NICU Alumni Podcast
Welcome to the NICU Alumni Podcast. Your baby has graduated from the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and you're finally home! Now what? We know that the end of the NICU journey is the start of a whole new experience. So, we're dedicated to supporting families as they navigate life after the NICU. We're so glad you're here!
Episodes
42 episodes
I Know Newborns: Advocacy and Support with Chelsea Samms
In this episode of the NICU Alumni Podcast, host Andrea Hickson sits down with Chelsea Sams, MSN, RN, CPST, perinatal nurse educator, and founder of I Know Newborns. With ove...
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Episode 40
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30:22
All Things Insurance with Vanessa de la Llama
In this episode of the NICU Alumni Podcast, Andrea Hickson speaks with Vanessa de la Llama, a licensed mental health counselor, about the complexities of navigating insurance and healthcare for families with NICU graduates. They di...
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Episode 39
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41:03
Empowering NICU Parents with Nicole Nyberg a NICU NP and NICU Mom
Nicole Nyberg is the proud mother of a former 23-weeker and a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. With her unique perspective as both a clinical expert and a micropreemie mom, she’s dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experience. Nicole is the Foun...
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Episode 38
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42:21
Family-Centered Care in the NICU and beyond - Cristal Grogan
Cristal Grogan shares her experience of her son's NICU stay overseas in Spain and the challenges they faced. She discusses the language barriers, socialized medicine, and lack of family-centered care in the NICU. Cristal emphasizes the importan...
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Episode 37
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48:13
The Baby Steps Program: A Transition of Care Model Supporting Families After the NICU
Dr. Danielle A. Cierak and Flor Tena discuss their work in the NICU and the challenges families face after leaving the hospital. They developed the Baby Steps transition of care model to support NICU patients and families during the difficult p...
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Episode 36
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34:44
Making a Difference: From Patient to Advocate - Rita Mirabelli
In this conversation, Andrea and Rita discuss their experiences with the NICU and the challenges they faced. They talk about the emotional impact of the NICU stay, the difficulties of bonding and providing care in the NICU, and the feeding chal...
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Episode 35
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41:48
Tube Feeding After the NICU and Transitioning to Oral Feeds with Darla Vazquez
Darla Vazquez shares her journey as a NICU parent and the challenges she faced raising her son, who was born prematurely and spent 203 days in the NICU. She discusses the importance of advocacy and the need for support in navigating the medical...
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Episode 34
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37:58
Dear NICU Mama - Ashley and Martha
We had the best conversation with Ashley and Martha of Dear NICU Mama! Vilma shares how she became connected to DNM and then later went on to become a founding board member of NICU Alumni.Quick Takeaways from the Episode:Dea...
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Episode 33
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41:48
Families Healing Together and Giving Back - Bricen & Ila
Bricen Urquidi is a stay at home mom of 3 kids. She has been involved with ICU baby (a local nonprofit in Miami that is very near and dear to us at NICU Alumni) for over 8 years and is...
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Episode 32
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32:31
Family Centered Care, Mental Health Advocacy, NICU Parent Network - Keira Sorrells
After giving birth to triplets at just 25 weeks 5 days gestation and losing one of her daughters at 14 months old, Keira Sorrells was propelled into maternal-infant health out of a deep-seated desire to ensure no parent experiences the trauma o...
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Episode 31
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35:29
Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Neonatologist - Dr. Grisel Galarza
Dr. Marta Grisel Galarza is a Board Certified Lactation Specialist as well as a Neonatologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and she has worked at Holtz Children’s hospital since 1997. She is the Medical Director of the In...
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Episode 30
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38:54
Music Therapist - Alexa Marsellos
Alexa Marsellos, a board-certified music therapist and music educator joins us to discuss how she implements adaptive music lessons for students of all ages and abilities. In 2023, she founded Neurobeat Music Therapy (
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Episode 29
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33:16
Talking about our three bonus senses with Brittany Aquart, DPT
Brittany Aquart is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist, and mom of two, one of whom had a NICU stay. Quick Takeaways from the Episode:Going through the NICU with her own child is ...
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Episode 28
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34:22
One Year of the NICU Alumni Podcast 🎉
Tune in for a Special Episode: "Reflecting on One Year of the NICU Alumni Podcast" with our Board of Directors! 🎉Join us as we look back on a year of inspiring stories, valuable insights, and heartfelt connections. Hear from the dedicate...
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Episode 27
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35:35
NICU Parent, Artist, and Momma Mental Health Advocate - Savannah Jane O’Malley
Savannah Jane O’Malley is a wife and working mother of 3 former preemies. She works full-time, pursues her artistic passions part-time, and moms all the time. We talk about her twin boys who were born 3.5 months early, how they spent their firs...
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Episode 26
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48:40
Author, Speaker, Maternal & Neonatal Health Advocate - Jennifer Degl
Jennifer Degl is the mother of four, including a micro preemie born at 23 weeks gestation. As the founder of Speaking for Moms and Babies, Inc., her mission is to educate the public on maternal and neonatal health issues. She's also the author ...
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Episode 25
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36:23
Today is a Good Day Founder and NICU Parent - Martha Sharkey
Martha Sharkey is the Founder & CEO of Today is a Good Day, a non-profit providing personal and financial support for families who experience the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).Martha and her husband, Paul, founded Today is a G...
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Episode 24
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34:00
Over 4,000 Ounces of NICU Milk Donation - Alexandra Sportini
This week we are interviewing Alexandra Sportini, a NICU Mom to an IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) miracle baby who will soon be 15 months old.We talk about Alexandra's journey with breast milk which actually started before her s...
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Episode 23
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38:26
Pediatrician - Dr. Michelle Klein
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Michelle Klein, a pediatrician at Uptown Pediatrics in NYC. Originally from California, Dr. Klein earned her BA in Neuroscience from UCLA, followed by a master’s degree in Physiology and Biophysics from Georget...
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Episode 22
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32:01
Every Tiny Thing - Trish Ringley
Trish Ringley has been a NICU nurse since she graduated from nursing school in 1997. After more than 15 years serving NICU families, she realized how hard it is for parents to find the products they crave to support them during their NICU exper...
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Episode 21
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37:46
Collecting The Zaky HUGs®: Embracing our NICU Alumni Tradition
In this heartwarming episode, we interview our founder's daughter and dive into the beautiful tradition NICU Alumni started of collecting The Zaky HUGs® to distribute within our community.What is The Zaky HUG®? 🤗 It is a soft, weigh...
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7:37
The Inclusive Mama - Krystal Janet
Krystal Janet is a full time working momma and stepmom. She embraces all parenting a child with special needs, coparenting and life changes with good books and cafecito. Krystal enjoys traveling, attending community events, eating sushi and try...
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Episode 20
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39:30
Pediatric Occupational Therapist - Alesia DiSano
Alesia DiSano, is a Senior Pediatric Occupational Therapist with 19 years of experience in the field. We met through a mutual contact, Leah Jayanet...
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Episode 19
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33:33
Feeding and Swallowing Specialist - Marci Launer
Marci Launer, is the owner and founder of Launer Speech Language Therapy, a private speech language pathology practice based out of Long Island, NY. While working in early intervention she found her passion for feeding and swallowing in infants...
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Episode 18
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34:45
Creator of The Zaky HUG and Kangaroo Care Awareness Day - Yamile Jackson
Yamile Jackson, is the Creator of The Zaky HUG and International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day. In this interview, Yamile shares about her experience in the NICU with her son and how skin to skin helped them both thrive even in the midst of a tro...
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Episode 17
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48:35