Dear NICU Mama

Today’s episode is very bittersweet as we say farewell to Season 7 of the Dear NICU Mama Podcast! We will never be able to fully express the honor and joy that it is to connect with each of you through this podcast and what it means to us to have you listen each and every week. To those of you who are celebrating this holiday season, we wish you a very gentle holidays and a gentle beginning of 202...

As NICU mothers, our breastfeeding journeys often times look different than the ones we may have envisioned. It’s not uncommon to first be hooked up to a breast pump, and it can be days, weeks, or months before we have the chance to try feeding our babies at the breast. As we continue talking about feeding, we wanted to publish an episode for NICU mothers that long to pump or breastfeed, and we ar...

As we approach the holiday season, we thought it would be timely to talk about feeding and eating! As NICU parents, we know that our child’s feeding journey begins in the NICU, but it certainly doesn’t end there. Which is why we are really grateful to have such a gentle and informative conversation with two special guests from the organization Feeding Matters , CEO Jaclyn Pederson and Director of...

It's spooky season! And this week we are sharing a replay of an amazing episode we had the pleasure of recording with Natalie Reiter of Prairieland Counseling back in season 5 all about "spooky" or intrusive thoughts. In this episode we cover: What are intrusive thoughts and how can we identify them? What are common intrusive thoughts that NICU parents might experience? What are som...

As NICU parents, we are trained to track milestones and be hypervigilant about our child’s development. And as we enroll our NICU grads in school, it can feel vulnerable to trust other individuals to be as vigilant as we are! Which is why we are really excited to have an in-depth conversation with Catherine Whitcher, M.Ed of Master IEP Coach about Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and how to partn...

Happy Thursday, beautiful sisterhood! If you are a frequent listener of the DNM Podcast, you may have noticed that we are a day late in posting this week’s podcast episode due to technical issues. BUT we are just as excited to share this week’s mini episode with you all today! In September we launched our “There is Goodness Ahead” collection. And on today’s podcast episode, Ashley shares a bit abo...

On this week’s podcast episode, we have the honor of hearing DNM team member Jess’ NICU journey with her twin boys, Jamie + Morgan! Jess was admitted to the hospital at 30 weeks and 2 days due to preterm premature rupture of the membrane (PPROM). After 2 days in the hospital, Jess went into a very quick labor and delivered her boys via an emergency c- section. Jamie was discharged after 41 days, a...

This week’s podcast episode is all about fevers and illness after NICU! (Cue the tears.) As we enter into what is formally known as cold and flu season, we wanted to have a conversation with a pediatrician who can help us understand some truths and misconceptions about illness. We are so excited to have this conversation with Dr. Jess Daigle of Mom & Me MD ! Not only is Dr. Jess a board certif...

This week’s podcast episode is a special back to school roundtable episode with co-hosts Martha and Ashley, and team members Kendra and Sara! Throughout this episode we hear about their own personal experiences of sending their kids to school, how they advocate for their kids alongside the school system, and some of the triumphs and challenges they’ve experienced along the way. We hope any NICU mo...

Welcome to season 7, beautiful mamas! We hope you all had a wonderful summer and that your fall is off to a great start. We are so excited to be back on the podcast with you all, and we can’t believe we are officially kicking off another season of the podcast with you! We can’t wait to share amazing expert interviews, round table discussions, and NICU motherhood stories with you throughout this se...

Walking Letter of Hope Day is only two days away! On July 19th, you have the power to make a difference and show your support for Dear NICU Mama in several meaningful ways: Wear your Walking Letter of Hope apparel : On July 19th, proudly wear your Walking Letter of Hope apparel from Dear NICU Mama. By doing so, you raise awareness for the organization and highlight the invaluable support this comm...

Today’s episode is very bittersweet as we say farewell to Season 6 of the Dear NICU Mama Podcast! It has been such a gift to have vulnerable and meaningful conversations with NICU moms and specialists about growing our families after the NICU, and we hope that you have felt heard and seen throughout this season. We know that this subject can be a tender one, and we want to make sure to acknowledge...

