In this special episode (PART 2 of 2) we dive deep into a topic that will be on so many people's minds as it is NICU awareness month, with the incredible Naomi Southern-Augustine.

While ultimately this story has an incredible ending against all the odds with Wren continuing to thrive to this day, I want to include a trigger warning here for anyone not feeling in a space to listen to this story today, as we discuss at length Naomi's birth at 22 weeks 6 days, and the associated risks including potential infant loss as prior to 24 weeks this is not considered medically viable, as well as her NICU journey with a micro preemie, a whole host of challenges and eventual post partum PTSD.

Naomi runs the instagram account @lifeinourarchford documenting her journey with her partner Rob and daughter Wren, and in this episode we discuss Wren’s absolutely amazing, miraculous, resilient, intensely challenging journey, including:

• Birth at 22+6
• NICU
• Palliative care
• Medical challenges and complications
• Feeding challenges
• Why connecting with other NICU families was so essential
• Caring for a micro-preemie
• The long journey home
• Tests needed to pass to get home
• Having to fight to get proper communication from doctors and questions answered about issues with care
• 9 attempts at discharge to get home
• Celebrating her 100th day
• The feeling of being told it was ok to go
• Huge appreciation for NHS and NICU teams, how amazing the staff were
• Rob passing his driving test with Wren in NICU!
• Support from community nurses
• Today (day of recording) - Wren’s corrected FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!! (16 months old, corrected age 12 months)
• Intensity of weekly appointments even after discharge, at one point being under 10 different specialties (and seeing nurses and consultants continues, still under optomology for eyes, still under cardiology, respiratory specialist) - it doesn’t stop once you leave NICU
• Mental health during NICU and the first year afterwards
• Post partum PTSD and flashbacks and intrusive thoughts
• Naomi’s first day back at work tomorrow (the day after recording)
• Talking therapy and CBT
• Loving her job as a nurse but difficulty of leaving Wren
• That it’s not all doom and gloom, they’ve celebrated and laughed, made friends for life with other NICU families
• NICU’s sole purpose is to help your little one survive (and to help those who can’t have a good death and support families through that unimaginable time)
• How lucky we are in the UK to access NICU on the NHS
• Naomi’s message for other NICU parents

You can follow Naomi, Rob and Wren's journey on instagram here.

Bliss is also a useful resource for supporting families of babies born premature or sick.

Follow this podcast on @themorethanmamapod.

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