Katie and Bruce Boucher delivered their sweet boy Leo at 30 weeks gestation on September 29th, 2024 after a very stressful/complicated pregnancy.

Their journey in the NICU ended up being longer than they expected for a 30 weeker preemie, with Leo requiring a trach at a couple months of age.

At 7 months old Leo suddenly passed away, leaving so many heartbroken.

On todays episode Katie came on to share her son Leo's story, be open about how she is dealing with grief and what she wishes people knew about how to help someone who has lost a child.

Leo may have only had 7 months here, but his impact on the world is felt immensely. His mom Katie is the definition of strength and motherhood, she wants to help parents who have gone through a similar journey as hers.

I want to thank Katie for her bravery and vulnerability, sharing this personal story is difficulty but she does it with such grace.

If you would like to connect with Katie after listening to this episode she would love that!

Instagram:

@katieboucher422

This episode may be my favorite so far, John's amazing Pulmonologist joined me to talk all things BPD and lungs! Since the two of us could talk all day we realized we have to record a few more episodes after this one to cover all the topics!!

John Prpich, MD was born and raised in Tampa, Florida (born at st joes) . He received his Bachelors of Science in Biology from Loyola University in New Orleans. He continued with the Jesuit theme, receiving his medical degree from Loyola University in Chicago. He returned to Florida to do a residency in general pediatrics, including an additional year as chief resident, at the University of Florida in Jacksonville. During residency, Dr. Prpich discovered his love for pulmonary medicine. This led him to Denver where he completed a fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at the University of Colorado with 2 years as a research associate at National Jewish. He returned home to Tampa and joined Pediatric Pulmonary Specialists in 2008. As the medical director for pediatric respiratory care at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, he provides leadership and education for the department and has developed numerous clinical pathways in asthma, bronchiolitis and croup for the hospital. Dr. Prpich remains passionately committed to improving the care for children with asthma in his community and serves as the co-chair for the state-wide Florida Asthma Coalition. His practice cares for one of the largest hi-risk pediatric asthma populations in the region. Dr Prpich founded the Aerodigestive program with Dr Hotchkiss and Dr Narwal at St Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in 2018.

All things home nursing!

Nicole answers all the things that come with home nursing, including how to pick the agency that fits your child needs, ways to interview nurses, how to handle having nurses in your home and more.

My husband sits down with me to share vulnerable moments we have experienced while navigating being parents to a trach/vent child. As first time parents we expected it to be an adjustment, then add in 16 months of living in the ICU with our child, then having nurses in your home, it has been a whirlwind. Jordan and I talk about all the topics including intimacy which sometimes feels impossible. If you are struggling in your marriage during this season, we just want you to know it's normal and you are not alone.

Episode 9 we are joined by Danielle Marple who is the mama to 25 week miracle twins. Her two girls had completely different NICU experiences, one being 4 months and the other 11 months. Danielle shares the challenges her and her husband faced on a daily basis with Adrianna's medical team. Her story is a reminder that you should always trust your mom gut and never stop advocating for your children.

I spoke with Meagan, the mom to Knox who is a little miracle heart baby!

Knox has been through so much in his first almost two years of life, including a craniotomy at 2 months old. After many complications in the NICU and PICU with his heart and CO2 being high Knox was given a trach to help. Meagan bravely shares her entire journey from her pregnancy, birth and fighting non-stop to get answers for her sons conditions.

In this episode I share our story of how we went from being anti-trach for 7 months to suddenly begging them to get him into surgery for a tracheostomy ASAP.

I share my honest thoughts on the trach, that it is normal to not want your child to have a trach and doing everything you can to avoid it is OKAY!

Hilarie Geurink, RD, CSP is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Pediatrics with over nine years of experience helping families navigate tube feeding. She is the founder of Blended Tube Feeding, a virtual private practice dedicated to supporting families as they incorporate real food into their tube feeding routines. Their focus is on improving digestion and health outcomes, creating a sense of normalcy, and empowering parents to feel confident and in control of their child’s nutrition.

Medical Blender Discount From: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/the-best-blenders-for-tube-feeding-with-discounts/

Commercial real food formulas Blog: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/real-food-tube-feeding-formulas-a-dietitians-review/

Learn more/join Blended Tube Feeding Made Simple: https://blendedtubefeeding.com/blended-tube-feeding-made-simple-affiliate/?affiliate_code=fa4ac4

Hilarie's Instagram

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blendedtubefeeding/

Since bringing my son home in September life has been great, but the trauma and depression has slowly caught up. In this episode I share my very vulnerable feelings and emotions on where my current mindset it. I apologize in advance for the crying.

In this weeks episode we will discuss the drastic differences between the NICU and the PICU! How to prepare and what to expect when you transfer from one to another from a medical mom perspective.