As we near the end of season 6, which has been all about growing and building our families after the NICU, we wanted to make sure to dedicate an episode to the foster and adoptive NICU mamas in our community. Which is why we are so grateful to have NICU mom and NICU nurse, Sarah joining us on the podcast today! Throughout this episode, Sarah shares openly and honestly about her family’s journey to...

In honor of Mother’s Day, this week’s podcast episode is a special episode where DNM team members read out-loud letters that they have written for this community. This Mother’s Day, our hope is that you offer yourself the grace and permission to feel the duality of both grief and joy of longing and gratitude. Whether you are celebrating in or out of the NICU, with full or empty arms, or with a clo...

Happy World Maternal Mental Health Day to this wonderful sisterhood and NICU mama community! This week we have the honor of welcoming back Dr. Frankie Harrison of Miracle Moon to talk all about the basics of maternal mental health. In this episode we cover: What is maternal mental health? How does the practice of a maternal mental health therapist differ from a traditional practicing therapist? Wh...

As we continue season 6 which is all about growing our families after the NICU, we want to make sure to also honor the NICU mamas in our sisterhood who are no longer able to carry children due to an emergent or elected hysterectomy. And we are so grateful for twin NICU mama Leah for sharing about her personal experience. After an emergency c-section, Leah’s twins were born at 32 weeks 2 days gesta...

As we continue our season of growing our families after the NICU, we want to make sure to also honor the NICU mamas in our sisterhood who have grown their families via pregnancy after loss. Throughout this episode, Martha and Aisha share about the mountains and valleys of their healing journeys, what support felt most meaningful to them in pregnancy, and encouragement they have for other loss mama...

This week’s podcast episode is a roundtable episode with two of our editorial team members, Keely and Savannah! And this week we are talking all about navigating and announcing pregnancy announcements on social media after the NICU. Depending on where you are in your healing journey, social media can sometimes be a joyful and wonderful place to engage, and other times it can invoke feelings of jea...

This week’s podcast episode is a replay episode from season 2 of the Dear NICU Mama podcast! As we further our conversation of growing our families after the NICU, we wanted to make sure to re-share this episode as it contains not only invaluable information about high-risk pregnancy after NICU, but also because Dr. Stefanie is a NICU mama herself. For those who find themselves pregnant after the...

This week’s podcast episode is Part 2 of Kamille’s motherhood journey and pregnancy with her son, Luuk! Two days before her first son Owen’s birthday, Kamille found out she was pregnancy with Luuk. Throughout this episode she shares vulnerably about what it was like to be pregnant again after the NICU, how she relied on her support system and prioritized her mental health throughout her pregnancy...

This week’s podcast episode is Part 1 of Kamille’s motherhood journey with her son, Owen! At 20 weeks, Owen was diagnosed with CDH. Throughout her pregnancy, she was closely monitored until his arrival at 38 weeks. Four days after delivery, Owen underwent surgery to repair his diaphragm and move his stomach and intestines out his chest, and he spent a total of 23 days in the NICU! Owen is a thrivi...

This week, we have the privilege of speaking with Katie Taylor from Child Life On Call! One of the most commonly asked questions in our support forum is how to not only balance being a mom to kids at home and in the NICU, but also how to include their older kids with their new sibling’s NICU journey in a way that feels safe and easy to comprehend. And we couldn’t think of a better guests to talk a...

On this week’s podcast episode, we have the honor of hearing the miraculous NICU journey of Sully! Sully was born at 31 weeks during the height of the pandemic due to Paige developing severe preeclmapsia. While in the NICU, he developed NEC, which led to three surgeries, a G-tube, and a 131 day NICU stay. Sully is now two years old, G-tube free, and the happiest toddler in the world! To the G-tube...

This week, we are excited to release another roundtable episode! As we continue our theme of growing our families after NICU, we invited Ebony and Carrita back on the podcast as they are both expecting after loss and NICU stays. Ebony and Carrita share their personal family building journeys, how they have savored each moment of their pregnancies, and words of encouragement they would offer other...

This week’s podcast episode is a replay from a former season of the Dear NICU Mama podcast! As we continue our conversation of growing our families after the NICU, we couldn’t think of a more valuable series of episodes to share than our Sex & Intimacy after NICU and/or Birth Trauma series. We know that connecting with our bodies after the NICU is a lifelong healing journey, especially when it...