Dear NICU Mama – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode, we sit down with Rachell Dumas, founder of A Light After Nine, to hear her journey through loss, resilience, and advocacy. Rachell shares her experiences of multiple pregnancy losses, advocating for herself and her babies, and finally welcoming her son after an incredibly challenging journey. She opens up vulnerably about her path to bonding with her son and offers encouragement to other NICU moms who didn’t or don’t feel an immediate bond with their babies.

We also explore medical advocacy, the complexities of bonding after loss or a NICU experience, and the power of support and community. Through her nonprofit, A Light After Nine, Rachell provides resources, mentorship, and advocacy to moms facing similar challenges!

We hope this episode reminds you that no matter where you are on your healing journey, you are seen and loved.

To get connected with A Light After Nine:
Website | Instagram

To get connected with DNM:
Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

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We are excited to be back after the Thanksgiving break! On today’s episode, we have the opportunity to hear Serenity’s NICU journey with her daughter Amirah. Serenity opens up about her unexpected high-risk pregnancy and her daughter Amirah’s premature birth at 25 weeks.

Through her story, she reflects on the challenges of balancing life as a NICU mom and a full-time student, the difficult decisions she faced along the way, and the moments of hope and healing that have shaped her into the fierce advocate and loving mother she is today.

Now thriving as a social work graduate, Serenity shares her passion for advocating for Black maternal health and how her NICU journey has fueled her mission to support mothers and families. We also discuss the recent Bundle Up Commute Kits project we collaborated on to provide practical support for rural NICU families during harsh winters!

To get connected with DNM:

Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

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On this week’s podcast episode, we continue Sarah’s remarkable NICU journey with her twin boys, Noah and Uriah.

Throughout this episode, Sarah shares the challenges of navigating complex medical decisions, including both boys’ heart surgeries and Uriah’s extended NICU stay. She opens up about the emotional process of bringing Noah home while Uriah remained in the hospital and the life-changing decision to give Uriah a trach. We learn more about her journey to becoming a medically complex NICU mama, and how she has navigated and embraced having home health nursing in this season of her family’s life.

As you listen to part two of Sarah’s story, we hope you feel reminded that NICU mama, there is goodness ahead. You can do this, and you are never alone!

To get connected with DNM:

Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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On this week’s episode, join Martha and Ashley in welcoming Dr. Michelle Wyatt for a special mini-interview! Dr. Wyatt is a Maternal Fetal Medicine physician at Essentia Health, our presenting sponsor for the Dear NICU Mama Event: Be Proud of Who You’ve Become. In anticipation of this incredible event, we chat about Maternal Fetal Medicine practice, what Essentia Health is doing to support NICU families, and words of wisdom for Dr. Wyatt herself!

Registration is still available for Be Proud of Who You’ve Become Presented by Essentia Health, hosted virtually on November 13th, 2021. For more information visit, www.dearnicumama.com/events !

To get connected with Essentia Health: https://www.essentiahealth.org

Michelle Wyatt is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist at Essentia Health in Fargo, ND. She is a Minnesota native growing up in a suburb of Minneapolis and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She graduated Sum Cum laude and Phi beta Kappa with a B.S in biochemistry and B.A. in Physiology. She attended Medical School at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine where she met her husband. She completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology and fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine also at Mayo Clinic. She is the mother to two handsome boys. Their family enjoys being out on the water in the summer and watching football in the fall. During her free time, she enjoys baking and crafting. She has a passion for working with families experiencing high risk pregnancies and an interest in researching and improving the quality of care in obstetrics.

To get connected with DNM:
 Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

This podcast episode is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide medical advice. All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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On this week’s episode, we have the honor of sharing part 1 of Taylor’s motherhood journey with her son, Milo! Milo was born full-term and had a NICU stay of 188 days that included 2 ambulatory transfers and 3 hospitals.

Upon birth, Milo was diagnosed with Vacterl association after being born with a VSD, TEF, and an ectopic kidney. He underwent his first of 3 TEF repairs at 3 days old, 2 of those repairs included opening up his chest, and he also underwent multiple dilation procedures on his esophagus, open heart surgery to repair his VSD, multiple blood transfusions, and a g-tube placement surgery.  (Amongst many other things!) After being told he could potentially make it home by Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas he went on to spend many more milestones in the hospital before finally making it home in time for Mother’s Day!

