Dear NICU Mama

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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 episode in closing because Parijat is the keynote speaker of our November event THIS WEEKEND! If you are on the fence about registering and long to learn more about Parijat and her practice, this episode is a great episode to do just that.

For links to tickets, click here! 

From March, 2020:

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 trauma professional Parijat Desphande on the podcast to share about how our bodies and minds may be responding during this unprecedented time. This episode is packed with incredible amounts of insight and immense amounts of HOPE.

Parijat Deshpande is the leading high-risk pregnancy specialist, trauma professional, speaker and author who teaches women how to deactivate their stress response before, during and after a high-risk pregnancy so they can give their baby a strong start to life. Her unique approach has served hundreds of women to manage pregnancy complications and reclaim safety and trust in their bodies that they thought was eroded forever. Parijat is the author of bestselling book Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. She is also the host of the popular podcast Delivering Miracles®, that discusses the real, raw side of family-building including infertility, loss, high-risk pregnancy, bed rest, prematurity and healing once baby comes home.

To get connected with Parijat Deshpande:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Delivering Miracles® Podcast | Healing Hearts Program

Parijat's Book, Pregnancy Brain - Available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. - https://parijatdeshpande.lpages.co/pregnancybrain/

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

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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 Counseling Services. We have had the opportunity to chat with her on on a few of our podcast episodes, and we are always so grateful for her empathetic and compassionate voice when talking about harder and weightier topics in motherhood.

Throughout the episode we cover:
• What are triggers and what can they look/feel like?
• What is the value of seeing a licensed and trusted provider and how to find one?
• How can we implement self-compassion vs shame when we experience a trigger?

No matter where you are in your healing journey, you are never alone. 

For the link to Postpartum International mentioned in the episode, head to: https://www.postpartum.net/

Natalie specializes in reproductive mental health which includes peri-natal, post-partum, infertility, infant loss, paternal mental health, and the impact on couples. She has received specialized training in perinatal and post-partum mental health from Postpartum Support International, and was recently selected as the 2019 Outstanding Mental Health Counselor by the North Dakota Mental Health Counseling Association for my work with reproductive mental health. Her work as a child birth educator and her two children have sparked her passion of working with reproductive mental health!

To get connected with Natalie:
Website | Instagram | Facebook

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

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/dearnicumama)

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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 hospital transfer. In this episode, she shares about her high risk pregnancy, a heart diagnosis, the emergency delivery of Silas, and some of the wins and setbacks of his NICU stay.

We hope that this episode encourages any other high-risk NICU mamas that you are not alone!

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

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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 opportunities for NICU mamas around the world to connect with each other. And while we would love to meet together in person, we are thrilled to be able to offer “The Hope of Healing After NICU” event virtually! Featuring renowned high-risk pregnancy specialist, author, speaker, and NICU mama, Parijat Desphande as our keynote speaker, 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.

In this episode we cover event and registration details, what is included in the purchase of a ticket, and what a NICU mama attending can expect! To listen to the previous episode with Parijat mentioned in the episode, click here!

For tickets and more information, click here or head to www.dearnicumama.com/events! We’d love to have YOU join us! 💕

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

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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 mamas of faith, the NICU experience can leave us with more questions than answers about prayer and about God. How do I pray when I can barely catch my breath? Is He with me in this season and in this pain?

On this episode we have the opportunity to hear about Kayla’s honest faith journey, and how her faith has grown and evolved after her daughter Lizzie fought for her life in the PICU and has existing medical complexities. We also chat about what it looks like to pray honest prayers and how reading liturgies can be a really great place to start when we do not have the words to pray.

We are so excited to have you tune into this episode with us, and to also hear the liturgy she wrote exclusively for NICU mamas.

Kayla Craigis a writer and podcast producer who believes in the power of story. She writes modern prayers for moms and dads at Liturgies for Parents and her book is forthcoming with Tyndale in 2021. Kayla co-founded and hosts Upside Down Podcast, a place for conversations on faith and justice. 

Kayla loves deep mugs of coffee, deeper belly laughs, and even deeper questions. She and her pastor-husband Jonny live in Iowa, where they’re raising four young kids who joined their family via birth and adoption. She has two fluffy dogs and spends too much time on Instagram.

Her most recent published essays are in This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices and Rally: Litanies for the Lovers of Jesus and Justice.

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

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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 delivery with Declan, she had a cerclage placed and was monitored closely throughout her pregnancy.

Maddex made his entrance to the world at 27 weeks and weighed 2lbs 4oz at birth. His NICU stay was a total of 61 days with no major complications, however because he was born in the time of the pandemic, Brandi and her husband navigated the continual changes of hospital regulations and unknowns of the pandemic.

In this episode, Brandi shares about pregnancy after loss, processing through the trauma of the NICU, learning to forgive your body, and also what it was like navigating the NICU journey in the midst of a pandemic. We say it often, but pandemic NICU mamas are our heroes!

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

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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, the importance of listening to your body, and how his life quite honestly saved her own. There are so many beautiful layers to her story which is why there will be two parts!

We hope this episode reminds any Angel mamas, that you are never ever alone.

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

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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 week's episode, we had the opportunity to have a conversation with high-risk pregnancy expert, Dr. Stefanie Gefroh Ellison, regarding high-risk pregnancy and pregnancy after NICU. Being a NICU mama herself, she responded to each question with equal parts empathy and equal parts sound medical wisdom. Her responses are meant to be used as a starting point of conversation to have with your OB or trusted physician!

In this episode we cover:

• What qualifies a pregnancy to be “high-risk”?
• If I had a NICU stay in a previous pregnancy, will it happen again?
• What questions can I ask my medical provider to better prepare as we grow our family?
• What role do statistics play in determining the journey of a future pregnancy?

We hope that this episode offers some wisdom and encouragement on all things regrading pregnancy after NICU. You are never alone, mama!

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.

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

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