NICU Babies Parent Support

Guest: Anissa Scholes In this episode: Anissa discusses her pregnancy with Elisabeth and finding out she has Trisomy 18 What is Trisomy 18, and what are the typical symptoms? What was it like at home for a baby with Trisomy 18? How grief is a singular experience Why it's important to believe the griever Grieving a child when you have other children at home   Content Warning: This episode may cover...

Guest: Catherine Tate, bereaved parent and Hand to Hold Peer Mentor In this episode: Catherine discusses the experience of losing her first child and having a high-risk pregnancy with her second. She discusses her NICU experience and how that affected her emotionally. What are PPD symptoms?  How can you seek help if you realize you're having these symptoms? How does a NICU stay make moms more susc...

Guest: Rhiannon Giles In this episode: Rhiannon discusses her preeclampsia and how that led to the premature birth of her son She describes her NICU experience and how that led to her postpartum depression diagnosis How is someone diagnosed with postpartum depression? Rhiannon gives advice to NICU medical professionals how to speak to women who exhibit symptoms of postpartum depression -   The NIC...

Guest: Kathryn Whitaker, author and NICU mom In this episode: Kathryn discusses her son Luke's premature birth and diagnosis with NEC How Kathryn found her way to Hand to Hold Luke's feeding journey and feeding therapy How to handle your preemie's medical journey, when much of it is out of your control How Kathryn used her NICU journey to write her book,  Live Big, Love Bigger -   The NICU is hard...

Guest: Keira Sorrells Keira talks about her infertility issues and experience getting pregnant with quintuplets, then reducing the pregnancy to triplets Keira talks about the birth of her daughters, Avery, Lily and Zoe, and her experience in the NICU Keira discusses the journey grief after losing Zoe and still having Avery and Lily at home How the loss of a child affects marriages differently What...

Guest: Lee Cordon of  Do Say Give Lee discusses her diagnosis of PPROM and the premature birth of two of her daughters. How she handled bringing home NICU babies with other children at home Intentional motherhood The importance of reading, especially to preemies How to set a routine that works for your family A note on breastfeeding -   The NICU is hard.   We're here to help.  Hand to Hold® is a n...

Guest: Shifra Mehl Shifra describes her own experience with postpartum depression She discusses how this experience led her to begin Eim Leah What Eim Leah does to support new moms The importance of self-care for new moms Self-care techniques   -   The NICU is hard.   We're here to help.  Hand to Hold® is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with...

Guest: Becca Van Tassel, LCSW Why Becca decided to specialize in grief and loss in her career as a counselor Why is processing the pain of grief so difficult? The difference between depression and grief What can couples do in order to move through the grief process together? How can parents help their children process grief? How can we memorialize those we have lost? How to deal with the guilt ass...

Guest: Mia Durairaj, MSc, NICU mom and founder of  Mindful Return Mia discusses her own NICU experience The emotions surrounding going back to work How to be transparent at work and in the NICU Importance of practicing self-care How the NICU trains you to be an advocate and leader After we recorded this interview, we received news that  Mia 's daughter lost her battle with congestive heart failure...

In this episode: Guest: Dawn Yu Renwick, NICU Nurse, Author/ Illustrator of "Dog Coats What are the benefits of reading aloud in the NICU for your baby? How does reading aloud to your baby in the NICU benefit you as a parent? As a NICU parent, how do I overcome the intimidation of reading aloud in the NICU? Purchase your copy of Dog Coats on Amazon here . More information about read-aloud in NICUs...

Hand to Hold's Occupational Therapy Intern, Eliana Cutler, sits down with Kelli to discuss what an occupational therapist (OT) does, and what the role of an occupational therapist is in the NICU. Eliana also shares tips on how to integrate therapy into play with your baby.  Eliana is an occupational therapy student and doctoral candidate at Midwestern University's College of Health Sciences - The...

Our guest, Amber, sits down with Kelli to share her experience of being diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Amber discusses how she advocated for herself and her unborn twin girls throughout the treatment of TTTS. Amber also shares more about her family's experience in the NICU, and how her girls are doing today.  Introduction of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome by Dr. Moise....

Our guest, Dr. Kenneth Moise, sits down with Kelli to discuss what a fetal medicine specialist does, what conditions they treat, and what parents can expect while in the care of a fetal medicine specialist. Dr. Moise is a Fetal Medicine Specialist and is also the Co-Director at the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center at Dell Children's in Austin, Texas.  - The NICU is hard.   We're here to help.  Hand...

Kelli welcomes guest, Lexi Losch, MA, LPC, NCC, discuss why maternal mental health matters, and the difference between "baby blues" and PPD. Lexi shares the symptoms of PPD, who is most likely to experience PPD, and the importance of addressing your physical needs as a new mom. In addition, Kelli and Lexi share resources for anyone who may be struggling.  - The NICU is hard.   We're here to help. ...

Katrina discusses her preterm birth with her son, Bryce, and how the NICU can precipitate anxiety. Katrina also shares how her experience of bringing home a medically fragile baby impacted her anxiety, and which resources she found most helpful throughout her journey.  - The NICU is hard.   We're here to help.  Hand to Hold® is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care un...

Nakeenya Wilson, of Black Mamas ATX, discusses her own traumatic birth experience and how that led to PTSD and PPD. She talks about how she got involved with Black Mamas ATX and the services the nonprofit offers. She also discusses the statistics surrounding black mothers and PPD.  - The NICU is hard. We're here to help.  Hand to Hold® is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intens...

The majority of self-care content out there seems to rely on having extra time and energy in your life (bubble baths and pedicures anyone?) The reality is those most in need of self-care typically have neither time nor energy to spare. How do we shift the self-care paradigm away from the idea of "treating yourself" and into the reality of learning to survive (and even thrive) in a season where eve...

Every baby's NICU journey is unique. As a parent, even if you have experienced the NICU with one baby, a NICU journey with another baby is far from predictable.  In this episode, we welcome Myra, a mother of three. Myra and her husband Allan adopted three babies, two of which had NICU stays. To further add to the complexity, both of the NICUs were out of state. Myra's total NICU journey for both b...

Sue Ludwig OTR/L, CNT shares more about her book Tiny Humans, Big Lessons: How the NICU Taught Me to Live With Energy, Intention, and Purpose. Through real patient stories, reflection, and practical tools, Ludwig reveals how, by following the lead of those in her care, she found her way to a more vibrant, purposeful, and impactful life than she ever imagined possible―and how you can, too.

Having a baby in the NICU can be overwhelming and complicated. Imagine for a minute the added complexities of adopting a NICU baby.   Kristy and her husband David adopted their baby, Kevin, and met him for the first time when he was in his isolette in the NICU. During Kevin's 8 week NICU journey, Kristy saw the importance of reaching out for help and interacting with other NICU moms who had simila...

Britney Dehnert describes her NICU experience with the birth of her daughter, how journaling and poetry helped her through her NICU journey, and how different art forms can allow us to participate in self care.

Nashville-based singer and songwriter JJ Heller joins Kelli to discuss her popular lullaby  Hand to Hold  and how it is soon launching as a beautifully illustrated children's book. 

Kelli and Dr. Gonzalez discuss what RSV is and how to recognize its symptoms. They also talk about when to seek medical attention.  

Kelli and Media discuss what diaper dermatitis is and how it affects premature babies. They talk about the best practices to prevent it, including feeding and diaper changes.  

Sarah speaks about her NICU journey with her daughter and how that led her to write Early. Kelli and Sarah talk about a NICU parent's response to COVID-19.