Dear NICU Mama

For this week’s episode, we are sharing a liturgy that Kayla Craig wrote specifically for NICU families back in October of 2020! For the mamas in our sisterhood that observe Easter and/or have a faith in Jesus, we wanted to offer this liturgy again to you. Whether you are in or out of the NICU, you are never ever alone. To listen to the episode we recorded with her about honest faith, you can list...

On this week’s episode we have the opportunity to have a conversation with the one and only Anese of The Breakthrough Mama! Not only is she a licensed maternal mental health specialist, but she is also a NICU mama herself who has dedicated her practice to serving and empowering high-risk pregnancy mamas and NICU mamas. Because safety and feeling grounded are necessary to begin the process of heali...

On this week’s podcast episode, we have the opportunity to talk with Sally! Not only is Sally a mama to a fabulous toddler, but she also gave birth to quadruplets who spent a total of 7 weeks in the NICU. Throughout the episode we hear about her infertility journey with their firstborn, what her pregnancy, delivery, and NICU journey was like with the quads, and what life at home looks like for the...

This week's episode is a very special episode! Not only do we have our beloved team member Vilma as a guest guest co-host, but this is also a Mamas Call In episode! At the end of this episode you will have the opportunity to hear from a couple of amazing NICU mamas on how they have grown throughout this past pandemic year. We asked Vilma to share in this episode because as a NICU mama of a me...

Carrita gave birth to her son Isaac at 26 weeks. They spent 116 days in the NICU with additional PICU stays after discharge. It was on their NICU journey that Carrita felt that she discovered her purpose. Since being home, it has been a passion of hers to inspire and uplift other NICU families by sharing their story! We hope this episode reminds you that mama, you know your baby best. To get conne...

Welcome to Part 2 of Nicole’s NICU journey! Nicole delivered mono-di twin girls, Harper and Avery, at 26 weeks and 3 days. Tragically, Avery was lost at 15 days old due to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Part 2 is all about Harper’s miraculous 66 day NICU journey, what life after loss has looked like for Nicole and her family, and also how to love a close friend or loved one who has experienced i...

On today’s episode, we have the honor of hearing part 1 of Nicole’s NICU journey! Nicole delivered mono-di twin girls at 26 weeks and 3 days. Her pregnancy came with many complications due to her small stature and Avery (Twin B) had IUGR and low amniotic fluid. Because of this, they were in and out of the hospital for extra monitoring of Avery’s growth and fluid levels. Just before reaching 26 wee...

Welcome to part 2 of our sex after birth and/or NICU trauma series! On this week's episode we talk exclusively about the physical aspects of healing after trauma with physical therapist Jill Ehrmantraut of Apex Wellness!    In this episode we cover:  What is the pelvic floor?  Is pain during sex normal? If not, what can we do to treat it?  What are the different changes physically that occur...

Yep, you read the title of this episode right! On this week's episode, we are talking about sex. Specifically sex after NICU and/or birth trauma. And we couldn't think of a more compassionate voice to chat about this with than the one and only Natalie Reiter with Prairieland Counseling . It's no secret that so many things shift and change in our bodies both physically and emotionall...

If you’ve been listening to our podcast or following along with us on social media, you know that we love the practice of self-compassion! Which is why we are excited to share an episode talking about self-compassion and our inner narrative with Melissa Dahl with Mindful Healing and Consulting! In this episode we cover: What is the practice of self-compassion and how can we implement it in our dai...

This episode is a long time coming! On September 25th, 2019 we heard part 1 of Ava’s miraculous 202 day NICU journey. And as soon as we scheduled a recording date for part 2, miss Ava was discharged from the NICU! So on today’s episode we have the opportunity to hear from Kristi about the remainder of Ava’s NICU stay, as well as what the transition to life at home looked like for their family of 6...

It's the final Dear NICU Mama podcast episode of 2020! On this week’s episode we not only have a roundtable discussion reflecting on each of our personal journeys in 2020, but we also introduce the one and only Karla! Karla is our editorial assistant and one of our most recent team members. We love her a lot and are excited to officially introduce her to you all here! As we reflect on 2020, w...

