The Blog

This week on the podcast we talked to the wonderful Danielle and Tyler Morris, a couple who had their son at 24 weeks and 4 days, which makes him a micropreemie. Their journey inspired Danielle to set up @nicu_experience on Instagram

I'm Amber, and I have a 6-month-old called Amelie. I am currently still on maternity leave from my job as a Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nurse. Going in to have my baby, the last thing I expected was for her to end up in NICU.

Deciding to have another baby often isn’t a simple task. Having another baby after NICU when your first (or previous) was sick or premature is a whole different – incredibly complex – ballgame, with no rule book.

Lottie, the driving force behind Leo's Neonatal, is opening up about her journey.

Most people don't know that a large majority of NICU admissions are babies who are born at full term. It is necessary to shed light on this, as there are often misconceptions that only premature babies need neonatal care, which is not the case.

What PPROM is, what should you know, how can it impact you emotionally and stories of hope.

Services available to support parents who have been through NICU both nationally and regionally.

Amanda Griffith Atkins' journey through parenthood offers a poignant look into the world of raising a child with a disability. Her honesty and compassion shine through, providing a community for parents facing similar challenges.

NICU can be an overwhelming experience; having some solid information about what it can be like and how to prepare may help to rationalise and help normalise these thoughts and feelings.

Join us for an enlightening and much needed conversation with Katie Ross, whose expertise as a neonatal occupational therapist and a mother with NICU experience brings a wealth of insights to our podcast.

As a paediatric nurse my daily routine starts by walking onto a ward of poorly babies and children, with a smile on my face ready to start work. Never did I imagine I would be the one walking onto a ward crying for my poorly baby.

Mindfulness expert Nicole debunks the biggest mindfulness myths.

Intrusive thoughts can occur at any given time, but, in this instance, I am going to focus on intrusive thoughts when you have had a baby, the impact they can have on you, and how to begin to overcome them.

When you experience intense distress and trauma, your reaction is going to be one of fight, flight or freeze.

Having a premature baby changes you: the fear that the baby might not survive outweighed the excitement of meeting the child I had been growing in my tummy the last few months.

We experience a lot of loss when we are parents of a baby who has spent time in NICU. Life is not how you imaged, and it can feel like those firsts you wanted for you and your baby have been taken away from you; these feelings are hard to cope with.

“My breastfeeding story felt like a full on novel, it took me 3 and a half months before I was able to solely breastfeed and it felt like it took all of me to commit to it. I feel lucky I have been able to continue.”

Services available to support parents who have been through NICU both nationally and regionally

Do you know that 60% of NICU admissions are with babies who are born at full term (37 weeks+)? I didn’t. And most people don’t.

Deciding to have another baby often isn’t a simple task. Having another baby after NICU when your first (or previous) was sick or premature is a whole different – incredibly complex – ballgame, with no rule book.

This week we share Katie’s story about prematurity, PTSD and post-traumatic growth.

This week we share Chloe’s story, a late preterm baby who has overcome all the odds.

Lily, a two-time NICU mum, tells us about her experience of difficult pregnancies, miscarriages, twins and multiple NICU stays.

Jack, a NICU Dad, openly shares about his journey with his twins, talking about his experience of becoming a father to twins in the NICU as well as helpfully sharing his advice on what helped him through his neonatal experience.

After going through such a significant life event, I feel almost uneasy trying to find a place to start with this story, but I am choosing to begin with hope.

It's been 2 years since I wrote our first post on Miracle Moon. A lot as happened, and yet, not much has happened too. Charlotte is at the brink of going into 3-4 year clothing and that blows my mind!

Our baby girl Audrey was born in October 2019 at 26 weeks and 3 days as a result of severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

Last Christmas we were still in hospital with Jasper, his due date was Boxing Day but he decided to come in September.

When I had my son, Grayson, I began to suffer from post-natal depression. I am not depressed, I just have depression; I will feel better.

I met NICU with a bang. The sight of Wilf and the noises will always haunt me, I couldn’t believe what was going on.

I was thrust into the NICU world at 100 miles an hour without a chance to pause and catch my breath. My baby was born premature. I knew that babies could be born early but never did I ever even pause to think that MY baby would be born prematurely.

I had never heard of NICU before. When I had my crash section under GA as soon as arriving to MAU, I knew nothing of what was about to happen.

After having my first born I was told that my next birth would be 'easier', which I naively believed. I was massive, baby was growing into a very big boy and I was under the care of a consultant for previous complications during pregnancy.

My name is Roz and this story is about my daughter, Millie, who was born at term but had to have a 12 day stay in our local NICU/SCBU for high jaundice levels. My husband and I found that to be the hardest 12 days of our lives, until 2020 hit.

Dear Salma who just found out she is pregnant, You’re going to be a different person this time next year.

My name is Leanne, I'm 30 and a high school Science Teacher. Flora is my first baby and was due on the 2nd June. Flora started to make and attempt to enter the world as I was about to turn 32 weeks pregnant.

Our NICU stay occurred when our first child was born prematurely at 32 weeks, due to the quick onset of pre-eclampsia. Clodagh (now 7 months actual age) was due on the 22nd of February 2020.

Jenna tells her story about her premature NICU baby, Aurora Rae.

I had a very specific plan for my pregnancy and especially for my birth, which did not go to plan. These are a few things I wish I could go back and tell myself.

Imagine feeling as if your thoughts or actions have the power to kill the people you love the most, and living with the very real (in your own mind) responsibility that you are "keeping them alive" by doing these things.

My name is Eilidh and I'm a first time mum to Ruairidh, who is now 17 months old. I am a doctor who is currently on medical leave for PTSD related to my son's birth.

Georgina shares her NICU breastfeeding story for Breastfeeding Awareness Week - “Looking back now, I can see I did my absolute best.”

I had a very specific plan for my pregnancy and especially for my birth. These are a few things I wish I could go back and tell myself.

After going through such a significant life event, I feel almost uneasy trying to find a place to start with this story, but I am choosing to begin with hope.

Jack, a NICU Dad, openly shares about his journey with his twins Remy and Luca. He talks about his experience of becoming a Father to twins in the NICU whilst also having another child at home.

Lily, a two-time NICU mum, tells us about her experience of difficult pregnancies, miscarriages, twins and multiple NICU stays.

This week we share Chloe’s story, a late preterm baby who has overcome all the odds.

This week we share Katie’s story about prematurity, PTSD and post-traumatic growth.