Dear NICU Mama

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...

We talk about it often on our social media, but the bond between two NICU sisters is an unmatched bond. And today we have the honor of hearing the story behind the extraordinary friendship of Charleen and Lizzie! One day while in the NICU with her daughter Emerson, Charleen noticed that another preemie baby had been born. Because she wanted this new NICU mom to know that she was never alone, Charl...

Our podcast episode for you this week is a mini episode! And during this time of COVID, we wanted to offer a self-compassion centered mindfulness exercise that any mama can do in or out of the NICU. Certified yoga and mindfulness instructor Stephanie Ashem leads us through a 10 minute mindfulness exercise called, “The Compassionate Friend”, that is modeled after a similar exercise created by self-...

On today's podcast episode, we have the opportunity to hear from the one and only, Vilma! The NICU journey of her son Bradley is full of great hope and strength. Vilma delivered her son via an emergency c-section at 38weeks and 5 days. Her pregnancy leading up to the delivery was smooth and by the book, so to have her son rushed away to the NICU was very unexpected. After 54 days in the NICU...

In an effort to celebrate Father's Day and NICU dads everywhere, we have a very special podcast episode to share with you all this week! It's no secret that NICU mamas and NICU dads process, heal, and work through the trauma of a NICU journey differently. And while we hope to eventually do an episode with a more scientific/emotional response to what those differences often times look lik...

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month! And for today’s episode, we have the opportunity to sit down with Rebekah Tompkins, MD to chat about not only preeclampsia, but also HELLP Syndrome. Rebekah Tompkins not only specializes in high-risk pregnancy, but she personally experienced preeclampsia, HELLP, and a NICU stay with her firstborn son. Not only does she offer sound doctrine on the medical and ph...

This week’s Dear NICU Mama podcast is dedicated to the second half of Justina’s journey.  After only a few months of grieving their son, Carter, Justina and her husband were shocked to discovered that she was pregnant again, six months before they planned on trying. They guarded their hearts through the rollercoaster emotions of a high-risk pregnancy, and at 29 weeks welcomed Aron. In this episode...

For some NICU Mamas, the journey doesn't end with homecoming.  In this episode of the Dear NICU Mama podcast, we interview Justina Oldehoff, mother of two NICU babies and founder of Carter's Cause, a resource for families in the NICU and those who've suffered infant loss. Justina and her husband, Dan, endured the unimaginable when their precious son, Carter, was born at 24 weeks and...

NICU Mamas, we see you. We know that things like social isolation and “quarantine” are not new for you and your family. Which is why we hope that this episode offers some new and fun ideas to interact and bond with your NICU grad with Kindermusik! This past month, Chaycie reached out to us and conveyed how she wanted to give back to our DNM Sisterhood during this time of COVID. Dear NICU Mama is p...

Excessive hand washing, fear of germs, social distancing and isolation... sound familiar? It may be because there are some uncanny similarities between the recent COVID-19 regulations and NICU regulations. And because of these similarities, we wanted to bring awareness to the fact that this can all be very triggering for NICU mamas. We are so honored to have high risk pregnancy specialist and trau...

Part 2 of our Let's Talk About Postpartum series is officially here! And we are so excited to be sharing it with you all today. As we talked about in part one, so much changes in our bodies and in our minds after having a baby. Especially for NICU mothers as they are navigating the grief and trauma that often times accompanies a NICU stay. But thankfully, there are tools and practices we can...

We all know that our bodies change after we have a baby. But what happens to our minds? For the month of February we focused on all things NICU Postpartum and how we can learn to love and embrace our bodies. We asked Natalie Reiter with Prairieland Counseling to share her wisdom regarding NICU postpartum, the changes that our minds undergo when they experience trauma, and how we can heal and grow...