Oh, boundaries. We all know we need them, but setting and defining them can feel really complicated! Especially when we are setting boundaries with the people we love most in our lives. As we approach another holiday, we wanted to sure to have an open and honest conversation about boundaries that not only offers insight into what healthy boundaries can look like, but also offers helpful tools on h...

On this week’s episode, we have the honor of chatting with Ebony Ford! Ebony Ford is a native of the Washington D.C. area, a wife, and a preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivor. She is also the proud mother of 26-weeker micropreemie Reign Victoria who was born weighing 1lb 15 oz, spent 80 days in the NICU, and is currently REIGNING over her battle with Pulmonary Fibromatosis. Both Ebony and Reign...

Welcome to season three of the Dear NICU Mama podcast! In this episode we chat all about our recent event, our growing team, and also what our hope and vision is for season three. It is truly an honor to share the stories and journeys of remarkable NICU mamas everywhere, and we can't believe get to be apart of this beautiful sisterhood. Thank you for your continued support and belief in the m...

We are officially at the end of Season 2! And for our closing episode, we wanted to share the episode we recorded with Parijat Deshpande back in March. (Doesn’t that seem like a year ago?!) Many NICU mamas are feeling especially triggered during this pandemic, and throughout this episode we talk about why that may be and how we can we process through these triggers. We also wanted to share this ep...

It's not uncommon these days to see the word trigger laced throughout our social media feeds. And while PTSD is not often associated with new motherhood or NICU motherhood, it is very much a real reality that we are hoping to shed some light on today. (Hint: It is not as scary as it sounds!) In this episode we have a conversation with the one and only Natalie Retier with Prairieland Counselin...

On this week’s episode, we have the opportunity to sit down with Ashley, one of the co-founders of Dear NICU Mama, and the co-host of the Dear NICU Mama, podcast! After a high-risk pregnancy, Ashley developed severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome resulting in a placental abruption. Her son Silas was born via an emergency c-section at 28 weeks and spent a total of 87 days in the NICU with one hosp...

This week’s podcast is an episode dedicated to announcing a VERY FUN announcement! 🥳 We are beyond excited to announce that on Saturday November 7th 2020 at 4PM CT, we will be hosting our very first ever virtual live event sponsored by Gate City Bank and designed specifically for current and past NICU mamas! Over the past few months, our team has been dreaming up ways that we can create opportuni...

As we embark into the month of October, we wanted to be intentional to share a message of hope and healing for any weary mamas. And while we have done many episodes on mindfulness, we have not yet had the chance to do an episode about faith in the NICU. Which is why we are so honored to have had the opportunity to have an honest talk with Kayla Craig, founder of Liturgy for Parents! For many NICU...

Today’s episode is a real treat because it is PART TWO of Brandi’s motherhood journey! Part one was the story and miraculous life of Declan and also Brandi's diagnosis and recovery of colon cancer. Part two is all about the pregnancy, delivery, and NICU journey of her son Maddex! On Christmas morning, Brandi found out that she was pregnant with Maddex. Because of her surprise and early delive...

On this week’s episode, we have the honor of hearing Part 1 of Brandi’s motherhood journey and about the life of her son, Declan. Declan was born at 22 weeks 4 days gestation and because the hospital that Brandi delivered at did not consider viability until 24 weeks, no interventions were made. She shares openly and honestly about the experience of losing her son, how she has grieved and healed, t...

For NICU mothers considering having more of their own children, it's not uncommon to wonder, "Will this all happen again?" "Is there anything I can do differently?" And while we do not have a crystal ball to predict the future, we can step away from our google searches and sit down with trusted medical professionals to ask the good and sometimes hard questions. For this we...

Last week was Breastfeeding Awareness Week, so we thought it would be fun to do a round table discussion about our breastfeeding experiences! Co-hosts of the Dear NICU Mama, podcast Martha and Ashley, are joined by the the one and only DNM mama ambassador Kendra to share a bit about each of their breastfeeding journeys. In this episode we cover the breastfeeding experience of Angel mamas, the expe...

Because the letters that mamas write in are so remarkable, we wanted to be able to offer them in another tangible way. And what better way than to have them read aloud here on the podcast? Our first audible letter is read by the one and only Jakarta. If you'd like to see photos of their journey in the NICU and how far they have come today, we have her letter linked at the bottom of the descri...