"I think this may be a parent's worst nightmare.”

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Holly, mom to three children living in Northern California. Holly’s son, Austin, was typical until just after his 1st birthday, then started regressing in gross motor including balance and weak tone and eventually spasticity, which is their biggest concern to this day.

Holly has a sense of humor and outlook that will make you instantly feel connected to her and her family. She talks about the crazy amount of testing that Austin had to go through to find his diagnosis and she also shares stories of what NOT to say to parents who have kids with special needs. My favorite part of our conversation is when Holly talks about how she hates playgrounds but found a way to turn that passion into something for good, their foundation Walk With Austin. 

Follow Walk with Austin:

Instagram and Facebook

Have you heard? The Child Life On Call mobile app for parents, kids and their care team will be available in 2022. Sign up to stay informed here.

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

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"It's been rough. It's like your heart is in two different places."

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Madeline, a mom from Utah that shares her son’s experience with having a rare form of skeletal dysplasia and how her daughter has dealt with their journey.

Madeline is host of The Rare Life podcast which was inspired by her son, Kimball after his arrival into the world. In this episode, Madeline walks us through what it’s been like for her daughter.

Madeline is a fierce, inspiring and talented human who has an ability to connect with other parents and professionals. She reminds others often that “your feelings are valid, and you shouldn’t feel shame about them.”

Annie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Lindsey, mom to Memphis a son who suffered from Infant Botulism.

Lindsey is an experienced mother of three when her son, Memphis, came into the world. She breastfed him like she had her others and when he started refusing to nurse and acting sleepy, she took him urgent care. After two urgent care visits had concluded that Memphis had a cold-virus, his symptoms continued and she took him to the ER where he was quickly diagnosed with Infant Botulism, which according to Kids Health.org is when when a baby ingests toxins is caused by a toxin (a poison) from Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which live in soil and dust and can also be found in honey. 

In this episode, Lindsey talks about their hospital stay and how she managed to stay positive and alert during such a difficult time. Though recovery can be long, the doctors assured her that her son would fully recover from IB.

She talks about how fortunate she feels that he has recovered and wants to urge parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Infant Botulism.

You can find more information and resources about Infant Botulism here. 

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Dafne, The Chronic Illness Coach.  

Dafne is mom to three college-age kids and she and her husband live in Houston, Texas. In this episode, we talk about how her children all suffer from chronic illness: Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes, Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis and Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis.

She describes how:

*Finding a medical team who includes you as the parent is important

*Searching for a tribe of people who understand is worth the effort

*Small children who deal with lifelong chronic illness can thrive

You can follow Dafne on Instagram, Facebook and buy her book. 

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Shay Shull from Mix & Match Mama. Shay is a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

Shay is mom to four kids and she and her husband live in McKinney, Texas. Today, we talk about her daughter Ashby and how their family copes with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS).

Ashby is one of her adopted children from China and has had over 22 surgeries since joining their family.

She describes how:

*Learning to navigate the intimidating healthcare system took time

*Ashby’s optimistic attitude helps her implement coping skills to deal with pain

*Their family was blessed with this sweet girl who has in turn prompted other families to adopt from China

You can follow Shay on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist welcomes back Shani (a.k.a. Child Life Mommy) to the podcast. 

Shani is a Certified Child Life Specialist who has a private practice in Northern California  and you can learn more about her community-based program in a previous episode here. 

But, today Shani puts on her “mom hat” and talks about the journey of having a child with learning differences like #anxiety, #adhd, #dyslexia and #dysgraphia.

She describes how:

*She has had to learn to advocate to get her child the appropriate testing and IEP’s

*Community plays an important role of getting the answers and support they need

*The pandemic and virtual learning has been challenging for children with learning differences.

The books Shani recommends are: Overcoming Dyslexia, The Dyslexia Empowerment, 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD, Facebook groups, Understood.org, Barton reading programs, Wrights Law.

You can follow Shani on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Amanda, mom to two micro preemie twins born at 23 weeks. 

Amanda and her husband met at Baylor University and had a normal pregnancy and delivery with their first son. Their second go at getting pregnant was not as easy and included fertility treatments, bed rest and an traumatic, emergent c-section at 23 weeks.

She describes how:

*Her faith was instrumental for getting through their experience

*Detailed preparation from NICU team before hand helped her understand what was happening 

*Creating community within the NICU setting (with both families and staff) was necessary for getting through.

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support yourself and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Effie Parks, mom to Ford who was born with a rare disease called CTNNB1.

Effie is the host of the Once Upon a Gene podcast and in this episode she shares about her journey into parenthood and what it's like raising a child with special needs.

She describes how:

• she learned to advocate for her son's needs
• self-care is non-negotiable
• she came to the realization that although parenting is different than she envisioned, her son has taught her more than she could ever imagine.

Listen Effie's podcast, Once Upon a Gene, or watch her new show on the Disorder Channel. 

Child Life On Call is a community of parents and professionals that share ideas, stories and resources to help  YOU navigate your child’s unique experiences. We give you strategies to support your self and your family through life’s challenges. We are so glad you are here.

Child Life On Call | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter