss, the complexities of life after the NICU, and the often unseen support parents need long after discharge. Ashley shares how family and friends can best support thos...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast , host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Mahaley Patel, who shares her journey through pregnancy, the traumatic birth of her daughter Saachi, and the challenges faced during their NICU stay. She discusses the emotional complexities of child loss, the importance of processing trauma, and how she found purpose in her grief. Mahaley also highlights the signific...

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast ,host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Michelle Ross who opens up about her powerful journey through pregnancy complications, the heartbreak of losing a child, and the complexities of navigating the NICU with her daughter, Brielle. She reflectson the vital role of support systems, the weight of mental health during such vulnerable seasons, and the ways she’...