The Incubator

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James Roberts, co-founder and CEO of mOm Incubators, returns to Tech Tuesday almost four years after his first appearance, when the device was still in development. A lot has changed. The mOm Essentials is now CE marked and FDA cleared, in use across eight countries, and has reached roughly 18,500 patients, from NHS maternity wards to air raid shelters in Ukraine.

Daphna and James talk through what makes the system different: a bassinet sized footprint, one button operation, battery power that keeps warming through transport, and the ability to sit over a mother's bed. They discuss which babies are now staying with their parents instead of going to the NICU, the hypothermia admissions it is preventing, and how floor nurses have responded. James also shares the personal story behind the company and what mOm is building next.

mOm is now looking for US partners. Details at momincubators.com

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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How do we safely dose medications when more than 90 percent of NICU drugs are not FDA approved for neonates? Daphna and Christa sit down with Nicole Thompson Bowie, a neonatal nurse practitioner at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, about her neonatal pharmacology review. Nicole explains why pharmacokinetics is the foundation, why understanding the why behind every drug matters more than any protocol, and how medications given to the mother affect the baby. The conversation then turns to simulation, where Nicole shares why debriefing is the single most critical step, how video playback and open-ended questions help learners lead, why psychological safety must be protected, and how sharing her own mistakes helps win over reluctant participants.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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What happens inside a feeding tube left in place for days at a time? Daphna and Christa reunite with Dr. Leslie Parker of the University of Florida. Dr. Parker shares not yet published findings from her study comparing feeding tube changes every two days versus every seven days, with less biofilm and bacterial contamination in more frequently changed tubes. She then turns to her work as a legal consultant, explaining why thorough documentation of what you saw, what you did, and why matters, and why she disagrees that less is more in charting. They wrap with practical advice for NNPs, fellows, and students looking for the right research mentor.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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What do we lose when NICU babies don’t see a therapist until they’re close to going home? Daphna talks with Diane Delgado Allen, an occupational therapist and certified neonatal therapist, following her lecture on optimizing developmental care for the long-term NICU infant. Diane explains the difference between neuroprotective and neuropromotive care, why early sensory experiences shape brain wiring, and how missed opportunities show up as sensory processing disorders, autism, cerebral palsy, and behavioral challenges. She describes her ideal developmental program, from prenatal consults to sibling playgroups, and makes the case for giving therapists a seat at the table. They also discuss the therapist’s role in family integrated care and what neonatal therapy certification means.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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Recording live at the FANNP National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium, Daphna and Christa sit down with Dr. Jacqui Hoffman, associate professor in the DNP NNP track at Rush University and the symposium’s speaker coordinator. She shares what keeps the conference fresh, from on-demand sessions to hands-on PICC and ventilator workshops, and why she finds the work fulfilling rather than thankless. The conversation then turns to the neonatal workforce: declining NNP enrollment, the ripple effects of the 2025 ACGME residency changes, an upcoming study on 24-hour shift fatigue, and why physicians and nurse practitioners must tackle these challenges together rather than in silos.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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Recording live at the FANNP National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium, Daphna and Christa sit down with Dr. Debbie Shirey, Associate Dean for Graduate Education at Baylor University, to revisit the morning’s opening talk. At 23, Debbie was a journalist and weekend DJ when she delivered her son at 27 weeks and spent four months commuting 130 miles to the NICU. A primary nurse named Liz taught her to place feeding tubes, called her every shift, and planted a question that changed her life. Debbie shares how that experience shaped her commitment to health literacy, compassion, and underserved patients, and offers honest advice for clinicians considering their next step.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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When a NICU mother comes back from surgery, do you know what she was told about pumping? Recording live at the FANNP National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium, Daphna sits down with Dr. Michele Savin, NNP program director at Thomas Jefferson University. She shares how a group of CRNA doctoral students challenged the outdated “pump and dump” advice, showing that most anesthetic agents fall well below a 10% relative infant dose and that codeine is the main drug to avoid. They also discuss why we should ask parents directly about their own care, how NNP education is shifting toward competency based training, and what the new 750 clinical hour requirement means for the next generation of neonatal nurse practitioners.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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Are you still waiting for a creatinine of 1.5 before calling it acute kidney injury? Recording live from the FANNP National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium, Daphna sits down with Dr. Terri Marin, NNP and nurse scientist at Augusta University and Children’s Hospital of Georgia, and the first NNP member of the Neonatal Kidney Collaborative. She explains why preterm infants are born mid nephrogenesis, why nearly half of babies under 29 weeks develop AKI, and why KDIGO criteria should replace outdated cutoffs.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

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What if the sedative you added to spare opioids is the reason your patient is still on them? Recording live from the 2026 National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium in Clearwater, Florida, Daphna sits down with Dr. Khorshid Mohammad, neonatal neurocritical care expert from the University of Calgary, to preview his three talks. He shares how one small change in rounding language opened up NICU families, why true parent partnership means understanding rather than judging, and why neonatal pain scoring remains so subjective. He also explains how his team learned that adding dexmedetomidine increased opioid exposure in postsurgical neonates, and how a protocolized, score-driven QI approach turned it around. His take-home message is simple: how you do it matters more than what you do.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!

Send us Fan Mail

The Incubator Podcast is coming to you from the sold-out National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Symposium in sunny Clearwater, Florida! Daphna is joined by her co-host for the week, Dr. Christa Matrone, as they sit down with the speakers, educators, and nurse practitioners shaping the future of neonatal care. From neurodevelopment and pain management to kidney health, breastfeeding, and NNP education, there is so much to learn, and every member of the NICU team has a seat at the table. Catch all of these episodes on both our podcast channel and our YouTube channel, wherever you prefer to listen or watch.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!