Not only is Taylor’s story special because of Milo’s resilience, but also because of the resilience she showed throughout her stay as a pandemic NICU mama and a mama to her older child Charlie. We hope that all of our pandemic NICU mamas feel seen, heard, and validated throughout this episode. You journeyed through so much alone - but we hope that you feel surrounded and loved by this sisterhood today.

To get connected with DNM:

 Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This week’s episode is a mini episode all about our upcoming event on November 13th, 2021! If you’ve had any questions about our event or wondered what to expect when attending the event, we hope this episode answers some of those questions!

Our “Be Proud of Who you’ve Become” event is designed specifically for current and past NICU mamas. Featuring renowned high-risk pregnancy specialist, author, speaker, and NICU mama, Parijat Desphande as our keynote speaker and Anese Barnett, maternal mental health expert and founder of The Breakthrough Mama. This special event will offer the opportunity to learn about trauma after the NICU, meet NICU mamas from around the world, and discover the hope of healing.

All registrations will include admission to our live event on November 13, 2021, access to the recording after the event, and a Dear NICU Mama gift box mailed prior to event. (Event registrations must be received by November 1st in order to receive your box by the event date. For attendees outside of the United States, please know that there may be delays, and we will do our best to get it to you on time!)

Event Schedule:

• 3:00 PM Pre-Event Reflection with Anese Barnett
• 4:00 PM Welcome
• 4:15 PM Keynote: Parijat Deshpande
• 5:00 PM Q&A with Parijat Desphande
• 5:30 PM BREAK
• 5:40 PM Life After NICU Panel
• 6:25 PM Breakout Session
• 7:30 PM Closing & Post-Event Reflection with Anese Barnett

** Need-based scholarships available! If you are interested in requesting a scholarship or funding a scholarship for another mama, please email hello@dearnicumama.com **

For previous podcasts episodes with Parijat, head here or here.  For our previous podcast episode with Anese, head here!

To register, head to www.dearnicumama.com/events! We’d love to have you join us.

To get connected with DNM:

 Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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On this week’s episode, we have the honor of sharing Jamie’s motherhood journey with her twins, Cooper and Lydia! Cooper and Lydia were born at 26 weeks, and had a NICU stay of 80 days. Not only is their story special because of their resilience, but also because today they are now thriving 19 year olds heading to college and we get to hear about the young adults they are becoming!

Throughout this episode, Jamie shares about what it has been like to see Cooper and Lydia grow up and hit so many milestones, as well as how their NICU journey has shaped the mother and woman she has become today. We hope that for any current or new NICU moms, this episode offers hope and encouragement to your heart for all that is to come. And for our “older” NICU moms, we hope you feel seen and heard throughout this episode. While support resources such as Dear NICU Mama, may not have existed at the time of your stay, we hope you feel surrounded by this sisterhood today. You are never alone!

To get connected with DNM:
 Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Cold and flu season, pandemic, RSV oh my! On this week’s episode, we have the opportunity to sit down with a very well-known and respected pediatrician in the Fargo Moorhead area, Dr. Stephanie Hanson with Sanford Health. Dr. Hanson has 11 years of pediatric experience, and in her practice has seen many NICU grads come through her clinic. Cold and flu season is a scary topic for any new mother, but for many NICU mothers there is an added element of fear as their babies may have compromised immune systems. Add on the pandemic and this time of year can be very anxiety inducing. So today we wanted to take the opportunity to share some practical information regarding cold and flu season from a licensed and experienced medical professional!

Throughout the episode, we talk about:

• Why is cold and flu season picking up so early this year?
• What are some basic practices a NICU mom can do to protect her child’s immune system during cold and flu season?
• What can our response be when well-meaning friends and family say things like “Don’t live in fear… they have to build their immune system sometime!”
• Words of encouragement for NICU families who are sending their kids to daycare and school

We hope that this episode eases some of your fears, gets you away from those midnight google searches, and reminds you that you are your baby's best advocate. You can do this mama!

To get connected with Sanford Health: www.sanfordhealth.org

To get connected with DNM:
Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram

This podcast episode is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide medical advice. All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support the show

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support the show

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support the show